Small mammal survey on agricultural land during conversion and into full organic production

This report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference. Loss of food and suitable habitat due to modern intensive farming and the decline of mixed farming systems has lead to a reduction in numbers of small mammals on farmland in the UK. Organic production systems are believed to encourage biodiversity. Small mammal surveys were carried out on Coswinsawsin Organic Demonstration Farm in November 1999, April and November 2000 and October 2001. 50 Longworth traps were set in pairs at 5 metre intervals along a hedgerow and checked morning and evening for three days. Trapped mammals were identified, weighed and with the exception of shrews, marked by a small fur clip before release. The wood mouse was the most prevalent species trapped. Other species included the bank vole, the field vole and the common shrew. The highest number of shrews was caught during the April survey. No change in population size or species diversity was demonstrated

The health information technology provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

This installment of Law and the Public’s Health explores the comprehensive reforms contained in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, whose implementation is expected to transform the use of health information technology as part of Medicare, Medicaid, and public health practice

Nuclear Energy and Proliferation: Problems, Observations, and Proposals

The paper addresses policy issues related to the relationship between nuclear energy and proliferation, arguing for increased safeguards to secure such technology; it also examines the legal and political background of United States nuclear policy

A combined R-matrix eigenstate basis set and finite-differences propagation method for the time-dependent Schr\"{od}dinger equation: the one-electron case

In this work we present the theoretical framework for the solution of the time-dependent Schr\"{o}dinger equation (TDSE) of atomic and molecular systems under strong electromagnetic fields with the configuration space of the electron's coordinates separated over two regions, that is regions $I$ and $II$. In region $I$ the solution of the TDSE is obtained by an R-matrix basis set representation of the time-dependent wavefunction. In region $II$ a grid representation of the wavefunction is considered and propagation in space and time is obtained through the finite-differences method. It appears this is the first time a combination of basis set and grid methods has been put forward for tackling multi-region time-dependent problems. In both regions, a high-order explicit scheme is employed for the time propagation. While, in a purely hydrogenic system no approximation is involved due to this separation, in multi-electron systems the validity and the usefulness of the present method relies on the basic assumption of R-matrix theory, namely that beyond a certain distance (encompassing region $I$) a single ejected electron is distinguishable from the other electrons of the multi-electron system and evolves there (region II) effectively as a one-electron system. The method is developed in detail for single active electron systems and applied to the exemplar case of the hydrogen atom in an intense laser field.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, submitte

Aligning Forces for Quality: Accountable Care Organizations: Implications for Antitrust Policy

Outlines the accountable care organizations concept of financial and clinical integration in health care, proposals to formalize ACOs as a Medicare and Medicaid provider class subject to special payment rules, and implications for antitrust policy

Accountable care organizations: Implications for antitrust policy

This analysis examines accountable care organizations (ACOs) and assesses their implications for antitrust policy. Consideration of the antitrust implications of ACOs is timely. Both the House and Senate health reform measures contemplate the creation of ACOs as a new class of Medicare provider while providing parallel legal authority under Medicaid

Constructing the 'child at risk' in social work reports: a way of seeing is a way of not seeing

In the context of the changing relationship between children, parents and the welfare state, professionals have to deal with notions of the “child at risk”. In child welfare and protection, the issue of normative judgement in (risk) assessment and documentation is an essential area for exploration for social workers. We examine the practice of report writing in which future professionals exercise power while assessing, documenting, and judging the child as “at risk”. We report on a study about a fictional social work case conducted with 152 students in Belgium, in which we developed a rhetorical analysis of the “terministic screens” used in writing reports

Valuing Access to U.S. Public Lands: A Unique Pricing Experiment

We report the findings of a unique nation-wide experiment to price access to U.S. public lands. In 2004, the U.S. Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act mandated the creation of a new annual pass to cover all federal recreation sites that charge an entrance or access fee. Our task was to assist federal policymakers in determining an appropriate price for this new pass. Toward that end, we administered a national telephone survey to over 3,700 households and used contingent valuation to estimate households’ willingness to pay (WTP) for the new pass at different prices. Our innovative experimental design allows us to estimate three distinct components of hypothetical bias in order to calibrate our WTP estimates against actual purchasing decisions. In a sample of the general U.S. population – most of whom have little experience with similar federal passes – respondents tend to greatly exaggerate their WTP for the pass when contrasted with previous pass sales. A sample of recent pass purchasers, however, exhibits little bias, confirming other recent research showing that market experience can mitigate hypothetical bias. Calibrated for bias, our results indicate that the $80 pass price ultimately adopted by policymakers implies an increase of nearly 2.5$65, but a 4.5% loss in potential revenue absent any such pass.