Abigail Charles - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Abigail Charles

When GARDASIL, a vaccine protecting against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), was approved by the U... more When GARDASIL, a vaccine protecting against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June 2006, it sparked political and social debate among legislatures as well as advocacy groups. By drafting and submitting legislation for the mandatory vaccination against HPV for middle school girls in Texas on November 14th 2006, Representative Jessica Farrar (D- Houston) officially began the legislative process in the Texas House of Representatives. In response, tension and protest among political conservatives, religious advocacy groups, parental rights groups, as well as Merck — the pharmaceutical company responsible for the development and sale of the drug — ensued. Proponents championed the pro-life capabilities while opposition groups questioned the drugs alleged safety despite the findings in studies conducted by Merck. The pharmaceutical giant’s modus operandi of lobbying states to implement the use of its drug raised suspicion, as well as,...

Ssrn Electronic Journal, Oct 19, 2010

ABSTRACT Today, graph theory has become major instrument that is used in an array of fields. Some... more ABSTRACT Today, graph theory has become major instrument that is used in an array of fields. Some of these include electrical engineering, mathematical research, sociology, economics, computer programming/networking, business administration and marketing. Indeed, many problems can be modeled with paths formed by traveling along the edges of a certain graph. Frequently referenced problems are efficiently planning routes for mail delivery, garbage pickup and snow removal, which can be solved using models that involve paths in graphs. Given these kinds of problems, graphs can become extremely complex, and a more efficient way of representing them is needed in practice. This is where the concept of the adjacency matrix and linear algebra comes into play. This paper develops the linear algebra application to the adjacency matrix and then presents some visuals in the form of sample graphs and attributes, as well as an interactive version.This paper is a part of a sequence of papers that responds to different aspects of graph theory. Please refer to the author’s research page at http://ssrn.com/author=1555152

Ssrn Electronic Journal, Oct 19, 2010

... 1. Consumption (C) = F(Income (Y), Personal Wealth (Kp), Location of Residence (R)) 2. Income... more ... 1. Consumption (C) = F(Income (Y), Personal Wealth (Kp), Location of Residence (R)) 2. Income (Y) = G(Consumption(C), Personal Wealth (Kp), Industry of Employment (I)) This encompasses the components of consumption and income for individual, which ... 3. C = F(Y, Kp, R) ...

... On February 5 th , 2007, Senator Hegar Glenn Hager (R-Katy) filed bill SB 438 with the suppor... more ... On February 5 th , 2007, Senator Hegar Glenn Hager (R-Katy) filed bill SB 438 with the support of numerous other members of legislature including Senator Jane Nelson ... Senator Jane Nelson and Representative Jim Keffer (R-Eastland), himself a supporter of the ...

Examinations, to the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) that began in 1998, is sti... more Examinations, to the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) that began in 1998, is still rife with discussion from students, teachers and policy makers. Policy makers are interested in having a uniform examination system that is suitably rigorous to test Mathematical concepts for entering the tertiary level, while also having the cultural stamp that distinguishes it from the previous system under the British rule. Teachers are interested in the receiving suitable professional development in order teach the new format of materials. They are also concerned about the timeframe in which the allotted material ought to be taught and absorbed before the exams are taken. Students are parochially interested in learning the material in order to pass the examination. Given these three positions of major stakeholders, a detailed tour of the structure of the CAPE Mathematics curriculum will be explored in this article.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000

ABSTRACT The current institutional arrangements which govern the Caribbean Single Market and Econ... more ABSTRACT The current institutional arrangements which govern the Caribbean Single Market and Economy are fully realized based on attempts of preceding Caribbean economic integration. The first significant attempt was disastrous. With myopic dreams of unification, the West Indies Federation was formed in 1958 and consisted of 10 British West Indian territories, where Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Barbados were the principal members. Most of the Leeward and Windward islands, which were then under British control, were also apart of the federation. The seat of government was in Port of Spain, Trinidad who was then, slated for independence in 1962. Consequently, the federation saw little hopes of surviving its troubled infancy because it was an institution built on self interest, rather than symbiosis. Before Trinidad left, however, Jamaica, the most populous and prosperous member, voted (1961) to leave the federation, fearing that it would have to shoulder the burdens of the economically underdeveloped members. Trinidad and Tobago, inevitably, followed suit and the federation disintegrated in May, 1962. Further attempts date back 1968, with the establishment of the Caribbean Free Trade Area (CARIFTA) to serve the purpose of only removing the tariff and other barriers to intra regional trade in goods. This resulted in a reticent ten percent (10%) growth in intra- regional trade of the Caribbean economies. The integration process was later intensified through the Treaty if Chaguaramas which outlined directives to create a Common Market in the region. Added to the existing agenda of supporting liberalization on trade in goods, was the establishment of a common external tariff, intended to provide protection to regional industries. The 1973 treaty contained further provisions for the removal of restrictions in the establishment of businesses, provisions of services, the movement of capital and the coordination of economic policies. These stipulations barely made a difference to the volume of intra- regional trade which still lingered at 10% mark of total trade. It failed to catalyze new investments and though it intended to support regional import substitution, it miserably addressed evolving and pressing issues concerning international competitiveness and export penetration. In the following years the Caribbean economies, under the auspices of multilateral lending institutions, implemented structural adjustment programs that targeted of economic, financial and trade liberalization which surpassed their commitments as expressed by the treaty of Chaguaramas. By the end of the 1980’s, through precipitating trading blocs and the inception of economic globalization, there was ubiquitous face-lifting of economies. This accommodated the working of free and private market forces to construct robust capital and other factor flows, and to endorse an export oriented growth and international competitiveness. Henceforth, at Grand Anse Grenada, 1989, Heads of Government, being properly convinced of the necessity to reinforce and extend the Caribbean Community in all of its dimensions, decided to convert the limited Common Market as conceived in 1973, into a Single Market and Economy in as short a time as possible.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000

