Trace and Body Fossils from the Cuyahoga Fonnation (Mississippian), Reynoldsburg, Ohio

Seven trace fossil genera and four body fossil genera have been found in the sandstone facies (Buena Vista Member) of the Cuyahoga Formation (Lower Mississippian) at Pine Quarry Park in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Ichnogenera identified are Scalarituba, Gordia, Zoophycos, Helminthoidia, Phycosiphon, Planolites, and Laevicyclus. Zoophycos and Laevicyclus are found in the lower beds; Gordia and Helminthoidia are more cornmon in the upper beds. Scalarituba and Planolites are found throughout the beds. Together, the trace fossils of the upper part of the quarry are indicative of the Cruziana ichnofacies. Lower in the section the facies seems to be of the Skolithos ichnofacies. Associated body fossils found are Platycrinities sp., Gilbertsocrinus? sp., Dictyoclostus sp., Fenestrellina sp., and unidentifiable blastoid fragments. At the Reynoldsburg locality, deposition is interpreted to have taken place in a shallow water setting near an ancient deltaic environment

Trace and Body Fossils from the Cuyahoga Formation (Mississippian), Reynoldsburg, Ohio

Seven trace fossil genera and four body fossil genera have been found in the sandstone facies (Buena Vista Member) of the Cuyahoga Formation (Lower Mississippian) at Pine Quarry Park in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Ichnogenera identified are Scalarituba, Gordia, Zoophycos, Helminthoidia, Phycosiphon, Planolites, and Laevicyclus. Zoophycos and Laevicyclus are found in the lower beds; Gordia and Helminthoidia are more common in the upper beds. Scalarituba and Planolites are found throughout the beds. Together, the trace fossils of the upper part of the quarry are indicative of the Cruziana ichnofacies. Lower in the section the facies seems to be of the Skolithos ichnofacies. Associated body fossils found are Platycrinities sp., Gilbertsocrinus? sp., Dictyoclostus sp., Fenestrellina sp., and unidentifiable blastoid fragments. At the Reynoldsburg locality, deposition is interpreted to have taken place in a shallow water setting near an ancient deltaic environment

Estimating the Structural Demand for Irish Housing

After 10 years of unprecedented increases in both prices and activity levels, the Irish housing market appears to be entering a period of some uncertainty. In the early part of 2007, Irish house prices, for the first time in recent history, experienced negative growth rates - leading indicators within the housing sector would suggest that house building is already beginning to contract, with future levels expected to be somewhat below the record level of construction in 2006. The sustained increase in housing construction prompted by the rapid increase in prices has resulted in the Irish construction sector assuming a position of considerable importance within the overall economy. Arguably, any significant slowdown in housing activity could have far-reaching domestic consequences. In this paper, we use a recently developed model of the housing sector to gauge what the structural level of demand is for Irish housing.

Modelling Credit in the Irish Mortgage Market

The sharp decline in the performance of international property markets has been central to the financial distress experienced globally. The Irish housing market experienced particularly strong rates of price increases and heightened activity levels by OECD standards. One reason cited for such large price increases has been the significant degree of financial liberalisation experienced by Irish credit institutions. The culmination ofmuch of this liberalisation resulted in large increases in the availability of mortgage credit. In this paper we apply a recently developed model of mortgage credit and examine the implications for Irish house prices of changes in lending patterns. Our results suggest that post 2003, a significant amount of the increase in Irish prices was determined by innovative developments in international finance, which enabled Irish institutions, in particular, to secure alternative sources of lending funds.

A Model of Mortgage Credit

The emergence and proliferation of the international financial crisis since mid-2007 has, amongst other issues, refocussed attention on the interrelationship between mortgage credit availability and house prices. A growing body of opinion is now of the view that the increase in credit availability internationally was a primary contributor to the rate of house price increases witnessed in many OECD countries over the past 10 years. House price growth in the UK over this period was to the fore of that experienced across countries, while the Anglo- Saxon system of banking was characterised by a significant degree of financial innovation yielding greater credit provision. In this paper we propose a simple intuitive model, which seeks to quantify the impact of credit market disequilibrium on UK house prices over the period 1992 - 2008.

