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Allowance
Kinds of Allowance Selected AbstractsStudent experiences of neurodiversity in higher education: insights from the BRAINHE projectDYSLEXIA, Issue 1 2009Edward Griffin Abstract The number of students with identified learning differences (LDs) of all kinds is increasing in higher education. This qualitative study explored the experiences of 27 current and previous students with a range of specific LDs by means of semi-structured interviews, using a thematic approach. The findings revealed that participants shared many life experiences and preferences for learning irrespective of their type of LD. Participants generally held one of two views about their identity as ,neurodiverse': a ,difference' view,where neurodiversity was seen as a difference incorporating a set of strengths and weaknesses, or a ,medical/deficit' view,where neurodiversity was seen as a disadvantageous medical condition. The former view was associated with expressions of greater career ambition and academic self-esteem, while the latter view was associated more with processes for obtaining the Disabled Students' Allowance. Many of the participants reported similar experiences in education and with university support; many did not feel adequately supported by their institutions. Recommendations are made for increased awareness training among lecturers and better liaison between university departments. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Reforming Youth Allowance: The "Independent-at-Home" CategoryECONOMIC PAPERS: A JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECONOMICS AND POLICY, Issue 4 2009Bruce Chapman I22; I28; I38 The Review of Australian Higher Education (2008) recommended the elimination of the Youth Allowance (YA) category known as "Independent-at-Home" (IAH), a policy position which has been endorsed by the Australian Government. The concern is students gaining access to YA through this eligibility criterion are not disadvantaged and that consequently this aspect of the system is inequitably targeted. To cast light on this possibility, the research reported here examines the household income circumstances of individuals in the IAH category in a comparison with otherwise similar students. The research methods employed are indirectly due to the lack of available data, but we are able to adjust information from the HILDA survey to address the issue. The evidence is that, in the 2001 to 2006 period, a large proportion of those in the IAH category were not disadvantaged, which is support for the position of the Review and the government's response to it. [source] Public funding for residential and nursing home care: projection of the potential impact of proposals to change the residential allowance in services for older peopleINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 3 2003Paul Clarkson Abstract Background This paper investigates the potential effects of a policy change in the funding of UK residential care. The White Paper Modernising Social Services (Cm 4169, 1998) outlined plans to change the distribution of the Residential Allowance (RA), payable in support of residents in independent residential or nursing home care, from a component of income support paid direct to establishments to a grant to local authorities. This change was intended to remove the perverse incentive in accessing independent residential care more favourably than local authority care. A further objective was to encourage local authorities to use the grant to support home-based alternatives to residential care. The policy rests on a model in which price signals dictate the choice of care for an older person. By, in effect, raising the price of independent residential and nursing home care, the policy provides an incentive for authorities to seek alternatives to institutional care. Methods Managers from 16 UK social services departments attended a focus group discussion, completed questionnaires and provided information to assist in calculating the potential diversionary effect of the policy. Results Managerial estimates indicated a small diversionary effect of the policy; A potential effect of 0.26 and 0.19 per 1000 older people diverted from residential and nursing care respectively. Conclusions The study indicated that wider organisational factors other than price are likely to play a greater role in deciding whether an older person is admitted to care. Changes in public funding alone do not reflect the complexities involved in decision-making concerning the residential placement of older people. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Increasing Dietary Protein Requirements in Elderly People for Optimal Muscle and Bone HealthJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 6 2009Erin Gaffney-Stomberg MS Osteoporosis and sarcopenia are degenerative diseases frequently associated with aging. The loss of bone and muscle results in significant morbidity, so preventing or attenuating osteoporosis and sarcopenia is an important public health goal. Dietary protein is crucial for development of bone and muscle, and recent evidence suggests that increasing dietary protein above the current Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) may help maintain bone and muscle mass in older individuals. Several epidemiological and clinical studies point to a salutary effect of protein intakes above the current RDA (0.8 g/kg per day) for adults aged 19 and older. There is evidence that the anabolic response of muscle to dietary protein is attenuated in elderly people, and as a result, the amount of protein needed to achieve anabolism is greater. Dietary protein also increases circulating insulin-like growth factor, which has anabolic effects on muscle and bone. Furthermore, increasing dietary protein increases calcium absorption, which could be anabolic for bone. Available evidence supports a beneficial effect of short-term protein intakes up to 1.6 to 1.8 g/kg per day, although long-term studies are needed to show safety and efficacy. Future studies should employ functional measures indicative of protein adequacy, as well as measures of muscle protein synthesis and maintenance of muscle and bone tissue, to determine the optimal level of dietary protein. Given the available data, increasing the RDA for older individuals to 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg per day would maintain normal calcium metabolism and nitrogen balance without affecting renal function and may represent a compromise while longer-term protein supplement trials are pending. J Am Geriatr Soc 57:1073,1079, 2009. [source] Discussion of Creating a Bigger Bath Using the Deferred Tax Valuation AllowanceJOURNAL OF BUSINESS FINANCE & ACCOUNTING, Issue 5-6 2008Jennifer Francis First page of article [source] School-Based Screening of the Dietary Intakes of Third Graders in Rural Appalachian OhioJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 11 2010Jana A. Hovland MS BACKGROUND: Children in Appalachia are experiencing high levels of obesity, in large measure because of inferior diets. This study screened the dietary intake of third graders residing in 3 rural Appalachian counties in Ohio and determined whether the Food, Math, and Science Teaching Enhancement Resource Initiative (FoodMASTER) curriculum improved their dietary intake. METHODS: Dietary intake was measured for 238 third graders at the beginning of the 2007 to 2008 school year and for 224 third graders at the end of that year. The FoodMASTER curriculum was delivered to 204 students (test group). Intake was measured using the Block Food Frequency Questionnaire 2004. The final analysis included 138 students. RESULTS: The FoodMASTER curriculum did not significantly affect the diets of the students in the test group, as no significant differences in intake of macronutrients, specific nutrients, or food groups were found between the test and control groups. Majorities of students did not meet the Recommended Dietary Allowance or Adequate Intakes for fiber, calcium, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin E. The students as a whole did not meet the MyPyramid recommendations for any food group, and nearly one fifth of their calories came from sweets. Significant differences in percentages of kilocalories from protein and sweets and in servings of fats, oils, and sweets were seen between groups of higher and lower socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS: Energy-dense foods are replacing healthy foods in the diets of Ohio children living in rural Appalachia. The prevalence of poor dietary intake in Appalachia warrants further nutrition interventions involving programming for nutrition, such as future FoodMASTER curricula. [source] When is an Individual an Individual Versus a Member of a Group?NUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 5 2006An Issue in the Application of the Dietary Reference Intakes The Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports on Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) present a new paradigm for the description of nutrient requirements. Tradition and the DRI reports themselves have created an erroneous impression that the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is intended for use with individuals and the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) is to be used with populations. Two recent IOM committee reports (one on nutrition labeling and one on Women, Infants and Children [WIC] food packages) challenge that interpretation, revealing the critical issues surrounding individuals versus groups or populations. The present paper examines the issues and concludes that the median requirement and Tolerable Upper Limit (UL) are the critical reference values for both individuals and populations. The RDA is both unneeded and lacking a sound scientific basis. [source] Challenges in Using the Dietary Reference Intakes to Plan Diets for GroupsNUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 8 2005Suzanne P. Murphy PhD A recent report describes a new paradigm for planning the dietary intakes of groups, the goals of which are to achieve low prevalences of both inadequate and excessive intakes. However, there are many challenges involved in properly implementing these methods, and pilot studies are urgently needed. For individuals, the target for nutrient intakes is usually the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA); for nutrients without an RDA, the Adequate Intake (AI) can be used. Intakes should be planned so they do not exceed the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL). Several