Time-Varying Estimation of Crop Insurance Program in Altering North Dakota Farm Economic Structure

This study examines how federal farm policies, specifically crop insurance, have affected the farm economic structure of North Dakota’s agriculture sector. The system of derived input demand equations is estimated to quantify the changes in North Dakota farmers’ input use when they purchase crop insurance. Further, the cumulative rolling regression technique is applied to capture the varying effects of the farm policies over time. Empirical results from the system of input demand functions indicate that there is no moral hazard since North Dakota farmers will increase fertilizer and pesticide use in the presence of crop insurance. Results also indicate that farmers in this state will not increase the use of land.Farm Management,

SPRING FOREST QIGONG AND CHRONIC PAIN

A pilot study with 120 persons practicing thirty minutes per day using Spring Forest Qigong (SFQ) Level I demonstrated measurable health benefits. Participants completed symptom surveys at four time points and kept a practice record. Subjects (n=86) demonstrated significant improvement during the study period. This pilot study did not include a control group. The attrition group (n=34) was, however, utilized as a comparison group

The Nature of Infant Mortality in Norwich and the Effect of Illegitimate Death

In this report a hitherto unexplored source reveals the nature of infant death in one District of Norwich. The classic urban pattern of summer diarrhoeal death is an obvious feature. However, in this overwhelmingly artisan suburb the children of skilled workers stood a greater risk of death then their poorer neighbours. Yet it was illegitimate infants who fared the worse. The peculiar phenomenon of illegitimate mortality follows a distinct pattern set apart from the legitimate model. The inflationary effect of illegitimate death outweighed even diarrhoea in serving to keep infant mortality levels in excess of the national average

A Test of Two Models of Controllability in Institutionalized Older Adults.

The present study investigated contemporary and traditional theoretical models of controllability and their relation to outcomes such as depression and well-being among institutionalized older adults. Participants included 70 nursing home residents screened for absence of substantial cognitive impairment. They were administered measures of physical disability, symptoms of aging, depression, and well-being. Further, in addition to a traditional, global measure of locus of control, subjects were interviewed regarding their perceptions of control in four domains of living: meals, activities, privacy, and schedule, in order to assess the constructs proposed by the contemporary two-process model of control. Results affirmed the hypothesis that the contemporary two-process model of perceived control better explains the relation between control and adjustment among this group of older individuals. This finding not only provides empirical support for the further dimensionalization of internality proposed by the two-process theorists, but also lends credence to arguments for the use of domain-specific measurement instruments and techniques. Further, domain-specific control strategies including direct action (i.e., primary control), cognitive reappraisal (i.e., secondary control), and relinquished control themselves differentially predicted outcomes and were differentially employed by subjects overall and within different domains of living. Secondary internal control, involving covert emotion-management, was employed most often by older adults in this sample. Finally, subject characteristics such as physical disability and symptoms of aging were associated with control perceptions as well. Implications for future descriptive and intervention research in the area of control and aging were discussed

A Machine Learning Approach to Hierarchical Categorisation of Auditory Objects

With the advent of new audio delivery technologies comes opportunities and challenges for content creators and providers. The proliferation of consumption modes (stereo headphones, home cinema systems, ‘hearables’), media formats (mp3, CD, video and audio streaming) and content types (gaming, music, drama & current affairs broadcasting) has given rise to a complicated landscape where content must often be adapted for multiple end-use scenarios. The concept of object-based audio envisages content delivery not via a fixed mix but as a series of auditory objects which can then be controlled either by consumers or by content creators & providers via accompanying metadata. Such a separation of audio assets facilitates the concept of Variable Asset Compression (VAC) where the most important elements from a perceptual standpoint are prioritised before others. In order to implement such a system however, insight is first required into what objects are most important and secondly, how this importance changes over time. This paper investigates the first of these questions, the hierarchical classification of isolated auditory objects, using machine learning techniques. We present results which suggest audio object hierarchies can be successfully modelled and outline considera- tions for future research

Constant Comparison Method: A Kaleidoscope of Data

This paper will attempt to illustrate the use of a kaleidoscope metaphor as a template for the organization and analysis of qualitative research data. It will provide a brief overview of the constant comparison method, examining such processes as categorization, comparison, inductive analysis, and refinement of data bits and categories. Graphic representations of our metaphoric kaleidoscope will be strategically interspersed throughout this paper

The changing role of the local news media in enabling citizens to engage in local democracies

Using Leeds City Council in the United Kingdom as a case study, we analyse comparatively the changing role of local journalism in the public communications and engagement strategies of local government. Drawing on over 20 semi-structured interviews with elected politicians, Council strategists, mainstream journalists, and citizen journalists, the article explores perceptions of the mainstream news media's role versus new modes of communication in engaging and communicating with citizens. We evaluate the Council's perceptions of its online and offline practices of engagement with different publics, and focus in particular on their interactions with journalists, the news media, and citizen journalists. The article considers how moves towards digital modes of engagement are changing perceptions of the professional role orientations of journalists in mediating between the Council and the general public

Improving behavioral support for smoking cessation in pregnancy: what are the barriers to stopping and which behavior change techniques can influence these? Application of Theoretical Domains Framework.

