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Kinds of Quarter Terms modified by Quarter Selected AbstractsPrice increase causes fewer sales of factory-made cigarettes and higher sales of cheaper loose tobacco in GermanyHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 6 2008Reiner Hanewinkel Abstract Aim of this study is the analysis of the price responsiveness of demand for cigarettes and loose tobacco in Germany over the period 1991,2006. In this period the average consumption of all kinds of cigarettes per capita (German population , 15 years) declined from 634 pieces/quarter to 457pieces/quarter (,28%). Consumption of factory-made cigarettes decreased from about 545 pieces/quarter to 330 pieces/quarter in 2006 (,39%). In the same time consumption of self-made cigarettes increased from 89 pieces/quarter to 127 pieces/quarter (+42%). A one Euro Cent increase in price is associated with 28 cigarettes of all kinds consumed less per quarter. Data indicate that the different types of cigarettes are substitutes, e.g. there is evidence for a positive relationship between the price of factory-made cigarettes and the consumption of hand-made cigarettes. Thus, the increase in such consumption is rather driven by a positive cross-price effect of 17.01. Data indicate additionally an overall decrease in the cigarette consumption and a partial switch to cheaper loose tobacco. The availability of low-taxed loose tobacco may undermine the public health benefits of higher cigarette prices. Price differentials between tobacco products should be reduced in order to maximize the public health benefits of high cigarette prices. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Oil Prices and Stocks in the Second Quarter of 2004OPEC ENERGY REVIEW, Issue 1 2004OPEC Secretariat Notwithstanding forecasting difficulties, the oil supply and demand balance has proved to be a good indicator of the state of the market and stock levels, which, in turn, influence price behaviour. In periods where OECD commercial stock levels lie within a certain range, currently around 2,450,2,650 million barrels, the range of prices is larger than when stock levels are very high or very low. In both the latter extreme situations, prices are prone to rapid movements, undermining market stability. Other factors, of course, also influence price fluctuations. The general opinion among regularly published oil market reports points to the inevitability of a higher-than-normal build in stocks in the second quarter of 2004. If the resulting surplus is not handled in a timely and effective manner, there is likely to be excessive downward pressure on prices, which, if left unattended, would lead to a protracted spell of volatility. [source] Medicare Hospital Charges in the Last Year of Life: Distribution by Quarter for Rural and Urban Nursing Home Decedents With Cognitive ImpairmentTHE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 2 2008Charles E. Gessert MD ABSTRACT:,Background:Medicare beneficiaries incur 27%-30% of lifetime charges in the last year of life; most charges occur in the last quarter. Factors associated with high end-of-life Medicare charges include less advanced age, non-white race, absence of advance directive, and urban residence. Methods: We analyzed Medicare hospital charges in the last year of life for nursing home residents with severe cognitive impairment, focusing on rural,urban differences. The study population consisted of 3,703 nursing home residents (1,882 rural, 1,821 urban) in Minnesota and Texas who died in 2000-2001. Data on Medicare hospital charges were obtained from 1998-2001 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services MedPAR files. Results: During the last year of life, unadjusted charges averaged $12,448 for rural subjects; $31,780 for urban. The charges were distributed across the last 4 quarters similarly for the 2 populations, with 15%-20% of charges incurred in each of the first 3 quarters, and 47% (rural) and 52% (urban) in the last quarter. At the individual level, a higher percentage of hospital charges were incurred in the last 90 days by urban than by rural residents (P < .001). A larger proportion of urban (43%) than rural (37%) residents were hospitalized in the final quarter. The charges for hospitalized residents (N = 1,994) were distributed similarly to those of the entire study population. Discussion: Medicare hospital charges during the last year of life were lower for rural nursing home residents with cognitive impairment than for their urban counterparts. Charges tend to be more concentrated in the last 90 days of life for urban residents. [source] Whole-genome scan for guttural pouch tympany in Arabian and German warmblood horsesANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 6 2009A. Zeitz Summary Equine guttural pouch tympany (GPT) is a hereditary disease in foals of several breeds, including thoroughbreds, Arabian, Quarter and warmblood horses. We performed a whole-genome scan for GPT in 143 horses from five Arabian and five German warmblood families and genotyped 257 microsatellites. Chromosome-wide significant linkage was detected on ECA2 and ECA15 using multipoint non-parametric linkage analyses. Analyses stratified by sex revealed chromosome-wide significant linkage on ECA2 for fillies and chromosome-wide significant linkage on ECA15 for colts. For Arabian colts, the quantitative trait locus (QTL) on ECA15 was genome-wide significant. Haplotypes including two to four microsatellites within the QTL on ECA2 and 15 in fillies and colts, respectively, were significantly associated with GPT for both breeds. Thus, our analysis indicated sex-specific QTL, a fact which is in agreement with a two- to fourfold higher incidence of GPT in females. This is the first report of QTL for equine GPT and a first step towards identifying genes responsible for GPT. [source] Designing the Gastronomic QuarterARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, Issue 3 2005Susan Parham Abstract Throughout the world, urban gastronomic quarters, centred on fresh-food markets, have been pulled back from the brink of extinction. Susan Parham explains how movements like Slow Food and Slow Cities in Italy, and the international demand for organic produce, have started to challenge the global food network of production and consumption. The growing revitalisation of urban quarters around produce markets not only serves customers seeking fresh produce, food products and lively cafés and restaurants, but also offers valuable lessons in urban