Developments in Utilities Prices

Large increases in the prices of utilities have been a notable feature of consumer price inflation in Australia in recent years, and further large increases are anticipated over the next few years. The recent price rises reflect the move towards cost-based pricing, the need to replace and expand infrastructure to meet demand, and rising input costs. At times, these increases in utilities prices have had a significant effect on aggregate inflation. While international comparisons are not straightforward, the level of electricity and gas prices in Australia does not, however, appear to be particularly high compared with prices in a number of other advanced economies.Australia; utilities prices; consumer price inflation; electricity; gas; water

Trends in Labour Supply

The labour force has grown strongly since the mid 2000s due to both a rising participation rate and faster population growth. The increase in participation has been greatest for females and older persons, driven by a range of social and economic factors. At the same time, average hours worked have declined as many of these additional workers are working part time. The rise in population growth has mostly reflected higher immigration, with a larger intake of skilled workers and students adding to the labour supply.labour supply; population growth; immigration; migration; skilled migration; participation rate; services employment; household balance sheets; retirement intentions

Pattern separation and frontal EEG change as markers for responsiveness to electroconvulsive therapy

There is still a great deal that is unknown about various depressive conditions, though it is a very common affliction and cause of disability throughout the world. Not only do the underlying mechanisms of various types of depression remain uncertain, but the mystery of how different treatment options work and who will respond to them also persists. The aim of this study was to identify potential non-invasive biomarkers, to predict responsiveness to electroconvulsive therapy. Two hypotheses were investigated in this study. The first was that patient improvement from baseline on the neurocognitive, computer based pattern separation task prior to the third ECT treatment will correlate with a clinical antidepressant response. The second was that increased prefrontal slowing relative to baseline will correlate with a decrease in depressive symptoms. As a first step to validate this approach, a healthy control group performed both the pattern separation and EEG tasks once per week over the course of three weeks. Patient participants completed both tasks before their first ECT treatment, prior to their third treatment, and prior to their last treatment. A spectral analysis of EEG data was then conducted. Results indicated good test-retest reliability for the pattern separation task and EEG measurements across all three trials in the healthy control group. Results from patient data are inconclusive, but indicates that there is a change from baseline to subsequent trials for at least the EEG measurements. However, a larger sample size is needed to determine this. The limited results from this small patient sample suggest that these measurements may have clinical value in refining ECT treatment, and merit further study

Better Homes Week

A Better Homes Week has many opportunities for the home economics teacher to do some worth while work in Related Art. Some of you may have a rather vague idea as to what Better Homes Week means and how you may make use of it in your community

Influence of Resonances on the Noise Performance of SQUID Susceptometers

Scanning Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) Susceptometry simultaneously images the local magnetic fields and susceptibilities above a sample with sub-micron spatial resolution. Further development of this technique requires a thorough understanding of the current, voltage, and flux ( IVΦ ) characteristics of scanning SQUID susceptometers. These sensors often have striking anomalies in their current–voltage characteristics, which we believe to be due to electromagnetic resonances. The effect of these resonances on the performance of these SQUIDs is unknown. To explore the origin and impact of the resonances, we develop a model that qualitatively reproduces the experimentally-determined IVΦ characteristics of our scanning SQUID susceptometers. We use this model to calculate the noise characteristics of SQUIDs of different designs. We find that the calculated ultimate flux noise is better in susceptometers with damping resistors that diminish the resonances than in susceptometers without damping resistors. Such calculations will enable the optimization of the signal-to-noise characteristics of scanning SQUID susceptometers

Preface

This Dept. of Second Language Studies Working Papers is dedicated to the memory of Ok Kyoon Yoo. Students, friends, and faculty involved in this special issue would like to thank J. D. Brown for unhesitatingly offering the SLS Working Papers as a means for paying tribute to Ok Kyoon. The paper contributions are concerned with critical language studies in honor of Ok Kyoon’s commitment to social justice. Several of the contributors were either close friends or shared courses with Ok Kyoon. All are concerned with issues of power relations and equity that were central to Ok Kyoon’s academic and political work

Relationship of social characteristics and mass media exposure of Iowa farm women

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1463008

Rape, Resurrection, and the Quest for Truth: The Law and Science of Rape Trauma Syndrome in Constitutional Balance with the Rights of the Accused

Over the last several years, expert testimony concerning rape trauma syndrome has been widely employed by prosecutors to refute a defense of consent asserted by the accused in rape trials. Recognizing the probative value of syndrome evidence, some courts have concluded that when the state relies on rape trauma syndrome to resolve issues of consent, principles of fundamental fairness require that the accused be permitted to defend with the same evidence. However, when the accused is permitted to use rape trauma syndrome offensively, the social science intended to benefit victims of rape may be used to justify the resurrection of compelled psychological examinations and searching inquiry into a woman\u27s sexual past. Liberal admissibility of rape trauma syndrome proffered by the accused substantially undermines core values embodied in protective rape shield laws-laws designed to protect victims from the invasion of privacy, potential embarrassment, and sexual stereotyping endured by women who publicly prosecute rape. However, the author argues that allowing unlimited prosecutorial use of syndrome evidence while categorically precluding defendants access to the same social science is fundamentally unfair and unconstitutionally deprives those accused of rape the right to present a complete defense. In proposing a principled framework of admissibility, the author considers the social science supporting syndrome research, while balancing legitimately protected privacy interests of rape victims against the Sixth Amendment rights of the accused