Putting the pieces back together again: an illustration of the problem of interpreting development indicators using an African case study

Indicators are commonly recommended as tools for assessing the attainment of development, and the current vogue is for aggregating a number of indicators together into a single index. It is claimed that such indices of development help facilitate maximum impact in policy terms by appealing to those who may not necessarily have technical expertise in data collection, analysis and interpretation. In order to help counter criticisms of over-simplification, those advocating such indices also suggest that the raw data be provided so as to allow disaggregation into component parts and hence facilitate a more subtle interpretation if a reader so desires. This paper examines the problems involved with interpreting indices of development by focusing on the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP) Human Development Index (HDI) published each year in the Human Development Reports (HDRs). The HDI was intended to provide an alternative to the more economic based indices, such as GDP, commonly used within neo-liberal development agendas. The paper explores the use of the HDI as a gauge of human development by making comparisons between two major political and economic communities in Africa (ECOWAS and SADC). While the HDI did help highlight important changes in human development as expressed by the HDI over 10 years, it is concluded that the HDI and its components are difficult to interpret as methodologies have changed significantly and the 'averaging' nature of the HDI could hide information unless care is taken. The paper discusses the applicability of alternative models to the HDI such as the more neo-populist centred methods commonly advocated for indicators of sustainable development. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Direct detection of chlorosilylene and time resolved study of some of its reactions in the gas-phase using a new photochemical precursor

Chlorosilylene, ClSiH, was prepared by 193 nm laser flash photolysis of 1-chloro-1-silacyclopent-3-ene in the gas phase. ClSiH was monitored in real time at 457.9 nm using a CW argon ion laser. The kinetics of reactions of ClSiH with C2H4, CH2 = CHCMe3, C2H2, Me2O, SO2, HCl, MeSiH3, Me2SiH2, Me3SiH, MeGeH3, MeGeH3 and precursor have been studied at ambient temperatures for the first time. Addition reactions of ClSiH and reactions with lone pair donors are faster than insertion reactions. Surprisingly ClSiH inserts faster into Si-H than Ge-H bonds. ClSiH is intermediate in reactivity between SiH2 and SiCI2. Relative reactivities of CISiH and SiH2 vary considerably. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

First detection of methylgermylene in the gas phase and time-resolved study of some of its reactions

A new transient species has been produced and detected by the gas-phase, 193 nm laser flash photolysis of 1,3,4-trimethylgermacyclopent-3-ene, TMGCP. The species has strong visible absorptions in the wavelength region 450−520 nm (maximum at 485 nm) and is attributed to the germylene, MeGeH. Time-resolved kinetic studies have led to the first rate constants for its reactions with GeH4, Me2GeH2, C2H2, C2H4, C3H6, i-C4H8, TMGCP, MeOH, HCl, and SO2. The reactivity of MeGeH is compared to those of GeH2 and GeMe2. The Me-for-H substituent effect varies according to reaction type and is not constant from GeH2 to MeGeH to GeMe2.

A case study approach to classroom experiential learning of problem structuring methods

The proposed research aims at consolidating two years of practical experience in developing a classroom experiential learning pedagogic approach for the problem structuring methods (PSMs) of operational research. The results will be prepared as papers to be submitted, respectively, to the Brazilian ISSS-sponsored system theory conference in São Paulo, and to JORS. These two papers follow the submission (in 2004) of one related paper to JORS which is about to be resubmitted following certain revisions. This first paper draws from the PSM and experiential learning literatures in order to introduce a basic foundation upon which a pedagogic framework for experiential learning of PSMs may be built. It forms, in other words, an integral part of my research in this area. By September, the area of pedagogic approaches to PSM learning will have received its first official attention - at the UK OR Society conference. My research and paper production during July-December, therefore, coincide with an important time in this area, enabling me to form part of the small cohort of published researchers creating the foundations upon which future pedagogic research will build. On the institutional level, such pioneering work also raises the national and international profile of FGVEAESP, making it a reference for future researchers in this area.