ABSTRACT General equilibrium is achieved when the IS and the LM crosses; that is, the point at wh... more ABSTRACT General equilibrium is achieved when the IS and the LM crosses; that is, the point at which the real and monetary sectors are in equilibrium with each other. The present (2005) mass purchasing of US treasuries from countries, primarily from China and Japan is causing an autonomous increase in the demand for money; the Federal Reserve’s attempts to raise short term interest rates, with hopes of tightening the long term interest rates (which are highly correlated to US treasuries) are failing miserably because of the great volumes of treasuries being held by other countries. Also, since mortgage rates are linked to the long term interest rates, there has been, altogether, a falling rate of mortgages. The rush to purchase houses is then causing an autonomous increase in investments (a component of the IS) causing a shift in the IS curve. The end result is that a higher level of income/output is achieved with a lower interest rate; this reflects the controlled rate of inflation that is now being experienced as well as the continuous gush of cheap products that the Chinese has been pumping out into the world. Of course, there is building anticipation toward the bursting of the housing bubble; it is feared that once the Fed’s tightening policy begin to take effect, there will be a missile effect on long term interest rates, shocking the demand for houses back to an equilibrium position.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000

ABSTRACT The impetus towards accumulating and analyzing data disaggregated by sex has acquired a ... more ABSTRACT The impetus towards accumulating and analyzing data disaggregated by sex has acquired a steady momentum as governments become more apprised of gender related issues. Indeed, there are several reasons as to why gender issues must be incorporated with the design of safety nets. According to the World Bank’s website, some of these reasons are as follows: • Men and women may be vulnerable to or exposed to different types of risks. •There is evidence that women are often more disadvantaged than men and therefore should benefit more from assistance programs. •Programs that take into account the gender dimension of transfer programs may be desirable because of added benefits to other members in the household. •Finally, this approach might help to increase the impact of safety nets programs on poverty and human development outcomes.It is, however, important to note that an examination of vulnerability and potential gender-based incentives and disincentives of such programs should be undergone before taking major decisions to implement them. Nonetheless, there exists several ways in which to combine gender considerations with safety nets. These include: •Designing specific projects for women, like microfinance programs and promotion of day care centers. •Enhancing the direct or indirect (e.g. distributing resources in kind) targeting of existing programs towards women. Evidence indicate that putting more resources under women’s control has a positive impact on in household and child welfare, since women invest more in children, particularly for nutrition and health. For this reason all of the Latin American conditional cash transfer programs pay benefits in the name of the mother in the household, even though targeting is done on overall family welfare levels. •Ensuring that projects accommodate the needs of participating women for example by ensuring that transactions for eligibility and receipt of benefit in food or cash transfer programs takes place at convenient hours and in culturally acceptable conditions. It has been shown that provision of crèches can enhance women's participation in public works programs.Collectively, it is of utmost important to realize that safety nets alone cannot adequately improve the life of poor women and that other policies are also important for reducing their vulnerability. These can include laws and regulations that protect women and their assets in case of divorce and abandonment.

Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2011

Clinical guidelines are an important source of guidance for clinicians. Few studies have examined... more Clinical guidelines are an important source of guidance for clinicians. Few studies have examined the quality of scientific data underlying evidence-based guidelines. We examined the quality of evidence that underlies the recommendations made by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (the College). The current practice bulletins of the College were examined. Each bulletin makes multiple recommendations. Each recommendation is categorized based on the quality and quantity of evidence that underlies the recommendation into one of three levels of evidence: A (good and consistent evidence), B (limited or inconsistent evidence), or C (consensus and opinion). We analyzed the distribution of levels of evidence for obstetrics and gynecology recommendations. A total of 84 practice bulletins that offered 717 individual recommendations were identified. Forty-eight (57.1%) of the guidelines were obstetric and 36 (42.9%) were gynecologic. When all recommendations were considered, 215 (30.0%) provided level A evidence, 270 (37.7%) level B, and 232 (32.3%) level C. Among obstetric recommendations, 93 (25.5%) were level A, 145 (39.7%) level B, and 117 (34.8%) level C. For the gynecologic recommendations, 122 (34.7%) were level A, 125 (35.5%) level B, and 105 (29.8%) level C. The gynecology recommendations were more likely to be of level A evidence than the obstetrics recommendations (P=.049). One third of the recommendations put forth by the College in its practice bulletins are based on good and consistent scientific evidence.

Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, 2011

Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2012

Purpose Use of robotics in oncologic surgery is increasing; however, reports of safety and effica... more Purpose Use of robotics in oncologic surgery is increasing; however, reports of safety and efficacy are from highly experienced surgeons and centers. We performed a population-based analysis to compare laparoscopic hysterectomy and robotic hysterectomy for endometrial cancer. Patients and Methods The Perspective database was used to identify women who underwent a minimally invasive hysterectomy for endometrial cancer from 2008 to 2010. Morbidity, mortality, and cost were evaluated using multivariable logistic and linear regression models. Results We identified 2,464 women, including 1,027 (41.7%) who underwent laparoscopic hysterectomy and 1,437 (58.3%) who underwent robotic hysterectomy. Women treated at larger hospitals, nonteaching hospitals, and centers outside of the northeast were more likely to undergo a robotic hysterectomy procedure, whereas black women, those without insurance, and women in rural areas were less likely to undergo a robotic hysterectomy procedure (P < .0...

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000

Ssrn Electronic Journal, Oct 19, 2010

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000

Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2011

Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, 2011

Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2012

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000