THE TRANSITION FROM MARKET VALUATION TO INCOME VALUATION: INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL SHIFT ANALYSES FOR SOUTH DAKOTA

Agricultural land in South Dakota has traditionally been valued for property tax purposes by the market approach. Since this valuation approach relies upon comparable sales data, property values imitate trends in the agricultural land market. Interest in changing the state's market valuation approach to an income valuation approach surfaced in the late 1970's and resurfaced in the late 1990's amidst rising land values, structural changes within agriculture, and employment shifts to other industries. Agricultural land valuation pilot studies gained public attention since South Dakota, in the absence of a state income tax, relies upon sales tax, at the state level, and property tax, at the local level, to provide necessary revenue for public services. The 2002 statewide study addressed whether or not agricultural lands could be valued according to an income capitalization approach without creating any valuation shifts from the present market approach. This paper examines two types of valuation shifts identified during the study: 1) external valuation shifts between agricultural landowners and nonagricultural property owners and 2) internal valuation shifts between crop landowners and range/pasture landowners.Agribusiness,

National evaluation of Partnerships for Older People Projects

Executive Summary The Partnership for Older People Projects (POPP) were funded by the Department of Health to develop services for older people, aimed at promoting their health, well-being and independence and preventing or delaying their need for higher intensity or institutional care. The evaluation found that a wide range of projects resulted in improved quality of life for participants and considerable savings, as well as better local working relationships. • Twenty-nine local authorities were involved as pilot sites, working with health and voluntary sector partners to develop services, with funding of £60m • Those projects developed ranged from low level services, such as lunch-clubs, to more formal preventive initiatives, such as hospital discharge and rapid response services • Over a quarter of a million people (264,637) used one or more of these services • The reduction in hospital emergency bed days resulted in considerable savings, to the extent that for every extra £1 spent on the POPP services, there has been approximately a £1.20 additional benefit in savings on emergency bed days. This is the headline estimate drawn from a statistically valid range of £0.80 to £1.60 saving on emergency bed days for every extra £1 spent on the projects. • Overnight hospital stays were seemingly reduced by 47% and use of Accident & Emergency departments by 29%. Reductions were also seen in physiotherapy/occupational therapy and clinic or outpatient appointments with a total cost reduction of £2,166 per person • A practical example of what works is pro-active case coordination services, where visits to A&E departments fell by 60%, hospital overnight stays were reduced by 48%, phone calls to GPs fell by 28%, visits to practice nurses reduced by 25% and GP appointments reduced by 10% • Efficiency gains in health service use appear to have been achieved without any adverse impact on the use of social care resources • The overwhelming majority of the POPP projects have been sustained, with only 3% being closed – either because they did not deliver the intended outcomes or because local strategic priorities had changed • PCTs have contributed to the sustainability of the POPP projects within all 29 pilot sites. Moreover, within almost half of the sites, one or more of the projects are being entirely sustained through PCT funding – a total of 20% of POPP projects. There are a further 14% of projects for which PCTs are providing at least half of the necessary ongoing funding • POPP services appear to have improved users’ quality of life, varying with the nature of individual projects; those providing services to individuals with complex needs were particularly successful, but low-level preventive projects also had an impact • All local projects involved older people in their design and management, although to varying degrees, including as members of steering or programme boards, in staff recruitment panels, as volunteers or in the evaluation • Improved relationships with health agencies and the voluntary sector in the locality were generally reported as a result of partnership working, although there were some difficulties securing the involvement of GP

Price Variability at South Dakota Livestock Auction Markets

Livestock prices are established through various market channels, such as terminal markets and auction markets. Auction sales account for 74% of all cattle purchases and 64% of all cattle sales by South Dakota producers (Clauson, 1983). Livestock auctions are also an important market channel for feeder pigs, slaughter hogs and slaughter lambs. The major purpose of this research was to determine which factors, controllable or noncontrollable, have a significant impact on livestock prices established at auction market outlets in South Dakota. Factors to be tested include market location, month of sale, sex, weight, breed and lot size. Data on sale prices and selected characteristics of animals sold were obtained for each lot of cattle, hogs and lambs sold at seven auction locations in the second week of the months of January, May, August and November, 1981. The auctions were located in the South Dakota cities of Watertown, Huron, Yankton, Kimball, Belle Fourche, St. Onge and Sturgis. Most types of cattle (steer and heifer calves, feeder and slaughter steers and heifers, cull slaughter cows and cull slaughter bulls) were sold in all seven auctions. Data for heiferettes (first calf heifers culled from the breeding herd) were useful from only four auction locations (Huron, Belle Fourche, St. Onge and Sturgis) due to a very low number of heiferettes sold at the other three auctions

