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Relative Impact (relative + impact)
Selected AbstractsEvaluating the Relative Impact of Fiscal Incentives and Trade Policies on the Returns to Manufacturing in Taiwan, 1955,1995,ASIAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 1 2007Glenn P. Jenkins H25; F13; O12 In the present paper, an integrated cash flow model is developed to examine the relative impact of tax incentives, financial subsidies, and macroeconomic variables on the profitability of industrial investments. It allows for the variables in the model to interact with each other. An application of the model is carried out for Taiwan, which has implemented a variety of fiscal incentives over the past 40 years. The principal policy conclusion is that trade and macroeconomic policies are much more important than income tax incentives or subsidized finance policies in determining the success of Taiwan's industrialization process. The effects of all of the fiscal incentives are found to be much smaller than those of the trade policies or the fundamental trends in macroeconomic variables such as the movement of the real exchange rate and the real wage rate. [source] Relative impacts of native and non-native crayfish on shelter use by an indigenous benthic fishAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 4 2009Damian H. Bubb Abstract 1.The North American signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus has been widely introduced throughout Europe where it is expanding its range and in many areas replacing the native white-clawed crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes. There is concern with regards to the impact of this species replacement on benthic fish. Interspecific behavioural interactions and competition for shelter between the benthic fish, bullhead Cottus gobio and A. pallipes and P. leniusculus were measured to assess the comparative impact of native and non-native crayfish. 2.Both white-clawed crayfish and signal crayfish were dominant over bullhead. Bullheads moved away from approaches of crayfish, left shelters on entry of crayfish and rarely entered an occupied shelter. Signal crayfish made significantly more aggressive approaches towards bullheads than white-clawed crayfish. 3.Alone, bullheads spent most of their time by day under shelter (median 96%), reflecting a highly entrained behavioural response, which was relaxed by night (median 60%). Both crayfish species reduced shelter use by bullheads although the extent of shelter sharing by bullheads was higher in trials with white-clawed crayfish than with signal crayfish. 4.Sampling in the River Wharfe, northern England, where signal and white-clawed crayfish and bullhead currently exist, demonstrated a negative relationship between the densities of signal crayfish and bullhead, with high bullhead abundance where crayfish were absent or where white-clawed crayfish were present at low density. 5.Assuming that shelter is sometimes limited under natural conditions, crayfish are likely to displace bullheads from shelters, which may increase predation risk for bullheads. Although the effects of signal crayfish on bullhead shelter use were more intense, the pattern was highly evident for the native white-clawed crayfish. The higher fecundity and densities attained by signal crayfish may be more significant than differences in the behaviour of the two crayfish species in determining the impact of crayfish on bullheads. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Relative impacts of cattle grazing and feral animals on an Australian arid zone reptile and small mammal assemblageAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2010JOHN L. READ Abstract The effect of different levels of cattle grazing on an arid Australian small terrestrial mammal and lizard assemblage was assessed in a long-tem series of cross-fence comparisons. Cross-fenced sites were closely matched for edaphic and vegetation characteristics and experienced near identical weather patterns, to ensure that cattle grazing pressure was the principal determinant of any differences in fauna assemblages. In addition, the effects of removal of cattle, cats, foxes and rabbits from three of these long-term monitoring sites were assessed to determine the relative impacts of cattle grazing and feral animals. Small mammal captures, with the exception of Mus musculus, revealed a significant negative response to cattle grazing pressure but this response was of a considerably lower magnitude than the dramatic increase in rodent captures and species richness within the feral animal-proof Arid Recovery Reserve. Higher kangaroo numbers in ungrazed controls, compared with treatments grazed by cattle, possibly negated the benefits to small mammals of removing cattle grazing. No reptile species responded significantly to the grazing treatments although reptile richness and captures of geckos and skinks were the lowest and agamid captures were the highest at heavily grazed sites. Nephrurus levis was the only reptile species to increase significantly, while captures of some smaller geckoes declined, within the feral-proof treatment. Feral predation exerted a more significant effect on most small mammal species than the levels of cattle grazing assessed in this study, yet reptile responses to grazing or feral animals were less apparent and were likely primarily driven by changes in vegetation cover or secondary trophic impacts. [source] Towards a More Rational IMF Quota Structure: Suggestions for the Creation of a New International Financial ArchitectureDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 3 2000Raghbendra Jha The authors of this article argue that, in the absence of a well-founded quota formula, the very basis of the creation of the IMF as an institution at the centre of international financial arrangements was flawed; that there is no clear rationale for the determinants of quota structures and their weighting scheme; and that the quota allocation as an instrument seeks to target too many objectives. As a result, large and arbitrary cross-country variations exist in the relative impact of different determinants on the quota shares of different countries. The quota formulas therefore need to be reviewed and an alternative approach evolved, in which emphasis is placed on the size of the economy rather than its openness, along with efficiency parameters. The