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Selected AbstractsPrice dynamics in the Bangladesh rice market: implications for public interventionAGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2003Donna Brennan Commodity price stabilisation; Food policy Abstract In this paper, the price dynamics of a rice market are examined using dynamic programming techniques. The model is parameterised to the case of Bangladesh and thus represents the situation of a very poor country which has characteristically high price elasticity (due to income effects) and high storage and interest costs. The incentives for private sector storage and its impact on price stability are examined. Various options for public intervention in the storage sector are also explored, including price ceiling schemes and subsidisation of storage costs. Results show that interventions that remove private disincentives (such as storage subsidies) are much cheaper than direct intervention by government, but the impact on the probability distribution of prices is quite different. The effect of trade on the probability distribution of prices is also examined. [source] A collaborative study to establish the 7th International Standard for Factor VIII ConcentrateJOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS, Issue 1 2005S. Raut Summary., A candidate concentrate, preparation N (99/678), was assayed and calibrated, as a potential replacement, against four established factor (F) VIII concentrate standards: the current WHO 6th International Standard (IS) (97/616), the previous 5th IS (88/640), the Mega 1 standard and Ph. Eur. BRP Batch 2 standard, in a collaborative study involving 38 laboratories. All laboratories were instructed to use the ISTH/SSC recommendations, including predilution of concentrates in FVIII-deficient plasma. Several laboratories performed more than one assay method and altogether there were 27 sets of assays with the one-stage method, 31 with the chromogenic method, and 18 with both methods. There was good agreement between laboratories using each of the two methods for comparison of preparation N against the four established standards, with overall potencies by one-stage and chromogenic methods differing only by less than 2%. However, there were significant differences in potencies relative to the different standards, ranging from 10.1 IU per ampoule against the Ph. Eur.BRP2 to 11.4 against the WHO 6th IS. Accelerated degradation studies showed that the proposed standard is very stable, with a predicted loss of activity per year of less than 0.001% at the recommended storage temperature of ,20 °C. Various options for potency of preparation N were considered by the participants and by members of the ISTH/SSC FVIII/FIX Subcommittee. In November 2003, preparation N (NIBSC 99/678) was proposed to and accepted by the Expert Committee on Biological Standardization of the World Health Organization to be the 7th International Standard for Factor VIII Concentrate with an assigned potency of 11.0 IU per ampoule. [source] Use of Honey as an Adjunct in the Healing of Split-Thickness Skin Graft Donor SiteDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 2 2003Aykut Misirlioglu MD BACKGROUND Different techniques are being used in treatment of split-thickness skin graft donor sites; however, there is not a widely accepted method established for these partial-thickness wounds. It is well known that honey has been very effective in the treatment of various types of wounds, but there is not any information about the usage of honey as split-thickness skin graft donor site dressing in the literature. OBJECTIVE To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of honey-impregnated gauzes, hydrocolloid dressings, and as a conventional dressing, saline-soaked gauzes for skin graft donor sites. METHODS This is a nonrandomized, prospective, open-label (noncontrolled), side-by-side comparison trial of various options that are available for second-intention healing of donor site for split-thickness skin grafts. Eighty-eight patients who underwent skin grafting were observed using two different groups. In the first group, the donor site was divided into two equal halves, with each half being treated with honey-soaked gauzes and the other half with paraffin gauzes (group 1A), hydrocolloid dressings (group 1B), and saline-soaked gauzes (group 1C) alternatively. In the second group, two separate donor sites were formed, with one of them being treated with honey-impregnated gauzes (groups 2A,C) and the other one treated with either paraffin gauzes (group 2A), hydrocolloid dressings (group 2B), or saline-soaked gauzes (group 2C). The healing time, rate of infection, and sense of pain were evaluated. RESULTS In the treatment of split-thickness skin graft donor sites, honey-impregnated gauzes showed faster epithelization time and a low sense of pain than paraffin gauzes and saline-soaked gauzes. There was no significant difference between honey-impregnated gauzes and hydrocolloid dressings with regard to epithelization time and sense of pain. CONCLUSION The use of honey-impregnated gauzes is effective, safe, and practical. Honey can be an alternative material for the split-thickness skin graft donor site treatment. [source] Options in Prehospital analgesiaEMERGENCY MEDICINE AUSTRALASIA, Issue 1 2002Meredith L Borland Abstract Background: Prehospital analgesia options for paramedics have been limited due to the difficulty in achieving safe and effective pain relief without compromising transportation to hospital. The present paper identifies the analgesia methods currently available in the prehospital setting so as to evaluate the various options and highlight areas for future research. Methods: A literature review of Medline and Embase databases from 1966 until the present was undertaken. Further hand searching of all the references identified in these papers was also performed. All current literature was analysed and categorized according to one of four levels of evidence using National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia guidelines (1999). Results: There is a paucity of randomized control trials relating to prehospital analgesia. All published literature was level III or IV prospective or retrospective studies. Drug options used included nitrous oxide/oxygen mixtures, intravenous/intramuscular nalbuphine, intravenous tramadol and intravenous pure opiate agonists. Conclusions: The evidence supporting analgesic options in the prehospital setting is limited. There are few published data in this area despite the inadequacy of pain relief being recognized as a weakness in prehospital care. Prehospital analgesia is an area worthy of innovative methods for the administration of safe and effective analgesics without significant impact on transport times. Such methods should be prospectively evaluated in well-constructed trials. [source] The role of prophylaxis in bleeding disordersHAEMOPHILIA, Issue 2010E. BERNTORP Summary., The rationale for long-term prophylaxis in more severe forms of von Willebrand's disease (VWD) is obvious, as mucosal bleeding and haemophilia-like joint bleeds resulting in chronic morbidity may occur. However, the experience with prophylactic treatment in this group is scanty. An international VWD Prophylaxis Network (VWD PN) was established in 2006. The VWD PN will investigate prophylaxis with