Toxic Choices: The Theory and Impact of Smoking Bans

Smoking bans in the workplace and public places are now ubiquitous. While indices of such controls are commonly included in econometric models, there exists little theory that validates or analyzes them. This paper first proposes a theoretical model of maximizing behaviour on the part of smokers which serves as a vehicle to evaluate bans. It is a type of nicotine inventory management model where smoking during one phase of the day impacts utility in other periods. It also includes an intensity choice as part of the optimization. Calibrated model simulations suggest that, with the exception of heavy smokers, workplace bans have relatively minor impacts on smokers throughout most of the distribution due to substitution possibilities. We estimate quantile regressions using Canadian survey data for 2003 and .find that workplace bans have a surprisingly small impact on the number of cigarettes smoked. However, restrictions on smoking in the home are found to be of an order of importance greater, even when instrumented. The policy conclusion is that the effectiveness of workplace bans depends heavily upon whether there exist complementary restrictions on smoking in environments to which individuals may wish to switch their smoking following a workplace ban.Smoking bans, tobacco, nicotine, cotinine, intensity, quantile regression

A STUDY OF NEW HOUSE PRICES IN IRELAND IN THE SEVENTIES. General Research Series Paper No. 118, December 1984

The housing market in Ireland in the 1970s could be characterised as follows: --Snbstantial increases ill the price 9f new and secondhand houses were registered. Accompanying these were large increases in land prices. The rate of growth in both hmd and house prices generally outstripped the rate of increase in tile consunler price index. --Major changes in legislation governing building and in the direct and indirect subsidlsation of housing were implemented by successive governnlents. --The houses buih in the late ’seventies were very different in size, design and type ("estate" versus "one-ofF’) fi’om those buih in the early ’seventies. --The number of new houses built each year in the ’seventies was ahnost double the number buih in the early and mid-sixties. The purpose of this paper is, broadly, to examine tile reasons for these stylised facts. Further, the purpose is to analyse the events of the ’seventies with a view to offering some conclusions on tile eft]caw of government policies in relation to stated objectives. It is not the objective of the paper to analyse all aspects of the housing market. Tile focus of attention here is primarily upon the new private housing sector with an emphasis upon causative and ctuantifiable behaviour

The Economics of Smoking Bans

While the empirical literature on smoking bans is extensive, little theory has been developed. This paper examines the welfare impact of smoking bans in an economy where smokers’ utility is reduced by a workplace/public place ban. The government has two instruments - increasing the price through taxation, or limiting when the product can be consumed through a ban. Its ability to reduce smoking through taxation is limited by a black market where cigarettes are not taxed. We show that the quantity instrument (ban) is always welfareenhancing. The model has application to other addictive activities.smoking, workplace ban, public place ban, government control, taxation

Exsolution of catalytically active iridium nanoparticles from strontium titanate

The search for new functional materials that combine high stability and efficiency with reasonable cost and ease of synthesis is critical for their use in renewable energy applications. Specifically in catalysis, nanoparticles, with their high surface-to-volume ratio, can overcome the cost implications associated with otherwise having to use large amounts of noble metals. However, commercialized materials, that is, catalytic nanoparticles deposited on oxide supports, often suffer from loss of activity because of coarsening and carbon deposition during operation. Exsolution has proven to be an interesting strategy to overcome such issues. Here, the controlled emergence, or exsolution, of faceted iridium nanoparticles from a doped SrTiO3 perovskite is reported and their growth preliminary probed by in situ electron microscopy. Upon reduction of SrIr0.005Ti0.995O3, the generated nanoparticles show embedding into the oxide support, therefore preventing agglomeration and subsequent catalyst degradation. The advantages of this approach are the extremely low noble metal amount employed (∼0.5% weight) and the catalytic activity reported during CO oxidation tests, where the performance of the exsolved SrIr0.005Ti0.995O3 is compared to the activity of a commercial catalyst with 1% loading (1% Ir/Al2O3). The high activity obtained with such low doping shows the possibility of scaling up this new catalyst, reducing the high cost associated with iridium-based materials.PostprintPostprintPeer reviewe

Sustainable management of groundwater extraction: An Australian perspective on current challenges

Study focus: Our incomplete knowledge of groundwater systems and processes imposes barriers in attempting to manage groundwater sustainably. Challenges also arise through complex institutional arrangements and decision-making processes, and the difficulty in involving stakeholders. In some areas, these difficulties have led to water table decline and impacts on groundwater users and groundwater-dependent ecosystems. However, there is potential to improve the sustainable use of groundwater resources through improvements in management practices. We discuss some of the challenges, and present survey results of research, government, and industry professionals across the groundwater sector in Australia. New hydrological insights for the region: The highest-ranked challenge identified in the survey was the difficulty in determining regional-scale volumetric water extraction limits. This is surprising given the criticism in the international literature of volumetric based approaches for groundwater management, and the decreased reliance on this approach in Australia and elsewhere in recent years. Other major challenges are the difficulty in determining and implementing maximum drawdown criteria for groundwater levels, determining water needs of ecosystems, and managing groundwater impacts on surface water. Notwithstanding these gaps in technical understanding and tools and a lack of resources for groundwater studies, improvements in stakeholder communication should enable more effective decision-making and improve compliance with regulations designed to protect groundwater and dependent ecosystems