authors suggest some principles which might underpin redefined quota structures in support of a new financial architecture. They provide illustrative calculations using India as a case study, and trace the impact of the redefined quota structures against the backdrop of the impact of the Eleventh General Review on India's quota position. [source] Cognitive training in Alzheimer's disease: a meta-analysis of the literatureACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2 2006D. I. Sitzer Objective:, To systematically review the literature and summarize the effect of cognitive training (CT) for Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients on multiple functional domains. Method:, Effect sizes (Cohen's d) were calculated for 17 controlled studies identified through a comprehensive literature review. Results:, An overall effect size of 0.47 was observed for all CT strategies across all measured outcomes. Mean effect sizes were higher for restorative (0.54) than for compensatory (0.36) strategies. Domain-specific effect sizes ranged from 2.16 (verbal and visual learning) to ,0.38 (visuospatial functioning). Data are also presented on the relative impact of restorative and compensatory strategies for each domain of functioning. Conclusion:, CT evidenced promise in the treatment of AD, with primarily medium effect sizes for learning, memory, executive functioning, activities of daily living, general cognitive problems, depression, and self-rated general functioning. Restorative strategies demonstrated the greatest overall effect on functioning. Several limitations of the published literature are discussed. [source] The role of spatial scale and the perception of large-scale species-richness patternsECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 2 2005Carsten Rahbek Abstract Despite two centuries of exploration, our understanding of factors determining the distribution of life on Earth is in many ways still in its infancy. Much of the disagreement about governing processes of variation in species richness may be the result of differences in our perception of species-richness patterns. Until recently, most studies of large-scale species-richness patterns assumed implicitly that patterns and mechanisms were scale invariant. Illustrated with examples and a quantitative analysis of published data on altitudinal gradients of species richness (n = 204), this review discusses how scale effects (extent and grain size) can influence our perception of patterns and processes. For example, a hump-shaped altitudinal species-richness pattern is the most typical (c. 50%), with a monotonic decreasing pattern (c. 25%) also frequently reported, but the relative distribution of patterns changes readily with spatial grain and extent. If we are to attribute relative impact to various factors influencing species richness and distribution and to decide at which point along a spatial and temporal continuum they act, we should not ask only how results vary as a function of scale but also search for consistent patterns in these scale effects. The review concludes with suggestions of potential routes for future analytical exploration of species-richness patterns. [source] Choosing natural enemies for conservation biological control: use of the prey detectability half-life to rank key predators of Colorado potato beetleENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 1 2010Matthew H. Greenstone Abstract Determining relative strengths of trophic links is critical for ranking predators for conservation biological control. Molecular gut-content analysis enables ranking by incidence of prey remains in the gut, but differential digestive rates bias such rankings toward predators with slower rates. This bias can be reduced by indexing each predator's half-life to that of the middle-most half-life in a predator complex. We demonstrate this with data from key species in the predator complex of Colorado potato beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), comprising adults and immatures of four taxonomically diverse species. These animals display order-of-magnitude variation in detectability half-life for the cytochrome oxidase I DNA sequence of a single CPB egg: from 7.0 h in larval Coleomegilla maculata (DeGeer) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to 84.4 h in nymphal Perillus bioculatus (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). The raw species-specific incidence of L. decemlineata DNA in the guts of 351 field-collected predators ranged from 11 to 95%, ranking them as follows: C. maculata adults < Lebia grandis Hentz (Coleoptera: Carabidae) adults < Podisus maculiventris (Say) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) adults < P. maculiventris nymphs < P. bioculatus adults < P. bioculatus nymphs. Half-life adjustment reorders the rankings: C. maculata adults < P. bioculatus adults < P. bioculatus nymphs < P. maculiventris nymphs < L. grandis adults < P. maculiventris adults. These changes in status demonstrate the value of half-life-adjusted molecular gut-content data for ranking predators. This is the first study to measure prey detectability half-lives for the key arthropod predators of a major insect pest, and to use them to evaluate the relative impact of all adults and immatures in this predator complex. [source] Ideology,Driven opinion formation in Europe: The case of attitudes towards the third sector in SwedenEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2001STAFFAN KUMLIN This paper uses attitudes towards the third sector in Sweden to test general assumptions about how citizens in West European political systems apply ideological schemas as shortcuts to political preferences. Attitudes towards the third sector are found to be affected by all ideological schemas reflected in the Swedish party system (state,market, Christian traditionalism, and growth,ecology). Contrary to what is implied by findings from America, these effects are very stable across socio,economic groups (especially those of the dominant statemarket schema). Similarly, no interaction effects of political sophistication could be traced, and the relative impact of the schemas remains the same regardless of whether or not the third sector is presented as an alternative to the welfare state. The implications of these findings for the nature of public opinion formation in ideologically clear and structured political