This research aims to analyze the communication process between the different participating actors in the port of Balboa,in the Panamanian Pacific.The starting hypothesis begins with the normal operation of the port i...This research aims to analyze the communication process between the different participating actors in the port of Balboa,in the Panamanian Pacific.The starting hypothesis begins with the normal operation of the port itself.Considering which strategic actions have potential development and which specific strategic actions are proposed for their improvement,the article begins with a discussion of the nature of ports in Panama and their relationships with the Panama Canal,followed by a literary review of all the effects that climate change may have on navigation on the Panamanian Pacific coast.Next,the implication between the coordination and cooperation between the port,the Panama Canal pilots,and the other actors involved with the arrival and departure of vessels from the port will be analyzed.In a third part,the results of the perception of a significant sample of these actors who were surveyed,which are related to the process,are presented.The document concludes with recommendations on how the Panamanian Pacific port can improve its individual interests through the application of improvements derived from the results of the surveys,for more efficient inter-institutional coordination and cooperation.展开更多
BACKGROUND: There are over 15 million children who have cardiac anomalies around the world, resulting in a significant morbidity and mortality. Early recognition and treatment can improve the outcomes and lengthen lif...BACKGROUND: There are over 15 million children who have cardiac anomalies around the world, resulting in a significant morbidity and mortality. Early recognition and treatment can improve the outcomes and lengthen life-expectancy of these patients. The NIH and WHO have promoted guidelines for screening for congenital cardiac anomalies using ultrasound in rural environments.METHODS: Our study took place in Bocas Del Toro, Panama where a mobile clinic was established for community healthcare screening and ultrasonographic evaluation by medical student volunteers and volunteer clinical faculty. This was a non-blinded, investigational study utilizing a convenience sample of pediatric patients presenting for voluntary evaluation. Seven first-year medical students were recruited for the study. These students underwent a training program for advanced cardiac ultrasound instruction, termed "Pediatric Echocardiography Cardiac Screening(PECS)".RESULTS: Ten patients were enrolled in the study. Nine patients had adequate images as defined by the PECS criteria and were all classified as normal cardiac pathology by the medical students, resulting in a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. A single patient was identified by medical students as having a pathologic pulmonic stenosis. This was confirmed as correct by a blinded ultrasonographer.CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study, the first-year medical students were able to correctly identify pediatric cardiac anatomy and pathology in rural Panama after undergoing a 12-hour ultrasound PECS training session. We believe that with this knowledge, minimally trained practitioners can be used to screen for cardiac anomalies in rural Panama using ultrasound.展开更多
The opening of the Panama Canal in 1913 increased the availability of internationally traded goods and transformed ocean-shipping by shortening travel time between the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. The canal spark...The opening of the Panama Canal in 1913 increased the availability of internationally traded goods and transformed ocean-shipping by shortening travel time between the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. The canal sparked the growth of port authorities and increased ship tonnage on both coasts of Panama. Since the construction of the Panama Canal, in the 1910s, pesticides, herbicides and chemicals, including arsenic, have been essential for controlling wetland vegetation, including hyacinth, which blocked rivers, lakes, and the canal as well as managing mosquitoes. Pesticides and chemicals flowed into Lake Gatun (reservoir) either attached to sediment or in solution during the monsoon season. Lake Gatun was the drinking water source for most of the people living in the Panama Canal Zone. The United States military base commanders had the ability to order and use cacodylic acid (arsenic based) from the Naval Depot Supply Federal and Stock Catalog and the later Federal Supply Catalog on the military base grounds in the Panama Canal Zone. Cacodylic acid was shipped to Panama Canal Zone ports, including Balboa and Cristobal, and distributed to the military bases by rail or truck. The objective of this study is to determine the fate of arsenic: 1) applied between 1914 and 1935 to Panama Canal shipping lane hyacinth and other wetland vegetation and 2) cacodylic acid (arsenic) sprayed from 1948 to 1999 on the US military base grounds in the Panama Canal Zone.展开更多
