Farm Zoning and Fairness in Oregon 1964 - 2014

Senate Bill 100 (1973) and the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission’s (LCDC) goals (1975) required: - Cities to adopt urban growth boundaries (UGBs) to contain sprawl, and - Counties to use zoning to limit 15.6 million acres of farmland to farm use, and 8.0 million acres of forest land to forest use. After eight statewide votes, many “fairness” adjustments by the legislature, and thousands of local debates, Senate Bill 100 has survived. More important, 36 counties and 241 cities have implemented LCDC’s Goals -- a nationally unprecedented state land use policy success story. Opponents said the law was unfair. They claimed limitations on farm and forest land would result in sweeping loss of market value. Opponents pushed to repeal or gut the law in nearly every legislative session, beginning in 1975. Failing there, opponents placed seven initiative measures on the ballot to repeal the law -- 1970, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1996, 2000, 2004. Three factors show Oregon’s land use laws have been fair for the vast majority of farm land owners: - Compensation: $5.75 billion compensation in the form of reduced property taxes, 1974 - 2014 (Table 19, p. 44); - Strong growth in farmland market value: 5.52% faster than the S & P 500 statewide, 1964 - 2012 (Table 6, p. 31); - ‘Fairness’ Adjustments and the Law: Oregonians believe in fairness. They also want Oregon’s land use laws implemented. Forty years of votes in the legislature and at the ballot box show Oregonians want the laws adjusted, not repealed, so fairness and Oregon’s land use goals both can be achieved. Section IV (pp. 4 - 13) describes how the legislature and the LCDC added numerous elements of flexibility to Oregon’s land use law to avoid or remedy unfairness. Opponents claimed Oregon’s land use laws were out of date, and had “ossified.” To the contrary, from 1975 - 2005, the legislature altered state, city, and county planning laws 1,071 times,2 likely more changes than to any other single body of state law

Measure 37: Is it doing what Oregon voters wanted?

When voters considered Measure 37 in 2004, what it would do was a guessing game. Moreover, arguments made to justify the measure were untested. Today, three years and 7,462 claims later, what Measure 37 would do is increasingly clear. In addition, new research shows two key Measure 37 justifications were myths. The Guessing Game Is Over. The 7,462 claims show Measure 37 would do some that proponents predicted, more that opponents feared, and some that surprised everyone: • 3,153 (42%) seek 1 - 3 homesites, what proponents predicted Table 2; • 4,309 (58%) demand subdivisions, what opponents feared; 2,854 on 364,462 acres of farm land averagin 128 acres • 944 on 145,133 acres of forest land averaging 154 acres • 421 on 7,102 acres in rural residential areas, averaging 17 acres • 90 in urban areas, • 61% of farmland subdivision claims are in the Willamette Valley on 131,629 acres of mostly “high value” land, averaging 75 acres. • The Oregon Department of Agriculture mapped these subdivisions and told the Legislature they would undermine agriculture in the North Willamette Valley and Hood River County. • The surprise: Development rights under a Measure 37 “waiver” are not transferable to third parties. Justifications Invalid. Studies published since the 2004 election show two key Measure 37 justifications were invalid. First, proponents argued zoning has reduced farm land values. One study found from 1965-2002 average farm land values in 21 Western and Central Oregon counties increased faster than the stock market; in Eastern Oregon values rose less strongly but still 41% faster than inflation. Two other studies found the value of regulated farm land in Oregon rose faster than unregulated land in Washington state, and California (see p. 27-28). Second, proponents argued land use laws have been unfair because the 1973 legislature provided no compensation for land use limitations. But new research found the legislature mandated property tax reductions in consideration of foregone uses on farm and forest land, and that those rural tax reductions -- financed by the 97% of taxpayers who live in urban and suburban areas -- total $4.9 billion, 1974 - 2004. Voter Intent Sidetracked. The 2007 Legislature assessed the new research and what the 7,462 claims would do, and concluded that, however technically correct they might be, agency and judicial interpretations of Measure 37 thwarted voters’ intent on two points: • Voters assumed waivers would be transferable, but the Attorney General and the courts interpreted Measure 37 to mean waivers are not transferable; 3,153 small claims have been held up for two years • Voters assumed landowners would be compensated for losses, but DLCD and the courts interpreted Measure 37 to allow thousands of subdivisions worth far more than what owner could have lost. Measure 49 Modifies Measure 37. To put Measure 37 back on the track voters intended, the Legislature proposed that all 7,462 claims go forward and receive transferability, that small claims be approved without proof of loss, and that large claims be limited, especially claims on high value land or in groundwater restricted areas: • 3,153 claims for 1-3 lots (42% of all claims) approved without proof of loss; claims for 4 or more lots may “amend down” to get that treatment; • 4,309 claims for 4 or more lots (58% of all claims) would be limited to: • 3 lots on high value farm or forest land, and in groundwater restricted areas; • 4-10 lots on other land, based on loss shown by a “before and after” appraisal, plus interest from the date of the loss to the date of the claim. The Legislature put its proposed changes to Measure 37 on the November 2007 ballot, in the form of Measure 49, and asked voters to decide: Which do I like: Measure 37 as interpreted, or Measure 37 as modified by Measure 49?Keywords: Measure 37, Subdivisions, Oregon's Measure 37, Land us