systems are discussed. [source] Relative influence of fisheries and climate on the demography of four albatross speciesGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 7 2010VIRGINIE ROLLAND Abstract Worldwide ecosystems are modified by human activities and climate change. To be able to predict future changes, it is necessary to understand their respective role on population dynamics. Among the most threatened species are top predators because of their position in the food web. Albatross populations are potentially affected by both human activities, especially longline fisheries, and climatic fluctuations. Based on long-term data (1985,2006), we conducted through a comparative approach a demographic analysis (adult survival and breeding success) on four albatross species breeding on the Indian Ocean sub-Antarctic Islands to assess the relative impact of climate and fisheries during and outside the breeding season. The study revealed that adult survival of almost all species was not affected by climate, and therefore probably canalized against climatic variations, but was negatively affected by tuna longlining effort in three species. Breeding success was affected by climate, with contrasted effects between species, with Southern Oscillation Index having an impact on all species but one. Differences in demographic responses depended on the foraging zone and season. In order to predict population trajectories of seabirds such as albatrosses, our results show the importance of assessing the relative influence of fishing and climate impacts on demography. [source] How Much Is Postacute Care Use Affected by Its Availability?HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 2 2005Melinda Beeuwkes Buntin Objective. To assess the relative impact of clinical factors versus nonclinical factors,such as postacute care (PAC) supply,in determining whether patients receive care from skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) or inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) after discharge from acute care. Data Sources and Study Setting. Medicare acute hospital, IRF, and SNF claims provided data on PAC choices; predictors of site of PAC chosen were generated from Medicare claims, provider of services, enrollment file, and Area Resource File data. Study Design. We used multinomial logit models to predict PAC use by elderly patients after hospitalizations for stroke, hip fractures, or lower extremity joint replacements. Data Collection/Extraction Methods. A file was constructed linking acute and postacute utilization data for all medicare patients hospitalized in 1999. Principal Findings. PAC availability is a more powerful predictor of PAC use than the clinical characteristics in many of our models. The effects of distance to providers and supply of providers are particularly clear in the choice between IRF and SNF care. The farther away the nearest IRF is, and the closer the nearest SNF is, the less likely a patient is to go to an IRF. Similarly, the fewer IRFs, and the more SNFs, there are in the patient's area the less likely the patient is to go to an IRF. In addition, if the hospital from which the patient is discharged has a related IRF or a related SNF the patient is more likely to go there. Conclusions. We find that the availability of PAC is a major determinant of whether patients use such care and which type of PAC facility they use. Further research is needed in order to evaluate whether these findings indicate that a greater supply of PAC leads to both higher use of institutional care and better outcomes,or whether it leads to unwarranted expenditures of resources and delays in returning patients to their homes. [source] Whither Latin America? trends and challenges of science in Latin AmericaIUBMB LIFE, Issue 4-5 2007Marcelo Hermes-Lima Abstract Science in Latin America has experienced vigorous growth in the past decade, as demonstrated by the fact that the Latin American share of the world's scientific publications increased from 1.8% in 1991 - 1995 to 3.4% in 1999 - 2003. Significant growth has also taken place in the numbers of PhDs in science and engineering (S&E) awarded in Latin American countries in recent years, including those in the natural sciences. Importantly, albeit at different rates, growth has been verified in almost all countries in the region, indicating a general effort to promote the development of S&E. In most research fields, however, the recognition or relative impact of Latin American science, as measured by the average number of citations received by published articles (CpP), is still below world averages and much lower than in developed nations. We show that average CpP values for a set of 34 representative developing and developed countries correlate significantly with gross expenditure in research and development (GERD), with gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and with the number of researchers per million inhabitants (RpM). Among those countries, Latin American nations present some of the lowest average values of CpP (<6), GERD (,1% of GDP) and RpM (<2,000). We also examined recent trends in scientific activity in Latin America, with focus on the natural sciences and on biochemistry and molecular biology (BMB). In terms of citation scores, publications in BMB compare favorably to those in other research fields within Latin America. At the same time, however, Latin American BMB is one of the areas for which relative impact - compared to developed nations or normalized to world averages - is lowest. These observations clearly indicate the need to establish effective policies to increase competitiveness in terms of the quality and international recognition of Latin American natural sciences in general, and BMB in particular, as opposed to merely increasing the absolute numbers of publications or the numbers of PhDs awarded in the region. IUBMB Life, 59: 199-210, 2007 [source] Combined effects of fisheries and climate on a migratory long-lived marine predatorJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2008V. Rolland Summary 1The impact of climate on marine ecosystems is now well documented, but remains complex. Climate change may interact with human activities to effect population dynamics. In addition, in migratory species conditions are different between the breeding and wintering grounds, resulting in more complex dynamics. All these possible effects should be considered to predict the future of endangered species, but very few studies have investigated such combined interactions. 