Molecular differentiated initiator reactivity in the synthesis of poly(caprolactone)-based hydrophobic homopolymer and amphiphilic core corona star polymers

Macromolecules that possess three-dimensional, branched molecular structures are of great interest because they exhibit significantly differentiated application performance compared to conventional linear (straight chain) polymers. This paper reports the synthesis of 3- and 4-arm star branched polymers via ring opening polymerisation (ROP) utilising multi-functional hydroxyl initiators and Sn(Oct)2 as precatalyst. The structures produced include mono-functional hydrophobic and multi-functional amphiphilic core corona stars. The characteristics of the synthetic process were shown to be principally dependent upon the physical/dielectric properties of the initiators used. ROP’s using initiators that were more available to become directly involved with the Sn(Oct)2 in the “in-situ” formation of the true catalytic species were observed to require shorter reaction times. Use of microwave heating (MWH) in homopolymer star synthesis reduced reaction times compared to conventional heating (CH) equivalents, this was attributed to an increased rate of “in-situ” catalyst formation. However, in amphiphilic core corona star formation, the MWH polymerisations exhibited slower propagation rates than CH equivalents. This was attributed to macro-structuring within the reaction medium, which reduced the potential for reaction. It was concluded that CH experiments were less affected by this macro-structuring because it was disrupted by the thermal currents/gradients caused by the conductive/convective heating mechanisms. These gradients are much reduced/absent with MWH because it selectively heats specific species simultaneously throughout the entire volume of the reaction medium. These partitioning problems were overcome by introducing additional quantities of the species that had been determined to selectively heat

Effectiveness of Denitrifying Bioreactors on Water Pollutant Reduction from Agricultural Areas

HighlightsDenitrifying woodchip bioreactors treat nitrate-N in a variety of applications and geographies.This review focuses on subsurface drainage bioreactors and bed-style designs (including in-ditch).Monitoring and reporting recommendations are provided to advance bioreactor science and engineering. Denitrifying bioreactors enhance the natural process of denitrification in a practical way to treat nitrate-nitrogen (N) in a variety of N-laden water matrices. The design and construction of bioreactors for treatment of subsurface drainage in the U.S. is guided by USDA-NRCS Conservation Practice Standard 605. This review consolidates the state of the science for denitrifying bioreactors using case studies from across the globe with an emphasis on full-size bioreactor nitrate-N removal and cost-effectiveness. The focus is on bed-style bioreactors (including in-ditch modifications), although there is mention of denitrifying walls, which broaden the applicability of bioreactor technology in some areas. Subsurface drainage denitrifying bioreactors have been assessed as removing 20% to 40% of annual nitrate-N loss in the Midwest, and an evaluation across the peer-reviewed literature published over the past three years showed that bioreactors around the world have been generally consistent with that (N load reduction median: 46%; mean ±SD: 40% ±26%; n = 15). Reported N removal rates were on the order of 5.1 g N m-3 d-1 (median; mean ±SD: 7.2 ±9.6 g N m-3 d-1; n = 27). Subsurface drainage bioreactor installation costs have ranged from less than $5,000 to$27,000, with estimated cost efficiencies ranging from less than $2.50 kg-1 N year-1 to roughly$20 kg-1 N year-1 (although they can be as high as $48 kg-1 N year-1). A suggested monitoring setup is described primarily for the context of conservation practitioners and watershed groups for assessing annual nitrate-N load removal performance of subsurface drainage denitrifying bioreactors. Recommended minimum reporting measures for assessing and comparing annual N removal performance include: bioreactor dimensions and installation date; fill media size, porosity, and type; nitrate-N concentrations and water temperatures; bioreactor flow treatment details; basic drainage system and bioreactor design characteristics; and N removal rate and efficiency

Cantú syndrome with coexisting familial pituitary adenoma

Context: Pseudoacromegaly describes conditions with an acromegaly related physical appearance without abnormalities in the growth hormone (GH) axis. Acromegaloid facies, together with hypertrichosis, are typical manifestations of Cantú syndrome. Case description: We present a three-generation family with 5 affected members, with marked acromegaloid facies and prominent hypertrichosis, due to a novel missense variant in the ABCC9 gene. The proband, a 2-year-old girl, was referred due to marked hypertrichosis, noticed soon after birth, associated with coarsening of her facial appearance. Her endocrine assessment, including of the GH axis, was normal. The proband's father, paternal aunt, and half-sibling were referred to the Endocrine department for exclusion of acromegaly. Although the GH axis was normal in all, two subjects had clinically non-functioning pituitary macroadenomas, a feature which has not previously been associated with Cantú syndrome. Conclusions: Activating mutations in the ABCC9 and, less commonly, KCNJ8 genes—representing the two subunits of the ATP-sensitive potassium channel—have been linked with Cantú syndrome. Interestingly, minoxidil, a well-known ATP-sensitive potassium channel agonist, can cause a similar phenotype. There is no clear explanation why activating this channel would lead to acromegaloid features or hypertrichosis. This report raises awareness for this complex condition, especially for adult or pediatric endocrinologists who might see these patients referred for evaluation of acromegaloid features or hirsutism. The link between Cantú syndrome and pituitary adenomas is currently unclear