Intertemporal Equivalence Scales: Measuring the Life-Cycle Costs of Children

This paper provides a preliminary investigation into the lifetime cost of children upon a household's lifetime wealth. By comparing the lifetime cost function of a household with children compared to the lifetime cost function of a household without children, an intertemporal equivalence scale can be constructed. By allowing the rate of time preference to vary according to demographics, more specifically with the number of children, the demographic effect on intertemporal allocations can be examined. Solving the model as a function of wealth allows the estimation of the rate of time preference and lifetime equivalence scale in a single cross section of data without the need for panel data on expenditures. The model is estimated for Australian data and finds that households with children have significantly higher rates of time preference than those withoutEquivalence Scales, Intertemporal Cost Function

Design in wood

Design in wood [an exhibition of works by Robert Blacklow ... et al] Exhibition mounted by the Fine Arts Committee, University of Tasmania 7 leaves : ports. ; in cover, 29 cm

A Regular Demand System with Commodity-Specific Demographic Effects

Regular consumer demand systems almost invariably employ specifications that involve common functional forms in all equations. When applications involve crosssectional data it is often the case that demographic effects are important. However it is plausible that demographic effects are commodity-specific. In this case, there may be a loss of efficiency if a common functional form across commodities is imposed artificially by entering redundant explanators in demand equations for which specific demographic influences are unwarranted. This paper explores an approach to specifying a complete system of demand equations which is fully regular but which nevertheless allows for commodity-specific variation in the functional form of the demand equations.Consumer Economics: Theory, Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis, Demographic Economics

Characterisation of the heterotrimeric presynaptic phospholipase A<inf>2</inf> neurotoxin complex from the venom of the common death adder (Acanthophis antarcticus)

While Australo-Papuan death adder neurotoxicity is generally considered to be due to the actions of reversible competitive postsynaptic α-neurotoxins, the neurotoxic effects are often poorly reversed by antivenom or anticholinesterases. This suggests that the venom may contain a snake presynaptic phospholipase A2 (PLA2) neurotoxin (SPAN) that binds irreversibly to motor nerve terminals to inhibit neurotransmitter release. Using size-exclusion liquid chromatography under non-reducing conditions, we report the isolation and characterisation of a high molecular mass SPAN complex, P-elapitoxin-Aa1a (P-EPTX-Aa1a), from the venom of the common death adder Acanthophis antarcticus. Using the chick biventer-cervicis nerve-muscle preparation, P-EPTX-Aa1a (44,698Da) caused inhibition of nerve-evoked twitch contractions while responses to cholinergic agonists and KCl remained unaffected. P-EPTX-Aa1a also produced significant fade in tetanic contractions and a triphasic timecourse of neuromuscular blockade. These actions are consistent with other SPANs that inhibit acetylcholine release. P-EPTX-Aa1a was found to be a heterotrimeric complex composed of α, β and γ-subunits in a 1:1:1 stoichiometry with each subunit showing significant N-terminal sequence homology to the subunits of taipoxin, a SPAN from Oxyuranus s. scutellatus. Like taipoxin, only the α-chain produced any signs of neurotoxicity or displayed significant PLA2 enzymatic activity. Preincubation with monovalent death adder antivenom or suramin, or inhibition of PLA2 activity by incubation with 4-bromophenacyl bromide, either prevented or significantly delayed the onset of toxicity by P-EPTX-Aa1a. However, antivenom failed to reverse neurotoxicity. Early intervention with antivenom may therefore be important in severe cases of envenomation by A. antarcticus, given the presence of potent irreversible presynaptic neurotoxins. © 2010 Elsevier Inc

A Regular Demand System with Commodity-Specific Demographic Effects

Regular consumer demand systems almost invariably employ specifications that involve common functional forms in all equations. When applications involve crosssectional data it is often the case that demographic effects are important. However it is plausible that demographic effects are commodity-specific. In this case, there may be a loss of efficiency if a common functional form across commodities is imposed artificially by entering redundant explanators in demand equations for which specific demographic influences are unwarranted. This paper explores an approach to specifying a complete system of demand equations which is fully regular but which nevertheless allows for commodity-specific variation in the functional form of the demand equations

Presence of presynaptic neurotoxin complexes in the venoms of Australo-Papuan death adders (Acanthophis spp.)

Australo-papuan death adders (Acanthophis spp.) are a cause of serious envenomations in Papua New Guinea and northern Australia often resulting in neurotoxic paralysis. Furthermore, victims occasionally present with delayed-onset neurotoxicity that sometimes responds poorly to antivenom or anticholinesterase treatment. This clinical outcome could be explained by the presence of potent snake presynaptic phospholipase A2 neurotoxin (SPAN) complexes and monomers, in addition to long- and short-chain postsynaptic α-neurotoxins, that bind irreversibly, block neurotransmitter release and result in degeneration of the nerve terminal. The present study therefore aimed to determine within-genus variations in expression of high molecular mass SPAN complexes in the venoms of six major species of Acanthophis, four geographic variants of Acanthophis antarcticus. Venoms were separated by size-exclusion liquid chromatography under non-denaturing conditions and fractions corresponding to proteins in the range of 22 to >60 kDa were subjected to pharmacological characterization using the isolated chick biventer cervicis nerve-muscle (CBCNM) preparation. All venoms, except Acanthophis wellsi and Acanthophis pyrrhus, contained high mass fractions with phospholipase A2 activity that inhibited twitch contractions of the CBCNM preparation. This inhibition was of slow onset, and responses to exogenous nicotinic agonists were not blocked, consistent with the presence of SPAN complexes. The results of the present study indicate that clinicians may need to be aware of possible prejunctional neurotoxicity following envenomations from A. antarcticus (all geographic variants except perhaps South Australia), Acanthophis praelongus, Acanthophis rugosus and Acanthophis. laevis species, and that early antivenom intervention is important in preventing further development of toxicity. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved