Resource economists should do more cost analysis and less benefit analysis

In this paper I argue that Resource and Environmental economists are doing a disproportionate level of nonmarket valuation, "demand" or benefit estimation research, relative to what one could loosely call "supply" or cost analysis. By nonmarket valuation I mean deriving willingness-to-pay (WTP) values for unpriced goods and services. By cost analysis I mean economically oriented trade-off analyses e.g. estimating potential opportunity costs of managing forests to provide these goods and services. The first part of the paper reviews the basis of my skepticism of nonmarket valuation. The second part of the paper identifies why I believe cost analysis is a challenge, particularly in the context of ecological sustainability, and provides some examples of such work

1998 EASTERN ONTARIO ICE STORM MAPLE PRODUCERS' SURVEY: SUMMARY AND RESULTS

In August, 1999, a telephone survey of maple producers in eastern Ontario was conducted in order to gather information on the changes in their operations since the 1998 ice storm. This paper presents the findings of the survey. The results will be used in a larger study to examine the economic impact of the ice storm on maple producers in this region.Crop Production/Industries, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Trade-offs between wood supply and caribou habitat in northwestern Ontario

Woodland caribou habitat management in northwestern Ontario is a complex spatial problem. The Strategic Forest Management Model (SFMM), a linear programming PC-based planning tool being developed in Ontario, was used to examine the impacts of alternative management strategies on caribou habitat. The management alternatives investigated included the cessation of timber management and maximising the present value of wood production without any explicit concern (in the model) for caribou. Three major findings are worth noting: 1) trying to maintain prime caribou habitat within active Forest Management Units will come at a cost to wood supply but the cost will depend on the absolute amount of area affected and the spatial configuration of that land in relation to mills. The cost of maintaining caribou habitat in one management unit at a level about 25 000 hectares is roughly $324 000 per year (about 3 cents for each Ontario resident). The imposition of an even-flow constraint on wood production is in fact potentially more costly; 2) Given the region is heavily dominated by spruce aged 90 years and over, forest succession and fire disturbance will likely cause large declines in prime caribou habitat in the near to medium term (20 to 40 years) even if no timber harvesting occurs; 3) The complexities of the trade-offs in this resource management problem highlight the limitations of any single modelling tool to satisfactorily address all issues. Planners need to take advantage of a wide range of analytical techniques to quantify the issues and formulate integrated policies

The Roles of Electronic Books in the Transformation of Learning and Instruction

In order to better meet the needs of classes with Ebooks being involved in, Ebooks must be designed with a lot of special functions, which is called eTextbooks by the authors. The functions of eTextbooks, the class preparations and responsive teaching by incorporating formative assessment would help to transforming learning and instruction. Note-taking, bookmarking, annotating, and highlighting, working on assignments are the key functions of eTextbooks to follow students' study habits and to meet the requirement of instruction. The relevant management is the key issues to keep eTextbook running smoothly in class. Such as assignment distribution, note management, assignment management, searching, dictionary, synchronizing functions, copy contents or notes, print contents or notes, Internet connection, communicating with parents via Internet, eTextbook control by teachers, and contents transmission between teachers and students. If the teachers had more experiences with instructional design, they would be able to conduct better class preparation. Through integrating materials, devices and software compositely, learning outcomes would optimally meet the instructional objectives. Responsive teaching through Ebooks/eTextbooks, which meet the individual needs and strengths of diverse learners, takes the stance that curriculum developers in general and Ebook designers in particular must play a larger role in rendering the burden of customization manageable for teachers

A Qualitative Metasynthesis of Consultation Process Research: What We Know and Where to Go

Qualitative metasynthesis (QM) is a research methodology that permits the meaningful integration and interpretation of qualitative research. This study applies a QM approach combined with constructivist grounded theory methods, bolstered by several features of research credibility, to examine the state of consultee-centered consultation (CCC) and related relational, process-oriented school consultation research. A systematic search and retrieval process including two rounds of appraisal resulted in a final sample of 38 relevant studies from 1995 to 2014. Data analyses included two stages of coding/ theme development. Integrated themes suggest a number of considerations regarding consultation implementation including: system-level factors; consultation structure; consultee voice, social-emotional support, and learning; ecological orientation and cultural responsiveness; and consultation training. Future research priorities stemming from these themes are identified and elaborated upon, as are future applications for QM in educational research

