The Dynamics of Women's Labour Supply in Developing Countries

This paper investigates cyclicality in women's labour supply motivated by the hypothesis that it contributes to smoothing household consumption in environments characterized by income volatility. We use comparable individual data on about 1.1 million women in 63 developing and transition countries merged with country-level panel data on GDP during 1986-2006. The scope of these data is unprecedented in the small but growing literature on labour markets in developing countries. We find that the within-country relationship of women's employment and income is, on average, negative in Asia and Latin America but positive in Africa. We suggest that amongst reasons why African women behave differently are that the conventional family structure with income pooling is less the norm, there are fewer opportunities for paid employment, and aggregate income shocks are more closely tied to rainfall variation. The findings are robust to controls for country-specific trends and potentially correlated shocks. In Asia and Latin America, characteristics that strengthen counter-cyclical responses include low education, being married, being married to men with low education, low wealth, no landownings, rural residence and fertility. These findings suggest that insurance motives underpin the dynamics of women's work participation. Examination of cyclicality in the distribution of employment across types suggests that recessions in every region are associated with a rise in self-employment amongst women. In Asia and Latin America, there is a parallel rise in paid employment and a sharp drop in non-employment. In Africa, there is a decline in paid employment which overwhelms the rise in self-employment and this is how total employment comes to decline. The results have potentially important implications for understanding labour markets, fertility timing and child outcomes.insurance, women's labour supply, added worker effect, business cycles, dynamics, Africa, Asia, Latin America

Glucocorticoid-regulated localization of cell surface glycoproteins in rat hepatoma cells is mediated within the Golgi complex.

Glucocorticoid hormones regulate the post-translational maturation and sorting of cell surface and extracellular mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) glycoproteins in M1.54 cells, a stably infected rat hepatoma cell line. Exposure to monensin significantly reduced the proteolytic maturation and externalization of viral glycoproteins resulting in a stable cellular accumulation of a single 70,000-Mr glycosylated polyprotein (designated gp70). Cell surface- and intracellular-specific immunoprecipitations of monensin-treated cells revealed that gp70 can be localized to the cell surface only in the presence of 1 microM dexamethasone, while in uninduced cells gp70 is irreversibly sequestered in an intracellular compartment. Analysis of oligosaccharide processing kinetics demonstrated that gp70 acquired resistance to endoglycosidase H with a half-time of 65 min in the presence or absence of hormone. In contrast, gp70 was inefficiently galactosylated after a 60-min lag in uninduced cells while rapidly acquiring this carbohydrate modification in the presence of dexamethasone. Furthermore, in the absence or presence of monensin, MMTV glycoproteins failed to be galactosylated in hormone-induced CR4 cells, a complement-selected sorting variant defective in the glucocorticoid-regulated compartmentalization of viral glycoproteins to the cell surface. Since dexamethasone had no apparent global effects on organelle morphology or production of total cell surface-galactosylated species, we conclude that glucocorticoids induce the localization of cell surface MMTV glycoproteins by regulating a highly selective step within the Golgi apparatus after the acquisition of endoglycosidase H-resistant oligosaccharide side chains but before or at the site of galactose attachment

Indigenous yeast communities in the environment of ‘Rovello bianco’’ grape variety and their use in commercial white wine fermentation

The indigenous yeast communities associated with several vineyard habitats were analysed. Wild yeasts were isolated, differentiated at strain level and identified. A phylogenetic tree based on partial 26S rRNA genes was constructed. The strains were characterized and the indigenous Saccharomyces cerevisiae GR1 was then used to carry out a vinification process and compared with a commercial yeast. Wines obtained were subjected to chemical and sensory analysis. The comparison between the two products highlighted differences due to the fer- menting strains employed. The vineyard environment was found to strongly influence the composition of yeast communities, thus, confirming the theory of ‘terr- oir’ on the expression of wines. Moreover, vineyard inhabiting birds were in part responsible for the dis- semination of fermentative yeasts during their feedin

Fondo de Compensación Regional: Igualdad de oportunidades para la periferia colombiana

