Lone parent obligations: destinations of lone parents after Income Support eligibility ends (Research report no 710)

"As part of the Lone Parent Obligations (LPO) changes, from November 2008 lone parents with a youngest child aged 12 or over were no longer entitled to receive Income Support (IS) solely on the grounds of being a lone parent. Since then, the age of the youngest child has reduced to ten and over from October 2009 and seven and over from October 2010. Lone parents who are no longer eligible for IS have been able to move to other benefits as appropriate, including Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). The JSA regime has been amended to include flexibilities for parents, for example, in the hours of work they are required to seek. The aim of this evaluation is to explore whether and how lone parent employment interventions provide an effective incentive to look for paid employment, alongside an effective package of support for workless lone parents, to enable them to find, enter and sustain paid employment." - Page 1

THE TEXAS RICE INDUSTRY COALITION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT (R.I.C.E.): MAIN POINTS FROM SIX FOCUS GROUPS

The Texas Rice Industry Coalition for the Environment (R.I.C.E.) was formed in February, 1995. Their stated mission is to build a coalition of interests to foster and strengthen relationships between the rice industry and the natural resources of our rice-producing area in Texas. In June, 1995, a series of six focus groups was conducted. These round table discussions involved two groups of producers (from the East Side and West Side of Houston), two groups of environmentalists in the Houston area, and two groups of non-farming Houstonians (adults and children). These focus groups were structured to elicit opinions from various viewpoints concerning the opportunities, challenges, and priorities of Texas R.I.C.E. The goal of the two producers focus groups conducted on the East Side and the West Side of Houston was to determine whether Texas R.I.C.E.'s activities were widely known and to ascertain producers' viewpoints on the coalition's priorities. Producers were agreed on their key concerns regarding compliance with environmental policy - they face a cost-price squeeze and therefore one-size-fits-all regulations are particularly burdensome. Water quality and quantity were most often mentioned as key factors in the continued viability of the rice industry in Texas. Producers recognize the natural synergy between rice production and waterfowl habitat enhancement, yet they are concerned because waterfowl habitat places increased demands on scarce water. Rice producers are concerned about the public being largely ignorant and uninterested in the environmental benefits of rice production, and they endorsed two-way education between rice producers and environmentalists. No clear consensus emerged in the focus group discussions about the role for Texas R.I.C.E. in lobbying. Some rice producers see education and lobbying as conflicting activities and would prefer for Texas R.I.C.E. to focus on education. Others were positive about collaborative opportunities between rice producers' lobbyists and environmental interest groups' lobbyists. The two environmental focus groups were a mix of bird-watchers, hunters, hikers and conservationists. These environmentalists had a good idea of where rice is grown in Texas and knew that rice production is declining in the state. Their major concerns about the environmental effects from rice production were water usage and water quality, agri-chemical runoff, food and habitat for migratory birds, and trade-offs concerning wetlands. In sum, they appreciated that rice production makes a positive contribution to waterfowl habitat. They were concerned that lost Texas rice acreage will be replaced with urban land uses, thus reducing wildlife habitat benefits. They viewed rice production as being environmentally friendly compared with other types of agricultural production, such as cotton farming. They were favorably impressed that rice producers were taking the initiative to form a coalition. They were anxious to work collaboratively and offered several concrete suggestions about forums and issues for educational campaigns. They suggested that consumptive and non-consumptive users of wildlife habitat (such as hunters and bird-watchers, respectively) should compensate private landowners for allowing access. They acknowledged problems with adversarial attitudes going both ways between environmentalists and rice producers; they brainstormed about how Texas R.I.C.E. could help break down barriers. The general public adult focus group, comprised of non-farming Houstonians, established a general interest and awareness concerning rice production. However, the Houstonians participating in this focus group were uninformed about the waterfowl habitat benefits associated with rice production. They offered positive endorsement of the Texas R.I.C.E. effort and expressed sincere (and specific) interests in educational programming. The general public children focus group included several children from the Clear Lake area south of Houston. These children exhibited a natural inquisitiveness and concern regarding the environment and food safety. They were largely ignorant of commercial agriculture, excepting several recollections of "visits to relatives' farms." They expressed considerable interest in more agricultural-related curriculum being incorporated into their science and/or social studies curricula.Environmental Economics and Policy,

Landscape complexity and functional groups moderate the effect of diversified farming on biodiversity: A global meta-analysis

Homogenisation and intensification of agricultural ecosystems are among the most important threats to biodi versity, linked to declines in pollinators, soil biota and ecosystem functioning. Diversification has been proposed as a way to restore ecosystem functioning in agricultural landscapes. To manage agricultural land for multiple ecosystem functions, evidence is needed of the effect of diversification on functionally distinct taxa. We contribute to closing this knowledge gap through a global meta-analysis of 161 peer-reviewed articles addressing the abundance and richness of six distinct functional groups: autotrophs, decomposers, natural enemies, pests, pollinators, and other. We found diversified farming systems increased overall species richness by 26% on average, relative to simplified farming systems. However, the effect of diversified farming on the overall mean abundance was weak. Our study shows diversified farming systems enhanced the abundance and richness of beneficial species while reducing the abundance of pests (e.g., weeds, herbivores), thus providing benefits for both agricultural production and biodiversity. The positive effect of diversified farming systems on the overall mean species richness was stronger in farms in more simplified landscapes, i.e., those that are further from natural and semi-natural habitats or have a lower proportion of seminatural vegetation in a 1 km radius. Pol linator’s abundance and richness were highest in diversified farming plots located far away from natural and semi-natural habitats. In contrast, proximity to these natural and semi-natural habitats (<250 m) increased the positive effect of diversified farming systems on natural enemies’ abundance, while reducing the number of pests. Our results add to the body of evidence calling for the repurposing of policies, regulations, and interna tional agendas to promote, support and incentivize the adoption of diversified farming practices for supporting biodiversity. Spatial planning of diversification schemes should consider the landscape context of farms to ensure the greatest benefit of intervention