MKID development for SuperSpec: an on-chip, mm-wave, filter-bank spectrometer

SuperSpec is an ultra-compact spectrometer-on-a-chip for millimeter and submillimeter wavelength astronomy. Its very small size, wide spectral bandwidth, and highly multiplexed readout will enable construction of powerful multibeam spectrometers for high-redshift observations. The spectrometer consists of a horn-coupled microstrip feedline, a bank of narrow-band superconducting resonator filters that provide spectral selectivity, and Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs) that detect the power admitted by each filter resonator. The design is realized using thin-film lithographic structures on a silicon wafer. The mm-wave microstrip feedline and spectral filters of the first prototype are designed to operate in the band from 195-310 GHz and are fabricated from niobium with at Tc of 9.2K. The KIDs are designed to operate at hundreds of MHz and are fabricated from titanium nitride with a Tc of 2K. Radiation incident on the horn travels along the mm-wave microstrip, passes through the frequency-selective filter, and is finally absorbed by the corresponding KID where it causes a measurable shift in the resonant frequency. In this proceedings, we present the design of the KIDs employed in SuperSpec and the results of initial laboratory testing of a prototype device. We will also briefly describe the ongoing development of a demonstration instrument that will consist of two 500-channel, R=700 spectrometers, one operating in the 1-mm atmospheric window and the other covering the 650 and 850 micron bands.Comment: As submitted, except that "in prep" references have been update

Boolean analysis identifies CD38 as a biomarker of aggressive localized prostate cancer.

The introduction of serum Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) testing nearly 30 years ago has been associated with a significant shift towards localized disease and decreased deaths due to prostate cancer. Recognition that PSA testing has caused over diagnosis and over treatment of prostate cancer has generated considerable controversy over its value, and has spurred efforts to identify prognostic biomarkers to distinguish patients who need treatment from those that can be observed. Recent studies show that cancer is heterogeneous and forms a hierarchy of tumor cell populations. We developed a method of identifying prostate cancer differentiation states related to androgen signaling using Boolean logic. Using gene expression data, we identified two markers, CD38 and ARG2, that group prostate cancer into three differentiation states. Cancers with CD38-, ARG2- expression patterns, corresponding to an undifferentiated state, had significantly lower 10-year recurrence-free survival compared to the most differentiated group (CD38+ARG2+). We carried out immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for these two markers in a single institution (Stanford; n = 234) and multi-institution (Canary; n = 1326) cohorts. IHC staining for CD38 and ARG2 in the Stanford cohort demonstrated that combined expression of CD38 and ARG2 was prognostic. In the Canary cohort, low CD38 protein expression by IHC was significantly associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS), seminal vesicle invasion (SVI), extra-capsular extension (ECE) in univariable analysis. In multivariable analysis, ARG2 and CD38 IHC staining results were not independently associated with RFS, overall survival, or disease-specific survival after adjusting for other factors including SVI, ECE, Gleason score, pre-operative PSA, and surgical margins

Hypopnea in pediatric patients with obesity hypertension

Obesity is associated with the development of hypertension but it is still not clear why hypertension is not observed in all obese patients. Obesity is a risk factor for the development of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in children. OSAS has been linked to the development of hypertension in adults and children. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that OSAS is one of the reasons that some obese children are hypertensive and some are not. The overnight polysomnography records of 90 patients (aged 4.2–18.8 years) were reviewed. BMI score [body mass index (BMI)/95th percentile BMI for age, sex, and race] was used to express the degree of obesity. The severity of systolic hypertension and diastolic hypertension were expressed as SBP score (systolic BP/the 95th percentile systolic BP for age, sex, and height) and DBP score (diastolic BP/the 95th percentile diastolic BP for age, sex, and height), respectively. OSAS was defined as more than one episodes of apnea per hour (AI) or an O 2 saturation associated with obstructive apnea of less than 90%. There were 56 obese patients; 42 were hypertensive and 40 patients were diagnosed with OSAS. The incidence of hypertension (68% vs. 30%) and obesity (75% vs. 52%) was higher in OSAS patients than those without OSAS. Compared with the non-obese patients, obese patients had a higher incidence of hypertension or OSAS, a higher BMI score , SBP score , DBP score , AI, hypopnea index (HI), and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). In obese patients, both SBP score and DBP score correlated positively with BMI score , arousal index, and HI. DBP score also correlated positively with AHI. Multiple regression analysis showed that HI and BMI score were significant independent predictors of SBP score or DBP score . Obese and hypertensive patients had a higher HI, AHI, and incidence of OSAS (64% vs. 29%) than the obese and normotensive patients. In conclusion, HI had a significant correlation with the degree of hypertension in obese patients, which could not be attributed to the degree of obesity. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that OSAS is one of the reasons why some obese children are hypertensive and some are not.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47825/1/467_2004_Article_1513.pd