En el presente documento se propone la creación de un Fondo de Compensación Regional (FCR) para impulsar el desarrollo de la periferia de Colombia, la cual concentra más del 44% de la población total y el 60% de los habitantes con Necesidades Básicas Insatisfechas (NBI).Es importante resaltar que el principio que debe orientar la política del FCR es el de contribuir al despegue económico de la periferia, así como fomentar la igualdad de oportunidades para todas las regiones de Colombia. Esa igualdad de oportunidades no se ha logrado con las políticas de descentralización fiscal. Por el contrario, lo que sugiere la evidencia empírica es que los recursos están siendo asignados de manera regresiva, pues llegan en mayor proporción a las regiones de mayores ingresos, medidos éstos por el PIB per cápita. Para avanzar en el logro de la igualdad de oportunidades, el FCR debe seguir ciertos principios como el de continuidad, el cual sugiere que la política de asignación de recursos del FCR debe ser una política de largo plazo, es decir, una política de Estado. De esta manera, el FCR podrá ser un instrumento de política económica que no esté ligado a un período de gobierno, pues la persistencia en los niveles relativos de pobreza, evidenciada por la alta correlación en los índices de NBI municipal en las últimas décadas, no se elimina en un lapso de tiempo breve. Un segundo principio que debe regir el FCR es el de la Integralidad. Ésta se refiere a la necesidad de superar las condiciones estructurales que mantienen a la población de la periferia sumida en el atraso, pues la continua reproducción de las condiciones de pobreza, que se concentran espacialmente y se transmiten por generaciones, representa un obstáculo que no puede superarse con los pocos recursos de que disponen los municipios de la periferia. Un tercer criterio es el del fortalecimiento del capital humano. Éste considera que es necesario que se privilegien las inversiones en capital humano como medida estratégica para la movilidad social y el desarrollo socio-económico de los habitantes de la periferia. Finalmente, el criterio de Focalización Espacial tiene en cuenta que en Colombia la pobreza es persistente, y los grupos afectados por esta condición se encuentran principalmente agrupados en la periferia. Por ello, es crucial que las inversiones prioricen dicha periferia para que, de la misma manera que los efectos del círculo vicioso de la pobreza se retroalimentan espacialmente, se refuercen positivamente los beneficios de las inversiones efectuadas en dicha zona.La propuesta del FCR para Colombia consta de dos tipos de programas. El primero es de nivelación de recursos entre las regiones del país, y un segundo componente que sería destinado a la financiación de proyectos de impacto regional.A través de un análisis de dependencias espaciales se seleccionaron las subregiones. A partir de allí, se estableció cuales son las más pobres, encontrándose que la periferia colombiana está constituida por el corredor costero (Caribe y Norte de Santander más Pacífico) y la zona Oriental (Orinoquia y Amazonia).Para determinar cuál debería ser el tamaño del FCR en términos de los recursos que debe manejar, hay que tener en cuenta que el objetivo principal del FCR es reducir las disparidades regionales de la periferia frente al resto del país. Cuando se tienen en cuenta los ingresos que los municipios generan localmente por concepto de ingresos tributarios, más los ingresos que son transferidos, se encuentra que la periferia dispone de recursos que en promedio son 14% menores en comparación con los recursos per cápita de los que disponen los municipios del resto del país para proveer los servicios básicos a sus ciudadanos. Si se multiplica ese diferencial por la población objetivo en los municipios beneficiarios, se obtiene el monto a transferir para cada uno de los municipios de la periferia, el cual asciende a 1,6 billones de pesos anualmente.Con base en los déficits en educación, salud e infraestructura, se calculó cuánto se requiere para el componente dos del FCR y se encontró que dichos requerimientos alcanzan los 7,2 billones de pesos.En cuanto a las fuentes de financiación se propone que el primer componente podría ser financiado con recursos provenientes del impuesto sobre la renta. El segundo componente estaría financiado con las regalías indirectas. Finalmente, es importante advertir que, más que una propuesta inflexible, lo que aquí se presenta es una primera aproximación, para que sirva como punto de partida de una amplia discusión y reflexión colectiva. De ese debate debe surgir una propuesta formalizada en un proyecto de ley que permita poner en práctica el FCR.Economía regional, transferencias territoriales, Fondo de Compensación, centro-periferia, distribución del ingreso

Persistencia de las desigualdades regionales en Colombia: Un análisis espacial

Los niveles de persistencia en la pobreza a menudo están asociados a los efectos de vecindario". Estos efectos crean trampas de pobreza que no le permiten a las zonas rezagadas avanzar hacia una senda de desarrollo económico sostenido. En las regiones de un país también pueden operar este tipo de mecanismos. Esa es una de las razones por las cuales las desigualdades territoriales se vuelven persistentes, convirtiéndose en un equilibrio perverso. En Colombia las desigualdades regionales se han mantenido y se han vuelto persistentes. Ello se evidencia en las correlaciones que existe en la distribución de los índices de NBI en los censos de 1973, 1985, 1993 y 2005. Existe una alta correlación simple entre estos índices de NBI cuando se comparan los censos de manera consecutiva. Lo que realmente sorprende es que la alta correlación existente cuando se comparan los resultados de los censos que se han realizado 20 años atrás. Utilizando técnicas de la econometría espacial se aporta evidencia en torno a la persistencia en la pobreza, no solo a nivel temporal, sino regional. Uno de los resultados a destacar de este estudio es que cuando se efectúan las correlaciones espaciales entre las condiciones de pobreza de una municipalidad en años recientes con las de su entorno en épocas posteriores, se encuentran altas y significativas correlaciones espaciales. Ello puede ser interpretado como evidencia de la existencia de trampas espaciales, pues existen municipios que se han mantenido deprimidos, al igual que sus ""vecindarios"", a través del tiempo. En el análisis de clusters espaciales se encuentra que los clusters de alta pobreza están localizados en la periferia del país."Economía regional, distribución del ingreso, persistencia, resiliencia, trampas de pobreza, econometría espacial, clusters espaciales

Impact of the Mass Drug Administration for malaria in response to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone

Background: As emergency response to the Ebola epidemic, the Government of Sierra Leone and its partners implemented a large-scale Mass Drug Administration (MDA) with artesunate–amodiaquine (ASAQ) covering >2.7 million people in the districts hardest hit by Ebola during December 2014–January 2015. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) evaluated the impact of the MDA on malaria morbidity at health facilities and the number of Ebola alerts received at District Ebola Command Centres. Methods: The coverage of the two rounds of MDA with ASAQ was estimated by relating the number anti-malarial medicines distributed to the estimated resident population. Segmented time-series analysis was applied to weekly data collected from 49 primary health units (PHUs) and 11 hospitals performing malaria parasitological testing during the study period, to evaluate trends of malaria cases and Ebola alerts during the post-MDA weeks compared to the pre-MDA weeks in MDA- and non-MDA-cheifdoms. Results: After two rounds of the MDA, the number of suspected cases tested with rapid diagnostic test (RDT) decreased significantly by 43 % (95 % CI 38–48 %) at week 1 and remained low at week 2 and 3 post-first MDA and at week 1 and 3 post-second MDA; RDT positive cases decreased significantly by 47 % (41–52 %) at week 1 post-first and remained lower throughout all post-MDA weeks; and the RDT test positivity rate (TPR) declined by 35 % (32–38 %) at week 2 and stayed low throughout all post-MDA weeks. The total malaria (clinical + confirmed) cases decreased significantly by 45 % (39–52 %) at week 1 and were lower at week 2 and 3 post-first MDA; and week 1 post-second MDA. The proportion of confirmed malaria cases (out of all-outpatients) fell by 33 % (29–38 %) at week 1 post-first MDA and were lower during all post-MDA weeks. On the contrary, the non-malaria outpatient cases (cases due to other health conditions) either remained unchanged or fluctuated insignificantly. The Ebola alerts decreased by 30 % (13–46 %) at week 1 post-first MDA and much lower during all the weeks post–second MDA. Conclusions: The MDA achieved its goals of reducing malaria morbidity and febrile cases that would have been potentially diagnosed as suspected Ebola cases with increased risk of nosocomial infections. The intervention also helped reduce patient case-load to the severely strained health services at the peak of the Ebola outbreak and malaria transmission. As expected, the effect of the MDA waned in a matter of few weeks and malaria intensity returned to the pre-MDA levels. Nevertheless, the approach was an appropriate public health intervention in the context of the Ebola epidemic even in high malaria transmission areas of Sierra Leone

Mortality, morbidity, and developmental outcomes in infants born to women who received either mefloquine or sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine as intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy : a cohort study