Detection of Streptococcus agalactiae colonization in pregnant women by using combined swab cultures: cross-sectional prevalence study

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Comparison between RT-PCR and the mouse inoculation test for detection of rabies virus in samples kept for long periods under different conditions

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The performance of conventional and fluorescence-based methods for occlusal caries detection An in vivo study with histologic validation

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Accuracy of zoomed digital image in the detection of periodontal bone defect: in vitro study

Objectives: (1) To evaluate the intraobserver agreement related to image interpretation and (2) to compare the accuracy of 100%, 200% and 400% zoomed digital images in the detection of simulated periodontal bone defects.Methods: Periodontal bone defects were created in 60 pig hemi-mandibles with slow-speed burs 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm and 3.0 mm in diameter. 180 standardized digital radiographs were made using Schick sensor and evaluated at 100%, 200% and 400% zooming. The intraobserver agreement was estimated by Kappa statistic (kappa). For the evaluation of diagnostic accuracy receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed followed by chi-square test to compare the areas under ROC curves according to each level of zooming.Results: For 100%, 200% and 400% zooming the intraobserver agreement was moderate (kappa = 0.48, kappa = 0.54 and kappa = 0.43, respectively) and there were similar performances in the discrimination capacity, with ROC areas of 0.8611 (95% CI: 0.7660-0.9562), 0.8600 (95% CI: 0.7659-0.9540), and 0.8368 (95% CI: 0.7346-0.9390), respectively, with no statistical significant differences (chi(2)-test; P = 0.8440).Conclusions: A moderate intraobserver agreement was observed in the classification of periodontal bone defects and the 100%, 200% and 400% zoomed digital images presented similar performances in the detection of periodontal bone defects.

Accuracy of Digital Images in the Detection of Marginal Micro leakage: An In Vitro Study

Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy of Image Tool Software 3.0 (ITS 3.0) to detect marginal microleakage using the stereomicroscope as the validation criterion and ITS 3.0 as the tool under study.Materials and Methods: Class V cavities were prepared at the cementoenamel junction of 61 bovine incisors, and 53 halves of them were used. Using the stereomicroscope, microleakage was classified dichotomously: presence or absence. Next, ITS 3.0 was used to obtain measurements of the microleakage, so that 0.75 was taken as the cut-off point, and values equal to or greater than 0.75 indicated its presence, while values between 0.00 and 0.75 indicated its absence. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated by point and given as 95% confidence interval (95% CI).Results: The accuracy of the ITS 3.0 was verified with a sensitivity of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.89 to 1.00) and a specificity of 0.92 (95% CI: 0.84 to 0.99).Conclusion: Digital diagnosis of marginal microleakage using ITS 3.0 was sensitive and specific.

A study of a numerical solution of the steady two dimensions Navier-Stokes equations in a constricted channel problem by a compact fourth order method

We present a numerical solution for the steady 2D Navier-Stokes equations using a fourth order compact-type method. The geometry of the problem is a constricted symmetric channel, where the boundary can be varied, via a parameter, from a smooth constriction to one possessing a very sharp but smooth corner allowing us to analyse the behaviour of the errors when the solution is smooth or near singular. The set of non-linear equations is solved by the Newton method. Results have been obtained for Reynolds number up to 500. Estimates of the errors incurred have shown that the results are accurate and better than those of the corresponding second order method. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ecological study of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis in soil: growth ability, conidia production and molecular detection

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Evalution of methods for the detection of MRSA in patients of Botucatu Medical School Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil

Oxacillin is the main drug of choice for the treatment of S. aureus infections. However, S. aureus resistance to oxacillin has become a major problem in the recent decades. The study aimed assess the rates of oxacillin resistance in S. aureus samples obtained at the Botucatu Medical School Hospital, UNESP, and to compare phenotypic techniques for the detection of MRSA against the gold standard method (mecA gene detection) in these samples. A total of 102 samples, previously isolated between 2002 and 2006, and kept at the Culture Collection of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, in the Botucatu Biosciences Institute, UNESP, were included. Oxacillin resistance was assessed by oxacillin and cefoxitin disk diffusion and agar dilution tests, screening tests using Mueller-Hinton agar with 6 mu g/mL of oxacillin and 4% NaCl, E-test, and mecA gene detection. of the samples analyzed, 46 (45.1%) were mecA-positive. Oxacillin disk sensitivity and specificity were 86.9% and 91.1%, respectively. Cefoxitin disk sensitivity and specificity were respectively 91.3% and 91.1%. The screening test with the cefoxitin disk showed almost the same level of sensitivity (91.3%) and specificity (91.1%). With E-test strips, sensitivity was higher (97.8%) and specificity was comparable to that found with the other methods (91.1%). Ninety-three percent of the samples produced beta-lactamase and five of them were mecA-negative. There was a gradual increase in the number of oxacillin-resistant S. aureus samples between 2002 and 2004. However, from 2004 to 2006, the number of resistant samples dropped from 55% of MRSA in 2004, to 45% in 2005 and 34.6% in 2006. The data obtained reveal that, among phenotypic methods, the E-test yielded the best results, with higher sensitivity levels when compared to the other methods. The decreased resistance rate observed over the most recent years may be explained by the rational use of antimicrobial agents associated with good practices in the control of hospital infection, or may be related to the diminished use of oxacillin as a treatment option.