design. [source] Modeling Cooking Time to Inactivate Salmonella in Chicken Leg Quarters Cooked in an Air,Steam Impingement OvenJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 5 2006Tareq M. Osaili ABSTRACT:, Inadequate cooking of poultry products may lead to human foodborne infections. The use of mathematical models that describe heat transfer during cooking of chicken leg quarters may help in developing safer food products and minimizing time for cooking. The objective of this study was to develop regression models that predict cooking time required to reach internal temperatures of 71.1, 73.9, 76.7, and 82.2 °C in chicken leg quarters. Samples that had different weights, thicknesses, and initial internal temperatures were cooked in an air,steam impingement oven at temperature of 232.2 °C, humidity of 60%, and air velocity of 1.4 m/min. A thermocouple probe (type K) connected with a data acquisition system was inserted into the coldest point of each chicken leg quarter. Samples were cooked until they reached an internal temperature higher than 82.2 °C. The collected data of each sample in the data acquisition system were used to develop regression models that depend on sample weight, thickness, and initial temperature in predicting cooking times. Sample weight, thickness, and initial internal temperature had significant effects on the cooking time. The results of these models would be helpful for ready-to-eat poultry processors to meet lethality performance standards, and ensuring the safety and quality of skin on, bone in chicken leg quarters cooked via air,steam impingement ovens. [source] Lethality of Listeria monocytogenes in Fully Cooked and Vacuum Packaged Chicken Leg Quarters During Steam PasteurizationJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 9 2003R. Y. Murphy ABSTRACT Fully cooked chicken leg quarters (160 g to 300 g) were injected to contain 107 to 108 colony-forming units (CFU)/g of a 5-strain Listeria monocytogenes culture. The inoculated leg quarters were vacuum-packaged in 0.08-mm-thick packaging films and then pasteurized at 96°C via steam. The heat transfer coefficient was about 760 W/m2 K in the steam cooker. Seven log10 (CFU/g) reduction of L. monocytogenes was achieved in about 22 min of steam treatment. Results from the inoculation tests agreed with the process lethality model prediction using the kinetic values that were obtained for the same product. This information helps industry to validate the lethality of L. monocytogenes in similar products during postcook pasteurization. [source] Price increase causes fewer sales of factory-made cigarettes and higher sales of cheaper loose tobacco in GermanyHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 6 2008Reiner Hanewinkel Abstract Aim of this study is the analysis of the price responsiveness of demand for cigarettes and loose tobacco in Germany over the period 1991,2006. In this period the average consumption of all kinds of cigarettes per capita (German population , 15 years) declined from 634 pieces/quarter to 457pieces/quarter (,28%). Consumption of factory-made cigarettes decreased from about 545 pieces/quarter to 330 pieces/quarter in 2006 (,39%). In the same time consumption of self-made cigarettes increased from 89 pieces/quarter to 127 pieces/quarter (+42%). A one Euro Cent increase in price is associated with 28 cigarettes of all kinds consumed less per quarter. Data indicate that the different types of cigarettes are substitutes, e.g. there is evidence for a positive relationship between the price of factory-made cigarettes and the consumption of hand-made cigarettes. Thus, the increase in such consumption is rather driven by a positive cross-price effect of 17.01. Data indicate additionally an overall decrease in the cigarette consumption and a partial switch to cheaper loose tobacco. The availability of low-taxed loose tobacco may undermine the public health benefits of higher cigarette prices. Price differentials between tobacco products should be reduced in order to maximize the public health benefits of high cigarette prices. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Impact of assertive community treatment and client characteristics on criminal justice outcomes in dual disorder homeless individualsCRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2005Dr Robert J. Calsyn PhD Background People with severe mental illness and substance use disorders (dual disorder) often have considerable contact with the criminal justice system. Aims To test the effects of client characteristics on six criminal justice outcomes among homeless (at intake) people with mental illness and substance misuse disorders. Methods The sample was of participants in a randomized controlled trial comparing standard treatment, assertive community treatment (ACT) and integrated treatment (IT). Data were analysed using hierarchical logistic regression. Results Half the sample was arrested and a quarter incarcerated during the two-year follow-up period. The regression models explained between 22% and 35% of the variance of the following criminal justice measures: (1) major offences, (2) minor offences, (3) substance-use-related offences, (4) incarcerations, (5) arrests, and (6) summons. Prior criminal behaviour was the strongest predictor of all of the dependent variables; in general, demographic and diagnostic variables were not. Similarly, neither the type nor the amount of mental health treatment received predicted subsequent criminal behaviour. Conclusion Elsewhere the authors have shown that ACT and IT had advantages for health and stability of accommodation but these analyses suggest that more specialized interventions are needed to reduce criminal behaviour in dual disorder individuals. