Substantial Gaps (substantial + gap)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


The response of mammals to forest fire and timber harvest in the North American boreal forest

MAMMAL REVIEW, Issue 1 2005
JASON T. FISHER
ABSTRACT 1.,This paper reviews and compares the effects of forest fire and timber harvest on mammalian abundance and diversity, throughout successional time in the boreal forest of North America. 2.,Temporal trends in mammal abundance and diversity are generally similar for both harvested and burned stands, with some differences occurring in the initiation stage (0,10 years post disturbance). 3.,Small mammals and ungulates are most abundant immediately post disturbance, and decrease as stands age. Lynxes and hares utilize mid-successional stands, but are rare in young and old stands. Bats, arboreal sciurids and mustelids increase in abundance with stand age, and are most abundant in old growth. 4.,Substantial gaps in the data exist for carnivores; the response of these species to fire and harvest requires research, as predator,prey interactions can affect mammal community structure in both early and late successional stages. 5.,The lack of explicit treatment of in-stand forest structure post disturbance, in the reviewed literature made comparisons difficult. Where forest structure was considered, the presence of downed woody material, live residual trees and standing dead wood were shown to facilitate convergence of mammal communities to a pre-disturbance state for both disturbance types. 6.,Mammalian assemblages differed considerably between successional stages, emphasizing the importance of maintaining stands of each successional stage on the landscape when implementing forest management strategies. [source]


TITLE IX AND THE EVOLUTION OF HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

CONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 4 2007
BETSEY STEVENSON
The passage of Title IX, the 1972 Education Amendments to the Civil Rights Act, expanded high school athletic opportunities to include girls, revolutionizing mass sports participation in the United States. This paper analyzes high school athletic participation in the United States and how sports offerings for boys and girls changed subsequent to the passage of this legislation. Girls' sports participation rose dramatically both following the enactment of Title IX and subsequent to enhancements to its enforcement. Approximately half of all girls currently participate in sports during high school; however, there remains a substantial gap between girls and boys participation in many states. States' average education level and social attitudes regarding Title IX and women's rights are correlated with this remaining gender gap. Examining individual high school students, sports participation is seen more frequently among those with a privileged background: white students with married, wealthy, educated parents are more likely to play sports. This finding points to an overlooked fact,while Title IX benefited girls by increasing the opportunity to play sports, these benefits were disproportionately reaped by those at the top of the income distribution. (JEL J16, J18, J24, I2) [source]


Current Update on Glycoprotein IIb-IIIa and Direct Thrombin Inhibition in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Non-ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndromes: Balancing Bleeding Risk and Antiplatelet Efficacy

JOURNAL OF INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY, Issue 2 2008
ANDREW T. KWA M.D.
Appropriate pharmacologic treatment for patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) remains a matter of controversy. Additionally, a substantial gap exists between recommended guidelines and current clinical practice. Questions remain regarding which antiplatelet/antithrombotic treatment strategies are appropriate for individual patients, based on their risk. We explore the role of glycoprotein IIb-IIIa inhibitors and the direct thrombin inhibitor bivalirudin in ACS patients, and consider the difficulties involved in reducing ischemic events while limiting bleeding risks. In patients with ACS who are undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, high levels of microembolization and myocardial necrosis are potential risk factors for adverse long-term outcomes. Intensive antiplatelet/antithrombotic regimens may substantially affect these factors. Determination of risk levels, with the goal of targeting aggressive antithrombotic and interventional therapies to patients at higher risk, will help physicians choose appropriate pharmacologic therapy for patients with ACS. [source]


Global oximetry: an international anaesthesia quality improvement project

ANAESTHESIA, Issue 10 2009
I. A. Walker
Summary Pulse oximetry is mandatory during anaesthesia in many countries, a standard endorsed by the World Health Organization ,Safe Surgery Saves Lives' initiative. The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists and GE Healthcare collaborated in a quality improvement project over a 15-month period to investigate pulse oximetry in four pilot sites in Uganda, Vietnam, India and the Philippines, using 84 donated pulse oximeters. A substantial gap in oximeter provision was demonstrated at the start of the project. Formal training was essential for oximeter-naïve practitioners. After introduction of oximeters, logbook data were collected from over 8000 anaesthetics, and responses to desaturation were judged appropriate. Anaesthesia providers believed pulse oximeters were essential for patient safety and defined characteristics of the ideal oximeter for their setting. Robust systems for supply and maintenance of low-cost oximeters are required for sustained uptake of pulse oximetry in low- and middle-income countries. [source]


Eyes Wide Shut: Recent Educational Policy in the Light of Changing Notions of English Identity,