2As a case study, we assessed the relative impact of fisheries and of oceanographic conditions in breeding and wintering sites on adult survival and breeding success of a population of the endangered black-browed albatross Thalassarche melanophrys in the Kerguelen Islands, Southern Indian Ocean. This study was based on long-term monitoring of individually marked individuals (1979,2005) and identification by tracking studies and band recoveries of the oceanic feeding zones used during breeding and non-breeding seasons. 3Breeding success was variable until 1997 and then declined gradually, from 0·88 to 0·48 chicks per egg laid. It was favoured by positive sea-surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) and trawl fishery during the breeding period, whereas it was negatively affected by positive SSTA around Tasmania, where the species winters. Adult survival was 0·918 ± 0·004 on average and increased with SSTA during incubation, but decreased significantly with high tuna longlining effort in the wintering zone. 4Our analyses show that demographic parameters were influenced by both climate and fisheries in both breeding and wintering grounds, but with different effect size. Black-browed albatross breeding success was more favoured by trawlers' offal and discards than by any of the seasonally/spatially oceanographic conditions, whereas their survival was equally affected by tuna longline fishery through incidental by-catch and spring SSTA. 5Synthesis and applications. Our work underlines that a comprehensive knowledge of the life history of a species in all the habitats used is important to disentangle the respective roles of environmental conditions and human factors on population dynamics. Identification of these effects is required when proposing effective conservation measures, because the conservation of threatened species may depend on their wintering country's exclusive economic zones. [source] Intrapopulation variation in reproduction by female eastern kingbirds Tyrannus tyrannus: the impacts of age, individual performance, and breeding siteJOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2004Michael T. Murphy I used data from a 13-year study of eastern kingbirds Tyrannus tyrannus from central New York, USA, to evaluate the relative impact of female age and body size on reproduction. I also calculated repeatabilities of reproductive traits for both females and the sites where they bred in an attempt to evaluate the relative contribution of each to intrapopulation variation in reproduction. Female age had a strong influence on timing of breeding (breeding date advanced by one day for each year of life), but was not a significant source of variation for clutch size, egg mass, number of young to hatch or fledge, or total seasonal production. Repeatabilities of breeding date for females and sites were both significant (0.284 and 0.181, respectively), but the only other significant repeatabilities were for female clutch size (0.282) and female egg mass (0.746). Among-year repeatabilities of breeding date for females who bred at two or more sites over their lifetime were as high as those for females that were site faithful. Thus, breeding date was probably affected independently by the female and site. No measure of productivity exhibited a repeatable pattern in comparisons made among females or sites. All reproductive traits were entered as dependent variables in a series of stepwise multiple regression analyses in an attempt to identify female properties (size, lifespan and condition) that might be linked proximately to differences in breeding statistics. I found that (a) large birds tended to breed the earliest, (b) clutch size was independent of female size, condition and lifespan, (c) female body size and egg size were correlated positively, but (d) production of young was independent of all measured female properties. Reproduction appears to be linked more closely to the female than to the site. Body size accounts for a portion of the repeatable portion of breeding date and egg mass, but most of the intrapopulation variation in these and other traits remained unexplained. [source] Population dynamics in Digitalis purpurea: the interaction of disturbance and seed bank dynamicsJOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2007NINA SLETVOLD Summary 1Plant ecologists have long since realized that the persistence of many facultative biennial plants depends upon disturbance. However, we still have a limited knowledge of the population-level effects of disturbance, and the connection between adult and seed bank dynamics. 2Using data from a 3-year demographic study combined with experimental gap-opening in a large population of Digitalis purpurea, we parameterized stochastic transition matrix models in ,disturbed' vs. ,undisturbed' areas. We simulated different gap sizes (fraction of population that was disturbed) and temporal disturbance patterns (constant, random, regular and irregular return intervals) and evaluated the effects on population growth rate and seed bank dynamics. To explore seed bank importance we used two alternatives for seed bank survival rate (0.75/0.35) and three alternatives for seed bank recruitment fraction (0.9/0.5/0.1). 3Observed background recruitment levels were insufficient to ensure a positive population growth rate. Increased amounts of gap-opening led to higher growth rates, and population persistence was predicted at moderate disturbance levels if seed bank survival was high (0.75). 4Temporal disturbance pattern affected model results; random and interval scenarios resulted in lower population growth rates and higher extinction risks than constant scenarios of the same average disturbance level. Small and frequent disturbances led to considerably higher growth rates than large and rare disturbances. 5Stochastic elasticity analyses identified the seed bank as the most important life cycle stage with respect to population growth and persistence in most scenarios, and its relative impact was positively related to seed bank survival rate and negatively related to disturbance level. Variation in the recruitment fraction from seed bank vs. seed rain affected both population growth rate and elasticity patterns, indicating the large impact of spatial variation in seed bank density. 