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How can firms in foreign direct investment (FDI) best protect their assets from host government contract beach? FDI is the largest and most stable form of external financing to less developed countries (LDCs). It increases job growth, technological development, and efficiency in the host country, subsequently increasing economic development. Companies prefer to invest in countries that are less prone to contract breach. I propose that credibility of commitments can help explain variation in contract breach. I propose that firms are most likely to avoid contract breach when they are involved in supply chains and when the host country has a preferential trade agreement (PTA). I measure this relationship using a difference of means test and logistic regression. Using data from 1992-2008 from the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), I find that on average, the least amount of cases filed involved supply chains and PTAs. Only 4% of cases involved supply chains and PTAs, suggesting a protective force in FDI. The interaction between supply chains and PTAs has a significantly positive effect on investors winning their cases in the ICSID. My results suggest that in the event of a contract breach, my interaction variable of membership in supply chains and PTA's help investors protect their assets. The implications of these findings are twofold. To safeguard their FDI, firms can ensure better protection from contract breach through supply chains. Furthermore, host countries can attract more FDI from PTAs. For future research, I suggest case study analysis as well as interviews with representatives from foreign firms that have dealt with contract breach.

ABSTRACTOutcomes Management in Home Care:Preventing Re-hospitalizationKathleen Sullivan, PhD (e), MSN, RN Significance: Home Care is an integral part of an episode of care and recovery and many patients are now recipients of home healthcare services following a hospital discharge. Nursing care delivered in the home can prevent costly unplanned returns to the acute care setting. Many studies have evaluated the factors associated with re-admissions, but little is known about the factors associated with re-admissions of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in an episode of home health care.Methods: Using a sample comprised of 100% of Medicare patients enrolled in an episode of home healthcare in a large Home Health Agency in California (N = 6,249, of whom 740 experienced a re-hospitalization), this secondary analysis examined four years of data derived from the Outcomes and Assessment Information Data Set (O.A.S.I.S.) for the prevalence of, and factors associated with hospitalization use. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the study sample. A multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the risk of hospitalization associated with variables in the model. A Chi-Square analysis was conducted to measure the integrity of the overall model. Results: 11.8% of the study population experienced a re-hospitalization. Controlling for socio-demographic, clinical, and utilization factors, the odds and rates of hospitalization varied by the presence of eight key variables, the strongest of which were clinical factors. Patients with depression and dyspnea, pulmonary, cardiac, or cancer-related diagnoses, impaired capacity to perform activities of daily living (ADL) and who were dependent on medication management were most likely to experience a re-hospitalization. Patients who required more nursing visits were also more likely to be re-hospitalized. Cross tabs done on this variable were significant for advanced age (>76), pain interfering with activity (71.5%) and the presence of wounds or stasis ulcers (34.9%).Implications: Identifying and modifying factors associated with hospitalization in home health recipients may result in lower rates of hospitalization, decreased cost, and better outcomes. Home Health agencies have an opportunity to be instrumental in developing interventions that address social determinants of health, as well as influencing health policy related to both the clinical, functional, and other sociodemographic factors that may impact hospitalization.

Obstructive urolithiasis is a documented problem in domestic ruminants, such as the meat goat, and also in captive giraffe. A survey of the health history, feeding practices, and dietary contents in captive giraffes in North America was conducted to examine the possible connection between diet and the development of urolithiasis. Samples of urine, serum and feed were collected and analyzed for basic panels and mineral content. There appeared to be a positive correlation between diet and physiologic phosphorus levels in giraffe. This may not have been related to the ingredients of the diet but rather to the ratio of concentrate to hay eaten and the nutrient composition of the concentrate. We hypothesized that high phosphorus content in the diet and a high level of concentrate feeding would increase indicators of urolith formations including crystal formation and high urine mineral content. We followed up with a metabolic trial in meat goats, testing 2 different complete pelleted feeds and 2 complete pelleted feed to hay ratios in a 2 by 2 factorial randomized complete block design. The intent of this study was to look at the impact of type of diet (ADF-16 or Wild Herbivore complete pelleted feed) and complete pelleted feed to hay ratios (20 or 80 % hay) on the development of urolithiasis in meat goats, in the context of captive giraffe feeding practices. The four treatments had a range of fiber content and differed in mineral content, particularly Ca to P ratio and levels of P. We also measured the number of crystals in the fresh urine, as these may be considered precursors to urolith formation. The ADF-16 diet where hay was 20% of the diet had the lowest levels of fiber, lowest Ca to P ratio, and highest level of phosphorus compared to the other 3 diet treatments. From our results, it can be concluded that feeding the ADF-16 diet where hay is 20% of the diet, produced a trend of high urinary P, high serum P and a tendency for a high crystal count in the urine over the four week experimental period. These can be considered strong risk factors for the development of phosphatic uroliths. As one third of the zoos which responded to the survey fed a majority of their diets as ADF-16, this conclusion warrants further investigation.

HIV-positive men face multiple challenges when deciding whether or not to disclose their serostatus to sex partners. This survey design using repeated measures examined disclosure of HIV-positive serostatus to sex partners in an ethnically diverse population of men (N= 93) recruited from the community in O'ahu, Hawai'i. The framework guiding the research was Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1987), with a specific focus on self-efficacy for disclosure decision-making and for negotiating safe sex. The aims of the research were to: 1) describe HIV serostatus disclosure to sex partners; 2) describe self-efficacy for disclosure to sex partners and self-efficacy for negotiating safer sex; 3) determine the relationships between demographic, HIV-illness, drug use history, self-efficacy and sex partner variables (relationship status, serostatus), and self-disclosure, and; 4) determine the relationships between demographic, HIV-illness, drug use history, self-efficacy, sex partner variables, self-disclosure, and condom use by the men in the sample. A convenience sample of HIV-seropositive men was enlisted through both active outreach and passive recruitment (posters and public advertisement). Survey responses were anonymous, as the subject matter being asked was sensitive in nature. Results reveal that self-disclosure to sex partners varied based on sex partner serostatus and relationship status, and was significantly influenced by perceived self-efficacy, by income, education, years since diagnosis and contextual factors including cocaine use before sex. Subjects were least likely to disclose to a sex partner whose serostatus was not discussed. An unknown partner serostatus was also significantly associated with less disclosure. The more committed the relationship, the greater the likelihood that a subject would self­ disclose. The longer the time since initial HIV diagnosis the more likely a subject was to disclose to sex partners. High self-efficacy scores were associated with self-disclosure, and with condom use. Cocaine use before sex was associated with less disclosure and less condom use. Self-disclosure was significantly associated with condom use as well. Although a causal relationship is not implied, self-disclosure practices did influence safe sex behavior. Implications for nursing and for future research are discussed.