Restframe I-band Hubble diagram for type Ia supernovae up to redshift z ~0.5

We present a novel technique for fitting restframe I-band light curves on a data set of 42 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). Using the result of the fit, we construct a Hubble diagram with 26 SNe from the subset at 0.01< z<0.1. Adding two SNe at z~0.5 yields results consistent with a flat Lambda-dominated``concordance universe'' ($\Omega_M,\Omega_\Lambda$)=(0.25,0.75). For one of these, SN 2000fr, new near infrared data are presented. The high redshift supernova NIR data are also used to test for systematic effects in the use of SNe Ia as distance estimators. A flat, Lambda=0, universe where the faintness of supernovae at z~0.5 is due to grey dust homogeneously distributed in the intergalactic medium is disfavoured based on the high-z Hubble diagram using this small data-set. However, the uncertainties are large and no firm conclusion may be drawn. We explore the possibility of setting limits on intergalactic dust based on B-I and B-V colour measurements, and conclude that about 20 well measured SNe are needed to give statistically significant results. We also show that the high redshift restframe I-band data points are better fit by light curve templates that show a prominent second peak, suggesting that they are not intrinsically underluminous.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A (01/04/2005

Psychosocial, behavioral and clinical correlates of children with overweight and obesity

Background Psychological and behavioral correlates are considered important in the development and persistence of obesity in both adults and youth. This study aimed to identify such features in youth with severe obesity (BMI ≥ 120% of 95thpercentile of sex-specific BMI-for-age) compared to those with overweight or non-severe obesity. Methods Youth with BMI ≥ 85th percentile were invited to participate in a prospective research registry where data was collected on attributes such as family characteristics, eating behaviors, dietary intake, physical activity, perception of health and mental well-being, and cardiometabolic parameters. Results In a racially/ethnically diverse cohort of 105 youth (65% female, median age 16.1 years, range 4.62–25.5), 51% had severe obesity. The body fat percent increased with the higher levels of obesity. There were no differences in the self-reported frequency of intake of sugar sweetened beverages or fresh produce across the weight categories. However, the participants with severe obesity reported higher levels of emotional eating and eating when bored (p = 0.022), levels of stress (p = 0.013), engaged in fewer sports or organized activities (p = 0.044), and had suboptimal perception of health (p = 0.053). Asthma, depression and obstructive sleep apnea were more frequently reported in youth with severe obesity. The presence of abnormal HDL-C, HOMA-IR, hs-CRP and multiple cardiometabolic risk factors were more common among youth with severe obesity. Conclusions Youth with severe obesity have identifiable differences in psychosocial and behavioral attributes that can be used to develop targeted intervention strategies to improve their health

Tamoxifen for prevention of breast cancer: extended long-term follow-up of the IBIS-I breast cancer prevention trial

© Cuzick et al. Open Access article distributed under the terms of CC BY.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(14)71171-

Feasibility of Temporary Biventricular Pacing After Off-pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients With Reduced Left Ventricular Function