6Synthesis: Despite the existence of a large seed bank, our data suggest that recruitment may be locally seed-limited due to a patchy seed bank structure. Local population development may consequently differ widely from gap to gap. These results illustrate how spatial structures in both seed bank, adult population and gap formation interact to shape plant population dynamics, as well as the occurrence of microsite- vs. seed-limitation. [source] Life events as a risk factor for psychological problems in individuals with intellectual disabilities: a critical reviewJOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 11 2008L. Hulbert-Williams Abstract Background Stressful life events such as bereavement, moving house and changing jobs have repeatedly been implicated as risk factors for mental and physical ill health. Since the 1940s, researchers have demonstrated the negative effects of stressful life events, refined methods of recording such events and investigated the relative impact of different types of event. These investigations have generally not extended to include people with intellectual disabilities. Methods We conducted a narrative review of research on life events as they occur to people with intellectual disabilities and critically assessed the evidence that life events function as a risk factor for psychological problems. Evidence was reviewed for an association between life events and a range of outcome variables, including affective disorders, challenging behaviour, psychosis and psychological problems more generally. We also critiqued the methodology behind the current evidence base and discussed a number of methodological advances that would help to strengthen it. Conclusions There is reasonable evidence that life events are associated with psychological problems, and that there is some tentative evidence that life events play a causal role, although to date, no relationship with psychosis in people with intellectual disabilities has been demonstrated. Life events are likely to be pertinent in clinical work with people with intellectual disabilities. [source] Moody's and S&P Ratings: Are They Equivalent?JOURNAL OF MONEY, CREDIT AND BANKING, Issue 7 2010Conservative Ratings, Split Rated Bond Yields bond ratings; bond yields; reputation capital We examine the relative impact of Moody's and S&P ratings on bond yields and find that at issuance, yields on split rated bonds with superior Moody's ratings are about 8 basis points lower than yields on split rated bonds with superior S&P ratings. This suggests that investors differentiate between the two ratings and assign more weight to the ratings from Moody's, the more conservative rating agency. Moody's becomes more conservative after 1998 and the impact of a superior Moody's rating becomes stronger. Furthermore, the differential impact of the two ratings is more pronounced for the more opaque Rule 144A issues. [source] Disentangling the proximate factors of deforestation: The case of the Monarch butterfly Biosphere Reserve in MexicoLAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2009J. Honey-Rosés Abstract Understanding the causes of environmental degradation can lead to more effective forest management. Often, the discussion about the causes of deforestation confuses issues across spatial and temporal scales. Such is the case in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR) in Mexico where various hypotheses compete to explain the deforestation observed there. This paper analyzes these hypotheses using the analytical approaches developed by the literature on environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. This paper first distinguishes between proximate factors and underlying socioeconomic forces. It then reviews recent deforestation studies to evaluate the relative impact of each proximate factor observed in the MBBR. Illegal logging stands out as the factor with the most empirical support. In contrast, agricultural clearing, while frequently cited as major driver of forest loss, has much less empirical backing. These conclusions update the deforestation diagnosis for this protected area and suggest that more attention should be directed at understanding the illicit timber trade. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Effect of Legal and Extra-Legal Variables on the Recommending and Granting of a PardonLAW & POLICY, Issue 1 2000Thomas Austin A familiar but little studied area of criminal justice is that of pardons. Using data from the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons, the decision-making process is examined to determine the degree of correspondence between the board's recommendation and the governor's decision to grant or deny a pardon. Included in the analysis is an assessment of the relative impact of legal and extra-legal variables on the decision-making process. The paper concludes with a discussion on the dynamics of the process, including why some individuals are more likely than others to be granted a pardon, and the implications the findings have for both policy and theory development. [source] The impact of case specificity and generalisable skills on clinical performance: a correlated traits,correlated methods approachMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 6 2008Paul F Wimmers Context, The finding of case or content specificity in medical problem solving moved the focus of research away from generalisable skills towards the importance of content knowledge. However, controversy about the content dependency of clinical performance and the generalisability of skills remains. Objectives, This study aimed to explore the relative impact of both perspectives (case specificity and generalisable skills) on different components (history taking, physical examination, communication) of clinical performance within and across cases. Methods, Data from a clinical performance examination (CPX) taken by 350 Year 3 students were used in a correlated traits,correlated methods (CTCM) approach using confirmatory factor analysis, whereby ,traits' refers to generalisable skills and ,methods' to individual cases. The baseline CTCM model was analysed and compared with four nested models using structural equation modelling techniques. The CPX consisted of three skills components and five cases. Results, Comparison of the four different models with the least-restricted baseline CTCM model