Quantifying Revenue Windfalls from the Irish Housing Market

The speed and severity of the decline in the Irish fiscal position in recent years raises a number of important issues regarding the assessment of fiscal policy within the EU. From a position of relative strength, with large surpluses and low debt to GDP ratio, the Irish public finances have rapidly deteriorated, culminating in an Excessive Deficit Procedure being launched in early 2009. In hindsight, it is evident that tax revenues were on an unsustainable path in recent years due, in large part, to structural imbalances within the economy, mainly associated with the housing market. The excess growth in the latter culminated in large and transitory tax revenue windfalls, which ultimately proved unsustainable. These windfalls contributed to large general government and cyclically adjusted budget surpluses. This paper seeks to quantify the windfall gains associated with property taxes through modelling housing related tax receipts over the period 2002 to 2009. From this, estimates are derived as to the underlying or property adjusted fiscal position, which is found in various years, to have diverged greatly from actual outturns.

The effects of exercise on balance in persons with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review across the disability spectrum

Background and Purpose: Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects neurophysiologic function, movement abilities, and quality of life (QOL). Research examining the effects of exercise has suggested benefits related to a variety of outcomes; however, no reviews have synthesized research findings across the spectrum of disability. This project sought to systematically review studies that examined the impact of exercise interventions on balance outcomes for people with Parkinson's disease, within the categories defined by the World Health Organization in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) model. Methods: A systematic review of medical literature databases was performed using keywords Parkinson's disease and exercise. Studies were eligible if the intervention included exercise and examined variables within one of the three ICF categories. Following the ICF model, outcomes regarding Body Structure and Function, Activity, and Participation were measured, respectively, in terms of postural instability, balance task performance, and QOL and fall events. Results: Within the Body Structure and Function category, there was moderate evidence that exercise resulted in improvements in postural instability. Within the Activity category, there was moderate evidence that exercise was effective for improving balance task performance. In contrast, within the Participation category, there was limited evidence that exercise resulted in improvements in QOL measures or fall events. Discussion and Conclusions: Regardless of the strength of the evidence, the studies reviewed all report that exercise resulted in improvements in postural stability and balance task performance. Despite these improvements, the number and quality of the studies and the outcomes used were limited. There is a need for longer term follow-up to establish trajectory of change and to determine if any gains are retained long term. The optimal delivery and content of exercise interventions (dosing, component exercises) at different stages of the disease are not clear

Job promotion in midcareer: gender, recession, and “crowding”

Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 indicate that, between 1996 and 2010, women, on average, lost some of the promotion momentum they had achieved at the beginning of midcareer, although they outperformed men in this regard. For both genders, the economic downturn of 2001 and the Great Recession of 2007–2009 contributed to reduced promotion probabilities. In the case of women, however, cohort effects, rather than the business cycle, seem to explain the promotion experience during the Great Recession. Promotions translate into higher real-wage increases, especially when coupled with growth in job responsibilities. Crowding effects, if not necessarily a thing of the past, are no longer manifested in reduced female promotion rates or earnings

Aid to conflict-affected countries : lessons for donors

The first section looks at the implications of conflict for aid effectiveness and selectivity. We argue that, while aid is generally effective in promoting growth and by implication reducing poverty, it is more effective in promoting growth in post-conflict countries. We then consider the implications of these findings for donor selectivity models and for assessment of donor performance in allocating development aid among recipient countries. We argue that, while further research on aid effectiveness in post-conflict scenarios is needed, existing selectivity models should be augmented with, inter alia, post-conflict variables, and donors should be evaluated on the basis, inter alia, of the share of their aid budgets allocated to countries experiencing post-conflict episodes. We also argue for aid delivered in the form of projects to countries with weak institutions in early post-conflict years. The second section focuses on policies for donors operating in conflict-affected countries. We set out five of the most important principles: (1) focus on broad-based recovery from war; (2) to achieve a broad-based recovery, get involved before the conflict ends; (3) focus on poverty, but avoid &lsquo;wish lists&rsquo;; (4) help to reduce insecurity so aid can contribute more effectively to growth and poverty reduction; and (5) in economic reform, focus on improving public expenditure management and revenue mobilisation. The third section concludes by emphasising the fact that there is no hard or fast dividing line between &lsquo;war&rsquo; and &lsquo;peace&rsquo; and that it may take many years for a society to become truly &lsquo;post&rsquo;-conflict&rsquo;. Donors, therefore, need to prepare for the long haul.<br /

The Effects of 50k Ultramarathon Running on Quadriceps Torque and Circulating Inflammatory Calprotectin

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