ENGLISH IN EDUCATION, Issue 3 2000
Chris Kearney
Abstract Although Curriculum 2000 includes some welcome changes, such as the inclusion of drama, it is essentially a missed opportunity. I argue that it fails to address the complexity of modern life. In many academic areas, including literature, issues of identity are central to fundamental debates. Such debates have been precipitated by increasing economic globalisation and the consequent increase in interdependence between people from diverse cultural heritages. Although this situation is not new, the social and technological changes of recent decades have altered the pace of such developments. In most cities school populations reflect such changes. In this paper I argue that there are substantial gaps in the curriculum which derive mainly from government policy being premised on crude and obsolete notions of English identity. Such notions lead to a confusion of the concepts of culture and citizenship as modes of belonging. In my view both of these factors severely constrain our ability to construct a critical curriculum which adequately addresses contemporary interests and dilemmas. [source]


The Socio-economic Integration of the Ethiopian Community in Israel

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 3 2004
Shira Offer
ABSTRACT Using data from the 1995 Israeli Census of Population, this study examines the demographic, human capital, and labour force characteristics of the Ethiopian community in Israel and its determinants of employment. The results provide strong evidence for the overall disadvantaged socio-economic status of the Ethiopian community and reveal substantial gaps in educational and occupational attainment between Ethiopian Israelis and members of other ethnic groups in Israeli society. Ethiopian Israelis have substantially lower levels of education, lower employment rates, and are more likely to have low-skilled occupations. However, multivariate analyses show that the determinants of employment of Ethiopian Israelis are relatively similar to those of other ethnic groups. Education and veteran status are found to be especially important factors associated with increased odds of employment. Although the rates of return from education are lower among Israelis of Ethiopian origin compared to other ethnic groups, this study suggests that education constitutes the major avenue for upward mobility in the Ethiopian community. Nevertheless, considering their current disadvantaged position, the question of whether Ethiopian immigrants will manage in the long run to climb up the socio-economic ladder and significantly improve their status, or whether they run the risk of becoming a marginalized ethnic group in Israeli society, remains a major concern. Implications for the formation of a new cleavage in Israeli society and the emergence of a stratification system based on race are discussed. [source]


Foreign Policy Gaps between Citizens and Leaders

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2000
Benjamin I. Page
Persistent gaps between the policy preferences of leaders and those of citizens are problematic from the point of view of democratic theory. Examination of the foreign policy preferences of samples of citizens and leaders from seven Chicago Council on Foreign Relations (CCFR) surveys between 1974 and 1998 reveals many differences of 30, 40, and even 50 percentage points. Often a majority of the public has disagreed with a majority of leaders. Some of the same gaps have persisted over the full 24-year period of these surveys. The pattern of gaps is considerably more complicated than a simple difference in degree of commitment to internationalism. Citizens have generally put a higher priority than leaders on expanding domestic programs like Social Security, crime fighting, and health care, and have been more eager to cut foreign economic aid. But there have not been substantial gaps with respect to defense spending or military aid. More members of the public than leaders emphasize foreign policy goals related to protecting Americans' jobs and ensuring Americans' health and physical security (e.g., from terrorism, drugs, and epidemic diseases). Citizens have been more reluctant than leaders to use U.S. troops in most circumstances, but the opposite is true of situations involving Latin America. Citizens have been more willing to bomb than to commit troops, though not indiscriminately so, and many more citizens than leaders oppose selling weapons abroad. Fewer members of the public than leaders have favored most kinds of cooperative relationships with adversary countries. But more members of the public than leaders generally support the United Nations, and more favor multilateralism in general. About the same number of citizens as leaders have supported NATO. Some of these gaps may reflect lower levels of attention to foreign affairs and lower levels of information among the public than among leaders, but many of the gaps may instead reflect different values and interests. In cases where the public is ill-informed, persistent gaps suggest a failure of leaders to educate and persuade. Where public opinion is well-informed and deliberative, democratic theory would seem to call for responsiveness by policymakers. [source]


Child and adolescent mental disorders: the magnitude of the problem across the globe

THE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 3 2008
Myron L. Belfer
Objective:, Describe objectively the global gaps in policy, data gathering capacity, and resources to develop and implement services to support child mental health. Methods:, Report on the World health Organization (WHO) child and adolescent mental health resources Atlas project. The Atlas project utilized key informants and was supplemented by studies that focused on policy. This report also draws on current epidemiological studies to provide a context for understanding the magnitude of the clinical problem. Results:, Current global epidemiological data consistently reports that up to 20% of children and adolescents suffer from a disabling mental illness; that suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents; and that up to 50% of all adult mental disorders have their onset in adolescence. While epidemiological data appears relatively uniform globally, the same is not true for policy and resources for care. The gaps in resources for child mental health can be categorized as follows: economic, manpower, training, services and policy. Key findings from the Atlas project include: lack of program development in low income countries; lack of any policy in low income countries and absent specific comprehensive policy in both low and high income countries; lack of data gathering capacity including that for country-level epidemiology and services outcomes; failure to provide social services in low income countries; lack of a continuum of care; and universal barriers to access. Further, the Atlas findings underscored the need for a critical analysis of the ,burden of disease' as it relates to the context of child and adolescent mental disorders, and the importance of defining the degree of ,impairment' of specific disorders in different cultures. Conclusions:, The recent finding of substantial gaps in resources for child mental health underscores the need for enhanced data gathering, refinement of the economic argument for care, and need for innovative training approaches. [source]