Inequality Measurement forOrdered Response Health Data

When health status is an ordered response variable, Allison and Foster (2004)postulate that a distribution Q ?exhibits more inequality than a distribution P ?if Q ?isobtained from P ?via a sequence of median preserving spreads. This paper introduces aparametric family of inequality indices which are founded on the Allison and Fosterordering.Self-reported health status, inequality orderings, inequalitymeasures.

Efecto del tiempo de cosecha sobre los compuestos volátiles y las propiedades bioactivas de flores, hojas y tallos de Echinacea Pallida y su utilización para mejorar la estabilidad oxidativa de aceites vegetales

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of harvest time on the bioactive properties of Echinacea pallida and to determine the antioxidant effect of its extract in vegetable oils. E. pallida was harvested in June, 2009, June, 2010 and August. 2010. Total phenolic content and antioxidant activity analyses of the plant extracts obtained with three different solvents were carried out using spectrophotometric methods. It was determined that harvest time and solvent type had significant effects on bioactive properties. In addition, the effect of E. pallida extract on the oxidative stability of vegetable oils was determined by the rancimat method. The extract (2000 ppm) obtained by ethanol (100%) showed similar oxidative stability on sunflower and canola oils compared to BHA (100 ppm). The GC-MS results revealed various volatile compounds such as bornyl acetate, caryophyllene E, musk ambrette, germacrene D, α-muurolol, musk ambrette, imidazo (1,2-a) pyrimidine, 1-pyrrolidino-1-cyclohexene, 2,3,5,6-tetrahydro-1H-pyrrolizine, pyrazine, and benzenaminium.El presente estudio se realizó para determinar el efecto del tiempo de cosecha sobre las propiedades bioactivas de Echinacea pallida y el efecto antioxidante de su extracto en aceites vegetales. E. pallida se cosechó en junio de 2009, junio de 2010 y agosto de 2010. Los análisis de contenido fenólico total y actividad antioxidante de los extractos de plantas obtenidos con tres solventes diferentes se realizaron utilizando métodos espectrofotométricos. Se determinó que el tiempo de cosecha y el tipo de solvente tenían efectos significativos sobre las propiedades bioactivas. Además, se determinó el efecto del extracto de E. pallida sobre la estabilidad oxidativa de aceites vegetales mediante el método rancimat. El extracto (2000 ppm) obtenido con etanol (%100) mostró una estabilidad oxidativa similar en los aceites de girasol y canola en comparación con BHA (100 ppm). Los resultados de GC-MS mostraron la presencia de compuestos volátiles específicos, como el acetato de bornilo, cariofileno E, ambreta de almizcle, germacreno D, α-muurolol, ambreta de almizcle, imidazo (1,2-a) pirimidina, 1-pirrolidino-1-ciclohexeno, 2,3,5,6-tetrahidro-1H-pirrolizina, pirazina y bencenaminio

Inflation and Inflation uncertainty: A dynamic framework

Cataloged from PDF version of article.This paper aims to investigate the direct relationship between inflation and inflation uncertainty by employing a dynamic method for the monthly country-region-place United States data for the time period 1976-2007. While the bulk of previous studies has employed (ARCH models in investigating the link between inflation and inflation uncertainty, in this study Stochastic Volatility in Mean models are used to capture the shocks to inflation uncertainty within a dynamic framework. These models allow researchers to assess the dynamic effects of innovations in inflation as well as inflation volatility on inflation and inflation volatility over time, by incorporating the unobserved volatility as an explanatory variable in the mean (inflation) equation. Empirical findings suggest that innovations in inflation volatility increases inflation. This evidence is robust across various definitions of inflation and different sub-periods. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Preliminary assessment of microfibres amount in textile wastewater

Textile wastewater is a complex mixture of inorganic compounds, polymers, organic products, dyes, and microfibers (MFs), including microplastics (MPs) and natural fibers. The treatment of textile wastewater, which contains a significant share of MFs, is of great importance to prevent the release of MPs in the environment. MPs analysis requires multiple phases of pretreatment (to eliminate the organic compounds), separation of the MFs from the water, and identification of the MPs among the MFs.This work presents the preliminary results of a research aimed at exploring two issues. Firstly, the pretreatment (through Fenton, H2O2, HCl, KOH and NaOH, applied at 25 °C for 5 days and 60 °C for 6 hours) of artificial textile wastewater, evaluating the effect of the different conditions on the MFs and the MPs. Secondly, the separation of MFs from a real textile wastewater sample through different processes (centrifugation, sink-float & filtration, filtration). The results of the pretreatment tests revealed Fenton, HCl, and H2O2 at 25 °C for 5 days as the best performing chemicals and conditions. Considering the results of the separation tests, filtration gave back the best removal of the MFs from wastewater compared to centrifugation and sink-float and filtration, which left some MFs in the supernatant/float and in the sediment/sink. In conclusion, these preliminary results may be useful to further explore the detection of MFs and MPs in textile wastewater

Turkish Monetary Policy and Components of Aggregate Demand: A VAR Analysis with Sign Restrictions Model

Cataloged from PDF version of article.This article estimates the effects of monetary policy on components of aggregate demand using quarterly data on Turkish economy from 1987-2008 by means of structural Vector Autoregression (VAR) methodology. This study adopts Uhlig's (2005) sign restrictions on the impulse responses of main macroeconomic variables to identify monetary shock. This study finds that expansionary monetary policy stimulates output through consumption and investment in the short-run. However, expansionary monetary policy is ineffective in the long-run