Background Little is known about the effects of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) on the health of sub-Saharan African infants. We have evaluated the safety of IPTp with mefloquine (MQ) compared to sulfadoxine- pyrimethamine (SP) for important infant health and developmental outcomes. Methods and Findings In the context of a multicenter randomized controlled trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of IPTp with MQ compared to SP in pregnancy carried out in four sub-Saharan countries (Mozambique, Benin, Gabon, and Tanzania), 4,247 newborns, 2,815 born to women who received MQ and 1,432 born to women who received SP for IPTp, were followed up until 12 mo of age. Anthropometric parameters and psychomotor development were assessed at 1, 9, and 12 mo of age, and the incidence of malaria, anemia, hospital admissions, outpatient visits, and mortality were determined until 12 mo of age. No significant differences were found in the proportion of infants with stunting, underweight, wasting, and severe acute malnutrition at 1, 9, and 12 mo of age between infants born to women who were on IPTp with MQ versus SP. Except for three items evaluated at 9 mo of age, no significant differences were observed in the psychomotor development milestones assessed. Incidence of malaria, anemia, hospital admissions, outpatient visits, and mortality were similar between the two groups. Information on the outcomes at 12 mo of age was unavailable in 26% of the infants, 761 (27%) from the MQ group and 377 (26%) from the SP group. Reasons for not completing the study were death (4% of total study population), study withdrawal (6%), migration (8%), and loss to follow-up (9%). Conclusions No significant differences were found between IPTp with MQ and SP administered in pregnancy on infant mortality, morbidity, and nutritional outcomes. The poorer performance on certain psychomotor development milestones at 9 mo of age in children born to women in the MQ group compared to those in the SP group may deserve further studies

Mutual A domain interactions in the force sensing protein von Willebrand factor

The von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a glycoprotein in the blood that plays a central role in hemostasis. Among other functions, VWF is responsible for platelet adhesion at sites of injury via its A1 domain. Its adjacent VWF domain A2 exposes a cleavage site under shear to degrade long VWF fibers in order to prevent thrombosis. Recently, it has been shown that VWF A1/A2 interactions inhibit the binding of platelets to VWF domain A1 in a force-dependent manner prior to A2 cleavage. However, whether and how this interaction also takes place in longer VWF fragments as well as the strength of this interaction in the light of typical elongation forces imposed by the shear flow of blood remained elusive. Here, we addressed these questions by using single molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS), Brownian dynamics (BD), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Our SMFS measurements demonstrate that the A2 domain has the ability to bind not only to single A1 domains but also to VWF A1A2 fragments. SMFS experiments of a mutant [A2] domain, containing a disulfide bond which stabilizes the domain against unfolding, enhanced A1 binding. This observation suggests that the mutant adopts a more stable conformation for binding to A1. We found intermolecular A1/A2 interactions to be preferred over intramolecular A1/A2 interactions. Our data are also consistent with the existence of two cooperatively acting binding sites for A2 in the A1 domain. Our SMFS measurements revealed a slip-bond behavior for the A1/A2 interaction and their lifetimes were estimated for forces acting on VWF multimers at physiological shear rates using BD simulations. Complementary fitting of AFM rupture forces in the MD simulation range adequately reproduced the force response of the A1/A2 complex spanning a wide range of loading rates. In conclusion, we here characterized the auto-inhibitory mechanism of the intramolecular A1/A2 bond as a shear dependent safeguard of VWF, which prevents the interaction of VWF with platelets

Directed paths on hierarchical lattices with random sign weights

We study sums of directed paths on a hierarchical lattice where each bond has either a positive or negative sign with a probability $p$. Such path sums $J$ have been used to model interference effects by hopping electrons in the strongly localized regime. The advantage of hierarchical lattices is that they include path crossings, ignored by mean field approaches, while still permitting analytical treatment. Here, we perform a scaling analysis of the controversial ``sign transition'' using Monte Carlo sampling, and conclude that the transition exists and is second order. Furthermore, we make use of exact moment recursion relations to find that the moments always determine, uniquely, the probability distribution $P(J)$. We also derive, exactly, the moment behavior as a function of $p$ in the thermodynamic limit. Extrapolations ($n\to 0$) to obtain for odd and even moments yield a new signal for the transition that coincides with Monte Carlo simulations. Analysis of high moments yield interesting ``solitonic'' structures that propagate as a function of $p$. Finally, we derive the exact probability distribution for path sums $J$ up to length L=64 for all sign probabilities.Comment: 20 pages, 12 figure