Devolution or delegation? What the revolt of the metro mayors over lockdown tells us about English devolution

Michael Kenny and Tom Kelsey discuss the possible constitutional impact of the recent standoff between Andy Burnham and Boris Johnson. They explain why it will take a crisis of much greater proportion and longevity to pave the way for meaningful devolution within England. The public row between central government and the leaders of Greater Manchester over the ... Continue

Gambling on Revenue

My findings from my study have concluded that median age and subprime credit population were actually significant for every test when I thought they would be the least significant. If the evidence suggested is true Sedgwick county has a population that is focused on the younger population with higher credit scores when income is insignificant so this tells us that the college aged people with parents that have high credit scores are fueling casino revenue. Wyandotte county can be seen as the exact opposite because it is focused on the older population with higher income and higher credit scores. Ford County can be seen as focused on the lower income bracket because of higher poverty rates and lower credit scores. We can make conclusions about Crawford county Kansas Crossing Casino will continue to be successful and if we were able to run a test the results would suggest that all variables except unemployment will have positive relationships

Epeoloides pilosulus (Cresson) Rediscovered in Michigan, with Notes on the Distribution and Status of its Macropis hosts.

Epeoloides pilosulus (Cresson 1878) is one of the rarest bees in North America with only a handful of records since 1960. The last collection in Michigan was made in 1944. Epeoloides pilosulus is a brood parasite of Macropis bees, which until recently had not been collected in Michigan for several decades. Bee surveys in Midland County, Michigan have led to the rediscovery of E. pilosulus in this state – the first record in 74 years. Michigan becomes the fourth state where E. pilosulus has been rediscovered after Connecticut in 2006, New York in 2014 and Maine in 2016, and the sixth region in North America after Nova Scotia in 2002 and Alberta in 2010. State-wide bee surveys have also shown that the principal host, Macropis nuda (Provancher 1882), remains widespread in Michigan, and that Macropis patellata Patton 1880 is newly recorded for the state

Envirodevonomics: A Research Agenda for a Young Field

Environmental quality in many developing countries is poor and generates substantial health and productivity costs. However, existing measures of willingness to pay for environmental quality improvements indicate low valuations by affected households. This paper argues that this seeming paradox is the central puzzle at the intersection of environmental and development economics: Given poor environmental quality and high health burdens in developing countries, why is WTP so low? We develop a conceptual framework for understanding this puzzle and propose four potential explanations: (1) due to low income levels, individuals value increases in income more than marginal improvements in environmental quality, (2) the marginal costs of environmental quality improvements are high, (3) political economy factors undermine efficient policy-making, and (4) market failures such as weak property rights and missing capital markets drive a wedge between true and revealed willingness to pay for environmental quality. We review the available literature on each explanation and discuss how the framework also applies to climate change, which is perhaps the most important issue at the intersection of environment and development economics. The paper concludes with a list of promising and unanswered research questions for the emerging sub-field of “envirodevonomics.

Paflufocon B in reverse geometry design: For daily wear in myopia and myopia with astigmatism

The practice of Orthokeratology has been around since the invention of contact lenses. As techniques in manufacturing contacts have evolved, so have the results obtainable in Orthokeratology. The newer reverse geometry lenses have allowed practitioners to produce dramatic alterations in corneal curvature in a short period of time. This study was a prospective, multi-center, open-label, non-randomized study to determine the safety; efficacy and acceptability of a new reverse geometry lens design. Traditional orthokeratology lens designs have relied on spherical radii in the lens periphery to create the desired flattening effect. The study design incorporates a series of aspheric curves in the lens mid-periphery to permit better lens alignment with the aspheric peripheral cornea. All lenses will be manufactured in a FDA approved RGP lens material, Paflufocon B. The study will enroll 14 patients, all who are currently optometry students. Subjects must meet the eligibility as outlined in the investigational protocol. All patients will be fitted with the new lens design that is flatter centrally and steeper in the periphery. Scheduled follow-up examinations will be conducted at two weeks, one, two, and three months. after dispensing. Additional visits will be conducted at eight, twenty-four, forty-eight, and seventy-two hours after the three-month visit to determine the half-life of the unaided visual acuity improvement. It is hypothesized that the lenses are safe and effective and accepted by the usual population to be treated, for the reduction of the magnitude of naturally occurring myopia with refractive astigmatism when used according to the protocol of the study

Paflufocon B in reverse geometry design

The practice of Orthokeratology has been around since the invention of contact lenses. As techniques in manufacturing contacts have evolved, so have the results obtainable in Orthokeratology. The newer reverse geometry\u27\u27 lenses have allowed practitioners to produce dramatic alterations in corneal curvature in a short period of time. This study was a prospective, multi-center, open-label, non-randomized study to determine the safety; efficacy and acceptability of a new reverse geometry lens design. Traditional orthokeratology lens designs have relied on spherical radii in the lens periphery to create the desired flattening effect. The study design incorporates a series of aspheric curves in the lens mid-periphery to permit better lens alignment with the aspheric peripheral cornea. All lenses will be manufactured in a FDA approved RGP lens material, Paflufocon B. The study will enroll 14 patients, all who are currently optometry students. Subjects must meet the eligibility as outlined in the investigational protocol. All patients will be fitted with the new lens design that is flatter centrally and steeper in the periphery. Scheduled follow-up examinations will be conducted at two weeks, one, two, and three months after dispensing. Additional visits will be conducted at eight, twenty-four, fortyeight, and seventy-two hours after the three-month visit to determine the half-life of the unaided visual acuity improvement. It is hypothesized that the lenses are safe and effective and accepted by the usual population to be treated, for the reduction of the magnitude of naturally occurring myopia with refractive astigmatism when used according to the protocol of the study