Patient characteristics, comorbidities, and medication use for children with ADHD with and without a co-occurring reading disorder: A retrospective cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have a co-occurring reading disorder (RD). The purpose of this research was to assess differences between children with ADHD without RD (ADHD-only) and those with ADHD and co-occurring RD (ADHD+RD).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using data from the U.S. Thomson Reuter Marketscan^®Databases for the years 2005 through 2007, this analysis compared the medical records--including patient demographics, comorbidities, and medication use--of children (age < 18) with ADHD-only to those with ADHD+RD.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Patients with ADHD+RD were significantly younger, more likely to have received a procedure code associated with formal psychological or non-psychological testing, and more likely to have been diagnosed with comorbid bipolar disorder, conduct disorder, or depression. They were no more likely to have received an antidepressant, anti-manic (bipolar), or antipsychotic, and were significantly less likely to have received a prescription for a stimulant medication.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Relying on a claims database, there appear to be differences in the patient characteristics, comorbidities, and medication use when comparing children with ADHD-only to those with ADHD+RD.</p

Urban case studies : general discussion

Urban case studies: general discussio

Multi-centre, randomised, open-label, blinded endpoint assessed, trial of corticosteroids plus intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and aspirin, versus IVIG and aspirin for prevention of coronary artery aneurysms (CAA) in Kawasaki disease (KD): the KD CAA prevention (KD-CAAP) trial protocol

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute self-limiting inflammatory vasculitis affecting predominantly medium-sized arteries, particularly the coronary arteries. A number of recent studies conducted in different European countries have demonstrated alarmingly high coronary complications despite treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). These high complication rates now emphasize the need for an urgent reappraisal of IVIG as the sole primary therapeutic agent for KD. The Kawasaki disease CAA prevention (KD-CAAP) trial will test the hypothesis that immediate adjunctive corticosteroid treatment to standard of care IVIG and aspirin will reduce coronary artery aneurysm (CAA) rates in unselected KD patients across Europe. Methods: KD-CAAP is a multicentre, randomised, controlled, open-label, blinded endpoint assessed trial that will be conducted across Europe supported by the conect4children pan-European clinical trials network. Patients with KD who satisfy the eligibility criteria will be randomised (1:1) to receive either oral prednisolone 2 mg/kg/day plus standard of care therapy IVIG (2 g/kg) and aspirin (40 mg/kg/day); or IVIG and aspirin alone. Further management is dictated by temperature and C-reactive protein (CRP) responses. Co-primary outcomes are as follows: (i) any CAA within the 3 months of trial follow-up; (ii) average estimate of maximum coronary Z-score at weeks 1, 2 and 6 adjusting for rescue treatment. Additional outcomes will be assessed including cost effectiveness, quality of life, corticosteroid toxicity and other safety outcomes. Discussion: Several recent studies have indicated that coronary complications associated with KD across Europe are much higher than early trials of IVIG had initially suggested. KD-CAAP directly addresses this issue by exploring the therapeutic benefit of adjunctive corticosteroids in unselected KD cases. If we find that corticosteroids prevent CAA and are safe, this is a cheap and widely available intervention that could be implemented immediately for the benefit of children. Trial registration: ISRCTN71987471- March 31, 2020; Eudract 2019–004433-17

Has land use pushed terrestrial biodiversity beyond the planetary boundary? A global assessment

Land use and related pressures have reduced local terrestrial biodiversity, but it is unclear how the magnitude of change relates to the recently proposed planetary boundary (“safe limit”). We estimate that land use and related pressures have already reduced local biodiversity intactness—the average proportion of natural biodiversity remaining in local ecosystems—beyond its recently proposed planetary boundary across 58.1% of the world’s land surface, where 71.4% of the human population live. Biodiversity intactness within most biomes (especially grassland biomes), most biodiversity hotspots, and even some wilderness areas is inferred to be beyond the boundary. Such widespread transgression of safe limits suggests that biodiversity loss, if unchecked, will undermine efforts toward long-term sustainable development

Theory and description in African Linguistics: Selected papers from the 47th Annual Conference on African Linguistics

The papers in this volume were presented at the 47th Annual Conference on African Linguistics at UC Berkeley in 2016. The papers offer new descriptions of African languages and propose novel theoretical analyses of them. The contributions span topics in phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics and reflect the typological and genetic diversity of languages in Africa. Four papers in the volume examine Areal Features and Linguistic Reconstruction in Africa, and were presented at a special workshop on this topic held alongside the general session of ACAL

Theory and description in African Linguistics: Selected papers from the 47th Annual Conference on African Linguistics

The papers in this volume were presented at the 47th Annual Conference on African Linguistics at UC Berkeley in 2016. The papers offer new descriptions of African languages and propose novel theoretical analyses of them. The contributions span topics in phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics and reflect the typological and genetic diversity of languages in Africa. Four papers in the volume examine Areal Features and Linguistic Reconstruction in Africa, and were presented at a special workshop on this topic held alongside the general session of ACAL

Theory and description in African Linguistics: Selected papers from the 47th Annual Conference on African Linguistics

The papers in this volume were presented at the 47th Annual Conference on African Linguistics at UC Berkeley in 2016. The papers offer new descriptions of African languages and propose novel theoretical analyses of them. The contributions span topics in phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics and reflect the typological and genetic diversity of languages in Africa. Four papers in the volume examine Areal Features and Linguistic Reconstruction in Africa, and were presented at a special workshop on this topic held alongside the general session of ACAL