The 84 km Panama Canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans has historically been a strategic waterway for shipping and the location of United States (US) military bases. Since the construction of Lake Gatun res...The 84 km Panama Canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans has historically been a strategic waterway for shipping and the location of United States (US) military bases. Since the construction of Lake Gatun reservoir, canal locks and navigation channel through the Isthmus of Panama tropical forests in the 1910s, chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides have been essential for controlling upland and wetland vegetation as well as managing mosquito-borne diseases. Chemicals and pesticides flowed into Lake Gatun via land surface runoff and subsurface drainage either attached to the sediment or in solution during the rainy season. Lake Gatun and the Panama Canal was the drinking water source for most of the civilian and military population living in the Panama Canal Zone. Between 1948 and 1999, US military base commanders had the ability to order, from the Federal Supply Catalog, commercially available herbicide 2,4,5-T with unknown amounts of dioxin TCDD for use on the military base grounds in the Panama Canal Zone. The herbicide 2,4,5-T was transported to Panama Canal Zone ports, including the ports Cristobal on the Caribbean and Balboa on the Pacific, and distributed to the US military bases in Panama by rail or truck. The US National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for the Research on Cancer listed dioxin and TCDD as known human carcinogens. Dioxins are endocrine disrupters and can cause certain chloracne, cancers, developmental and reproductive effects. In 1985, the United States government banned the manufacture of the herbicide 2,4,5-T, with unknown amounts of dioxin TCDD, after it was shown to cause cancer in animals. The objectives of this study are to determine: 1) the fate of dioxin TCDD, a contaminant in the herbicide 2,4,5-T, sprayed on the US military base vegetation in the Panama Canal Zone from 1948 to 1999, 2) the transport of dioxin TCDD rich sediment via soil erosion and overland flow into Lake Gatun and Panama Canal waterways and 3) the human health impacts of dioxin TCDD, a kno展开更多
The expansion of the Panama Canal will have a profound impact on the container shipping route network, port layout and ship structure, and promote the evolution of the global shipping pattern. However, most of the res...The expansion of the Panama Canal will have a profound impact on the container shipping route network, port layout and ship structure, and promote the evolution of the global shipping pattern. However, most of the research on the expansion of the Panama Canal currently stays before its real expansion, and the quantitative analysis is less and the result is not accurate, because previous research used data that expanded before. Based on the actual data after the expansion of the Panama Canal, this paper uses the dual-target route distribution model to analyze the expansion of the Panama Canal. The changes in the liner shipping plan that have a greater impact on the shipping industry will provide the relevant theoretical basis for the relevant entities. The results show that after the expansion of the Panama Canal, the largest 15,000 TEU container ship is currently deployed on the route through the Panama Canal. 6500 TEU ship type is also deployed on the route through the Panama Canal. The 8500 TEU, 10,500 TEU, and 12,500 TEU ship types are mainly deployed through the Suez Canal. On the route, such a distribution plan can maximize the benefits for the shipping company.展开更多
A Schiff base, (E)-ethyl-4-(2-oxoacenaphthylen-1(2H)-ylideneamino)benzoate, (E4AB) had been synthesized in good yield by the acid-catalyzed condensation reaction of acenaphthenequinone and ethyl-4-aminobenzoate in met...A Schiff base, (E)-ethyl-4-(2-oxoacenaphthylen-1(2H)-ylideneamino)benzoate, (E4AB) had been synthesized in good yield by the acid-catalyzed condensation reaction of acenaphthenequinone and ethyl-4-aminobenzoate in methanolic solution. The synthesized compound was elucidated by elemental analysis (CHN), FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and single crystal X-ray diffraction. E4AB crystallized in the monoclinic crystal system with space group P21/c, Z = 4, V = 1569.3(2) ?3 and unit cell parameters a = 9.1589(8) , b = 21.2003(17)?, c =8.4502(7) ?, β= 106.972(2)°. The crystal structure of the compound is stabilized by intermolecular C-H···O hydrogen bonds and weak intermolecular π···π interactions. The title compound had been tested for the antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis), Enterobacter and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Cubense (Foc) by disc-diffusion method. E4AB is relatively active against Foc which is a pathogen that cause Wilt disease (also well known as Panama disease) in banana plantation.展开更多