revealed that a model with uncorrelated generalisable skills factors and correlated case-specific knowledge factors represented the data best. The generalisable processes found in history taking, physical examination and communication were responsible for half the explained variance, in comparison with the variance related to case specificity. Conclusions, Pure knowledge-based and pure skill-based perspectives on clinical performance both seem too one-dimensional and new evidence supports the idea that a substantial amount of variance contributes to both aspects of performance. It could be concluded that generalisable skills and specialised knowledge go hand in hand: both are essential aspects of clinical performance. [source] Preserving Normal Ventricular Activation Versus Atrioventricular Delay Optimization During Pacing: The Role of Intrinsic Atrioventricular Conduction and Pacing RatePACING AND CLINICAL ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 1 2000IVAN ILIEV ILIEV The purpose of the study was to compare the effects of DDD pacing with optimal AV delay and AAI pacing on the systolic and diastolic performance at rest in patients with prolonged intrinsic AV conduction (first-degree AV block). We studied 17 patients (8 men, aged 69 ± 9 years) with dual chamber pacemakers implanted for sick sinus syndrome in 15 patients and paroxysmal high degree AV block in 2 patients. Aortic flow and mitral flow were evaluated using Doppler echocardiography. Study protocol included the determination of the optimal A V delay in the DDD mode and comparison between AAI and DDD with optimal A V delay for pacing rate 70/min and 90/min. Stimulus-R interval during AAI (AHI) was 282 ± 68 ms for rate 70/min and 330 ± 98 ms for rate 90/min (P < 0.01). The optimal A V delay was 159 ± 22 ms, A V delay optimization resulted in an increase of an aortic flow time velocity integral (AFTVI) of 16%± 9%. At rate 70/min the patients with ARI , 270 ms had higher AFTVI in AAI than in DDD (0.214 ± 0.05 m vs 0.196 ± 0.05 m, P < 0.01), while the patients with ARI > 270 ms demonstrated greater AFTVI under DDD compared to AAI(0.192 ± 0.03 m vs 0.166 ± 0.02 m, P < 0.01). At rate 90/min AFTVI was higher during DDD than AAI (0.183 ± 0.03 m vs 0.162 ± 0.03 m, P < 0.01). Mitral flow time velocity integral (MFTVI) at rate 70/min was higher in DDD than in AAI (0.189 ± 0.05 m vs 0.173 ± 0.05 mP < 0.01), while at rate 90/min the difference was not significant in favor of DDD (0.149 ± 0.05 m vs 0.158 ± 0.04 m). The results suggest that in patients with first-degree AV block the relative impact of DDD and AAI pacing modes on the systolic performance depends on the intrinsic AV conduction time and on pacing rate. [source] Light use efficiency of dry matter gain in five macro-lichens: relative impact of microclimate conditions and species-specific traitsPLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 1 2000K. Palmqvist ABSTRACT Relations between irradiance (I) and lichen growth were investigated for five macro-lichens growing at two sites in Sweden. The lichens represented different mycobiont,photobiont associations, two morphologies (foliose, fruticose) and two life forms (epiphytic, terricolous). The lichens were transplanted at two geographically distant sites in Sweden (1000 km apart) from Sept 1995 to Sept 1996 in their typical microhabitats, where microclimate and growth were followed. Between April/May and Sept 96, the terricolous species had a dry matter gain of 0·2 to 0·4 g (g DW),1 and the epiphytes 0·01 to 0·02 g (g DW),1. When related to area, growth amounted to 30 to 70 g m,2 for the terricolous species and to 1 to 4 g m,2 for the epiphytes. There was a strong correlation between growth and intercepted irradiance when the lichens were wet (Iwet), with 0·2 to 1·1 g lichen dry matter being produced per MJ solar energy. Across the 10 sets of transplants, light use efficiencies of dry matter yield (e) ranged between 0·5 and 2%, using an energy equivalent of 17·5 kJ g,1 of lichen dry matter. The higher productivity of the terricolous species was due to longer periods with thallus water contents sufficient for metabolic activity and because of the higher mean photon flux densities of their microhabitat. A four-fold difference in photosynthetic capacity among the species was also important. It is concluded that lichen dry matter gain was primarily related to net carbon gain during metabolically active periods, which was determined by light duration, photon flux density and photosynthetic capacity. [source] A Risk Prediction Model for Delayed Graft Function in the Current Era of Deceased Donor Renal TransplantationAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 10 2010W. D. Irish Delayed graft function (DGF) impacts short- and long-term outcomes. We present a model for predicting DGF after renal transplantation. A multivariable logistic regression analysis of 24 337 deceased donor renal transplant recipients (2003,2006) was performed. We developed a nomogram, depicting relative contribution of risk factors, and a novel web-based calculator (http://www.transplantcalculator.com/DGF) as an easily accessible tool for predicting DGF. Risk factors in the modern era were compared with their relative impact in an earlier era (1995,1998). Although the impact of many risk factors remained similar over time, weight of immunological factors attenuated, while impact of donor renal function increased by 2-fold. This may reflect advances in immunosuppression and increased utilization of kidneys from expanded criteria donors (ECDs) in the modern era. The most significant factors associated with DGF were cold ischemia time, donor creatinine, body mass index, donation after cardiac death and donor age. In addition to predicting DGF, the model predicted graft failure. A 25,50% probability of DGF was associated with a 50% increased risk of graft failure relative to a DGF risk <25%, whereas a >50% DGF risk was associated with a 2-fold increased risk of graft failure. This tool is useful for predicting DGF and long-term outcomes at the time of transplant. [source] Access and Outcomes Among Minority Transplant Patients, 1999,2008, with a Focus on Determinants of Kidney Graft SurvivalAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 4p2 2010P.