Alternative Formulas for Allocating LOST Revenue to Counties and Municipalities

The focus of our research is on the allocation of the LOST revenues between the county and municipal governments. This research reviewed various aspects of the LOST allocation and considered several alternative methods of distributing LOST revenues between the county and sub-county units. This is a complex problem with high stakes. Because the allocation is a zero-sum game, any change in the allocation is almost guaranteed to make one party worse off than under the current allocation. The real gains lie in both sides being freed from negotiations that are oftimes long and costly in terms of staff time and outside consultants. Report #9

Estimating The Revenue Loss From Food-For-Home Consumption

This policy brief discusses the estimation of the revenue effect from eliminating the state sales tax exemption of food-for-home consumption

A review of motivation and management of helpline volunteers within charity A.

Charity A is a charitable organisation which helps men who have been sexually violated (either as a child or adult) and raises awareness of their needs. It delivers this through the provision of a helpline run by volunteers, a dedicated counseling service and by advocating the needs of men who have experienced sexual violation. The author is a trustee on the board of directors and is currently leading a strategic review for the organisation. During the course the strategic review it was identified that the volunteer management strategy and practice was in need of evaluation, as it was unclear at board level what initiatives were place relating to volunteer management. As a result the organisation is currently not aware of whether the volunteer organisation is going to operate or develop in 2010/11 and beyond and further how it would achieve such operation or development. Gaining an understanding of what motivates helpline volunteers to participate was considered to be a key consideration. The objective of this paper is provide recommendations for Charity A, that can be realistically considered for implementation and applied in the organisational strategy development in relation to the helpline volunteers. The volunteer resource for this charity is their human resource, this study seeks to understand the applicability and suitability of HRM/D concepts to the management of volunteers. The methods used in gathering data and making recommendations for this research include quantitative and qualitative surveys, incorporating descriptive and analytical elements, interviews, systematic and participative observation. In order to build realistic recommendations and a holistic perspective, participation from board members, volunteers and the volunteer manager was encouraged. The literature review includes aspects of volunteerism such as how it sits within the United Kingdom, definitions and their implications, application of HR theories to volunteerism, current best practice in terms of volunteer management and an exploration into the field of volunteer motivation. Considerations of relevant literature and the results of research led to the conclusion: ‣ Volunteer management appears to be emergent as opposed to strategic in nature ‣ There is no current volunteer management strategy ‣ There are no formal initiatives to consolidate information leading to regular monitoring and improvement of recruitment, retention, engagement, volunteer motivation and learning and development. ‣ Volunteer motivation is not considered on a formal or board level The impact of this is this approach to volunteer management is that no-one in the organisation can foresee how or if the volunteer organisation is going to develop or mitigate risks in the future. The recommendations seek to address these issues. The recommendations highlight areas where initiatives are needed and provide some implementable options, however, they are for consideration purposes only. A final approach to building a new volunteer strategy and strengthening volunteer management practice whilst incorporating the motivations of volunteers should be agreed at board and management level after the 2010/11 organisational strategy is finalised. The primary recommendations are as follows: •A volunteer organisational strategy is designed and implemented •A formal volunteer management toolkit is implemented. Development of formal initiatives leading to regular monitoring and improvement of volunteer recruitment, performance, retention, engagement, motivation and learning and development

Fourlined Plant Bug (Hemiptera: Miridae), a Reappraisal: Life History, Host Plants, and Plant Response to Feeding

Phenology of the fourlined plant bug, Poecilocapsus lineatus, is presented for southcen- tral Pennsylvania; life history and habits are re-examined. Although breeding was previously thought to occur only on woody plants, we found that nymphs develop on numerous herbs. An extensive list of hosts, more than 250 species in 57 families, is compiled from the literature and the authors\u27 observations; preferences are noted for plants in the Labiatae, Solanaceae, and Compositae. Damage consists of lesions on foliage, the size and shape of the spots varying with leaf texture, pubescence, and venation. Plant response to feeding is immediately visible, the lesions seeming to appear simultaneously with insertion of the bug\u27s stylets. Histolysis of plant tissues, the most rapid response to mind feeding yet reported, is attributed to a potent lipid enzyme whose active constituents are under investigation

Modified Friedman scenario from the Wheeler-DeWitt equation

We consider the possible modification of the Friedman equation due to operator ordering parameter entering the Wheeler-DeWitt equation.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figur

John Robert Eyer: Entomological Work in Pennsylvania and Lists of Publications

(excerpt) John Robert Eyer died at Carlsbad, New Mexico, on January 30, 1976. J. G. Watts and W. A. Iselin (1976), his former colleagues in the Department of Botany and Entomology at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, wrote an obituary and quite naturally focused on Eyer\u27s work at the University\u27s Agricultural Experiment Station. Since Dr. Eyer\u27s first positions in entomology were in Pennsylvania, we have prepared this biographical sketch to preserve the record of his early accomplishments

Effects of Rotationally-Induced Mixing in Compact Binary Systems with Low-Mass Secondaries and in Single Solar-Type Stars

Many population synthesis and stellar evolution studies have addressed the evolution of close binary systems in which the primary is a compact remnant and the secondary is filling its Roche lobe, thus triggering mass transfer. Although tidal locking is expected in such systems, most studies have neglected the rotationally-induced mixing that may occur. Here we study the possible effects of mixing in the mass-losing stars for a range in secondary star masses and metallicities. We find that tidal locking can induce rotational mixing prior to contact and thus affect the evolution of the secondary star if the effects of the Spruit-Tayler dynamo are included both for angular momentum and chemical transport. Once contact is made, the effect of mass transfer tends to be more rapid than the evolutionary time scale, so the effects of mixing are no longer directly important, but the mass transfer strips matter to inner layers that may have been affected by the mixing. These effects are enhanced for secondaries of 1-1.2 Msun and for lower metallicities. We discuss the possible implications for the paucity of carbon in the secondaries of the cataclysmic variable SS Cyg and the black hole candidate XTE J1118+480 and for the progenitor evolution of Type Ia supernovae. We also address the issue of the origin of blue straggler stars in globular and open clusters. We find that for models that include rotation consistent with that observed for some blue straggler stars, evolution is chemically homogeneous. This leads to tracks in the HR diagram that are brighter and bluer than the non-rotating main-sequence turn-off point. Rotational mixing could thus be one of the factors that contribute to the formation of blue stragglers.Comment: 46 pages, 18 figure

The Effect of Insurance Premium Taxes on Employment

This report provides estimates of the effect of the insurance premium taxes on state-level employment in the insurance industry. FRC Report 18