Social Welfare Analaysis for Ordered Response Data

We are grateful to Francesco Andreoli, Jean-Yves Duclos, Nadia Ghanmi, Nicolas Gravel, Christophe Muller, Ernesto Savaglio, Joe Swierzbinski and Claudio Zoli for helpful comments. We are also grateful to participants of the 12th Louis-André Gérard-Varet Journées in Public Economics, at the University of Aix-Marseille for discussions.Publisher PD

Constraining recent lead pollution sources in the North Pacific using ice core stable lead isotopes

Trends and sources of lead (Pb) aerosol pollution in the North Pacific rim of North America from 1850 to 2001 are investigated using a high-resolution (subannual to annual) ice core record recovered from Eclipse Icefield (3017 masl; St. Elias Mountains, Canada). Beginning in the early 1940s, increasing Pb concentration at Eclipse Icefield occurs coevally with anthropogenic Pb deposition in central Greenland, suggesting that North American Pb pollution may have been in part or wholly responsible in both regions. Isotopic ratios (208Pb/207Pb and 206Pb/207Pb) from 1970 to 2001 confirm that a portion of the Pb deposited at Eclipse Icefield is anthropogenic, and that it represents a variable mixture of East Asian (Chinese and Japanese) emissions transported eastward across the Pacific Ocean and a North American component resulting from transient meridional atmospheric flow. Based on comparison with source material Pb isotope ratios, Chinese and North American coal combustion have likely been the primary sources of Eclipse Icefield Pb over the 1970–2001 time period. The Eclipse Icefield Pb isotope composition also implies that the North Pacific mid-troposphere is not directly impacted by transpolar atmospheric flow from Europe. Annually averaged Pb concentrations in the Eclipse Icefield ice core record show no long-term trend during 1970–2001; however, increasing 208Pb/207Pb and decreasing 206Pb/207Pb ratios reflect the progressive East Asian industrialization and increase in Asian pollutant outflow. The post-1970 decrease in North American Pb emissions is likely necessary to explain the Eclipse Icefield Pb concentration time series. When compared with low (lichen) and high (Mt. Logan ice core) elevation Pb data, the Eclipse ice core record suggests a gradual increase in pollutant deposition and stronger trans-Pacific Asian contribution with rising elevation in the mountains of the North Pacific rim

Effects of dietary fish oil and flax seed on cholesterol and fatty acid composition of egg yolk and blood parameters of laying hens

This study was conducted to determine the effects of the supplementation of different levels of fish oil (FO) and flax seed (FS) in the diets of layers on the content of egg yolk fatty acid, cholesterol, blood parameters, egg production and egg quality criteria. In the experiment, a total of 120 Isa-White laying hens of 34 weeks of age were used. Hens were divided randomly into five groups and fed different diets containing no FO and FS; 1.5% FO; 4.32% FS; 1.5% FO+4.32% FS and 8.64% FS for eight weeks. A significant decrease in yolk cholesterol content (mg/g yolk) was found in the eggs from hens fed the diets containing 1.5 % FO and 8.64% FS as compared with the control. Adding FO and FS to diets significantly increased the total omega-3 fatty acids in eggs at 28 (phase 1) and 56 (phase 2) days of the trial. By contrast, the addition of both FO and FS to diets had no effect on total omega-6 fatty acids in eggs in phase 1. But dietary 1.5% FO, 4.32% FS and 1.5% FO+4.32% FS supplementation decreased significantly the total omega-6 fatty acids compared to the controls in phase 2. The linolenic acid content of eggs was the highest in eggs from hens fed the diet with added FS, while docosahexaenoic acid content was the highest in eggs from hens fed diets with added FO. Dietary supplementation of FO and FS did not significantly affect the concentrations of serum trigliceride and high density lipoprotein. The serum cholesterol level of hens fed diets containing 1.5% FO+4.32% FS and 8.64% FS was lower than the control group. The addition of FO and FS to diets did not cause any negative effect on some egg quality criteria such as egg weight, yolk weight, yolk ratio, albumen weight, albumen ratio, shell weight, shell ratio, shell strength and shell thickness. The egg production of hens fed a diet containing 4.32% FS was significantly higher than the controls. Feed intake and feed conversion were not affected by all treatments. Keywords: Omega-3 fatty acids, Cholesterol eggs, Flax seed, Fish oil South African Journal of Animal Science Vol.33(4) 2003: 266-27

Fouling and boring organisms that deteriorate various European and tropical woods at Turkish seas

This study aims to investigate the diversity of fouling and boring organisms damaging wood material at Turkish coasts. Trials were carried out at six harbour sites throughout the seas surrounding Turkey.Various Euopean and tropical wood samples were hanged down at a depth of six meters in the sea for a period of one year. Identification of the organisms obtained from wood panels revealed the presence offive wood borer and 26 fouling species. skenderun harbour had the highest boring organism diversity (five species) and it was followed by Trabzon and Finike harbours (three species) and Bandirma, Eregli and Alacati harbours (two species). The two molluscan boring species, Teredo navalis and Lyrodus pedicellatus were observed at all harbour sites, but Nototeredo norvegica was at Trabzon and skenderun harbours only. Bankia carinata was obtained only at skenderun harbour and the crustacean wood borer Limnoria tripunctata was found at Finike and skenderun harbours. All native tree species, except for the olive, were significantly damaged by fouling and boring organisms