retrospective and prospective studies. Eighteen centres in Europe and North America are recruiting patients and an additional 40 centres are preparing for or evaluating participation. In the absence of randomized prospective studies for most rare bleeding disorders, guidelines for prophylaxis are a subject of controversy. In situations where there is a strong family history of bleeding, long-term prophylaxis is administered in selected cases. Short intervals of prophylaxis can also be given before some surgeries or during pregnancy. The benefits of prophylaxis must be balanced by the risk of side effects. Therefore, it is essential to delineate its management in a specialized comprehensive care environment. In haemophilia, decades of clinical experience and numerous retrospective and, recently, prospective studies clearly demonstrate that prophylactic treatment is superior to on-demand treatment, regardless of whether the outcome is the number of joint- or life-threatening bleeds, arthropathy evaluated by X-ray or MRI, or quality of life measured by generic or haemophilia-specific instruments. Optimal prophylactic treatment should be started early in life (primary prophylaxis) but various options exist for the dose and dose interval. These depend on the objective of treatment in the individual patient, which, in turn, is dependent on resources in the health care system. [source] On the Cost of Adverse Selection in Individual Annuity Markets: Evidence From SingaporeJOURNAL OF RISK AND INSURANCE, Issue 2 2002Wai Mun Fong New evidence is presented on the cost of adverse selection in individual annuity markets using Singapore data. The Singapore annuity market is an interesting setting to examine the cost of adverse selection for three reasons. First, unlike many Western countries, the Singapore government provides very limited public financial assistance for retirees. Second, while social security contributions mandated under the Central Provident Fund (CPF) result in a high forced savings rate, a large proportion of CPF savings, are used up for housing. Third, to ensure that retirees have sufficient funds to meet basic needs, individuals who reach age 55 are required to set aside a minimum amount of their CPF savings, which can be withdrawn at age 62. The CPF Board allows various options for investing the minimum sum, but the most attractive option is to purchase an annuity. The institutional setting in Singapore in effect provides insurers with a large captive market for annuities. It is conjectured that this should be reflected in a significantly lower cost of adverse selection for annuities sold in Singapore as compared with other countries. The results herein, using data for CPF-approved insurers, are strongly consistent with this conjecture. On average, money's worth of annuities is higher than annuities sold to a similar age-gender mix in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Adverse selection accounts for less than 13 percent of the cost of longevity insurance compared to 30,50 per- cent documented in many previous studies. These results suggest that one way to resolve the adverse selection problem is to adopt a universal individual defined contribution pension scheme that mandates or provides strong incentives for retirees to purchase annuities. [source] A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A WETLAND ASSESSMENT METHOD: THE CALIFORNIA EXPERIENCE,JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 1 2006Martha A. Sutula ABSTRACT: Wetland rapid assessment methods (RAMs) can provide a cost effective, scientifically defensible estimate of wetland and riparian condition for use in ambient and project monitoring in resource management and regulatory programs. Those who have chosen to develop a RAM to assess wetland and riparian condition are faced with a range of issues and important choices that they must make throughout the development process. This paper is intended as a practical guide to RAM development. Six basic stages in the RAM development process are discussed: (1) organize RAM development by identifying the intended applications, assessment endpoints, and geographic scope of the RAM and forming appropriate teams to advise and review the development process and its products; (2) build a scientific foundation for method development by conducting a literature review, choosing a wetland classification system, building conceptual models, and identifying the major assumptions underlying the model; (3) assemble the method as a system of attributes and metrics that describe a full range of conditions; (4) verify the ability of the method to distinguish between wetlands along a continuum of conditions; (5) calibrate and validate the method against sets of quantitative data representing more intensive measures of wetland condition; and (6) implement the method through outreach and training of the intended users. Important considerations within each of these stages lead to choices in accuracy, precision, robustness, ease of use, and cost. These are identified and the tradeoffs of the various options discussed. Experience with the ongoing development and implementation of the California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM) is used to illustrate these stages and associated choices in RAM development. [source] Provisional restoration options in implant dentistrAUSTRALIAN DENTAL JOURNAL, Issue 3 2007RE Santosa Abstract Unlike their use in conventional crown and bridge, provisional restorations during implant therapy have been underutilized. Provisional restorations should be used to evaluate aesthetic, phonetic and occlusal function prior to delivery of the final implant restorations, while preserving and/or enhancing the condition of the peri-implant and gingival tissues. Provisional restorations are useful as a communication tool between members of the treatment team which, in most cases, consists of the restorative clinician, implant surgeons, laboratory technicians, and the patient. This article describes and discusses the various options for provisionalization in implant dentistry. Clinicians should be aware of the different types of provisional restorations and the indications for their use when planning implant retained restorations. [source] Accessing other people's technology for non,profit researchAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2002Carol Nottenburg As patents and other forms of intellectual property become more pervasive in the next generation of biotechnologies, designing policies and practices to ensure sufficient freedom to operate (i.e., the ability to practice or use an innovation) will be crucial for non,profit research agencies, especially those intent on developing technologies destined for commercial release. Are non,profit organisations exempt from intellectual property claims? What constitutes infringement of a patent? How does a non,profit establish its freedom to operate? We address these issues in this paper and evaluate various options for accessing other people's technologies. Options include cross,licensing agreements, research,only or cost,free licences, market segmentation strategies, mergers or joint ventures, and patent pooling or clearinghouse mechanisms. Responding creatively to the new intellectual property environment will have far reaching consequences for the future of non,profit research. [source] | |||||||||||||