BACKGROUND:Maternal and infant mortality rates reported in rural Panama are greater than those in urban regions.Bocas del Toro is a region of Panama inhabited by indigenous people at greater risk for pregnancy-related...BACKGROUND:Maternal and infant mortality rates reported in rural Panama are greater than those in urban regions.Bocas del Toro is a region of Panama inhabited by indigenous people at greater risk for pregnancy-related complications and deaths due to geographic isolation and limited access to health care.Portable ultrasound training programs have recently been implemented in low-resource settings to increase access to diagnostic imaging.The goal of this study is to determine the feasibility of teaching firstyear medical students the Rural Obstetrical Ultrasound Triage Exam(ROUTE)to help identify pathology in pregnant women of the Bocas del Toro region of Panama.METHODS:Eight first-year medical students completed ROUTE training sessions.After training,the students were compared to professional sonographers to evaluate their accuracy in performing the ROUTE.Students then performed the ROUTE in mobile clinics within Bocas del Toro.They enrolled women pregnant in their 2nd or 3rd trimesters and measured biparietal diameter,head circumference,amniotic fluid index,fetal lie and placental position.Any abnormal measurement would be further analyzed by the lead physician for a potential hospital referral.RESULTS:A total of 60 women were enrolled in the study.Four women were detected as having a possible high-risk pregnancy and thus referred to a hospital for further evaluation.CONCLUSION:Based on our data,first-year medical students with additional training can use the ROUTE to identify complications in pregnancy using ultrasound in rural Panama.Additional studies are required to determine the optimal amount of training required for proficiency.展开更多
Background Central America is one of the most diverse floristic provinces in the world,but comprehensive plant lists for the region are incomplete and need frequent updating.Full geographic ranges of individual specie...Background Central America is one of the most diverse floristic provinces in the world,but comprehensive plant lists for the region are incomplete and need frequent updating.Full geographic ranges of individual species are seldom known.Our detailed forest inventory plots of Panama thus lack a global geographic perspective.In order to provide one,we assembled a thoroughly vetted checklist of all tree species of Panama,along with an estimate of each one’s range size based on published specimen records.Results 1)Panama has 3043 tree species in 141 families and 752 genera;57.6%were≥10 m tall and 16.9%were 3-5 m tall.2)The widest ranges were>1.5×107 km2,covering the entire neotropics and reaching>30∘latitude;12.4%of the species had ranges exceeding 107 km2.The median range was 6.9×105 km2.3)At the other extreme,16.2%of the species had a range<20,000 km2,a criterion suggesting endangered status.4)Range size increased with a tree species’height and varied significantly among families.5)Tree census plots,where we mapped and measured all individuals,captured 27.5%of the tree species,but a biased selection relative to range size;only 4.5%of the species in plots had ranges<20,000 km2.Conclusions Our checklist of the trees of Panama,based on rigorous criteria aimed at matching plot censuses,is 20%larger than previous.By recording species’maximum heights,we allow comparisons with other regions based on matching definitions,and the range sizes provide a quantitative basis for assessing extinction risk.Our next goal is to merge population density from plot censuses to add rigor to predictions of extinction risk of poorly-studied tropical tree species.展开更多
This paper originates from a wider research project launched by SRM-an Italian Research Centre related to Intesa Sanpaolo Banking Group and named ＂Observatory on Maritime Transport and Logistics＂. The aim is to cont...This paper originates from a wider research project launched by SRM-an Italian Research Centre related to Intesa Sanpaolo Banking Group and named ＂Observatory on Maritime Transport and Logistics＂. The aim is to contribute to the analysis of the economic impact that strategic maritime infrastructures-like ports and canals-produce on trade and global maritime routes; with a special focus to the effects directed and originating in the Mediterranean. This paper-focused on the New Panama Canal-also offers a perspective view of the new scenarios connected to the fact that thisinfrastructure-opened last June-can accommodate larger ships and new types of vessels including those transporting LNG and LPG （liquefied natural gas and petroleum gas）. The expansion of the Canal will help broaden the strategic dimension of Panama allowing it to become a more important maritime hub, especially for the American Continent and the US. To complete the analysis it has been provided a comparison with the Suez Canal on some world routes involving the Americas, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, since these two canals are proposing a massive competition inthe quality of logistics andalso in the pricing policy for the transit fee.展开更多
