Measuring Income Risk

We provide a critique of the methods that have been used to derive measures of income risk and draw attention to the importance of demographic factors as a source of income risk. We also propose new measures of the contribution to total income risk of demographic and labour market factors. Empirical evidence supporting our arguments is provided using data from the British Household Survey.

Measuring Income Risk

We provide a critique of the methods that have been used to derive measures of income risk and draw attention to the importance of demographic factors as a source of income risk. We also propose new measures of the contribution to total income risk of demographic and labour market factors. Empirical evidence supporting our arguments is provided using data from the British Household Survey.Income risk, demographics, panel data

Normal Pregnancy and Spontaneous Abortion: Some Immunological Aspects

Around one in five pregnancies end in spontaneous abortion. There are many causes for spontaneous abortion and these are discussed in this thesis. The body of a pregnant women has to tolerate a foetus which receives its genetic material from both parents, and as such is essentially an allograft. Normal pregnancy is therefor a complex challenge to the immune system. The cause of some abortions is unclear and it has been suggested that some abortions may be due to immunological factors. For this study blood samples from normal non pregnant women, normal pregnant women and women undergoing a spontaneous abortion were collected. Isolated peripheral blood lymphocyte cells from the various patient groups were set up in tissue culture. The cells were then stimulated with mitogens and the turn-over of cells and production of immunoglobulins was assessed. Measurement of some cytokine and thyroid antibody levels in the peripheral blood was carried out using enzyme linked immunoabsorbant assays (ELISA). Damage caused by the formation of reactive oxygen species, or free radicals, has been implicated in a number of pathologic conditions. In this study samples from the above groups were assayed for free radical scavenger levels. Compared to normal non-pregnant women, pregnant women were found to have lower IgG levels and raised free radical scavenger levels. Spontaneous aborters also had raised free radical scavenger levels, but no significant difference in IgG levels was detected. Cytokine levels were significantly different in non-pregnant or pregnant women compared to spontaneous aborters. Thyroid antibodies were not detected in the serum of either non pregnant or pregnant women. However, 4 out of 11 recurrent aborters (ie women who had suffered more than three spontaneous abortions) were found to be positive for thyroid antibodies. The significance of these findings is discussed

Testing for Budget Constraint Effects in a National Advisory Referendum Survey on the Kyoto Protocol

In contrast to providing standard reminders about remembering household budgets, does asking survey respondents about their discretionary income and its use affect their voting responses in a national advisory referendum survey? We explore this question using U.S. household data from a unique set of multi-mode random samples (telephone and Internet surveys), and an advisory referendum concerning the Kyoto Protocol. The contingent valuation method is applied to estimate household willingness to pay (WTP) for a split-sample treatment: respondents who only received a standard reminder of household budgets (control group) versus respondents who received two mental accounting-type questions on discretionary income and its uses (treatment group). Results indicate that the treatment significantly influences voting responses and lowers estimated household WTP.budget constraint, contingent valuation, Kyoto Protocol, mental accounts, referendum, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Exploring the Beta Model Using Proportional Budget Information in a Contingent Valuation Study

Using a set of random telephone and Internet (web-based) survey samples for a national advisory referendum, we implement Beta models to handle proportional budget information, and allow for consistency in modeling assumptions and the calculation of estimated willingness to pay (WTP). Results indicate significant budget constraint effects and demonstrate the potential for Beta models in handling mental-accounting type information.Beta model

Ethno-geochemical and phytolith studies of activity related patterns: A case study from Al Ma'tan, Jordan

Understanding Neolithic sites in southwest Asia is often difficult because of the lack of preservation of organic remains and the effects of various taphonomic processes that alter the original record. Here, we use an ethnographic approach to test the potential of using plant phytoliths and geochemistry to aid our interpretation of southwest Asian Neolithic sites. Our study of a recently abandoned stone and mud constructed village in Jordan, shows that for certain activity types, phytoliths and geochemistry can help distinguish different construction methods and functions, particularly for burnt areas, animal use areas and where there has been the addition of a specific construction material. For features constructed from the same source materials distinctions are more problematic. Geochemical and phytolith proxies were individually effective in distinguishing activity areas and construction materials, but signals were diminished when the statistical analysis was run on both forms of evidence combined. It is therefore recommended that the data from plant phytolith and geochemical analyses are subject to separate statistical tests and that the two sets of results are used in combination to interpret archaeological sites and their uses

A central role for G9a and EZH2 in the epigenetic silencing of cyclooxygenase-2 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Selective silencing of the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene with the loss of the antifibrotic mediator PGE2 contributes to the fibrotic process in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). This study explored the role of G9a- and EZH2-mediated methylation of histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9me3) and 27 (H3K27me3) in COX-2 silencing in IPF. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and Re-ChIP assays demonstrated marked increases in H3K9me3, H3K27me3 and DNA methylation, together with their respective modifying enzymes G9a, EZH2 and DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts) and respective binding proteins heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1), polycomb protein complex 1 (PRC1) and MeCP2, at the COX-2 promoter in lung fibroblasts from IPF patients (F-IPF) compared with fibroblasts from non-fibrotic lungs (F-NL). HP1, EZH2 and MeCP2 in turn were associated with additional repressive chromatin modifiers in F-IPF. G9a and EZH2 inhibitors and siRNAs and Dnmt1 inhibitor markedly reduced H3K9me3 (49-79%), H3K27me3 (44-81%) and DNA methylation (61-97%) at the COX-2 promoter. This was correlated with increased histone H3 and H4 acetylation, resulting in COX-2 mRNA and protein re-expression in F-IPF. Our results support a central role for G9a- and EZH2-mediated histone hypermethylation and a model of bidirectional, mutually reinforcing and interdependent crosstalk between histone hypermethylation and DNA methylation in COX-2 epigenetic silencing in IPF

Geoengineering and the Science Communication Environment: A Cross-Cultural Experiment

We conducted a two-nation study (United States, n = 1500; England, n = 1500) to test a novel theory of science communication. The cultural cognition thesis posits that individuals make extensive reliance on cultural meanings in forming perceptions of risk. The logic of the cultural cognition thesis suggests the potential value of a distinctive two-channel science communication strategy that combines information content (“Channel 1”) with cultural meanings (“Channel 2”) selected to promote open-minded assessment of information across diverse communities. In the study, scientific information content on climate change was held constant while the cultural meaning of that information was experimentally manipulated. Consistent with the study hypotheses, we found that making citizens aware of the potential contribution of geoengineering as a supplement to restriction of CO2 emissions helps to offset cultural polarization over the validity of climate-change science. We also tested the hypothesis, derived from competing models of science communication, that exposure to information on geoengineering would provoke discounting of climate-change risks generally. Contrary to this hypothesis, we found that subjects exposed to information about geoengineering were slightly more concerned about climate change risks than those assigned to a control condition