Compensating Whom For What? Reconsidering the Composition of Public Spending

This paper reports the preliminary work under way to analyse the composition of public spending in response to increased economic openness in the advanced industrial societies over recent decades. The compensation hypothesis predicts that public spending will rise in response to greater openness, especially trade competition. The globalization hypothesis predicts that public spending will be constrained by increased capital market openness. Our research design distinguishes between four aspects of public spending. First it considers spending targeted at producer as opposed to labour market interests. It further distinguishes between short-term transfer spending and longer-term investment spending, all of which have aspects of compensation spending to them. The principal focus of the research project is to analyse to what degree left-right partisanship makes a difference to spending effort, and to what degree the patterns vary between different varieties of capitalism. Drawing mainly on OECD data for the period since 1980, the modelling and analysis, using pooled time-series cross-sectional data with an error correction model, is as yet at a relatively early stage. Preliminary results suggest that neither trade nor capital market openness is associated with increase spending efforts in the manner anticipated by the compensation hypothesis. A number of lines of further inquiry are identified.

Role of technology in promoting formative assessment practices in science and mathematics classes

This paper will report on a professional development (PD) course designed and implemented by researchers in Maynooth University Ireland as part of the FaSMEd project (Formative assessment in Science and Mathematics Education1). This project researched the use of technology in formative assessment (FA) classroom practices. In this paper, we describe the design of the professional development process, present the research methods and results, and in discussing the results, pose a hypothesis connecting changes in teachers’ knowledge to the changes in their FA practices. We conclude the paper by situating the importance of this work more broadly

Role of technology in promoting formative assessment practices in science and mathematics classes

This paper will report on a professional development (PD) course designed and implemented by researchers in Maynooth University Ireland as part of the FaSMEd project (Formative assessment in Science and Mathematics Education1). This project researched the use of technology in formative assessment (FA) classroom practices. In this paper, we describe the design of the professional development process, present the research methods and results, and in discussing the results, pose a hypothesis connecting changes in teachers’ knowledge to the changes in their FA practices. We conclude the paper by situating the importance of this work more broadly

Prediction of Caesarean Delivery

For expectant parents, a first birth is notable for its unpredictability, and the path to safe labour and delivery is commonly complicated by a requirement for unplanned caesarean delivery. The ability to anticipate an uncomplicated vaginal birth, or to predict the requirement for unplanned caesarean delivery, carries the potential to facilitate optimal birth choices. For example, elective caesarean delivery confers substantially less risk than unplanned caesarean delivery performed during the course of labour. Pre-delivery knowledge of a high predictive risk of requiring intrapartum caesarean delivery could lead to women opting to deliver by elective caesarean delivery, thereby lowering associated risks. Equally, pre-labour knowledge of a high prospect of achieving a successful and uncomplicated vaginal birth could result in enhanced motivation for women to deliver in a less medicalised environment. Predictive risk models have been utilised to good effect in other areas of medicine. The incorporation of a risk predictive tool for intrapartum caesarean delivery would enable women and their caregivers to choose the most appropriate management plan for each woman

A Comparison of Dietary Intake of Children/Adolescents with and without Myopia

Myopia is caused by an eye which has grown too long. The prevalence of myopia has increased drastically in recent years and half of the world’s population is expected to be myopic by 2050.(1) Consequently, a significant increase in sight threatening diseases will follow.(1) Myopia most commonly develops in youth, and we now know that environmental factors affect its development. Nutritional status strongly influences growth and development, including that of the eye. It has been hypothesised, therefore, that nutrition may play a role in this excessive eye growth. Current findings are conflicted, with a clear gap in the evidence.(2,3) Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine differences in dietary intake of myopic and non-myopic Irish children/adolescents, and identify any potential relationship between macro and/or micronutrient intake and myopia. A hundred healthy children/adolescents aged 6–16 years were recruited into the study, seventy myopes and thirty non-myopes. Each participant was asked to complete two 24hr diet recalls online, using the ‘INTAKE24’ software. Spherical equivalent refraction was measured by non-cycloplegic auto refraction. Myopia was defined as ≤-1.00 dioptres [D]. Energy mis-reporters were identified using Goldberg et al cut-offs. Descriptive analysis was preformed using SAS (Version 9.4). Nutrient intakes were reported as medians and interquartile range, as they were not normally distributed. Dietary data was log transformed, and the residual method was used to adjust for energy intake. Multivariate logistic regression was carried out to examine any potential relationships between nutrient intake and myopia. Both the myopic and non-myopic groups had similar energy, protein, carbohydrate and total fat intake. However, the non-myopes had a significantly higher intake of vitamin D (p= Preliminary results show a statistically significant relationship between dietary vitamin D intake and myopia. Interestingly, previous studies have found an association between vitamin D status and myopia,(4) but few have examined dietary intake alone, indicating a potential difference in diets of myopes and non-myopes. This study does have its limitations; the sample size is small, the use of a dietary intake tool is dependent on recall, and data on dietary supplement use was not available. However, given the corroboration of previous findings, further investigation is warranted, perhaps in a larger population with an extended focus on dietary patterns. 1. Holden BA, Fricke TR, Wilson DA et al. (2016) Ophthalmology 123, 1036–1042. 2. Fedor M, Socha K, Urban B et al. (2017) Biol Trace Elem 176, 1–9 3. Lim LS, Gazzard G, Low YL, et al. (2010) Ophthalmology 117:993–997.e4. 4. Yazar S, Hewitt AW, Black LJ, et al. (2014) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 55:4552–9

The relationship between serum zinc levels and myopia

Clinical significance: Myopia is inherently associated with eye growth and thereby possibly amenable to nutritional influence. However, little attention has been given to possible die- tary influences. This study demonstrates that serum zinc does not play a role in myopia development. Background: Myopia is inherently associated with eye growth and thereby possibly amena- ble to nutritional influence. A number of Asian studies have reported lower levels of serum zinc in myopic children. This study was designed to assess the relationship between serum zinc and myopia in the Korean population – using a subsample of participants from nation- ally representative data

Association of Total Zinc Intake with Myopia in U.S. Children and Adolescents

Significance: This present study advances our knowledge on the role of lifestyle factors in myopia (short-sightedness), specifically dietary factors. It has been suggested in previous studies that lower zinc status is associated with myopia; however, this article shows no relationship between dietary zinc intake and myopia in U.S. adolescents. Purpose: It has been suggested that low zinc levels may contribute to the development of myopia. The aim of the present study is to examine, for the first time in a Western population, the association of total dietary and supplement zinc intake with myopia. Methods: A total of 1095 children/adolescents aged 12 to 19 years who participated in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2008 were enrolled in this study. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between total zinc intake and myopia after adjustment for potential confounders. In addition, the association between total zinc intake and spherical equivalent refractive error was examined in the myopia group through multiple linear regression. Results: Among study participants, 30% were found to be myopic (≤-1.00 D). Although median total daily zinc intake was lower among myopes (10.8 [10.2] mg/d) than among nonmyopes (11.1 [10.8] mg/d), the difference was not statistically significant (P = .11). In multiple logistic regression analyses, zinc and copper intakes were not significantly associated with myopia after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, ethnicity, family income, recreational activity, copper intake, and daily energy intake (in kilocalories per day). In multiple linear regression, spherical equivalent refractive error was not associated with total zinc intake in the myopic group after adjustment for confounding factors (P = .13). Conclusions: In contrast to previous Asian studies, total zinc intake is not associated with the presence of myopia in U.S. adolescents/children