Background:Tree species with narrow ranges are a conservation concern because heightened extinction risk accompanies their small populations.Assessing risks for these species is challenging,however,especially in tropi...Background:Tree species with narrow ranges are a conservation concern because heightened extinction risk accompanies their small populations.Assessing risks for these species is challenging,however,especially in tropical flora where their sparse populations seldom appear in traditional plots and inventories.Here,we utilize instead large scale databases that combine tree records from many sources to test whether the narrow-range tree species of Panama are concentrated at certain elevations or in certain provinces.Past investigations have suggested that the Choco region of eastern Panama and the high mountains of western Panama may be potential hotspots of narrow-range tree species.Methods:All individual records were collected from public databases,and the range size of each tree species found in Panama was estimated as a polygon enclosing all its locations.Species with ranges<20,000 km^(2) were defined as narrow endemics.We divided Panama into geographic regions and elevation zones and counted the number of individual records and the species richness in each,separating narrow-range species from all other species.Results:The proportion of narrow endemics peaked at elevations above 2000 m,reaching 17.2% of the species recorded.At elevation<1500 m across the country,the proportion was 6-11%,except in the dry Pacific region,where it was 1.5%.Wet forests of the Caribbean coast had 8.4% narrow-range species,slightly higher than other regions.The total number of narrow endemics,however,peaked at mid-elevation,not high elevation,because total species richness was highest at mid-elevation.Conclusions:High elevation forests of west Panama had higher proportions of narrow endemic trees than low-elevation regions,supporting their hot-spot status,while dry lowland forests had the lowest proportion.This supports the notion that montane forests of Central America should be a conservation focus.However,given generally higher diversity at low-to mid-elevation,lowlands are also important habitats for narrow-range tree species,thoug展开更多
In 2016,I published a bird song key to the Pipeline Road area in and adjacent to Soberanía National Park,Panama[1].This key is,to my knowledge,the largest bird song key in the world.Since the key was published,Ru...In 2016,I published a bird song key to the Pipeline Road area in and adjacent to Soberanía National Park,Panama[1].This key is,to my knowledge,the largest bird song key in the world.Since the key was published,Rufous-breasted Wren(Pheugopedius rutilus;Figure 1)and Rufous-and-white Wren(Thryophilus rufalbus;Figure 2)have moved into the area.This addendum adds three songs of Rufous-breasted Wren and three songs Rufous-and-white Wren to the key,thereby increasing the key’s song total to 327 and its species total to 218.展开更多
This study evaluates the mediation role of taxpayer egoism in the nexus between tax evasion intention(TEI)and its determinants.TEI is measured as a composite variable(for mediation in the PROCESS macro)and then as a l...This study evaluates the mediation role of taxpayer egoism in the nexus between tax evasion intention(TEI)and its determinants.TEI is measured as a composite variable(for mediation in the PROCESS macro)and then as a latent variable(for mediation in Analysis of Moment Structure Software AMOS).Further,the stringent assumptions of mediation analysis by Baron and Kenny(Strategic,and Statistical Considerations 51:1173-1182,1986)are challenged via assertions by Hayes(Introduction to Mediation,Moderation and Conditional Process Analysis:A Regression-Based Approach,The Guilford Press,2018).The proxies for TEI are the respondents'ethical attitudes toward taxation Determinants of tax evasion intention are grouped into perceived behavioral control attitude and subjective norms as per theory of planned behavior(TPB)and extant literature.The detailed variables adopted from the literature include tax awareness,tax information,tax complexity,perceived power of authority,tax morals,tax fairness,and trust in government.A totalof 151 responses were collected Mediation analysis was done via bootstrapping in the PROCESS macro and through AMOS.A plethora of studies focus on determinants of tax evasion,tax compliance and their intentions However,none combine analysis via the two tools highlighted.Further,few challenge the old way of conducting mediation analysis The data provide statistical support for egoism's mediation in the effect of four determinants on tax evasion intention.It further confirms that many of the old preconditions for mediation are unnecessary given modern-day bootstrapping analysis.Insight into determinants of TEI and egoism have been provided However,this study uses cross-sectional data Future studies must use longitudinal data or experimental manipulation to infer more specific effects.展开更多