In selected patients undergoing cardiac surgery, our research group previously showed that optimized temporary biventricular pacing can increase cardiac output one hour after weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass. Whether pacing is effective after beating-heart surgery is unknown. Accordingly, in this study we examined the feasibility of temporary biventricular pacing after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. The effects of optimized pacing on cardiac output were measured with an electromagnetic aortic flow probe at the conclusion of surgery in 5 patients with a preoperative mean left ventricular ejection fraction of 0.26 (range, 0.15–0.35). Atrioventricular (7) and interventricular (9) delay settings were optimized in randomized order. Cardiac output with optimized biventricular pacing was 4.2 ± 0.7 L/min; in sinus rhythm, it was 3.8 ± 0.5 L/min. Atrial pacing at a matched heart rate resulted in cardiac output intermediate to that of sinus rhythm and biventricular pacing (4 ± 0.6 L/min). Optimization of atrioventricular and interventricular delay, in comparison with nominal settings, trended toward increased flow. This study shows that temporary biventricular pacing is feasible in patients with preoperative left ventricular dysfunction who are undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. Further study of the possible clinical benefits of this intervention is warranted

Search for nearby stars among proper motion stars selected by optical-to-infrared photometry III. Spectroscopic distances of 322 NLTT stars

Distance estimates based on low-resolution spectroscopy and Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) J magnitudes are presented for a large sample of 322 nearby candidates from Luyten's NLTT catalogue. Mainly relatively bright (typically 7 < K_s < 11) and red high proper motion stars have been selected according to their 2MASS magnitudes and optical-to-infrared colours (+1 < R-K_s < +7). Some LHS stars previously lacking spectroscopy have also been included. We have classified the majority of the objects as early-M dwarfs (M2-M5). More than 70% of our targets turned out to lie within the 25 pc horizon of the catalogue of nearby stars, with 50 objects placed within 15 pc and 8 objects being closer than 10 pc. Three objects in the 10 pc sample have no previously published spectral type: LP 876-10 (M4), LP 870-65 (M4.5), and LP 869-26 (M5). A large fraction of the objects in our sample (57%) have independent distance estimates, mainly by the recent efforts of Reid and collaborators. Our distance determinations are generally in good agreement with theirs. 11 rather distant (d > 100 pc) objects have also been identified, including a probable halo, but relatively hot (T_eff = 13000 K) white dwarf (LHS 1200) and 10 red dwarfs with extremely large tangential velocities (250 < v_t < 1150 km/s). Altogether, there are 11 red dwarfs (including one within 70 pc) with tangential velocities larger than about 250 km/s. All these objects are suspected to be in fact subdwarfs, if so, their distances would be only about half of our original estimates. The three most extreme objects in that respect are the K and early M dwarfs LP 323-168, LHS 5343 and LP 552-21 with corrected distances between 180 pc and 400 pc and resulting tangential velocities still larger than about 400 km/s.Comment: 19 pages, 14 Figures, complete Table 1 available on request from the first author, paper accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysic

Reducing the health disparities of Indigenous Australians: time to change focus

Background: Indigenous peoples have worse health than non-Indigenous, are over-represented amongst the poor and disadvantaged, have lower life expectancies, and success in improving disparities is limited. To address this, research usually focuses on disadvantaged and marginalised groups, offering only partial understanding of influences underpinning slow progress. Critical analysis is also required of those with the power to perpetuate or improve health inequities. In this paper, using Australia as a case example, we explore the effects of ‘White’, Anglo-Australian cultural dominance in health service delivery to Indigenous Australians. We address the issue using race as an organising principle, underpinned by relations of power.Methods: Interviews with non-Indigenous medical practitioners in Western Australia with extensive experience in Indigenous health encouraged reflection and articulation of their insights into factors promoting or impeding quality health care to Indigenous Australians. Interviews were audio-taped and transcribed. An inductive, exploratory analysis identified key themes that were reviewed and interrogated in light of existing literature on health care to Indigenous people, race and disadvantage. The researchers’ past experience, knowledge and understanding of health care and Indigenous health assisted with data interpretation. Informal discussions were also held with colleagues working professionally in Indigenous policy, practice and community settings.Results: Racism emerged as a key issue, leading us to more deeply interrogate the role ‘Whiteness’ plays in Indigenous health care. While Whiteness can refer to skin colour, it also represents a racialized social structure where Indigenous knowledge, beliefs and values are subjugated to the dominant western biomedical model in policy and practice. Racism towards Indigenous patients in health services was institutional and interpersonal. Internalised racism was manifest when Indigenous patients incorporated racist attitudes and beliefs into their lived experience, lowering expectations and their sense of self-worth.Conclusions: Current health policies and practices favour standardised care where the voice of those who are marginalised is often absent. Examining the effectiveness of such models in reducing health disparities requires health providers to critically reflect on whether policies and practices promote or compromise Indigenous health and wellbeing - an important step in changing the discourse that places Indigenous people at the centre of the problem