applications illustrating how to use the DRIs for planning the diets of individuals have been published, so this review will focus primarily on the methods that are recommended for planning the diets of groups. [source] High-protein Weight-loss Diets: Are They Safe and Do They Work?NUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 7 2002A Review of the Experimental, Epidemiologic Data Recommendations for increased consumption of protein are among the most common approaches of popular or fad diets. This review summarizes the effects of dietary protein on satiety, energy intake, thermogenesis, and weight loss, as well as its effect on a variety of health outcomes in adults. In short-term studies, dietary protein modulates energy intake via the sensation of satiety and increases total energy expenditure by increasing the thermic effect of feeding. Whereas these effects did not contribute to weight and fat loss in those studies in which energy intake was fixed, one ad libitum study does suggest that a high-protein diet results in a greater decrease in energy intake, and therefore greater weight and fat loss. In terms of safety, there is little long-term information on the health effects of high-protein diets. From the available data, however, it is evident that the consumption of protein greater than two to three times the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance contributes to urinary calcium loss and may, in the long term, predispose to bone loss. Caution with these diets is recommended in those individuals who may be predisposed to nephrolithiasis or kidney disease, and particularly in those with diabetes mellitus. [source] Cross-sectional study of allergic disorders associated with breastfeeding in Japan: The Ryukyus Child Health StudyPEDIATRIC ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 5 2007Yoshihiro Miyake Uncertainties remain as to whether breastfeeding is protective against childhood allergic disorders. Positive relationships of breastfeeding with asthma and atopic eczema were observed in two previous Japanese studies. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between the feeding pattern after birth and the prevalence of allergic disorders during the past 12 months in Japanese schoolchildren. Study subjects were 24,077 children aged 6,15 yr in Okinawa. The outcomes were based on diagnostic criteria from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. Allowance was made for age, sex, number of siblings, smoking in the household, paternal and maternal history of asthma, atopic eczema, and allergic rhinitis, and paternal and maternal educational level. Breastfeeding, regardless of exclusivity, for 13 months or longer and exclusive breastfeeding for 4,11 months were independently associated with a higher prevalence of atopic eczema, particularly among children without a parental allergic history. A clear positive dose,response relationship was observed between prolonged duration of breastfeeding, regardless of exclusivity, but not exclusive breastfeeding, and the prevalence of atopic eczema. We found a significant positive trend for atopic eczema across the three categories (formula milk, partial and exclusive breastfeeding) in the first 4 months of life although the odds ratio for exclusive breastfeeding was not statistically significant. No material association was found between the feeding pattern after birth and the prevalence of wheeze or allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. Prolonged breastfeeding may be associated with a higher prevalence of atopic eczema in Japanese children. [source] Enforcing Emissions Trading ProgramsPOLICY STUDIES JOURNAL, Issue 3 2002Performance, Practice, Theory Combining an analysis of the compliance incentives faced by firms in an emissions trading program, a comprehensive review of the enforcement strategies employed in Sulfur Dioxide Allowance and the Regional Clean Air Incentives Market (RECLAIM) programs, and a review of the compliance performance of these programs thus far, we are able to propose several practical guidelines for enforcing emissions trading programs. We stress the importance of prevailing market prices for emissions permits in determining compliance incentives, the importance of accurately measuring firms' emissions, and the importance of implementing enforcement strategies that remove the incentives firms may have to falsify emissions reports. [source] Earned Income Tax Credits: Do They Have Any Role to Play in Australia?THE AUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 1 2001David Ingles Earned income tax credits (EITCs) have been used mainly in the United States. The Australian tax,transfer system is already very complicated and the aims of the EITC,notably reductions in effective tax rates for low income earners,might be achievable through reforms to existing components of the system. Such tax rates can be lowered either through reductions in social security tapers, or reductions in income tax payable. Action to reduce tapers affecting families is already proceeding through the social security component of the Government's tax reform package. To go further, by reducing tapers on the main allowances, like Newstart Allowance and Parenting Payment, would accelerate developments