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Key Considerations (key + consideration)
Selected AbstractsKey Considerations for the Future of American Environmental PolicyPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 5 2009Michelle C. Pautz First page of article [source] Key considerations in the treatment of complicated staphylococcal infectionsCLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION, Issue 2008R. N. Jones Abstract Substantial increases in antimicrobial resistance among Gram-positive pathogens, particularly Staphylococcus aureus, are compromising traditional therapies for serious bacterial infections. There has been an alarming increase in the rates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) over the past two decades, and the more recent emergence of heterogenous vancomycin-intermediate (hVISA), vancomycin-intermediate (VISA) and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) strains limits the use of vancomycin, the current standard of care for MRSA infections. Tolerance to vancomycin, which represents a lack of bactericidal activity of vancomycin, is another troublesome property of some S. aureus strains that can adversely affect the outcome of antimicrobial therapy. Increasing MICs of vancomycin for staphylococci, poor tissue penetration by the drug and a slow rate of bactericidal action of the drug have also raised concerns about its efficacy in the contemporary treatment of MRSA infections. There is an increasingly apparent need for new agents for the treatment of staphylococcal infections, ideally with potent bactericidal activity against MRSA, hVISA, VISA and VRSA and with superior susceptibility profiles as compared with glycopeptides. [source] Paradigm shifts in marine fisheries genetics: ugly hypotheses slain by beautiful factsFISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 4 2008Lorenz Hauser Abstract By providing new approaches to the investigation of demographic and evolutionary dynamics of wild populations, molecular genetics has led to fundamental changes in our understanding of marine ecology. In particular, genetic approaches have revolutionized our understanding in three areas: (i) most importantly, they have contributed to the discovery of extensive genetic population structure in many marine species, overturning the notion of large, essentially homogenous marine populations limiting local adaptation and speciation. (ii) Concomitant differences in ecologically important traits now indicate extensive adaptive differentiation and biocomplexity, potentially increasing the resilience to exploitation and disturbance. Evidence for rapid adaptive change in many populations underlies recent concerns about fisheries-induced evolution affecting life-history traits. (iii) A compilation of recent published research shows estimated effective population sizes that are 2,6 orders of magnitude smaller than census sizes, suggesting more complex recruitment dynamics in marine species than previously assumed. Studies on Atlantic cod are used to illustrate these paradigm shifts. In our synthesis, we emphasize the implications of these discoveries for marine ecology and evolution as well as the management and conservation of exploited marine fish populations. An important implication of genetic structuring and the potential for adaptive divergence is that locally adapted populations are unlikely to be replaced through immigration, with potentially detrimental consequences for the resilience to environmental change , a key consideration for sustainable fisheries management. [source] Is the convergence of business cycles a global or regional issue?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FINANCE & ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2006Euroland, The UK Abstract The identification of an European business cycle has been inconclusive. Yet cyclical convergence is the key consideration for those countries that wish to be members of the currency union (e.g. UK). In general, countries will vary in the components and characteristics that make up their cycles at any moment, as well as in the state of their cycle at each moment. To take this into account, we show here how to decompose a business cycle in a time-frequency framework; so that its components vary in importance and cyclical characteristics over time. We show, the inconclusive convergence results obtained so far appear because countries have some cycles in common,but diverge at others. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] How To Choose a Capital Structure: Navigating the Debt-Equity DecisionJOURNAL OF APPLIED CORPORATE FINANCE, Issue 1 2005Anil Shivdasani In corporate offices as well as the classroom, there continues to be significant debate about the costs and benefits of debt financing. There is also considerable variation in corporate credit ratings, even among companies as large and successful as those that make up the S&P 500. Many companies have been reassessing how they manage their balance sheet and their rating agency relationships; and with the market's generally favorable response to recapitalizations and dividend increases, such financing issues are likely to receive even more attention. Underlying the diversity of corporate credit ratings is widespread disagreement about the "right" credit rating,a matter that is complicated by the fact that the cost of debt varies widely among companies with the same rating. Although credit ratings are clearly tied to measures of indebtedness such as leverage and coverage ratios, the most important factor in most industries is a company's size. For many mid-sized companies, an investment-grade rating can be attained only by making a large, equity-financed acquisition,or by making minimal use of debt. In this sense, the corporate choice of credit rating can be as much a strategic issue as a financial decision. Maintaining the right amount of financial fl exibility is a key consideration when determining the right credit rating for a given company (although what management views as value-preserving flexibility may be viewed by the market as value-reducing financial "slack"). A BBB rating will accommodate considerably more leverage (30,60%) in companies with fairly stable cash flows and limited investment requirements than in more cyclical or growth-oriented companies (10,20%). When contemplating taking on more leverage, companies should examine all major operating risks and view their capital structure in the context of an enterprisewide risk management framework. [source] Iron and Calcium Bioavailability of Fortified Foods and Dietary SupplementsNUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 11 2002Susan J. Fairweather-Tait DSc Bioavailability is a key consideration when developing strategies for preventing mineral deficiencies through improved dietary supply. Factors that affect the bioavailability of iron and calcium, forms used for fortification and supplementation, and methods used to assess bioavailability are described. Illustrations of the impact of introducing iron-fortified foods in developing and industrialized countries are given, and the alternative approach of supplementation with iron and calcium is discussed. [source] Surge Capacity for Healthcare Systems: A Conceptual FrameworkACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2006Amy Kaji MD This report reflects the proceedings of a breakout session, "Surge Capacity: Defining Concepts," at the 2006 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference, "Science of Surge Capacity." Although there are several general descriptions of surge capacity in the literature, there is no universally accepted standard definition specifying the various components. Thus, the objectives of this