Behavioral support interventions are used to help pregnant smokers stop; however, of those tested, few are proven effective. Systematic research developing effective pregnancy-specific behavior change techniques (BCTs) is ongoing. This paper reports contributory work identifying potentially-effective BCTs relative to known important barriers and facilitators (B&Fs) to smoking cessation in pregnancy; to detect priority areas for BCTs development. A Nominal Group Technique with cessation experts (n = 12) elicited an expert consensus on B&Fs most influencing women’s smoking cessation and those most modifiable through behavioral support. Effective cessation interventions in randomized trials from a recent Cochrane review were coded into component BCTs using existing taxonomies. B&Fs were categorized using Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) domains. Matrices, mapping BCT taxonomies against TDF domains, were consulted to investigate the extent to which BCTs in existing interventions target key B&Fs. Experts ranked “smoking a social norm” and “quitting not a priority” as most important barriers and “desire to protect baby” an important facilitator to quitting. From 14 trials, 23 potentially-effective BCTs were identified (e.g., information about consequences). Most B&Fs fell into “Social Influences”, “Knowledge”, “Emotions” and “Intentions” TDF domains; few potentially-effective BCTs mapped onto every TDF domain. B&Fs identified by experts as important to cessation, are not sufficiently targeted by BCT’s currently within interventions for smoking cessation in pregnancy

Exploring the role of pain as an early predictor of category 2 pressure ulcers: a prospective cohort study

Objective To explore pressure area related pain as a predictor of category ≥2 pressure ulcer (PU) development. Design Multicentre prospective cohort study. Setting UK hospital and community settings. Participants inclusion Consenting acutely ill patients aged ≥18 years, defined as high risk (Braden bedfast/chairfast AND completely immobile/very limited mobility; pressure area related pain or; category 1 PU). Exclusion Patients too unwell, unable to report pain, 2 or more category ≥2 PUs. Follow-up Twice weekly for 30 days. Primary and secondary outcome measures Development and time to development of one or more category ≥2 PUs. Results Of 3819 screened, 1266 were eligible, 634 patients were recruited, 32 lost to follow-up, providing a 602 analysis population. 152 (25.2%) developed one or more category ≥2 PUs. 464 (77.1%) patients reported pressure area related pain on a healthy, altered or category 1 skin site of whom 130 (28.0%) developed a category ≥2 PU compared with 22 (15.9%) of those without pain. Full stepwise variable selection was used throughout the analyses. (1) Multivariable logistic regression model to assess 9 a priori factors: presence of category 1 PU (OR=3.25, 95% CI (2.17 to 4.86), p<0.0001), alterations to intact skin (OR=1.98, 95% CI (1.30 to 3.00), p=0.0014), pressure area related pain (OR=1.56, 95% CI (0.93 to 2.63), p=0.0931). (2) Multivariable logistic regression model to account for overdispersion: presence of category 1 PU (OR=3.20, 95% CI (2.11 to 4.85), p<0.0001), alterations to intact skin (OR=1.90, 95% CI (1.24 to 2.91), p=0.0032), pressure area related pain (OR=1.85, 95% CI (1.07 to 3.20), p=0.0271), pre-existing category 2 PU (OR=2.09, 95% CI (1.35 to 3.23), p=0.0009), presence of chronic wound (OR=1.66, 95% CI (1.06 to 2.62), p=0.0277), Braden activity (p=0.0476). (3) Accelerated failure time model: presence of category 1 PU (AF=2.32, 95% CI (1.73 to 3.12), p<0.0001), pressure area related pain (AF=2.28, 95% CI (1.59 to 3.27), p<0.0001). (4) 2-level random-intercept logistic regression model: skin status which comprised 2 levels (versus healthy skin); alterations to intact skin (OR=4.65, 95% CI (3.01 to 7.18), p<0.0001), presence of category 1 PU (OR=17.30, 95% CI (11.09 to 27.00), p<0.0001) and pressure area related pain (OR=2.25, 95% CI (1.53 to 3.29), p<0.0001). Conclusions This is the first study to assess pain as a predictor of category ≥2 PU development. In all 4 models, pain emerged as a risk factor associated with an increased probability of category ≥2 PU development