for such allowances to become forms of wage supplementation for the low paid. If it were not desired to go further down this path (and it does have problems), then relief of income tax burdens could be implemented through changes to the rate structure. While the EITC may make sense in the US context, a country with a well-developed welfare system like that of Australia has other options. In particular any EITC in this country is likely to be a supplement, not an alternative, to existing cash support for low income families. [source] Tax incentives and fertility in Canada: quantum vs tempo effectsCANADIAN JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2007Daniel Parent Abstract., Using inter-jurisdictional differences in the implementation of the Family Allowance Program in Canada in the mid-1970s, this paper first shows that Quebec families with two or more children prior to being exposed to the program responded quite strongly to the added incentives in the short run relative to women in other Canadian provinces. Tracking down the cohorts across Censuses, we find that the same group of Quebec families subsequently showed a decrease in fertility relative to the rest of Canada, leaving ultimate family size unaffected. These results are consistent with the program having generated only a timing effect. Utilisant les différences entre juridictions dans la mise en ,uvre du programme d'allocations familiales au Canada au milieu des années 70, ce mémoire montre d'abord que les familles québécoises qui avaient deux enfants ou plus avant d'être exposées au programme ont répondu très fortement aux incitations additionnelles à court terme en comparaison avec ce qui s'est passé dans les autres provinces canadiennes. En suivant les cohortes à travers les recensements, on montre que ce même groupe de familles du Québec a, par la suite, subi un déclin de fécondité par rapport au reste du Canada, ce qui a eu pour effet de laisser la taille de la famille ultimement non affectée d'une manière relative. Ces résultats sont cohérents avec la conclusion que le programme a seulement eu un effet sur le profil temporel de la fécondité. [source] Selenium Deficiency Associated with Cardiomyopathy: A Complication of the Ketogenic DietEPILEPSIA, Issue 4 2003A. G. Christina Bergqvist Summary: ,Purpose: The ketogenic diet (KD) is an efficacious treatment for intractable epilepsy, associated with infrequent side effects. The KD is known to be deficient in most vitamins and minerals and may be deficient in trace minerals. We report biochemical selenium deficiency in nine patients on the KD, including one who developed cardiomyopathy. Methods: A whole-blood selenium level was obtained on the symptomatic patient after noting the patient's poor appearance on physical examination. Children already treated and children beginning the KD were then evaluated prospectively for selenium status by measuring whole-blood or serum selenium as part of routine laboratory evaluation every 3 months. Results: The index case had no detectable whole-blood selenium. Cardiac physical examination and ECG were normal, but the echocardiogram revealed cardiomyopathy. Thirty-nine additional children had the selenium status evaluated. Eight had selenium levels below the normal range (six initially, and two developed low selenium levels on serial testing). They were referred for cardiology evaluations, which were normal. Selenium supplementation improved levels in all children. Low levels were seen in some children after only a few months of treatment. Conclusions: The nutrient adequacy of the currently used KD has not been fully evaluated. The nutrient content of KD with usual supplements may not meet Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for selenium and may not provide other trace minerals in adequate amounts. At our center, selenium deficiency was found in 20% of the patients evaluated. Screening for selenium deficiency is suggested if the patient KD regimen does not meet ,75% of the RDA or if the child is symptomatic. Nutrient supplementation should provide adequate trace elements for children treated with the KD. The KD requires close monitoring of the overall nutritional status. [source] Housing Allowances and Economic EfficiencyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF URBAN AND REGIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2006MARIETTA E.A. HAFFNER Housing allowances aim to make rental housing affordable for the recipients. Whether affordability for tenants is achieved in an economically efficient way is the question that is discussed in this essay. Three aspects of efficiency are focused on: disincentives to work, over-consumption of housing and horizontal inefficiency. These topics are tackled through a discussion that focuses mainly on the principles, but also on some of the outcomes, of the means-tested housing allowance systems in six Western countries: Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States and Sweden. Conclusions concern the apparent unimportance of the poverty trap or the unemployment trap specifically for rental housing, the concept of notional rent used to tackle over-consumption, and the frequent existence of some form of horizontal inefficiency. [source] The Role and Design of Income-Related Housing AllowancesINTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY REVIEW, Issue 3 2000Peter A. Kemp Income-related housing allowance schemes have become a long-term feature of social policy in the advanced welfare states. They are not without disadvantages, however, and a number of countries have recently introduced significant reforms of their systems. The aim of this paper is to examine some key features of, and recent developments in, housing allowance programmes in seven countries. It addresses five main questions: why have income-related housing allowances become so important, what role do they play, what are the essential features of such schemes, how do they tackle concerns about moral hazard, and what are the pressures facing them? [source] Slotting Allowances and Scarce Shelf SpaceJOURNAL OF ECONOMICS & MANAGEMENT STRATEGY, Issue 3 2010Leslie M. Marx Slotting allowances are payments made by manufacturers to obtain retail shelf space. They are widespread in the grocery industry and a concern to antitrust authorities. A popular view is that slotting allowances arise because there are more products than retailers can profitably carry given their shelf space. We show that the causality can also go the other way: the scarcity of shelf space may in part be due to the feasibility of slotting allowances. It follows that slotting allowances can be anticompetitive even if they have no effect on retail prices. [source] US and Canadian Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for the macronutrients, energy and physical activityNUTRITION BULLETIN, Issue 2 2005B. A. Yon Summary The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in conjunction with Health Canada, released the sixth in a series of reports on dietary reference values for the intake of macronutrients and energy by Americans and Canadians. This report established Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for carbohydrate, fibre, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, amino acids, energy and physical activity. The DRIs replace the USA's Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) last updated in 1989, and Canada's Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNIs), last published in 1990. A panel of 21 US and Canadian research scientists, clinicians and epidemiologists with expertise in energy, protein and amino acids, carbohydrate, fibre, sugar, lipids, physical activity and life-stage nutrition were appointed to begin the process of reviewing observational and experimental studies published primarily in peer-reviewed journals. The DRIs are based on scientifically grounded relationships between nutrient intake and the prevention of chronic disease, as well as the maintenance of good health. The purpose of this paper is to highlight a number of the definitions, new approaches, and key findings as they apply to the DRIs for the macronutrients, energy and physical activity. [source] New Approaches to Assess Selenium Status and RequirementNUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 12 2000Jean Nève Ph.D. Selenium is one of the essential nutrients that may have beneficial effects on health at dietary intakes higher than the established Recommended Dietary Allowances in the United States. Dietary recommendations for this element have been the subject of much controversy, illustrating the difficulties involved in the definition of requirements based on the interpretation of biochemical markers. This review will show how concepts may differ and even change as a consequence of the evolution of the knowledge concerning classical parameters (e.g., identification of isoforms of the classical selenium-dependent enzyme glutathione peroxidase) or following the discovery of new biologic markers for selenium such as iodothyronine desiodinase, thioredoxin reductase, or the selenoproteins P and W. [source] Decreasing household television time: a pilot study of a combined behavioral and environmental interventionBEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS, Issue 4 2006Amy Gorin Excessive TV viewing is associated with weight gain across the lifespan; thus developing strategies to decrease household viewing time may be an effective obesity prevention approach. This pilot study (n,=,6 families) examined the feasibility and short-term impact of a 2-pronged environmental plus behavioral approach designed to reduce TV time in the entire family. The environmental manipulation involved placing TV Allowances (programmed to turn off power after family members had watched 75% of their baseline hours) on all TVs in the home. A kit with behavioral strategies for reducing TV time was also sent to the home each week and family members self-monitored viewing time. Viewing was objectively assessed with the TV Allowances at baseline and at 8,weeks. A significant decrease in objectively measured TV viewing hours was observed, t(5),=,3.1, p,=,0.03, 29.8,±,10.3 versus 14.9,±,6.0,h (equivalent of decreasing from 7.5 to 3.7,h per day). Fifty percent of families reduced their viewing time by ,50%. The acceptability of the intervention was high, with 100% of families reporting they would recommend the TV Allowances to others. Further research is needed to test the long-term efficacy of the program and its impact on weight. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Modeling Goodwill for Banks: A Residual Income Approach with Empirical Tests,CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTING RESEARCH, Issue 1 2006Joy Begley Abstract This paper uses the residual income valuation technique outlined in Feltham and Ohlson 1996 to examine the relation between stock valuations and accounting numbers for a prototypical banking firm. Prior work of this nature typically assumes a manufacturing setting. This paper contributes to the prior research by clarifying how the approach can be extended to settings where value is created from financial assets and liabilities. Key elements of our model include allowing banks to generate positive net present value from either lending or borrowing activities, and allowing for accounting policy to affect valuation through the loan loss allowance. We validate our model using archival data analysis, and interpret coefficients in light of our modeling assumptions. These results suggest that banks create value more from deposit-taking activities than from lending activities. Vuong tests confirm that our model outperforms adaptations of the unbiased accounting model of Ohlson 1995 and adaptations of the base model proposed by Beaver, Eger, Ryan, and Wolfson 1989. However, our model is outperformed by the popular net income-book value model used in many empirical studies, and we can formally reject one of our key modeling assumptions. These tests of our model suggest future avenues for improving upon the theoretical analysis. [source] TAX REVISIONS OF 2004 AND PRO SPORTS TEAM OWNERSHIPCONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 4 2010N. EDWARD COULSON Tax law revisions of 2004 altered the "roster depreciation allowance" enjoyed by pro sports team owners. Supporters claimed this would practically eliminate costly legal oversight by the IRS and, ultimately, increase owner tax bills. Government officials and leagues remained silent on team value impacts but outside analysts argued they would rise by 5%. We model this policy change and investigate it empirically. Supporters in Congress were absolutely correct that owner tax payments should increase but outside analysts underestimated team value increases by half. No wonder Major League Baseball and the National Football League favored the revision. (JEL D21, G38, H25, L83) [source] Localization analysis in softening RC frame structuresEARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 2 2003Ali R. Khaloo Abstract This paper discusses the sensitivity of softening reinforced concrete frame structures to the changes in input ground motion and investigates the possibility of localizations for this type of structure in static and dynamic analysis. A finite element model is used in which the sections resisting force are calculated using a proposed differential hysteretic model. This model is especially developed for modelling softening behaviour under cyclic loading. To obtain parameters of the differential model the moment,curvature of each section is evaluated using a microplane constitutive law for concrete and bi-linear elasto-plastic law for reinforcements. The capability of the procedure is verified by comparing results with available experimental data at element level, which shows good accuracy of the procedure. The effect of possible changes in ground motion is assessed using a non-stationary Kanai,Tajimi process. This process is used to generate ground motions with approximately the same amplitude and frequency content evolution as those of base ground motion. The possibility of localization in static and dynamic loading is investigated using two structures. A measure for the possibility of localization in code-designed structures is obtained. This study indicates that localization may occur in ordinary moment-resisting structures located in high seismic zones. Localization may result in substantial drift in global response and instability due to P,, effect. Also, it is shown that the structure becomes very sensitive to the input ground motion. It is concluded that allowance by some design codes of the use of ordinary moment-resisting frames in regions with high seismicity should be revised or improvements should be made in the detailing requirements at critical sections of these structures. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Why environmental scientists are becoming BayesiansECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 1 2005James S. Clark Abstract Advances in computational statistics provide a general framework for the high-dimensional models typically needed for ecological inference and prediction. Hierarchical Bayes (HB) represents a modelling structure with capacity to exploit diverse sources of information, to accommodate influences that are unknown (or unknowable), and to draw inference on large numbers of latent variables and parameters that describe complex relationships. Here I summarize the structure of HB and provide examples for common spatiotemporal problems. The flexible framework means that parameters, variables and latent variables can represent broader classes of model elements than are treated in traditional models. Inference and prediction depend on two types of stochasticity, including (1) uncertainty, which describes our knowledge of fixed quantities, it