breakout session were to better delineate the components of surge capacity and to outline the key considerations when planning for surge capacity. Participants were from diverse backgrounds and included academic and community emergency physicians, economists, hospital administrators, and experts in mathematical modeling. Three essential components of surge capacity were identified: staff, stuff, and structure. The focus on enhancing surge capacity during a catastrophic event will be to increase patient-care capacity, rather than on increasing things, such as beds and medical supplies. Although there are similarities between daily surge and disaster surge, during a disaster, the goal shifts from the day-to-day operational focus on optimizing outcomes for the individual patient to optimizing those for a population. Other key considerations in defining surge capacity include psychosocial behavioral issues, convergent volunteerism, the need for special expertise and supplies, development of a standard of care appropriate for a specific situation, and standardization of a universal metric for surge capacity. [source] Indirect Taxes on International Aviation,FISCAL STUDIES, Issue 1 2007Michael Keen There has recently been much discussion of the possible use of internationally coordinated indirect taxes, or equivalent charges, on international aviation, whether as a source of finance for development or as part of a response to heightened concerns with climate change. This paper considers the strengths and weaknesses of the leading candidate instruments of this kind. It argues that, on both policy and administration grounds, the case for increasing indirect taxes on international aviation is strong: the indirect tax burden on international aviation is very low, yet aviation contributes significantly to border-crossing environmental damage, is just as proper an object of taxation as any other commodity, and incipient tax competition is likely to result in these taxes being set at inefficiently low levels. But the form(s) in which such taxes are levied matters: a tax on aviation fuel would address the key border-crossing externalities most directly; a tax on final ticket values would have greater revenue potential, and perhaps some distributional advantage; departure/arrival taxes face the least legal obstacles, but are much blunter instruments. Optimal policy, it is shown, typically requires deploying both a fuel tax and a ticket tax, and the paper explores, both in principle and by simulation, the key considerations and trade-offs involved in designing a suitable indirect tax regime for international aviation. [source] Does infectious disease influence the efficacy of marine protected areas?JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2005A theoretical framework Summary 1Marine protected areas are increasingly being recommended as an essential component of the management of exploited marine species, but virtually no attention has been given to the influence of parasites. This may be substantial, as a primary effect of marine reserves is to increase the density of an exploited population within the reserve relative to outside the reserve, which may facilitate parasite transmission. 2We used a simple deterministic model of microparasitic infection in a fishery with a reserve to investigate equilibrium yield and parasite prevalence inside and outside the reserve as a function of three control variables: the proportion of habitat inside the reserve, fishing mortality and the rate of interchange between the stock and the reserve. 3While our model is generic, we parameterized it with values that may be appropriate to the interaction between abalone and Rickettsia. 4The presence of a pathogen does not necessarily decrease yield when a reserve is present, particularly if the rate of movement of adult hosts between stock and reserve is low. 5Synthesis and applications. Pathogens have important implications for the design of marine reserves. Our modelling identifies two key considerations. First, ,fishing out' a pathogen by reducing the host population density to a level below the threshold for disease maintenance is a potential management strategy that is made more difficult by establishing a reserve. Secondly, the effect of a highly transmissible pathogen without a reserve is to cause a rapid decline in equilibrium yield for efforts beyond those that produce maximum sustainable yield, making the fishery prone to collapse. Introducing a reserve decreases yield in this case, but makes the fishery much more resistant to collapse. [source] Literature review: considerations in undertaking focus group research with culturally and linguistically diverse groupsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 6 2007Elizabeth J Halcomb BN, IC Cert Aims., This integrated literature review seeks to identify the key considerations in conducting focus groups and discusses the specific considerations for focus group research with culturally and linguistically diverse groups. Background., The focus group method is a technique of group interview that generates data through the opinions expressed by participants. Focus groups have become an increasingly popular method of data collection in health care research. Although focus groups have been used extensively with Western populations, they are a particularly useful tool for engaging culturally and linguistically diverse populations. The success of focus groups in this context is dependent upon the cultural competence of the research team and the research questions. Methods., The electronic databases Medline, CINAHL, Embase, Psychlit and the Internet using the Google Scholar search engine were explored using the search terms ,focus group', ,cultural sensitivity', ,transcultural nursing', ,transcultural care', ,cultural diversity' and ,ethnic groups'. Hand searching of reference lists and relevant journals was also undertaken. English language articles were selected for the review if they discussed the following issues: (i) methodological implications of the focus group method; (ii) strengths and limitations of the focus group method; (iii) recommendations for researchers and (iv) use of the focus group in culturally and linguistically diverse groups. Conclusions were drawn from each of the articles and consensus regarding a summary of recommendations was derived from a minimum of two authors. Results., Findings from this review revealed several key issues involving focus group implementation including recruitment, sample size, data collection, data analysis and use within multicultural populations. Strengths and limitations of the focus group method were also identified. Conclusions., Focus groups are a useful tool to expand existing knowledge about service provision and identify consumer needs that will assist in the development of future intervention programmes, particularly within multicultural populations. Careful planning related to methodological and pragmatic issues are critical in deriving effective data and protecting participants. Relevance to clinical practice., Focus groups can facilitate increased understanding of perspectives of culturally and linguistically diverse groups and thereby shape clinical practice to better meet the needs of these groups. [source] Dyspepsia: key considerations for cost-effective managementPRESCRIBER, Issue 5 2007Jane Cawston MRPharmS PPI prescribing continues to increase for dyspepsia man agement in the UK and the rising cost suggests that alternative options need to be considered. This article looks at the savings achieved with a policy of stepping down or off PPI therapy, with an alginate for acid rebound or break through symptoms. Copyright © 2007 Wiley Interface Ltd [source] | |||||||||||||