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We use citation data of scientific articles produced by individual nations in different scientific domains to determine the structure and efficiency of national research systems. We characterize the scientific fitness of each nation-that is, the competitiveness of its research system-and the complexity of each scientific domain by means of a non-linear iterative algorithm able to assess quantit...

We take a corporate finance approach to the question of countries’ funding of investments via foreign-currency denominated debt or domesticcurrency claims. We ask what is the optimal capital structure of a nation? A key conceptual innovation we introduce is an analogy between a nation’s money-claims and corporate equity. What a nation’s money and a firm’s equity have in common is that they both...

Metrics on resource productivity currently used by governments suggest that some developed countries have increased the use of natural resources at a slower rate than economic growth (relative decoupling) or have even managed to use fewer resources over time (absolute decoupling). Using the material footprint (MF), a consumption-based indicator of resource use, we find the contrary: Achievement...

BRIC nations – Brazil, Russia, India, and China – represent 40% of the world’s population, including a growing aging population and middle class with an increasing prevalence of chronic disease. Their healthcare systems increasingly rely on prescription drugs, but they differ from most other healthcare systems because healthcare expenditures in BRIC nations have exhibited the highest revenue gr...

On September 8, 2000, the 189 nations of the general assembly of the United Nations (UN) adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration. This declaration reaffirms international commitment to the organization and charter of the UN and establishes shared fundamental values for the twenty-first century. Included among these objectives are a specific group of 8 goals which have been named the M...

harsh experiences of the ww1, encouraged many think-tanks and politicians to contain differences and prevent war through founding an international organization, through which global spanners are removed and peace and security are reinforced worldwide. the idea to set up “league of nations” came as peace negotiations was underway in the palace of versailles in france. iran was encroached directl...

BACKGROUND Inflammatory bowel disease is the result of both genes and environment. Canadian First Nations people, despite living in a region with a high prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease, are relatively protected from this disease. We aimed to compare the carriage of genetic variants associated with inflammatory bowel disease in healthy First Nations and white people. METHODS DNA was e...

OBJECTIVE: We assessed individual- and community-level disparities and trends in birth outcomes and infant mortality among First Nations (North American Indians) and Inuit versus other populations in Quebec, Canada. METHODS: A retrospective birth cohort study of all births to Quebec residents, 1991-2000. At the individual level, we examined outcomes comparing births to First Nations and Inuit ...

INTRODUCTION A lack of identifiers in health administrative databases limits our understanding of the cancer burden in First Nations. This study compares cancer risk factors and screening between First Nations in Ontario (on and off reserve) and non-Aboriginal Ontarians using two unique health surveys. METHODS We measured age-standardized prevalence estimates using the First Nations Regional ...