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Measurement of the force and torque produced in the calcium response of reactivated rat sperm flagellaCYTOSKELETON, Issue 1 2001Mark J. Moritz Abstract Rat sperm that are demembranated with Triton X-100 and reactivated with Mg-ATP show a strong mechanical response to the presence of free calcium ion. At pCa < 4, the midpiece region of the flagellum develops a strong and sustained curvature that gives the cell the overall appearance of a fishhook [Lindemann and Goltz, 1988: Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 10:420,431]. In the present study, the force and torque that maintain the calcium-induced hook have been examined quantitatively. In addition, full-length and shortened flagella were manipulated to evaluate the plasticity of the hooks and determined the critical length necessary for maintaining the curvature. The hooks were found to be highly resilient, returning to their original configuration (>95%) after being straightened and released. The results from manipulating the shortened flagella suggest that the force holding the hook in the curved configuration is generated in the basal 60 ,m of the flagellum. The force required to straighten the calcium-induced hooks was measured with force-calibrated glass microprobes, and the bending torque was calculated from the measured force. The force and torque required to straighten the flagellum were found to be proportional to the change in curvature of the hooked region of the flagellum, suggesting an elastic-like behavior. The average torque to open the hooks to a straight position was 2.6 (±1.4) × 10 -7 dyne × cm (2.6 × 10 -14 N × m) and the apparent stiffness was 4.3 (±1.3) × 10 -10 dyne × cm2 (4.3 × 10 -19 N × m2). The stiffness of the hook was determined to be approximately one quarter the rigor stiffness of a rat sperm flagellum measured under comparable conditions. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 49:33,40, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] How many well vs. unwell days can you expect over 10 years, once you become depressed?ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 4 2009T. A. Furukawa Objective:, Prognostic studies of major depression have mainly focused on episode remission and relapse, and only a limited number of studies have examined long-term course of depressive symptomatology at threshold and subthreshold levels. Method:, The Group for Longitudinal Affective Disorders Study has conducted prospective serial assessments of a cohort of heretofore untreated major depressive episodes for 10 years under naturalistic conditions. Results:, Of the 94 patients in the cohort, the follow-up rate was 70% of the 11 280 person-months. Around 77% of the follow-up months were spent in euthymia, 16% in subthreshold depression and 7% in major depression. Duration of the index episode before reaching recovery was the only significant predictor of the ensuing well time. Conclusion:, On average, patients with major depression starting treatment today may expect to spend three quarters of the next decade in euthymia but the remaining one quarter in subthrehold or threshold depression. [source] Trends in bed occupancy for inpatients with diabetes before and after the introduction of a diabetes inpatient specialist nurse serviceDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 9 2006M. J. Sampson Abstract Aims, To compare diabetes bed occupancy and inpatient length of stay, before and after the introduction of a dedicated diabetes inpatient specialist nurse (DISN) service in a large UK Hospital. Methods, We analysed bed occupancy data for medical or surgical inpatients for 6 years (1998,2004 inclusive), with a DISN service in the final 2 years. Excess bed days per diabetes patient were derived from age band, specialty, and seasonally matched data for all inpatients without diabetes. We also analysed the number of inpatients with known diabetes who did not have diabetes recorded as a discharge diagnosis. Results, There were 14 722 patients with diabetes (9.7% of all inpatients) who accounted for 101 564 occupied bed days (12.4% of total). Of these, 18 161 days (17.8%) were excess compared with matched patients without diabetes, and were concentrated in those < 75 years old. Mean excess bed days per diabetes inpatient under 60 years of age was estimated to be 1.9 days before the DISN appointment, and this was reduced to 1.2 bed days after the appointment (P = 0.03). This is equivalent to 700 bed days saved per year per 1000 inpatients with diabetes under 60 years old, with an identical saving for those aged 61,75 years (P = 0.008), a saving of 1330 diabetes bed days per year by one DISN. Excess diabetes bed occupancy was 167 excess bed days per year per 1000 patients with diabetes in the local population after the DISN appointment. One quarter of the known Type 2 diabetes population were admitted annually, but one quarter of patients had no diagnostic code for diabetes. Conclusions, Diabetes excess bed occupancy was concentrated in patients < 75 years old, and this was reduced notably following the introduction of a DISN service. [source] Fine-needle aspiration cytology of Rosai-Dorfman disease of boneDIAGNOSTIC CYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 7 2008Xin Jing M.D. Abstract Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy (Rosai-Dorfman disease) is a rare, benign self-limiting condition of unknown etiology. Less than a quarter of cases have only extranodal involvement and a few cases of skeletal involvement of Rosai-Dorfman disease without associated lymphadenopathy have been reported in the literature. We herein report cytohistologic findings in a case of sole skeletal Rosai-Dorfman disease in a 51-year-old woman who presented with an expansile, heterogeneous lesion at T11 with cord compression and edema. A CT-guided fine-needle aspiration of T-11 lesion was performed and the sample was processed by ThinPrep technique. The ThinPrep smear showed characteristic features of Rosai-Dorfman disease including hypercellularity with moderate number of histiocytes in a background of lymphocytes, plasma cells, and neutrophils. The histiocytes possessed abundant, pale and vacuolated cytoplasm, rounded nuclei with smooth nuclear membranes, fine chromatin, and distinct nucleoli. The histiocytes showed emperipolesis of lymphocytes and neutrophils. The diagnosis was confirmed by concurrent biopsy with immunhistochemical study. Our case highlighted the role of fine-needle aspiration with ThinPrep technique in the diagnosis of Rosai-Dorfman disease. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2008;36:516,518. