Combining Household Income and Expenditure Data in Policy Simulations

Analysis of the distributional impact of fiscal policy proposals often requires information on household expenditures and incomes. It is unusual to have one data source with high quality information on both, and this problem is generally overcome with statistical matching of independent data sources. In this paper Grade Correspondence Analysis (GCA) is investigated as a tool to improve the matching process. An evaluation of alternative methods is conducted using datasets from the UK Family Expenditure Survey (FES), which is unusual in containing both income and expenditure at a detailed level of disaggregation. Imputed expenditures are compared with actual expenditures through the use of indirect tax simulations using the UK microsimulation model, POLIMOD. The most successful methods are then employed to enhance income data from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) and the synthetic dataset is used as a microsimulation model dataset

The Effect of Multiple Formats on Understanding Complex Visual Displays

Students in introductory science courses frequently have difficulty comprehending complex graphics such as contour maps. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI), because of its ability to convey the same information in different formats, may help students gain necessary graphic interpretation skills. This article describes a research project in which students practiced reading two temperature maps in either a standard black and white contour or a color-enhanced contour format. They were then divided into groups and tested using only standard contour maps. The tests examined comprehension of the distribution of sea surface temperature, oceanographic phosphate concentration, and brain activation. Results suggest that having students practice with differently formatted maps of the same information improves later comprehension of standard contour maps. Educational levels: Graduate or professional

Nurse Practitioner\u27S Beliefs Regarding Controlled Substance Prescriptive Priviledges

Prescriptive authority for controlled substances for advanced practice nurses has been a very controversial topic over the past years and continues to be an issue today. Research has shown that nurse practitioners prescribe medications appropriately but that barriers to nurse practitioner’s prescribing practices remain even th o u ^ legal authority has been granted. This descriptive study sought to describe the beliefs of nurse practitioners in the state of Mississippi concerning prescriptive privileges of controlled substances. Erickson, Tomlin, and Swain’s Theory of Modeling and Role-modeling (1983) provided the conceptual framework for this study. The research question asked in this study was as follows; What are the beliefs of nurse practitioners regarding controlled substance prescriptive privileges? A convenience sample of 80 nurse practitioners (Family, Adult, Gerontological, Pediatric, and Ob-Gyn) registered with the Mississippi Board of Nursing were surveyed using the Robertson’s Prescriptive Privilege Survey (RPPS). Responses to the instrument were analyzed using descriptive statistics including frequencies and percentages. Answers to open-ended questions were subjected to content analysis. While 60% of those surveyed would like to have some controlled substance privileges, a majority of nurse practitioners desired to continue to practice with some constraints regarding controlled substances. Nurse practitioners who do not wish to have the privilege to prescribe controlled substances cited issues of liability, responsibility, and competency as reasons not to prescribe. If nurse practitioners did have prescribing privileges, they would utilize them primarily to manage pain, cough, and anxiety for Schedules III, IV, or V Nurse practitioners believed that the inconvenience of not having controlled substance prescribing privileges was mitigated by collaborative physicians’ willingness to prescribe needed schedule drugs. Further research is recommended toexamine the prescribing practices of nurse practitioners in states with controlled substance prescriptive rights and to explore the attitudes and beliefs of physicians regarding controlled substance prescritive rights for nurse practitioners

The Impact of Victim Advocacy on the Prosecution of Domestic Violence Offences: Lessons from a Realistic Evaluation

This article explores the impact of a court-based advocacy service on the prosecution of domestic violence offences. The research, conducted as part of a PhD thesis, evaluated a team of Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) based within a Specialist Domestic Violence Court (SDVC). The author adopted the methodology of Realistic Evaluation (Pawson and Tilley, 1997) in order to understand firstly, any impact of the court-based IDVA service on court outcomes, secondly, how any such outcomes were achieved and, finally, in what contexts they occurred. As this article explores, effective victim advocacy has the potential to impact positively on the prosecution of domestic violence offences

Integrating Artful Practices as a Sustainable and Innovative Approach to French Language Learning

This study investigated the successes and barriers that surround the implementation of artful practices into French elementary classrooms within Ontario. The literature demonstrates that integrating the arts has many benefits, allowing students to become more engaged and kinaesthetically involved in their language learning. By examining the narratives of educators who use music and the arts as a teaching tool, this narrative inquiry explored the experiences of teachers integrating the arts into their teaching practices, and also identified the supports needed to implement more elements of the arts into the French programs of teachers who may not be implementing arts-based strategies. Along with my own personal narrative as a co-participant, the remaining 2 participants were engaged in their storied landscapes through qualitative interviews, focusing specifically on what Dewey (1938) refers to as the nature of experience. Particularly, the relationships between teachers and the arts, and teachers and French were examined to uncover how these relationships have affected their teaching experiences with this integration