China and Panama signed a joint communique on establishing diplomatic relations on June 13,2017,which marked the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries and turned a new chapter of bilat...China and Panama signed a joint communique on establishing diplomatic relations on June 13,2017,which marked the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries and turned a new chapter of bilateral relations.By the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations,both countries have developed a solid economic and business relationship,with remarkable achievements having been made.In a meeting held recently,the Panamanian president Juan Carlos Varela said that the achievements and changes since China and Panama signed diplomatic relations are very impressive.展开更多
文摘This research aims to analyze the communication process between the different participating actors in the port of Balboa,in the Panamanian Pacific.The starting hypothesis begins with the normal operation of the port itself.Considering which strategic actions have potential development and which specific strategic actions are proposed for their improvement,the article begins with a discussion of the nature of ports in Panama and their relationships with the Panama Canal,followed by a literary review of all the effects that climate change may have on navigation on the Panamanian Pacific coast.Next,the implication between the coordination and cooperation between the port,the Panama Canal pilots,and the other actors involved with the arrival and departure of vessels from the port will be analyzed.In a third part,the results of the perception of a significant sample of these actors who were surveyed,which are related to the process,are presented.The document concludes with recommendations on how the Panamanian Pacific port can improve its individual interests through the application of improvements derived from the results of the surveys,for more efficient inter-institutional coordination and cooperation.
文摘BACKGROUND: There are over 15 million children who have cardiac anomalies around the world, resulting in a significant morbidity and mortality. Early recognition and treatment can improve the outcomes and lengthen life-expectancy of these patients. The NIH and WHO have promoted guidelines for screening for congenital cardiac anomalies using ultrasound in rural environments.METHODS: Our study took place in Bocas Del Toro, Panama where a mobile clinic was established for community healthcare screening and ultrasonographic evaluation by medical student volunteers and volunteer clinical faculty. This was a non-blinded, investigational study utilizing a convenience sample of pediatric patients presenting for voluntary evaluation. Seven first-year medical students were recruited for the study. These students underwent a training program for advanced cardiac ultrasound instruction, termed "Pediatric Echocardiography Cardiac Screening(PECS)".RESULTS: Ten patients were enrolled in the study. Nine patients had adequate images as defined by the PECS criteria and were all classified as normal cardiac pathology by the medical students, resulting in a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. A single patient was identified by medical students as having a pathologic pulmonic stenosis. This was confirmed as correct by a blinded ultrasonographer.CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study, the first-year medical students were able to correctly identify pediatric cardiac anatomy and pathology in rural Panama after undergoing a 12-hour ultrasound PECS training session. We believe that with this knowledge, minimally trained practitioners can be used to screen for cardiac anomalies in rural Panama using ultrasound.
文摘The opening of the Panama Canal in 1913 increased the availability of internationally traded goods and transformed ocean-shipping by shortening travel time between the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. The canal sparked the growth of port authorities and increased ship tonnage on both coasts of Panama. Since the construction of the Panama Canal, in the 1910s, pesticides, herbicides and chemicals, including arsenic, have been essential for controlling wetland vegetation, including hyacinth, which blocked rivers, lakes, and the canal as well as managing mosquitoes. Pesticides and chemicals flowed into Lake Gatun (reservoir) either attached to sediment or in solution during the monsoon season. Lake Gatun was the drinking water source for most of the people living in the Panama Canal Zone. The United States military base commanders had the ability to order and use cacodylic acid (arsenic based) from the Naval Depot Supply Federal and Stock Catalog and the later Federal Supply Catalog on the military base grounds in the Panama Canal Zone. Cacodylic acid was shipped to Panama Canal Zone ports, including Balboa and Cristobal, and distributed to the military bases by rail or truck. The objective of this study is to determine the fate of arsenic: 1) applied between 1914 and 1935 to Panama Canal shipping lane hyacinth and other wetland vegetation and 2) cacodylic acid (arsenic) sprayed from 1948 to 1999 on the US military base grounds in the Panama Canal Zone.