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Satellite sleuthing: does remotely sensed land-cover change signal ecological degradation in a protected area?DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 2 2009T. A. Waite ABSTRACT Aim, We evaluate whether remotely sensed land-cover change within a newly protected area signalled human-driven ecological degradation. Vegetation density changed in a quarter of pixels during the first 13 years (1986,1999) following the sanctuary's formal enclosure, with many patches showing a decrease in density. We use on-the-ground data collected in 2006 in 132 random plots to explore whether these changes in vegetation density reliably signalled latent shifts in local diversity of woody plants and whether they could be attributed to illicit activities including fuel wood collection and livestock grazing. Location, Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan, India. Results, Species richness, species sharing, species assemblages, and incidence of invasive and useful species were statistically similar among plots in which vegetation density had decreased, increased or remained similar. Likewise, intensity of disturbance associated with human activities was similar across these plot types. Main conclusions, Our data provide no clear evidence that local changes in vegetation density signalled latent shifts in local diversity of woody plants. They also fail to reveal any clear association between local changes in vegetation density and human-related activities. Finding no evidence that land-cover change led to biotic erosion, we reflect on the utility of resource-use bans in protected areas, particularly those embedded within historically coupled human-nature systems. [source] An evaluation of a heroin overdose prevention and education campaignDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 1 2010DANIELLE HORYNIAK Abstract Introduction and Aims. Following detection of an upward trend in the frequency of fatal heroin overdoses in Victoria between 2001 and 2003, Victoria's Department of Human Services planned a campaign aimed at increasing injecting drug users' (IDU) awareness of overdose risks and prevention strategies. Stickers, wallet cards and posters featuring five key messages were distributed via needle and syringe programs (NSP) and other drug and alcohol services between November 2005 and April 2006. An evaluation of the campaign was commissioned to be conducted in late 2006. Design and Methods. The evaluation consisted of analysis of three independent data sets,,quantitative data collected from IDU during the campaign period (n = 855 at baseline; and a range of 146,656 at follow up); qualitative interviews with IDU who were NSP clients during the campaign period (n = 16) and qualitative interviews with NSP staff and other key stakeholders (n = 9). Results. While key experts felt that the campaign messages had engendered lasting impact for at least some IDU, these positive impressions were not borne out by the NSP client data, with less than one quarter of all campaign messages being mentioned by a significantly higher proportion of clients during the post-campaign period compared with baseline. Key experts perceived the greatest weakness of the campaign to be the delay between issue identification and the introduction of campaign materials. Discussion and Conclusions. While IDU are generally responsive to health promotion campaigns, future initiatives in this domain should be designed and implemented rapidly and in ways that are sufficiently flexible to cope with shifts in drug markets which could influence the reception of key messages.[Horyniak D, Higgs P, Lewis J, Winter R, Dietze P, Aitken C. An evaluation of a heroin overdose prevention and education campaign. Drug Alcohol Rev 2009] [source] One-year outcome of an early intervention in psychosis service: a naturalistic evaluationEARLY INTERVENTION IN PSYCHIATRY, Issue 3 2007Swaran P. Singh Abstract Aim: We conducted a 1-year prospective evaluation of an early intervention in psychosis service (Early Treatment and Home-based Outreach Service (ETHOS)) during its first 3 years of operation in South-west London, UK. Methods: All patients referred to ETHOS underwent structured assessments at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. In addition, hospitalization rates of ETHOS patients (intervention group) were compared with a non-randomized parallel cohort (comparison group) of first-episode patients treated by community mental health teams. Results: The Early Treatment and Home-based Outreach Servicepatients experienced significant improvements in symptomatic and functional outcomes, especially vocational recovery. The service received only a quarter of eligible patients from referring teams. ETHOS patients did not differ from the comparison group in number of admissions, inpatient days or detention rates. Although number of referrals increased over time, there was no evidence that patients were being referred earlier. Conclusions: There is now robust evidence for the effectiveness of specialist early intervention services. However, such services must be adequate resourced, including an early detection team and provision of their own inpatient unit. [source] Microgeographic genetic structure and intraspecific parasitism in the ant Leptothorax nylanderiECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 5 2001S. Foitzik Summary 1. Genetic colony structure of the small central European ant Leptothorax nylanderi is affected strongly by ecological constraints such as nest site availability and intraspecific social parasitism. 2. Although L. nylanderi is generally monogynous and monandrous, more than a quarter of all nests collected in a dense population near Würzburg, Germany, contained several matrilines. As shown by microsatellite analysis, the average nest-mate relatedness in these nests was 0.20. Genetically heterogeneous nests arise from nest take-over by alien colonies or founding queens, a result of severe competition for nest sites. 3. In summer, more than one-third of all colonies inhabited several nest sites at a time. Polydomy appears to be rather limited, with two or three nests belonging to a single polydomous colony. 4. Queens appear to dominate male production; only a small fraction (8%) of males was definitively not progeny of the queen present but might have been worker progeny or offspring of another queen. 