bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effectiveness of Gentle Teaching
Authors: McCaughey R. E. , Jones R. S. P.
Published: August 2010

This paper critically examines the evidence for the effectiveness of gentle teaching. In the last five years the literature in the field of gentle teaching has been dominated by case studies pointing to the success of gentle teaching and by experimental research which failed to show such an effect. More recently there have been criticisms of some of the early experimental evaluations and some limited evidence for effectiveness under controlled conditions. It seems that in some circumstances gentle teaching can be successful. Future research must address itself towards the analysis of these circumstances rather than global and relatively meaningless questions regarding overall effectiveness.
Contemporary Issues in Choice Making for People with a Learning Disability: Part 1: Underlying Issues in Choice Making
Authors: Wilson Eve
Published: August 2010

The principles of normalisation have offered a radical change from compliance to autonomy for many people. Skill‐teaching in each dimension of the person's daily living activities has been promoted as the prime role of the carer. Yet developing the skills and awareness needed for choice making for both the carer and the person with a learning disability have been largely neglected. This article offers ideas for interventions which can be introduced at any stage of the person's development along with a more general look at the choice‐making process.
Sexuality and Personal Relationships
Authors: Leyin Alan
Published: August 2010

It is now almost ten years since the first guidelines on sexuality and personal relationships for staff working with people with learning difficulties began to appear in this country. This article takes a rather impressionistic look at general trends in the development and style of guidelines and discusses possible directions for the future.1
Primary Healthcare for People with a Learning Disability
Authors: Cumella Stuart , Corbett J. A. , Clarke David , Smith Beryl
Published: August 2010

The growth in the number of people with learning disability living in the community presents a major challenge to primary care services. There is a high prevalence of physical and mental illness among these patients, but disorders may be inadequately managed. This reflects problems of access to primary care services, and problems of liaison between services. Policy options for improving primary healthcare provided to people with a learning disability include: specific monitoring by FHSAs; improved training; clarification of responsibility for medical care; regular medical examinations; and improvements in information systems.
Caring for People with Severe Learning Difficulties in Ordinary Houses
Authors: Halliday Sabrina , Potts Maggie , Howard Andrea , Wright Judith
Published: August 2010

Evaluation of community care only rarely considers management issues and the stresses which arise from new work structures and situations. This study examined the changed role of community care staff and the support required to maintain an effective service. Group interview methods were employed. Factors identified as important stressors were working together in a smaller setting, being in the public gaze and the risk‐taking involved in client training programmes. It was suggested that meeting staff needs should focus on emergency cover, communication and consultation, and providing adequate training. Implications for management practices are discussed.
The Education and Training for Change Programme Part 1: In, But Not Of the Service
Authors: Cole Angela , Ezelle LesleyAnne , de Podesta Sean
Published: August 2010

This is the first of two papers focusing upon a new approach to staff development provision within Basildon and Thurrock Health Authority's service for people with learning disabilities. The ‘Education and Training for Change’ programme was set up in January 1990 on a contractual basis between the learning disabilities service (the purchaser) and a local HE College (the provider) which has since become a Polytechnic. Both the papers reflect on different aspects of the programme during its first eighteen months of operation, and attempt to draw some preliminary conclusions that may be of interest to other services.

This paper addresses the joint nature of the programme and the particular model of provision adopted, where the staff are ‘in, but not of the service’ i.e. sited in, but not employed or managed by the service. Some of the strengths and difficulties of such a model are highlighted, particularly as they apply during a time of organisational change, and the lessons we have drawn from our experiences are explored.
The Role of the Specialist Health Visitor in Aberdeen for People with a Learning Disability
Authors: Milne Kenneth M.
Published: August 2010

People with learning disabilities living in the community often experience lack of appropriate support to maintain a desirable quality of life. Health and social problems can and do cause those clients unnecessary problems which, in turn, produce stress on their carers. Community health visiting is an acceptable and normal service for all families. Part of the health visitor's role has always been the care and support of people with learning disabilities. It is desirable that health visitors supporting people with learning disabilities acquire specialist expertise but with only a few such clients on their case load, this is often difficult to achieve.