文摘The 84 km Panama Canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans has historically been a strategic waterway for shipping and the location of United States (US) military bases. Since the construction of Lake Gatun reservoir, canal locks and navigation channel through the Isthmus of Panama tropical forests in the 1910s, chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides have been essential for controlling upland and wetland vegetation as well as managing mosquito-borne diseases. Chemicals and pesticides flowed into Lake Gatun via land surface runoff and subsurface drainage either attached to the sediment or in solution during the rainy season. Lake Gatun and the Panama Canal was the drinking water source for most of the civilian and military population living in the Panama Canal Zone. Between 1948 and 1999, US military base commanders had the ability to order, from the Federal Supply Catalog, commercially available herbicide 2,4,5-T with unknown amounts of dioxin TCDD for use on the military base grounds in the Panama Canal Zone. The herbicide 2,4,5-T was transported to Panama Canal Zone ports, including the ports Cristobal on the Caribbean and Balboa on the Pacific, and distributed to the US military bases in Panama by rail or truck. The US National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for the Research on Cancer listed dioxin and TCDD as known human carcinogens. Dioxins are endocrine disrupters and can cause certain chloracne, cancers, developmental and reproductive effects. In 1985, the United States government banned the manufacture of the herbicide 2,4,5-T, with unknown amounts of dioxin TCDD, after it was shown to cause cancer in animals. The objectives of this study are to determine: 1) the fate of dioxin TCDD, a contaminant in the herbicide 2,4,5-T, sprayed on the US military base vegetation in the Panama Canal Zone from 1948 to 1999, 2) the transport of dioxin TCDD rich sediment via soil erosion and overland flow into Lake Gatun and Panama Canal waterways and 3) the human health impacts of dioxin TCDD, a kno
文摘The expansion of the Panama Canal will have a profound impact on the container shipping route network, port layout and ship structure, and promote the evolution of the global shipping pattern. However, most of the research on the expansion of the Panama Canal currently stays before its real expansion, and the quantitative analysis is less and the result is not accurate, because previous research used data that expanded before. Based on the actual data after the expansion of the Panama Canal, this paper uses the dual-target route distribution model to analyze the expansion of the Panama Canal. The changes in the liner shipping plan that have a greater impact on the shipping industry will provide the relevant theoretical basis for the relevant entities. The results show that after the expansion of the Panama Canal, the largest 15,000 TEU container ship is currently deployed on the route through the Panama Canal. 6500 TEU ship type is also deployed on the route through the Panama Canal. The 8500 TEU, 10,500 TEU, and 12,500 TEU ship types are mainly deployed through the Suez Canal. On the route, such a distribution plan can maximize the benefits for the shipping company.
文摘A Schiff base, (E)-ethyl-4-(2-oxoacenaphthylen-1(2H)-ylideneamino)benzoate, (E4AB) had been synthesized in good yield by the acid-catalyzed condensation reaction of acenaphthenequinone and ethyl-4-aminobenzoate in methanolic solution. The synthesized compound was elucidated by elemental analysis (CHN), FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and single crystal X-ray diffraction. E4AB crystallized in the monoclinic crystal system with space group P21/c, Z = 4, V = 1569.3(2) ?3 and unit cell parameters a = 9.1589(8) , b = 21.2003(17)?, c =8.4502(7) ?, β= 106.972(2)°. The crystal structure of the compound is stabilized by intermolecular C-H···O hydrogen bonds and weak intermolecular π···π interactions. The title compound had been tested for the antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis), Enterobacter and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Cubense (Foc) by disc-diffusion method. E4AB is relatively active against Foc which is a pathogen that cause Wilt disease (also well known as Panama disease) in banana plantation.