5. Strong evidence for heterozygote deficiency was found and a total of nine diploid males was discovered in two colonies. These findings suggest deviation from random mating through small, localised nuptial flights. [source] Mass regulation in response to predation risk can indicate population declinesECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 10 2007Ross MacLeod Abstract In theory, survival rates and consequent population status might be predictable from instantaneous behavioural measures of how animals prioritize foraging vs. avoiding predation. We show, for the 30 most common small bird species ringed in the UK, that one quarter respond to higher predation risk as if it is mass-dependent and lose mass. Half respond to predation risk as if it only interrupts their foraging and gain mass thus avoiding consequent increased starvation risk from reduced foraging time. These mass responses to higher predation risk are correlated with population and conservation status both within and between species (and independently of foraging habitat, foraging guild, sociality index and size) over the last 30 years in Britain, with mass loss being associated with declining populations and mass gain with increasing populations. If individuals show an interrupted foraging response to higher predation risk, they are likely to be experiencing a high quality foraging environment that should lead to higher survival. Whereas individuals that show a mass-dependent foraging response are likely to be in lower quality foraging environments, leading to relatively lower survival. [source] Rapid evolution and the convergence of ecological and evolutionary timeECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 10 2005Nelson G. Hairston Jr Abstract Recent studies have documented rates of evolution of ecologically important phenotypes sufficiently fast that they have the potential to impact the outcome of ecological interactions while they are underway. Observations of this type go against accepted wisdom that ecological and evolutionary dynamics occur at very different time scales. While some authors have evaluated the rapidity of a measured evolutionary rate by comparing it to the overall distribution of measured evolutionary rates, we believe that ecologists are mainly interested in rapid evolution because of its potential to impinge on ecological processes. We therefore propose that rapid evolution be defined as a genetic change occurring rapidly enough to have a measurable impact on simultaneous ecological change. Using this definition we propose a framework for decomposing rates of ecological change into components driven by simultaneous evolutionary change and by change in a non-evolutionary factor (e.g. density dependent population dynamics, abiotic environmental change). Evolution is judged to be rapid in this ecological context if its contribution to ecological change is large relative to the contribution of other factors. We provide a worked example of this approach based on a theoretical predator,prey interaction [Abrams, P. & Matsuda, H. (1997). Evolution, 51, 1740], and find that in this system the impact of prey evolution on predator per capita growth rate is 63% that of internal ecological dynamics. We then propose analytical methods for measuring these contributions in field situations, and apply them to two long-term data sets for which suitable ecological and evolutionary data exist. For both data sets relatively high rates of evolutionary change have been found when measured as character change in standard deviations per generation (haldanes). For Darwin's finches evolving in response to fluctuating rainfall [Grant, P.R. & Grant, B.R. (2002). Science, 296, 707], we estimate that evolutionary change has been more rapid than ecological change by a factor of 2.2. For a population of freshwater copepods whose life history evolves in response to fluctuating fish predation [Hairston, N.G. Jr & Dillon, T.A. (1990). Evolution, 44, 1796], we find that evolutionary change has been about one quarter the rate of ecological change , less than in the finch example, but nevertheless substantial. These analyses support the view that in order to understand temporal dynamics in ecological processes it is critical to consider the extent to which the attributes of the system under investigation are simultaneously changing as a result of rapid evolution. [source] PAYING FOR CROSSRAIL : THE BUSINESS CASEECONOMIC AFFAIRS, Issue 1 2005Michael Schabas A new railway is being planned across London. Incremental fares revenue will only pay about a quarter of the £10 billion1 expected cost, so the Greater London Assembly (GLA) is considering ,alternative funding mechanisms'. These include new taxes on businesses that are presumed to benefit from the scheme. Taxes would deter the very investment Crossrail is supposed to support. The GLA would do better to change the scheme to reduce the need for subsidy and strengthen the business case. [source] The Economic Outlook for LondonECONOMIC OUTLOOK, Issue 3 2004Article first published online: 29 JUN 200 The recent economic slowdown was very visible in London, with the capital leading the UK into the downturn , employment peaked in London in the first quarter of 2001, a year earlier than in the rest of the country. Now that recovery in the UK economy appears to be well-established, this article considers how this is reflected in improved prospects for the London economy. [source] A comparison of drug overdose deaths involving methadone and other opioid analgesics in West VirginiaADDICTION, Issue 9 2009Leonard J. Paulozzi ABSTRACT Aims To describe all people dying from unintentional overdoses of methadone or other opioid analgesics (OOA) in West Virginia in 2006. Design We analyzed medical examiner data supplemented by data from the state prescription drug monitoring program. We compared people whose deaths involved methadone with those whose deaths involved OOA. Findings The methadone group included 87 decedents, and the OOA group included 163 decedents. Most were male. Decedents in the methadone group were significantly younger than those in the OOA group: more than a quarter were 18,24 years of age. For both groups, approximately 50% had a history of pain, and 80% had a history of substance abuse. There was no intergroup difference in the prevalence of benzodiazepines at post-mortem. Methadone was significantly less likely to have ever been prescribed than OOA. Among those with prescriptions, the proportion prescribed within 30 days of death was significantly greater for methadone than for hydrocodone, but not for oxycodone. Ten (11.5%) of the methadone decedents were enrolled in an opiate treatment program (OTP) at the time of death. Conclusions The high prevalence of a substance abuse history and lack of prescriptions suggest that most of the deaths in both groups are related to substance abuse. There was no indication of a harmful effect from methadone's metabolic interaction with benzodiazepines, but provider or patient unfamiliarity with methadone may have been a risk factor. Prescribing methadone, especially to young males, requires extra care. Providers, OTPs and coroners/medical examiners should use state prescription drug monitoring programs to monitor the use of controlled substances by their patients. [source] The