Washington Research Library Consortium - Digital Collections
Not a member yet
125665 research outputs found
Sort by
Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic: who are the present and future non-compliers?
No full textSocial distancing is an effective means for containing the spread of COVID-19, but only so if we all participate. Who are the individuals who are the least likely to adhere to social distancing recommendations, presently and in the long-term? Such knowledge is important for policymakers looking to sustain the public's buy-in to social distancing. Using survey data from sample U.S. residents (n = 1,449), we show that some demographic factors (gender, age, race, political party) help predict intent to adhere to social distancing. Yet demographic factors are relatively poor predictors compared to individual attitudes and media diets. We argue that public officials should make efforts to inform and persuade the public of the importance of social distancing, targeting mediums like TV and radio where audiences are less likely to currently engage in social distancing or are less likely to envision themselves sustaining strict social distancing for several weeks or months
BRINGING PRACTITIONERS INTO THE CONVERSATION ABOUT RESEARCH PRIORITIES AND USE: EXPERIENCES IN WASHINGTON AND UGANDA
No full textSince 2000, international development institutions in the U.S. and U.K. have become more focused on evidence of effectiveness. Donors have embraced the narrative promoted by a group of elite development economists that randomized control trials (RCTs) produce the most rigorous evidence of “what works” and have funded thousands of experimental and quasi-experimental studies. Three articles ask what these new studies and narratives about research mean for two groups of practitioners—one in Washington, DC, and one in Kampala, Uganda. Do they find these studies or other types of research relevant, credible and useful to their work designing and managing programs? How do they perceive the narrative that RCTs constitute the most important type of development research? Practitioners interviewed see several potential uses of research in their work, but they face numerous challenges pursuing those uses. They question the recent emphasis on RCTs and see research agendas driven by northern academics and donors as unresponsive to their most pressing needs and questions. These findings suggest that research could be more useful to practitioners if research agendas were broader and agenda-setting were more democratic.International relationsdevelopment, evidence, reserch-use, UgandaSchool of International ServiceDegree Awarded: Ph.D. School of International Service. American Universit
Regional sequence expansion or collapse in heterozygous genome assemblies
No full textPLoS Computational Biology, Volume 16, Issue 7, July 2020, Article number e1008104.High levels of heterozygosity present a unique genome assembly challenge and can adversely impact downstream analyses, yet is common in sequencing datasets obtained from non-model organisms. Here we show that by re-assembling a heterozygous dataset with variant parameters and different assembly algorithms, we are able to generate assemblies whose protein annotations are statistically enriched for specific gene ontology categories. While total assembly length was not significantly affected by assembly methodologies tested, the assemblies generated varied widely in fragmentation level and we show local assembly collapse or expansion underlying the enrichment or depletion of specific protein functional groups. We show that these statistically significant deviations in gene ontology groups can occur in seemingly high-quality assemblies, and result from difficult-to-detect local sequence expansion or contractions. Given the unpredictable interplay between assembly algorithm, parameter, and biological sequence data heterozygosity, we highlight the need for better measures of assembly quality than N50 value, including methods for assessing local expansion and collapse
Relations Between Nongovernmental Organizations and Local Governments in Developing Countries: The case of Lebanon
No full textData analysis report
2012-07 Using difference-in-differences to estimate damages in healthcare antitrust: a case study of Marshfield Clinic
No full textDepartment of Economics. Working Paper Series no. 2012-07. 30 pages.In calculating damages in healthcare antitrust cases, the difference-in-difference (DID) approach provides a potentially valuable means of controlling for lawful factors that influence prices, such as case-mix and quality of care, as distinct from price differentials due to unlawful behavior. After first comparing DID to traditional methods of estimating damages, this paper uses DID to analyze data from a well-known case against Marshfield Clinic, a large multispecialty group practice that was found to have illegally allocated markets for physician services in Central Wisconsin. Using a specification similar to what was used in the case, we find that illegal behavior accounted for about two-fifths of the Clinic's extra increase in costs per patient during the damage period. The courts, however, were not persuaded that the analysis adequately controlled for legal factors. We discuss potential pitfalls in using DID to estimate damages suggested by the case, as well as possible ways around them
Informal accountability in children’s service networks: the role of frontline workers
No full textHuman Service Organizations Management, Leadership and Governance, Volume 43, Issue 3, 27 May 2019, Pages 188-204.A central concern in networked service delivery is the potential loss of accountability as network actors may pursue singular organizational goals over collective network goals. Despite the critical role-played by frontline workers in implementing network policy goals, previous research has overlooked their influence on network accountability. How do frontline workers impact accountability in networked service delivery? Drawing on theories of informal accountability and street-level bureaucracy, we address this question through an empirical study of children’s service networks. We find professional norms and discretionary behavior exercised by frontline workers help to contribute to provider network’s informal accountability structure in important ways
Configured unto the poor Christ: simplicity of life as priestly witness
No full textby Rev. Timothy J. Cusick.Typescript.Thesis--(S.T.L)--Catholic University of America, 2020.Bibliography: leaves 114-119.Also available in microfilm.Also available in microfiche
Fifty years of The Financial Review: a bibliometric overview
No full textFinancial Review, Volume 55, Issue 1, 1 February 2020, Pages 7-24.The Financial Review (FR) is a highly regarded journal publishing original empirical, theoretical, and methodological research in all areas of financial economics. It celebrated its golden jubilee year in 2018. Using bibliometric techniques, we analyze the journal's impact, prominent topics, most prolific authors, and their affiliated institutions and countries. Our analysis also identifies the most often cited articles at different points in the journal's history. Using textual data analytics, we identify the most frequent themes discussed between 1969 and 2018 by decade
Used PPE on the grounds of Eastern Senior High School
No full textUsed PPE on the grounds of Eastern Senior High School
Economic benefits and costs of surgery for filarial hydrocele in Malawi
No full textPLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Volume 14, Issue 3, March 2020, Article number e0008003.Background Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is endemic in 72 countries of Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Ameri-cas. An estimated 25 million men live with the disabling effects of filarial hydrocele. Hydro-cele can be corrected with surgery with few complications. For most men, hydrocelectomy reduces or corrects filarial hydrocele and permits them to resume regular activities of daily living and gainful employment. Methodology and principal findings This study measures the economic loss due to filarial hydrocele and the benefits of hydrocelect-omy and is based on pre-and post-operative surveys of patients in southern Malawi. We find the average number of days of work lost due to filarial hydrocele and daily earnings for men in rural Malawi. We calculate average annual lost earnings and find the present discounted value for all years from the time of surgery to the end of working life. We estimate the total costs of surgery. We compare the benefit of the work capacity restored to the costs of surgery to determine the benefit-cost ratio. For men younger than 65 years old, the average annual earnings loss attrib-uted to hydrocele is US1684. The average budgetary cost of the hydrocelectomy is US1684/US$68 or 24.8. Sensitivity analysis demon-strates that the results are robust to variations in cost of surgery and length of working life. Conclusion The lifetime benefits of hydrocelectomy–to the man, his family, and his community–far exceed the costs of repairing the hydrocele. Scaling up subsidies to hydrocelectomy cam-paigns should be a priority for governments and international aid organizations to prevent and alleviate disability and lost earnings that aggravate poverty among the many millions of men with filarial hydrocele