-Y. Fan Coincident with an increasing national interest in equitable health care, a number of studies have described disparities in access to solid organ transplantation for minority patients. In contrast, relatively little is known about differences in posttransplant outcomes between patients of specific racial and ethnic populations. In this paper, we review trends in access to solid organ transplantation and posttransplant outcomes by organ type, race and ethnicity. In addition, we present an analysis of categories of factors that contribute to the racial/ethnic variation seen in kidney transplant outcomes. Disparities in minority access to transplantation among wait-listed candidates are improving, but persist for those awaiting kidney, simultaneous kidney and pancreas and intestine transplantation. In general, graft and patient survival among recipients of solid organ transplants is highest for Asians and Hispanic/Latinos, intermediate for whites and lowest for African Americans. Although much of the difference in outcomes between racial/ethnic groups can be accounted for by adjusting for patient characteristics, important observed differences remain. Age and duration of pretransplant dialysis exposure emerge as the most important determinants of survival in an investigation of the relative impact of center-related versus patient-related variables on kidney graft outcomes. [source] Monocyte Infiltration and Kidney Allograft Dysfunction During Acute RejectionAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 3 2008R. Girlanda Multiple cell types infiltrate acutely rejecting renal allografts. Typically, monocytes and T cells predominate. Although T cells are known to be required for acute rejection, the degree to which monocytes influence this process remains incompletely defined. Specifically, it has not been established to what degree monocytes impact the clinical phenotype of rejection or how their influence compares to that of T cells. We therefore investigated the relative impact of T cells and monocytes by correlating their presence as measured by immunohistochemical staining with the magnitude of the acute change in renal function at the time of biopsy in 78 consecutive patients with histological acute rejection. We found that functional impairment was strongly associated with the degree of overall cellular infiltration as scored using Banff criteria. However, when cell types were considered, monocyte infiltration was quantitatively associated with renal dysfunction while T-cell infiltration was not. Similarly, renal tubular stress, as indicated by HLA-DR expression, increased with monocyte but not T-cell infiltration. These data suggest that acute allograft dysfunction is most closely related to monocyte infiltration and that isolated T-cell infiltration has less acute functional impact. This relationship may be useful in assigning acute clinical relevance to biopsy findings. [source] Dendritic Cell Deficiency in the Blood of Kidney Transplant Patients on Long-Term Immunosuppression: Results of a Prospective Matched-Cohort StudyAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 12 2005Holger Hackstein Evidence from in vitro studies suggests that immunosuppressive drugs interfere with key functions of dendritic cells (DCs), but the in vivo relevance of these findings is elusive. We prospectively analyzed the major DC precursor subsets in the blood of kidney transplant recipients on long-term immunosuppression (,1 year). A total of 87 patients were compared to 87 age- and sex-matched controls. Total DC numbers and the precursor subsets, myeloid type 1 DCs, myeloid type 2 DCs (mDC1, mDC2) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) were identified by four color flow cytometry. Long-term immunosuppression was associated with significant reduction of all major DC subsets in comparison to healthy controls (mDC1 p < 0.001; mDC2 p < 0.0001; two-tailed Mann-Whitney U -test) with the strongest negative impact on pDCs (p < 0.00001). In contrast, total leukocyte numbers were not significantly affected. Analysis of the relative impact of different agents revealed a significant impact of prednisolone on pDCs (p = 0.009) and mDCs2 (p = 0.006). The functional relevance of pDC deficiency was confirmed independently by Interferon-alpha analysis after Toll-like receptor 7 (p , 0.001) and 9 (p < 0.05) stimulation. These results indicate for the first time a profound negative impact of long-term immunosuppression on major DC subsets in kidney transplant recipients. DC deficiency may have important implications with respect to viral infections and tumor development. [source] Virtual Reality Triage Training Provides a Viable Solution for Disaster-preparednessACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 8 2010Pamela B. Andreatta EdD ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:870,876 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Abstract Objectives:, The objective of this study was to compare the relative impact of two simulation-based methods for training emergency medicine (EM) residents in disaster triage using the Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START) algorithm, full-immersion virtual reality (VR), and standardized patient (SP) drill. Specifically, are there differences between the triage performances and posttest results of the two groups, and do both methods differentiate between learners of variable experience levels? Methods:, Fifteen Postgraduate Year 1 (PGY1) to PGY4 EM residents were randomly assigned to two groups: VR or SP. In the VR group, the learners were effectively surrounded by a virtual mass disaster environment projected on four walls, ceiling, and floor and performed triage by interacting with virtual patients in avatar form. The second group performed likewise in a live disaster drill using SP victims. Setting and patient presentations were identical between the two modalities. Resident performance of triage during the drills and knowledge of the START triage algorithm pre/post drill completion were assessed. Analyses included descriptive statistics and measures of association (effect size). Results:, The mean pretest scores were similar between the SP and VR groups. There were no significant differences between the triage performances of the VR and SP groups, but the data showed an effect in favor of the SP group performance on the posttest. Conclusions:, Virtual reality can provide a feasible alternative for training EM personnel in mass disaster triage, comparing favorably to SP drills. Virtual reality