applies to all ,unobservables' (latent variables and parameters), and it declines asymptotically with sample size, and (2) variability, which applies to fluctuations that are not explained by deterministic processes and does not decline asymptotically with sample size. Examples demonstrate how different sources of stochasticity impact inference and prediction and how allowance for stochastic influences can guide research. [source] Baking for the common good: a reassessment of the assize of bread in Medieval England1ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Issue 3 2004JAMES DAVIS This article reassesses the structure of the assize of bread and its relevance for bakers and consumers in late medieval England. It has long been thought that the laws governing the manufacture and sale of bread, although adhering to a logical relationship between weight and price, were nevertheless ill-considered in formulation, calculation, and enactment and did not, in reality, provide the stable allowance recommended for bakers. By examining the economic and moral ideology underlying the assize of bread it is possible to demonstrate that legislators were actually employing a rationale that best fitted contemporary circumstances and retail practices. There nevertheless remained one fundamental flaw in its construction, which was to have implications for its enforcement. [source] Factors affecting density-independent survival of an island population of tsetse flies in ZimbabweENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 2 2001J.W. Hargrove Abstract Analysis is presented of the factors affecting survival probability in populations of tsetse flies Glossina morsitans morsitans Westwood and G. pallidipes Austen (Diptera: Glossinidae) on Antelope Island, Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. For mature male and female adult G. m. morsitans mean temperature (Tbar) accounted for 70 and 50%, respectively, of the variance in mark-recapture estimates of survival when the flies were not subjected to trapping. Saturation deficit (SD) only accounted for 36 and 33%, respectively. Maximum temperature (Tmax) and SD accounted for 36,42% of the variance in male and female G. pallidipes. For the corresponding Moran curve estimates of the survival over all developmental stages, SD lagged by three weeks accounted for 61 and 41% of the variance for male and female G. m. morsitans, respectively, and 64 and 56% for G. pallidipes. The corresponding figures for plots against Tmax were 44, 23, 23, and 21%, respectively. The same patterns were seen in the whole data set once allowance was made for the effect of trapping on survival and for an effect of season, correlated with an index of photosynthetic activity. For male G. m. morsitans there was a significant effect of saturation deficit, but not temperature, on immature survival. Decreased adult survival at high temperatures results from the need to feed more frequently and hence to take more risks per unit time. High saturation deficits result directly in reduced emergence of healthy flies from pupae. [source] Impact of treatment provision on the epidemiological recording of root cariesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES, Issue 1 2000A. W. G. Walls The estimation of root caries prevalence and the identification of risk factors for decay depend upon the successful identification of carious lesions in epidemiological studies. Root surface restorations can either be placed to manage decay or cervical wear/sensitivity. The handling of data for restorations during epidemiological surveys is critical to the accurate assessment of caries prevalence. The objective of this study was to determine the relative frequency of dentists' placing root surface restorations according to their reason for placement. Data for 696 restorations were recorded from 35 dentists. Forty-five % of restorations were placed because of decay compared with 55% for cervical wear/sensitivity. There were no significant differences in proportion of placement of restoration with age of the patient or between regular and irregular attenders of different ages. Using these data a correction factor was developed for inclusion in the Root Caries Index (RCI) to make allowance for the proportion of restorations placed because of wear/sensitivity. When this correction factor was introduced into an existing data-set for root caries, the RCI was reduced for all groups. This reduction was greatest in regular attenders. When these data were analysed without making allowance for treatment effects, there was a significant difference in RCI between regular and irregular attenders. When the correction factor was applied to these data, this difference was eliminated. [source] The effect of thiamine supplementation on tumour proliferationFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 15 2001A metabolic control analysis study Thiamine deficiency frequently occurs in patients with advanced cancer and therefore thiamine supplementation is used as nutritional support. Thiamine (vitamin B1) is metabolized to thiamine pyrophosphate, the cofactor of transketolase, which is involved in ribose synthesis, necessary for cell replication. Thus, it is important to determine whether the benefits of thiamine supplementation outweigh the risks