文摘BACKGROUND:Maternal and infant mortality rates reported in rural Panama are greater than those in urban regions.Bocas del Toro is a region of Panama inhabited by indigenous people at greater risk for pregnancy-related complications and deaths due to geographic isolation and limited access to health care.Portable ultrasound training programs have recently been implemented in low-resource settings to increase access to diagnostic imaging.The goal of this study is to determine the feasibility of teaching firstyear medical students the Rural Obstetrical Ultrasound Triage Exam(ROUTE)to help identify pathology in pregnant women of the Bocas del Toro region of Panama.METHODS:Eight first-year medical students completed ROUTE training sessions.After training,the students were compared to professional sonographers to evaluate their accuracy in performing the ROUTE.Students then performed the ROUTE in mobile clinics within Bocas del Toro.They enrolled women pregnant in their 2nd or 3rd trimesters and measured biparietal diameter,head circumference,amniotic fluid index,fetal lie and placental position.Any abnormal measurement would be further analyzed by the lead physician for a potential hospital referral.RESULTS:A total of 60 women were enrolled in the study.Four women were detected as having a possible high-risk pregnancy and thus referred to a hospital for further evaluation.CONCLUSION:Based on our data,first-year medical students with additional training can use the ROUTE to identify complications in pregnancy using ultrasound in rural Panama.Additional studies are required to determine the optimal amount of training required for proficiency.
基金The Center for Tree Science at the Morton Arboretum provided financial support for the lead authorFunding for various phases of the work was provided by the Smithsonian Institutionthe National Science Foundation(US)。
文摘Background Central America is one of the most diverse floristic provinces in the world,but comprehensive plant lists for the region are incomplete and need frequent updating.Full geographic ranges of individual species are seldom known.Our detailed forest inventory plots of Panama thus lack a global geographic perspective.In order to provide one,we assembled a thoroughly vetted checklist of all tree species of Panama,along with an estimate of each one’s range size based on published specimen records.Results 1)Panama has 3043 tree species in 141 families and 752 genera;57.6%were≥10 m tall and 16.9%were 3-5 m tall.2)The widest ranges were>1.5×107 km2,covering the entire neotropics and reaching>30∘latitude;12.4%of the species had ranges exceeding 107 km2.The median range was 6.9×105 km2.3)At the other extreme,16.2%of the species had a range<20,000 km2,a criterion suggesting endangered status.4)Range size increased with a tree species’height and varied significantly among families.5)Tree census plots,where we mapped and measured all individuals,captured 27.5%of the tree species,but a biased selection relative to range size;only 4.5%of the species in plots had ranges<20,000 km2.Conclusions Our checklist of the trees of Panama,based on rigorous criteria aimed at matching plot censuses,is 20%larger than previous.By recording species’maximum heights,we allow comparisons with other regions based on matching definitions,and the range sizes provide a quantitative basis for assessing extinction risk.Our next goal is to merge population density from plot censuses to add rigor to predictions of extinction risk of poorly-studied tropical tree species.
文摘This paper originates from a wider research project launched by SRM-an Italian Research Centre related to Intesa Sanpaolo Banking Group and named ＂Observatory on Maritime Transport and Logistics＂. The aim is to contribute to the analysis of the economic impact that strategic maritime infrastructures-like ports and canals-produce on trade and global maritime routes; with a special focus to the effects directed and originating in the Mediterranean. This paper-focused on the New Panama Canal-also offers a perspective view of the new scenarios connected to the fact that thisinfrastructure-opened last June-can accommodate larger ships and new types of vessels including those transporting LNG and LPG （liquefied natural gas and petroleum gas）. The expansion of the Canal will help broaden the strategic dimension of Panama allowing it to become a more important maritime hub, especially for the American Continent and the US. To complete the analysis it has been provided a comparison with the Suez Canal on some world routes involving the Americas, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, since these two canals are proposing a massive competition inthe quality of logistics andalso in the pricing policy for the transit fee.
基金The Center for Tree Science at the Morton Arboretum provided financial support for the lead authorby the Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation(US).
