Public spending and Scottish devolution : crowding out, or crowding in?

There has been a developing debate about the performance of the Scottish economy under devolution and the effect of the expansion of the public sector on Scottish growth. Several commentators have expressed concern that the size of the public sector in Scotland is now a drag on growth, while others take a more sanguine view. This debate is well summarised in Marsh and Zuleeg (2006). However, this is a debate in which the evidence is often not well marshalled and there is often more heat than light generated. There is a suspicion that arguments about the effect and role of the public sector often derive more from the ultimate values and political preferences of proponents than from hard analysis and evidence

An ex vivo comparative study of the tensile strengthening efficacy of protein-derived actives on heavily bleached hair

The damaging effects of oxidative bleaching are most evident in hair which has been lightened from dark shades to platinum blonde. Whilst conventional conditioning agents effectively manage cuticular damage, the reversal of cortical weakening of hair poses a greater challenge. A number of protein-derived commercial actives claim the ability to strengthen the hair fibre when used in conditioning products. The aim of this study was to compare the relative efficacy of hydrolysed wheat protein, L-arginine and hydrolysed collagen in improving wet and dry tensile properties of heavily bleached hair tresses

Hypertension Knowledge, Expectation of Care, Social Support, and Adherence to Prescribed Medications of African Americans with Hypertension Framed by the Roy Adaptation Model

Hypertension (HTN) prevalence in African Americans contribute to higher rates of disabilities and deaths from stroke, myocardial infarction, and end stage renal disease than all other racial groups in the United States. The major reason documented for these poor health outcomes is related to lower HTN control rates among African Americans compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Though overall HTN awareness, pharmacological treatments and control have significantly improved for all populations, studies found that rates of HTN control and adherence with anti-hypertensive medications are lower for African Americans compared to other subgroups. Study Aims The primary aim was to determine whether hypertension knowledge, expectation of care, and social support are predictors of adherence to prescribed medications while controlling for socioeconomic factors in the context of hypertension among African Americans. Methods A cross sectional quantitative approach was used. A secondary data analysis was conducted with 387 hypertensive African Americans. The Morisky Medication Adherence scale was used to measure adherence, internal consistency was established, (r=.61). The Roy Adaptation Model (RAM) was used to link HTN knowledge, expectations of care, social support, and socioeconomic factors with adherence to medications to provide an understanding of the process of adaptation. Logistic regressions were used to determine the relationships among the variables. Results The sample (N=387) was primarily female (76%) and men (24%). On average, participants scored high in knowledge about hypertension; mean knowledge score was .91 (SD = .09). Controlling for patient covariates, hypertension knowledge was not found to be a predictor of adherence to prescribed medications (p=.469). Expectation of care was found to be a predictor of adherence to prescribed medications (p=.008); social support was found to be a predictor of adherence to medications (p=.006). Conclusion and Implications This study supports findings regarding expectations of care, social support, and adherence to medication in African American patients with hypertension. The findings are useful for planning patient management initiatives specific to chronic disease such as hypertension

Resampling to accelerate cross-correlation searches for continuous gravitational waves from binary systems

Continuous-wave (CW) gravitational waves (GWs) call for computationally-intensive methods. Low signal-to-noise ratio signals need templated searches with long coherent integration times and thus fine parameter-space resolution. Longer integration increases sensitivity. Low-mass x-ray binaries (LMXBs) such as Scorpius X-1 (Sco X-1) may emit accretion-driven CWs at strains reachable by current ground-based observatories. Binary orbital parameters induce phase modulation. This paper describes how resampling corrects binary and detector motion, yielding source-frame time series used for cross-correlation. Compared to the previous, detector-frame, templated cross-correlation method, used for Sco X-1 on data from the first Advanced LIGO observing run (O1), resampling is about 20x faster in the costliest, most-sensitive frequency bands. Speed-up factors depend on integration time and search setup. The speed could be reinvested into longer integration with a forecast sensitivity gain, 20 to 125 Hz median, of approximately 51%, or from 20 to 250 Hz, 11%, given the same per-band cost and setup. This paper's timing model enables future setup optimization. Resampling scales well with longer integration, and at 10x unoptimized cost could reach respectively 2.83x and 2.75x median sensitivities, limited by spin-wandering. Then an O1 search could yield a marginalized-polarization upper limit reaching torque-balance at 100 Hz. Frequencies from 40 to 140 Hz might be probed in equal observing time with 2x improved detectors.Comment: 28 pages, 7 figures, 3 table

Enhancing Motivation Using the Constructs of Flow in Museum Education Activities

While many extol the general value of museum fieldtrips, few can describe the specific parameters needed to make the excursion an educational benefit. Oftentimes, a day at the Museum of Natural History or time spent at the local art gallery is casually put into place with little forethought or attention to activity details. This research intended to utilize the parameters of flow theory and children\u27s interest to investigate the phenomenon of student motivation while viewing an exhibit. Informal learning environments offer educators the opportunity to look beyond the halls of their campus in a manner that allows augmentation of curriculum and the opportunity to evoke interest and increased effort. The study examined elementary school students in grade five who attend Rosa Parks Elementary School located in City Heights, California. Students were allowed to experience museum exhibits in two different ways: (a) one group was given tape recorders and was asked to critique exhibits, and (b) a second group was given a teacher-generated worksheet to complete. The latter group also carried digital recorders. The former task was intended to follow the parameters outlined in flow theory. The latter task was designed to represent a typical activity employed by teachers taking students on a fieldtrip. Using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), students were given a modified version of WebMAC Junior 2000, a survey based on Expectancy-Value Theory. The survey was designed to assess motivation. In addition, content knowledge acquired by both groups was evaluated using a content assessment tool. Several weeks after the exhibit activity, students were given the opportunity to view a web site of their own choosing. They were given three sites to choose from, one of which correlated to content found at the museum they had visited. Tape recordings were transcribed and analyzed for common themes, and post-activity interviews were conducted to clarify student perspectives. A grounded theory approach was used with the intent of exploring the phenomenon of motivation in an informal learning situation

Statins Do Not Impair Whole-Body Fat Oxidation During Moderate-Intensity Exercise in Dyslipidemic Adults

Objectives: Some lipid-lowering agents, for example, nicotinic acid and fibrates, decrease an individual’s ability to oxidise fat during exercise. However, it is unclear whether statins affect whole-body fat oxidation during exercise in patients. This study investigated whether fatty acid oxidation is impaired in a dyslipidemic population, while walking at a moderate intensity. Methods: Patients (n=16), walked for 45 minutes on a treadmill at 50% of their estimated VO2max, in the absence and presence of their prescribed statin. Fat oxidation was investigated by examining respiratory data, and circulating plasma glycerol and free fatty acids. Results: Analysis of respiratory data indicated a progressive increase in fat oxidation over time, along with a decrease in carbohydrate oxidation, for all patients during exercise, in both the absence and presence of a statin (P≤0.05). The increase in the percent of energy derived from fat was further supported by the observation of a significantly progressive increase in circulating glycerol and free fatty acids during the exercise period. However no significant difference in the extent of change was observed when comparing the respiratory and biochemical response to physical activity in the absence and presence of the prescribed statin. Conclusions: There is no evidence of a negative impact of statins on the ability to use fat as a fuel for moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Given the importance of physical activity, this result encourages patients to exercise by walking regularly, with the confidence that substrate metabolism is unaltered in the presence of this class of lipid-lowering drug