Introducing Preference Heterogeneity into a Monocentric Urban Model: an Agent-Based Land Market Model

This paper presents an agent-based urban land market model. We first replace the centralized price determination mechanism of the monocentric urban market model with a series of bilateral trades distributed in space and time. We then run the model for agents with heterogeneous preferences for location. Model output is analyzed using a series of macro-scale economic and landscape pattern measures, including land rent gradients estimated using simple regression. We demonstrate that heterogeneity in preference for proximity alone is sufficient to generate urban expansion and that information on agent heterogeneity is needed to fully explain land rent variation over space. Our agent-based land market model serves as computational laboratory that may improve our understanding of the processes generating patterns observed in real-world data

The Implications of Skewed Risk Perception for a Dutch Coastal Land Market: Insights from an Agent-Based Computational Economics Model

Dutch coastal land markets are characterized by high amenity values but are threatened by potential coastal hazards, leading to high potential damage costs from flooding. Yet, Dutch residents generally perceive low or no flood risk. Using an agent-based land market model and Dutch survey data on risk perceptions and location preferences, this paper explores the patterns of land development and land rents produced by buyers with low, highly skewed risk perceptions. We find that, compared to representative agent and uniform risk perception models, the skewed risk perception distribution produces substantially more, high-valued development in risky coastal zones, potentially creating economically significant risks triggered by the current Dutch flood protection polic

HIV/AIDS-associated beliefs and practices relating to diet and work in southeastern Uganda

To explore beliefs relating to diet, work, and HIV/AIDS among the Busoga of rural southeastern Uganda, a cross-sectional survey of 322 adults was conducted in 2007 in Mayuge district, Uganda. Of these adults, 56 were HIV-infected, 120 had a family member with HIV/AIDS, and 146 were in households without HIV-infected members. More than 74.2% of the adults knew someone with HIV/AIDS, and more than 90% correctly identified transmission modes and prevention methods of HIV. In total, 93.2% believed that a person with HIV should work fewer hours to conserve energy but all the three participant groups reported the same working hours. Also, 91.6% believed that a person with HIV infection should eat special nutritious foods, and the participants with HIV infection reported eating more fruits (p=0.020) and vegetables (p=0.012) than other participants. The participants expressed a consistent set of health beliefs about practices relating to HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS-associated beliefs and practices relating to diet and work in southeastern Uganda

To explore beliefs relating to diet, work, and HIV/AIDS among the Busoga of rural southeastern Uganda, a cross-sectional survey of 322 adults was conducted in 2007 in Mayuge district, Uganda. Of these adults, 56 were HIV-infected, 120 had a family member with HIV/AIDS, and 146 were in households without HIVinfected members. More than 74.2% of the adults knew someone with HIV/AIDS, and more than 90% correctly identified transmission modes and prevention methods of HIV. In total, 93.2% believed that a person with HIV should work fewer hours to conserve energy but all the three participant groups reported the same working hours. Also, 91.6% believed that a person with HIV infection should eat special nutritious foods, and the participants with HIV infection reported eating more fruits (p=0.020) and vegetables (p=0.012) than other participants. The participants expressed a consistent set of health beliefs about practices relating to HIV/AIDS

Land system science and sustainable development of the earth system: A global land project perspective

Land systems are the result of human interactions with the natural environment. Understanding the drivers, state, trends and impacts of different land systems on social and natural processes helps to reveal how changes in the land system affect the functioning of the socio-ecological system as a whole and the tradeoff these changes may represent. The Global Land Project has led advances by synthesizing land systems research across different scales and providing concepts to further understand the feedbacks between social-and environmental systems, between urban and rural environments and between distant world regions. Land system science has moved from a focus on observation of change and understanding the drivers of these changes to a focus on using this understanding to design sustainable transformations through stakeholder engagement and through the concept of land governance. As land use can be seen as the largest geo-engineering project in which mankind has engaged, land system science can act as a platform for integration of insights from different disciplines and for translation of knowledge into action

Biological, clinical and population relevance of 95 loci for blood lipids.

Plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides are among the most important risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) and are targets for therapeutic intervention. We screened the genome for common variants associated with plasma lipids in >100,000 individuals of European ancestry. Here we report 95 significantly associated loci (P < 5 x 10(-8)), with 59 showing genome-wide significant association with lipid traits for the first time. The newly reported associations include single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) near known lipid regulators (for example, CYP7A1, NPC1L1 and SCARB1) as well as in scores of loci not previously implicated in lipoprotein metabolism. The 95 loci contribute not only to normal variation in lipid traits but also to extreme lipid phenotypes and have an impact on lipid traits in three non-European populations (East Asians, South Asians and African Americans). Our results identify several novel loci associated with plasma lipids that are also associated with CAD. Finally, we validated three of the novel genes-GALNT2, PPP1R3B and TTC39B-with experiments in mouse models. Taken together, our findings provide the foundation to develop a broader biological understanding of lipoprotein metabolism and to identify new therapeutic opportunities for the prevention of CAD

What supervisors and universities can do to enhance doctoral student experience (and how they can help themselves)

Over the past two decades, there has been a flurry of government papers and policy reports worldwide calling for increased number and diversity of doctoral researchers and a broadening of the curriculum to meet the developing needs of respective national 'knowledge-driven' economies. This has been followed by position papers and best practice examples of employability skills development in boundary-crossing doctoral programmes, especially in response to these initiatives. However, there is a disassociation between this ample literature expounding the new doctorate with its broader remit, inclusivity and production of 'industry-ready' graduates, and the comparatively sparse literature on the doctoral candidates' experiences of their programmes and career readiness. Within this review, we briefly outline international government initiatives and examples of the responses by Life Science and Biomedical doctoral programmes to address these various challenges. Further, we explore the recent literature on the lived experience of doctoral researchers by examining their perception of the recent changes to the research context to make recommendations for universities and supervisors on how to better support an ever more diverse doctoral population for a wide range of career opportunities. Examples of how doctoral researchers themselves can make the best of currently available opportunities are also provided

Identification of recruitment and retention strategies for rehabilitation professionals in Ontario, Canada: results from expert panels

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Demand for rehabilitation services is expected to increase due to factors such as an aging population, workforce pressures, rise in chronic and complex multi-system disorders, advances in technology, and changes in interprofessional health service delivery models. However, health human resource (HHR) strategies for Canadian rehabilitation professionals are lagging behind other professional groups such as physicians and nurses. The objectives of this study were: 1) to identify recruitment and retention strategies of rehabilitation professionals including occupational therapists, physical therapists and speech language pathologists from the literature; and 2) to investigate both the importance and feasibility of the identified strategies using expert panels amongst HHR and education experts.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A review of the literature was conducted to identify recruitment and retention strategies for rehabilitation professionals. Two expert panels, one on <it>Recruitment and Retention </it>and the other on <it>Education </it>were convened to determine the importance and feasibility of the identified strategies. A modified-delphi process was used to gain consensus and to rate the identified strategies along these two dimensions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 34 strategies were identified by the <it>Recruitment and Retention </it>and <it>Education </it>expert panels as being important and feasible for the development of a HHR plan for recruitment and retention of rehabilitation professionals. Seven were categorized under the <it>Quality of Worklife and Work Environment </it>theme, another seven in <it>Financial Incentives and Marketing</it>, two in <it>Workload and Skill Mix</it>, thirteen in <it>Professional Development </it>and five in <it>Education and Training</it>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Based on the results from the expert panels, the three major areas of focus for HHR planning in the rehabilitation sector should include strategies addressing <it>Quality of Worklife and Work Environment</it>, <it>Financial Incentives and Marketing </it>and <it>Professional Development</it>.</p