global diversion of pharmaceutical drugsADDICTION, Issue 3 2009India: the third largest illicit opium producer? ABSTRACT Aims This paper explores India's role in the world illicit opiate market, particularly its role as a producer. India, a major illicit opiate consumer, is also the sole licensed exporter of raw opium: this unique status may be enabling substantial diversion to the illicit market. Methods Participant observation and interviews were carried out at eight different sites. Information was also drawn from all standard secondary sources and the analysis of about 180 drug-related criminal proceedings reviewed by Indian High Courts and the Supreme Court from 1985 to 2001. Findings Diversion from licit opium production takes place on such a large scale that India may be the third largest illicit opium producer after Afghanistan and Burma. With the possible exceptions of 2005 and 2006, 200,300 tons of India's opium may be diverted yearly. After estimating India's opiate consumption on the basis of UN-reported prevalence estimates, we find that diversion from licit production might have satisfied a quarter to more than a third of India's illicit opiate demand to 2004. Conclusions India is not only among the world's largest consumer of illicit opiates but also one of the largest illicit opium producers. In contrast to all other illicit producers, India owes the latter distinction not to blatantly illicit cultivation but to diversion from licit cultivation. India's experience suggests the difficulty of preventing substantial leakage, even in a relatively well-governed nation. [source] Limits of life in MgCl2 -containing environments: chaotropicity defines the windowENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2007John E. Hallsworth Summary The biosphere of planet Earth is delineated by physico-chemical conditions that are too harsh for, or inconsistent with, life processes and maintenance of the structure and function of biomolecules. To define the window of life on Earth (and perhaps gain insights into the limits that life could tolerate elsewhere), and hence understand some of the most unusual biological activities that operate at such extremes, it is necessary to understand the causes and cellular basis of systems failure beyond these windows. Because water plays such a central role in biomolecules and bioprocesses, its availability, properties and behaviour are among the key life-limiting parameters. Saline waters dominate the Earth, with the oceans holding 96.5% of the planet's water. Saline groundwater, inland seas or saltwater lakes hold another 1%, a quantity that exceeds the world's available freshwater. About one quarter of Earth's land mass is underlain by salt, often more than 100 m thick. Evaporite deposits contain hypersaline waters within and between their salt crystals, and even contain large subterranean salt lakes, and therefore represent significant microbial habitats. Salts have a major impact on the nature and extent of the biosphere, because solutes radically influence water's availability (water activity) and exert other activities that also affect biological systems (e.g. ionic, kosmotropic, chaotropic and those that affect cell turgor), and as a consequence can be major stressors of cellular systems. Despite the stressor effects of salts, hypersaline environments can be heavily populated with salt-tolerant or -dependent microbes, the halophiles. The most common salt in hypersaline environments is NaCl, but many evaporite deposits and brines are also rich in other salts, including MgCl2 (several hundred million tonnes of bischofite, MgCl2·6H2O, occur in one formation alone). Magnesium (Mg) is the third most abundant element dissolved in seawater and is ubiquitous in the Earth's crust, and throughout the Solar System, where it exists in association with a variety of anions. Magnesium chloride is exceptionally soluble in water, so can achieve high concentrations (> 5 M) in brines. However, while NaCl-dominated hypersaline environments are habitats for a rich variety of salt-adapted microbes, there are contradictory indications of life in MgCl2 -rich environments. In this work, we have sought to obtain new insights into how MgCl2 affects cellular systems, to assess whether MgCl2 can determine the window of life, and, if so, to derive a value for this window. We have dissected two relevant cellular stress-related activities of MgCl2 solutions, namely water activity reduction and chaotropicity, and analysed signatures of life at different concentrations of MgCl2 in a natural environment, namely the 0.05,5.05 M MgCl2 gradient of the seawater : hypersaline brine interface of Discovery Basin , a large, stable brine lake almost saturated with MgCl2, located on the Mediterranean Sea floor. We document here the exceptional chaotropicity of MgCl2, and show that this property, rather than water activity reduction, inhibits life by denaturing biological macromolecules. In vitro, a test enzyme was totally inhibited by MgCl2 at concentrations below 1 M; and culture medium with MgCl2 concentrations above 1.26 M inhibited the growth of microbes in samples taken from all parts of the Discovery interface. Although DNA and rRNA from key microbial groups (sulfate reducers and methanogens) were detected along the entire MgCl2 gradient of the seawater : Discovery brine interface, mRNA, a highly labile indicator of active microbes, was recovered only from the upper part of the chemocline at MgCl2 concentrations of less than 2.3 M. We also show that the extreme chaotropicity of MgCl2 at high concentrations not only denatures macromolecules, but also preserves the more stable ones: such indicator molecules, hitherto regarded as evidence of life, may thus be misleading signatures in chaotropic environments. Thus, the chaotropicity of MgCl2 would appear to be a window-of-life-determining parameter, and the results obtained here suggest that the upper MgCl2 concentration for life, in the absence of compensating (e.g. kosmotropic) solutes, is about 2.3 M. [source] General practitioners' and family physicians' negative beliefs and attitudes towards discussing smoking cessation with patients: a systematic reviewADDICTION, Issue 10 2005Florian Vogt ABSTRACT Objective, To estimate the proportion of general practitioners (GPs) and family physicians (FPs) with negative beliefs and attitudes towards discussing smoking cessation with patients. Methods A systematic review. Study selection All studies published in English, in peer-reviewed journals, which allowed