of tumor proliferation. Using oxythiamine (an irreversible inhibitor of transketolase) and metabolic control analysis (MCA) methods, we measured an in vivo tumour growth control coefficient of 0.9 for the thiamine-transketolase complex in mice with Ehrlich's ascites tumour. Thus, transketolase enzyme and thiamine clearly determine cell proliferation in the Ehrlich's ascites tumour model. This high control coefficient allows us to predict that in advanced tumours, which are commonly thiamine deficient, supplementation of thiamine could significantly increase tumour growth through transketolase activation. The effect of thiamine supplementation on tumour proliferation was demonstrated by in vivo experiments in mice with the ascites tumour. Thiamine supplementation in doses between 12.5 and 250 times the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for mice were administered starting on day four of tumour inoculation. We observed a high stimulatory effect on tumour growth of 164% compared to controls at a thiamine dose of 25 times the RDA. This growth stimulatory effect was predicted on the basis of correction of the pre-existing level of thiamine deficiency (42%), as assayed by the cofactor/enzyme ratio. Interestingly, at very high overdoses of thiamine, ,,2500 times the RDA, thiamine supplementation had the opposite effect and caused 10% inhibition of tumour growth. This effect was heightened, resulting in a 36% decrease, when thiamine supplementation was administered from the 7th day prior to tumour inoculation. Our results show that thiamine supplementation sufficient to correct existing thiamine deficiency stimulates tumour proliferation as predicted by MCA. The tumour inhibitory effect at high doses of thiamine is unexplained and merits further study. [source] Scaling of body temperature in mammals and birdsFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2008Andrew Clarke Summary 1We examine variation associated with phylogeny in the scaling of body temperature in endotherms, using data from 596 species of mammal and 490 species of bird. 2Among higher groups of mammals there is statistically significant scaling of body temperature with mass in Marsupialia (positive), Ferae and Ungulata (both negative). In mammalian orders where data are available for at least 10 species, scaling is negative in three orders (Carnivora, Erinaceomorpha and Artiodactyla), positive in one (Chiroptera) and not significant in seven others. There is no relationship apparent between the scaling of body temperature and the existence of gut fermentation. As expected, monotremes exhibit the lowest body temperatures, but within marsupials diprotodonts have a mean body temperature higher than several placental groups; the traditional ranking of body temperatures in the sequence monotremes , marsupials , placentals is thus misleading. 3In birds, scaling relationships are significant only for Ciconiiformes (strongly negative) and Passeriformes (weakly positive). 4When allowance is made for phylogenetic effects, there is no significant relationship between temperature in body mass in mammals overall, but an inverse and almost significant relationship in birds. 5This study indicates a complex relationship between body mass, body temperature and metabolic rate in mammals and birds, mediated through ecology. [source] Seismic characterization of vertical fractures described as general linear-slip interfacesGEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING, Issue 2 2003Vladimir Grechka ABSTRACT Fluid flow in many hydrocarbon reservoirs is controlled by aligned fractures which make the medium anisotropic on the scale of seismic wavelength. Applying the linear-slip theory, we investigate seismic signatures of the effective medium produced by a single set of ,general' vertical fractures embedded in a purely isotropic host rock. The generality of our fracture model means the allowance for coupling between the normal (to the fracture plane) stress and the tangential jump in displacement (and vice versa). Despite its low (triclinic) symmetry, the medium is described by just nine independent effective parameters and possesses several distinct features which help to identify the physical model and estimate the fracture compliances and background velocities. For example, the polarization vector of the vertically propagating fast shear wave S1 and the semi-major axis of the S1 -wave normal-moveout (NMO) ellipse from a horizontal reflector always point in the direction of the fracture strike. Moreover, for the S1 -wave both the vertical velocity and the NMO velocity along the fractures are equal to the shear-wave velocity in the host rock. Analysis of seismic signatures in the limit of small fracture weaknesses allows us to select the input data needed for unambiguous fracture characterization. The fracture and background parameters can be estimated using the NMO ellipses from horizontal reflectors and vertical velocities of P-waves and two split S-waves, combined with a portion of the P-wave slowness surface reconstructed from multi-azimuth walkaway vertical seismic profiling (VSP) data. The stability of the parameter-estimation procedure is verified by performing non-linear inversion based on the exact equations. 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