文摘Background:Tree species with narrow ranges are a conservation concern because heightened extinction risk accompanies their small populations.Assessing risks for these species is challenging,however,especially in tropical flora where their sparse populations seldom appear in traditional plots and inventories.Here,we utilize instead large scale databases that combine tree records from many sources to test whether the narrow-range tree species of Panama are concentrated at certain elevations or in certain provinces.Past investigations have suggested that the Choco region of eastern Panama and the high mountains of western Panama may be potential hotspots of narrow-range tree species.Methods:All individual records were collected from public databases,and the range size of each tree species found in Panama was estimated as a polygon enclosing all its locations.Species with ranges<20,000 km^(2) were defined as narrow endemics.We divided Panama into geographic regions and elevation zones and counted the number of individual records and the species richness in each,separating narrow-range species from all other species.Results:The proportion of narrow endemics peaked at elevations above 2000 m,reaching 17.2% of the species recorded.At elevation<1500 m across the country,the proportion was 6-11%,except in the dry Pacific region,where it was 1.5%.Wet forests of the Caribbean coast had 8.4% narrow-range species,slightly higher than other regions.The total number of narrow endemics,however,peaked at mid-elevation,not high elevation,because total species richness was highest at mid-elevation.Conclusions:High elevation forests of west Panama had higher proportions of narrow endemic trees than low-elevation regions,supporting their hot-spot status,while dry lowland forests had the lowest proportion.This supports the notion that montane forests of Central America should be a conservation focus.However,given generally higher diversity at low-to mid-elevation,lowlands are also important habitats for narrow-range tree species,thoug
文摘In 2016,I published a bird song key to the Pipeline Road area in and adjacent to Soberanía National Park,Panama[1].This key is,to my knowledge,the largest bird song key in the world.Since the key was published,Rufous-breasted Wren(Pheugopedius rutilus;Figure 1)and Rufous-and-white Wren(Thryophilus rufalbus;Figure 2)have moved into the area.This addendum adds three songs of Rufous-breasted Wren and three songs Rufous-and-white Wren to the key,thereby increasing the key’s song total to 327 and its species total to 218.
文摘This study evaluates the mediation role of taxpayer egoism in the nexus between tax evasion intention(TEI)and its determinants.TEI is measured as a composite variable(for mediation in the PROCESS macro)and then as a latent variable(for mediation in Analysis of Moment Structure Software AMOS).Further,the stringent assumptions of mediation analysis by Baron and Kenny(Strategic,and Statistical Considerations 51:1173-1182,1986)are challenged via assertions by Hayes(Introduction to Mediation,Moderation and Conditional Process Analysis:A Regression-Based Approach,The Guilford Press,2018).The proxies for TEI are the respondents'ethical attitudes toward taxation Determinants of tax evasion intention are grouped into perceived behavioral control attitude and subjective norms as per theory of planned behavior(TPB)and extant literature.The detailed variables adopted from the literature include tax awareness,tax information,tax complexity,perceived power of authority,tax morals,tax fairness,and trust in government.A totalof 151 responses were collected Mediation analysis was done via bootstrapping in the PROCESS macro and through AMOS.A plethora of studies focus on determinants of tax evasion,tax compliance and their intentions However,none combine analysis via the two tools highlighted.Further,few challenge the old way of conducting mediation analysis The data provide statistical support for egoism's mediation in the effect of four determinants on tax evasion intention.It further confirms that many of the old preconditions for mediation are unnecessary given modern-day bootstrapping analysis.Insight into determinants of TEI and egoism have been provided However,this study uses cross-sectional data Future studies must use longitudinal data or experimental manipulation to infer more specific effects.
文摘China and Panama signed a joint communique on establishing diplomatic relations on June 13,2017,which marked the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries and turned a new chapter of bilateral relations.By the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations,both countries have developed a solid economic and business relationship,with remarkable achievements having been made.In a meeting held recently,the Panamanian president Juan Carlos Varela said that the achievements and changes since China and Panama signed diplomatic relations are very impressive.