the extraction of the proportion of GPs and FPs with negative beliefs and attitudes towards discussing smoking cessation. Data synthesis Negative beliefs and attitudes were extracted and categorised. Proportions were synthesized giving greater weight to those obtained from studies with larger samples. Those assessed in two or more studies are reported. Results Across 19 studies, eight negative beliefs and attitudes were identified. While the majority of GPs and FPs do not have negative beliefs and attitudes towards discussing smoking with their patients, a sizeable minority do. The most common negative beliefs were that such discussions were too time-consuming (weighted proportion: 42%) and were ineffective (38%). Just over a quarter (22%) of physicians reported lacking confidence in their ability to discuss smoking with their patients, 18% felt such discussions were unpleasant, 16% lacked confidence in their knowledge, and relatively few considered discussing smoking outside of their professional duty (5%), or that this intruded upon patients' privacy (5%), or that such discussion were inappropriate (3%). Conclusions In addition to providing skills training, interventions designed to increase the implementation of smoking cessation interventions by primary care physicians may be more effective if they address a range of commonly held negative beliefs and attitudes towards discussing smoking cessation. These include beliefs and values that influence primary care physicians' judgements about whether discussing smoking is an effective use of their time. [source] Prediction of alcohol-related harm from controlled drinking strategies and alcohol consumption trajectoriesADDICTION, Issue 4 2004J. W. Toumbourou ABSTRACT Aims To establish predictors of age 21 alcohol-related harm from prior drinking patterns, current levels of alcohol consumption and use of controlled drinking strategies. Participants One thousand, five hundred and ninety-six students recruited from an initial sample of 3300 during their final year of high school in 1993. Design Longitudinal follow-up across five waves of data collection. Setting Post high school in Victoria, Australia. Measurements Self-administered surveys examining a range of health behaviours, including alcohol consumption patterns and related behaviour. Findings Drinking behaviours at age 21 were found to be strongly predicted by drinking trajectories established through the transition from high school. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that alcohol-related harms at age 21 were reduced where current levels of alcohol use fell within limits recommended in Australian national guidelines. After controlling for this effect it was found that the range of strategies employed by participants to control alcohol use maintained a small protective influence. Post-high-school drinking trajectories continued to demonstrate a significant effect after controlling for current behaviours. Findings revealed that over one quarter of males and females drank alcohol, but on a less-than-weekly basis. This pattern of alcohol use demonstrated considerable stability through the post-school transition and was associated with a low level of subsequent harm at age 21. Conclusions Future research should investigate whether encouraging more Australian adolescents to drink alcohol on a less-than-weekly basis may be a practical intervention target for reducing alcohol-related harms. [source] How Effective is Farmer Early Retirement Policy?EUROCHOICES, Issue 3 2008Quelle est l'efficacité de la politique de préretraite pour les agriculteurs? Summary How Effective is Farmer Early Retirement Policy? Financial support for EU farmers seeking early retirement is a discretionary element of CAP rural development policy and some EU member states, most notably France, Ireland and Greece have chosen to implement the measure. We explore whether the introduction of such schemes is likely to represent good value for money. We use data from Northern Ireland, a region with a relatively small-scale family-farm structure, where there have been periodic calls from farmer groups to introduce support for early retirement. We estimate the benefits that might arise from the introduction of such a scheme using FADN data and a separate survey of 350 farmers aged 50 to 65. We find that farm scale is a significant determinant of profit per hectare but that operator age is not. Benefits from releasing land through an early retirement scheme are conditional on such transfers bringing about significant farm expansion and changes in land use. Even when these conditions are satisfied, however, pensions payments of only about one-third the statutory maximum could be justified in a best-case scenario. Almost a quarter of all payments would incur deadweight losses, i.e., go to farmers who would be retiring anyway. Overall, the economic case for such a scheme is considered to be weak. Le soutien financier aux agriculteurs de l'Union européenne qui veulent prendre une retraite anticipée est un élément discrétionnaire de la politique de développement rural de la PAC et certains pays membres, en tout premier lieu la France, l'Irlande et la Grèce, ont choisi de mettre en place cette mesure. Nous recherchons si l'introduction de telles mesures serait intéressante par rapport au coût financier. L'analyse porte sur des données nord-irlandaises, région d'exploitations familiales de taille relativement petite dans laquelle les représentants agricoles ont régulièrement appeléà la mise en place de soutien pour la retraite anticipée. Nous estimons les avantages que pourrait procurer l'introduction de cette mesure à l'aide de données du RICA et d'une enquête indépendante portant sur 350 agriculteurs âgés de 50 à 65 ans. Nous trouvons que la taille de l'exploitation est un déterminant significatif du profit par hectare mais que l'âge de l'exploitant n'en est pas un. Les avantages de la mise à disposition de terres grâce à un programme de préretraite dépendent de la capacité de ces transferts à entraîner un accroissement notable de la taille des exploitations et des modifications de l'utilisation des terres. Cependant, même lorsque ces conditions sont remplies, seuls des paiements représentant un tiers du niveau maximum prévu dans le programme de préretraite pourraient se justifier dans un scénario optimal. Pratiquement un quart du total des paiements serait liéà des pertes de bien-être, c'est-à-dire que les bénéficiaires seraient des agriculteurs qui aurait pris leur retraite de toute façon. Globalement, l'intérêt