provides flexible, consistent, on-demand training options, using a stable, repeatable platform essential for the development of assessment protocols and performance standards. [source] Evaluating the Relative Impact of Fiscal Incentives and Trade Policies on the Returns to Manufacturing in Taiwan, 1955,1995,ASIAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 1 2007Glenn P. Jenkins H25; F13; O12 In the present paper, an integrated cash flow model is developed to examine the relative impact of tax incentives, financial subsidies, and macroeconomic variables on the profitability of industrial investments. It allows for the variables in the model to interact with each other. An application of the model is carried out for Taiwan, which has implemented a variety of fiscal incentives over the past 40 years. The principal policy conclusion is that trade and macroeconomic policies are much more important than income tax incentives or subsidized finance policies in determining the success of Taiwan's industrialization process. The effects of all of the fiscal incentives are found to be much smaller than those of the trade policies or the fundamental trends in macroeconomic variables such as the movement of the real exchange rate and the real wage rate. [source] Serum bilirubin levels at 72 hours by selected characteristics in breastfed and formula-fed term infants delivered by cesarean sectionACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 7 2001SR Hintz The present multicenter study analysed the relative impact of maternal and infant factors on serum bilirubin levels at 72 ± 12 h in exclusively breastfed vs formula-fed term infants. End-tidal carbon monoxide levels corrected for ambient air (ETCOc), an index of bilirubin production, were measured in exclusively breastfed (B = 66) or formula-fed (F = 210) term infants at 2,8 h of age. Inclusion criteria included cesarean section to ensure a 3 d hospitalization, birthweight ±2500 g, gestational age ±37 wk and absence of any illness. The ETCOc for B infants and F infants did not differ significantly (1.3 ± 0.7 ppm vs 1.3 ± 0.8 ppm). The serum bilirubin level at 72 ± 12 h was significantly higher in B infants than in F infants (8.5 ± 3.4mg dl,1 vs 6.7 ± 3.4 mg d l,1, p < 0.001), as was the percentage weight loss from birthweight. Serum bilirubin levels were significantly higher in infants who were male, who did not have meconium-stained amniotic fluid, and in those whose mothers were insulin-dependent diabetics or hypertensive. There was no difference between groups in the need for phototherapy or exchange transfusion. Conclusion: Although higher bilirubin levels were observed in group B at 72 ± 12 h compared with group F, this finding was not of clinical or therapeutic consequence in this study. The lack of difference in ETCOc between the groups may be a factor of the timing of ETCOc measurement in this study, or may suggest that early increased bilirubin production is not a significant contributor to jaundice observed in exclusively breastfed infants. [source] Metabolic rate models and the substitutability of predator populationsJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2004David R. Chalcraft Summary 1Much of the debate surrounding the consequences of biodiversity loss centres around the issue of whether different species are functionally similar in their effects on ecological processes. In this study, we examined whether populations consisting of smaller, more abundant individuals are functionally similar to populations of the same species with larger, fewer individuals. 2We manipulated the biomass and density of banded sunfish (Enneacanthus obesus) and measured their impact on populations of Southern leopard frog (Rana sphenocephala) larvae. We also evaluated the ability of models relating metabolic rate to body size to predict the relative impacts of populations that differ in average body size and population density. 3Our results indicate that population biomass, density and their interaction each play a large role in determining the effect of a predator population on its food resource. Populations with smaller but more abundant individuals had effects as large or larger than those populations with larger but fewer individuals. 4Although we found qualitative agreement between the observed relative effects of populations with that predicted by allometric models, we also found that density-dependence can cause effects of a population to differ from that expected based on allometry. 5The substitutability of populations differing in average body size appears to depend on complex relationships between metabolic rate, population density and the strength of density-dependence. The restrictive conditions necessary to establish functional equivalence among different populations of the same species suggests that functional equivalence should be rare in most communities. [source] Herbivory influences tree linesJOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2004DAVID M. CAIRNS Summary 1Transitions between major vegetation types, such as the tree line, are useful systems for monitoring the response of vegetation to climate change. Tree lines have, however, shown equivocal responses to such change. 2Tree lines are considered to be primarily thermally controlled, although recent work has highlighted the importance of biotic factors. Dispersal limitation and the invasibility of the tundra matrix have been implicated and here we propose herbivory as an additional control at some tree lines. 3We propose a conceptual model in which differing relative impacts of foliage consumption, availability of establishment sites, trampling, dispersal and seed predation can lead to very different tree-line responses. 4The presence of large numbers of small trees above the current tree line at a site in northern Sweden that experiences limited reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) herbivory suggests range expansion. Other locations in the same region with higher reindeer populations have considerably fewer small trees, suggesting that range expansion is occurring much more slowly, if at all. 5The use of tree lines as indicators of climate change is confounded by the activity of herbivores, which may either strengthen or nullify the impacts of a changed climate. Similar arguments are likely to be applicable to other ecotones. 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