From aspecific to bispecific immunotherapy:immunomodulatory effects of interleukin-2 and T cell directed monoclonal antibodies in renal cell carcinoma patients

The aim of this study was to get more insight into the immunological effects of rIL-2 therapy in renal cell carcinoma patients. Special attention was given to the activation of T cells, since these cells appear to play an important role in the immune response against tumour cells. In addition, the immunological effects of the CD3 monoclonal antibody (MAb) OKT3 and the bispecific MAb BIS-1 were studied. The rationale for intravenous (iv) administration of OKT3 prior to IL-2 therapy was the in virro finding that this induces T cell activation. BIS-1 combines the specificities of the CD3 MAb RIV-9 and the MAb MOC31 directed against the carcinoma associated antigen EGP-2. The rationale for the iv administration of BIS-1 during IL-2 therapy was that BIS-1 could add specificity to IL-2 therapy and induce local T cell activation only at the site of the tumour. The immunological effects were studied by analysing the phenotypical and functional characteristics of peripheral blood lymphocytes before and during IL-2 therapy using flow cytometry, proliferation assays and ELISA. The results of this study may form a basis for further improvement of IL-2 based immunotherapy

Impact of Electronic Auctions on Health Care Markets

Electronic auctions can be applied in certain markets, but the effects on market structure, market behaviour and market performance are unclear. We analyzed the effects of a reverse electronic auction initiative, implemented by a new intermediary (CareAuction.nl), on the market for maternity care in the Netherlands in 2005 and 2006. After an unsuccessful start in 2004 as cybermediary in the care market between patients and care providers, CareAuction successfully moved in March 2005 to the care contracting market between insurance companies and care providers. We found small but significant effects on the price of maternity care (minus 2-4%), and significant effects on market structure (more care providers involved in the bidding processes) and market behavior (bidding behaviors and user preferences). We see good opportunities to improve health care market effectiveness for specific care services (non-emergency, elective, standardized care) and to further adapt the auction mechanism

Shifts in Agricultural Land Valuation in South Dakota: From Market-Based to Income Based Criteria

Agricultural land prices rise amidst increased demand from agricultural producers and individuals seeking land for recreational, speculative, or residential uses. Interest in changing South Dakota\u27s method of valuing agricultural land from a market-based to an income-based approach surfaced and resurfaced in the late 1970s and 1990s, respectively. Using results from two studies, we describe differences in land market conditions between these time periods and summarize the state and county valuation shifts resulting from adopting an income valuation approach. Specifically, we report internal valuation shifts between crop and pasture landowners and external valuation shifts between agricultural landowners and nonagricultural property owners

Covalent binding studies on the 14C-labeled antitumour compound 2,5-bis(1-aziridinyl)-1,4-benzoquinone. Involvement of semiquinone radical in binding to DNA, and binding to proteins and bacterial macromolecules in situ

2,5-Bis(1-aziridinyl)-1,4-benzoquinone (BABQ) is a compound from which several antitumour drugs are derived, such as Trenimone, Carboquone and Diaziquone (AZQ). The mechanism of DNA binding of BABQ was studied using 14C-labeled BABQ and is in agreement with reduction of the quinone moiety and protonation of the aziridine ring, followed by ring opening and alkylation. The one-electron reduced (semiquinone) form of BABQ alkylates DNA more efficiently than two-electron reduced or non reduced BABQ. Covalent binding to polynucleotides did not unambiguously reveal preference for binding to specific DNA bases. Attempts to elucidate further the molecular structure of DNA adducts by isolation of modified nucleosides from enzymatic digests of reacted DNA failed because of instability of the DNA adducts. The mechanism of covalent binding to protein (bovine serum albumin, BSA) appeared to be completely different from that of covalent binding to DNA. Binding of BABQ to BSA was not enhanced by reduction of the compound and was pH dependent in a way that is opposite to that of DNA alkylation. Glutathione inhibits binding of BABQ to BSA and forms adducts with BABQ in a similar pH dependence as the protein binding. The aziridine group therefore does not seem to be involved in the alkylation of BSA. Incubation of intact E. coli cells, which endogenously reduce BABQ, resulted in binding to both DNA and RNA, but also appreciable protein binding was observed