économique d'un tel programme est considéré comme faible. Die finanzielle Unterstützung von Landwirten in der EU, die in den Vorruhestand gehen möchten, stellt in der Politik der GAP zur Entwicklung des ländlichen Raums ein diskretionäres Element dar; in einigen Mitgliedsstaaten wie z.B. Frankreich, Irland und Griechenland wird diese Maßnahme angeboten. Wir untersuchen, ob es möglicherweise finanziell sinnvoll wäre, solche Programme einzuführen. Dazu ziehen wir Daten aus Nordirland heran, einer Region mit relativ kleinen landwirtschaftlichen Familienbetrieben, in der sich Landwirte regelmäßig dafür aussprechen, Vorruhestandprogramme einzuführen. Wir schätzen den Nutzen, der sich aus der Einführung eines solchen Programms ergeben könnte, anhand von INLB-Daten und einer gesonderten Befragung von 350 Landwirten im Alter von 50 bis 65 Jahren. Wir stellen fest, dass es sich bei der Betriebsgröße , im Gegensatz zum Alter des Betreibers , um einen entscheidenden Faktor für die Höhe des Gewinns pro Hektar handelt. Ein Nutzen aus der Landübertragung aufgrund eines Vorruhestandprogramms beruht auf solchen Transfers, die eine bedeutsame Betriebserweiterung und veränderte Flächennutzung zur Folge haben. Selbst wenn diese Bedingungen erfüllt werden, könnten günstigstenfalls nur Rentenzahlungen in Höhe von etwa einem Drittel der gesetzlich verankerten Höchstsumme gerechtfertigt werden. Beinahe ein Viertel aller Zahlungen wäre mit Mitnahmeeffekten verbunden, d.h. Landwirten zukommen, die ohnehin den Ruhestand antreten würden. Aus ökonomischer Sicht muss ein solches Programm als schwach eingestuft werden. [source] Incidence and geographical distribution of sudden infant death syndrome in relation to content of nitrate in drinking water and groundwater levelsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, Issue 12 2001M. George Background Previous studies indicate that the enteral bacterial urease is inhibited in victims of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). One possible inhibitor of this bacterial activity is nitrate. If ambient pollution by nitrate is involved in the etiology of SIDS only a fraction of the nitrate concentration not infrequently found in drinking water would be enough for this inhibition. Methods Occurrence of SIDS (n = 636) in Sweden during the period 1990 through 1996 were analysed regarding geographical and seasonal distribution in relation to the nitrate concentration in drinking water and changes in the groundwater level. Results Both the birth rate and the incidence of SIDS decreased during the study period. One quarter of the municipalities constituting 11% of the population had no cases, the maximum incidence being 6·5 per 1000 live births. Seasonality: The northernmost parts of the country had its highest incidence when the rest of the country had its lowest incidence, and the occurrence of individual deaths was associated with the recharge of groundwater which increases its nitrate content. The local incidence of SIDS was correlated (rs = 0·34,0·87) to maximally recorded concentrations of nitrate in drinking water. Conclusions The seasonal distribution of SIDS was widely different from the south to the north of the country and seems to be associated with differences in the groundwater level changes subsequent to precipitation, frost penetration, and melting of snow. Use of drinking water with high peak concentrations or great variations in nitrate concentration was correlated to the incidence of SIDS. [source] Synthesis, Structure and a DFT/TDDFT Study of a Diimido-Bridged Asymmetric Dimolybdenum Complex,EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 34 2007Kuntal Pal Abstract The homobimetallic complex (Bu4N)2[MoO(mnt)Mo{o -aminobenzothiolato(3,)- N,S}2(mnt)] (2; mnt = 1,2-dicyanoethylenedithiolate) has been synthesized as a dark green solid by treating (Bu4N)2[Mo2O4(mnt)2] (1) with o -aminothiophenol in CH3CN. An X-ray crystal structure analysis of 2 reveals that it possesses an asymmetric structure where one Mo has a distorted octahedral geometry and the other a square-pyramidal geometry. The basal plane of the two Mo centers makes an angle of 26.41°, which is nearly one quarter of 90°. The shape of the ,(Mo=O) band in the IR spectrum of 2 suggests that these Mo atoms may have different oxidation states. The different reactivity of 1 with o -aminothiophenol and 2-aminoethanethiol was followed by EPR spectroscopy, and analysis of the different end-products from these reactions supports the proposal that 2 is a mixed-valence compound containing MoVI and MoIV centers. The electronic structures of 1 and 2 have been calculated at the DFT level of theory to analyse the effect of a deviation of the basal plane on the metal,metal bond in 2. The cyclic voltammetric responses of 1 and 2 have been measured to correlate the data with the computational results. TDDFT calculations have been performed on 1 and 2 in the gas phase and also in a solvent medium to assign the transitions corresponding to the peaks found in the respective experimental electronic absorption spectra of these complexes.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007) [source] Clinical and radiographic judgement of occlusal caries in adolescentsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES, Issue 2 2000Jan H. G. Poorterman In this study, the clinical and radiographic material of two groups of 17- and 20-yr-old adolescents, born either in 1970 or in 1976, was compared to study changes in the prevalence of occlusal dentine caries and to determine the additional value of the bitewing radiographs. The first and second molars of 478 participants were included. Clinical data were derived from an epidemiological project. Two examiners judged the bitewing radiographs, of which about 10% was examined by both. The overall Cohen's kappa for interexaminer agreement was 0.87. The prevalence of occlusal caries had not changed for the two age groups; after clinical and radiographic examination, around 33% of the occlusal surfaces of the 17 yr olds and around 25% of the 20 yr olds exhibited dentine caries. The clinical prevalence of occlusal caries in first and second molars was highly underestimated when compared with the radiographs. In the 1976 group, more sealants were recorded during the clinical examination. On the bitewing radiographs, radiolucencies were found underneath one-half of the sealants of the 17 yr olds and underneath one quarter of the sealants present in the 20 yr olds. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||