This paper describes the role of the specialist health visitor working with clients, carers, teachers in schools for pupils with special needs and other professionals in attempting to facilitate a better quality of life for people with learning disabilities. This holistic approach is present throughout the lifespan of persons with learning disabilities and therefore provides continuity of care and support.
A Social Competence Curriculum for School Leavers
Authors: Williams Adrian G.
Published: August 2010

Pen‐y‐Bryn senior special school for pupils aged 11 to 19 with severe learning difficulties in Swansea has designed and developed a Social Competence Curriculum for School Leavers. The curriculum is a three year course for pupils in the school aged 16 to 19. The course is pragmatic and community‐based and aims to provide a broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum in order to prepare pupils for life beyond nineteen years in their own community. The article describes and evaluates the key ingredients in the curriculum which was implemented for senior pupils in 1988. The aims of the course, the curriculum areas, teaching objectives, activities and experiences and the pupil's record of personal achievements were carefully designed and developed so that pupils would have the opportunity to leave school at nineteen with confidence and a sense of achievement.
A View from the Inside: A Day in the Life of Tom W
Authors: Bahlinger Volker , Walsh Peter G.
Published: August 2010

This article is an introspective account of a typical day in the life of an individual who has a severe learning disability, living in a residential complex in the West of Ireland. In addition to having a learning disability, Tom is also non‐ambulant and he currently lives in a bungalow in the grounds of a residential, village complex. The article is an attempt to describe a typical day in Tom's life from the vantage point of a service user.
Parental Input in Education: An Illustration
Authors: Alborz Alison
Published: August 2010

There has been much recent debate on the part parents may play in the education of their children. This debate appears to apply equally to special and mainstream education. The following article discusses some of the literature on the area of home–school links and presents an illustration of a boy with autism who, due mainly to his extreme non‐compliance, appears to have been incorrectly labelled as severely mentally handicapped. The perseverance of his parents and the open attitude of his present teacher challenged this assessment and the boy began to make good progress.
Comprehensive Disclosure of Compensation and Firm Value: The Case of Policy Reforms in an Emerging Market
Authors: Sheu Her‐Jiun , Chung Huimin , Liu Chih‐Liang
Published: August 2010

Abstract:  We set out in the present study to examine the market value of comprehensive disclosure of information relating to the compensation paid to directors and executives. Under the theory of self selection, firms with higher levels of board independence will tend to provide comprehensive disclosure of compensation, thereby leading to lower agency conflicts. Since the authorities in Taiwan chose to adopt a policy of gradual enforcement of compensation disclosure, firms are provided with discretion with regard to any greater levels of transparency that they may choose to provide. We therefore exploit this unique natural experimental setting to examine the effects of compensation disclosure on market value. The evidence indicates that the market provides a higher valuation only to those firms which elect to voluntarily disclose comprehensive information on their compensation practices. However, we also find that even where such disclosure is in excess of the minimum mandatory requirements, lower levels of transparency in the overall disclosure of compensation practices are of very little help with regard to the creation of market value.
Adolescent inpatient psychiatric admission rates and subsequent one‐year mortality in England: 1998–2004
Authors: James Anthony , Clacey Joe , Seagroatt Valerie , Goldacre Michael
Published: August 2010

Background:  Adolescence is a time of very rapid change not only in physical but also psychological development. During the teenage years there is a reported rise in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate age‐ and sex‐specific National Health Service (NHS) hospital inpatient admission rates for psychiatric conditions in adolescents in England, and to examine their mortality within one year of discharge.

Method:  Using a record‐linked NHS Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) dataset for England, and linked death certificates, age‐ and sex‐specific admission rates and subsequent mortality rates were analysed by single year of age for people aged 10–19 years.

Results:  There were similar numbers of admissions for males and females: 29,595 and 28,188 respectively. Admission rates increased substantially with increasing age, from .2 per 1000 population per year aged 10 years to 2.2 per 1000 aged 19 years. There was no appreciable difference in death rates for males and females in the year following discharge – males .23% (based on 68 deaths), females .18% (52 deaths). However, these death rates were significantly higher than those found in the general population of equivalent age: expressed as standardised mortality ratios (SMRs), setting the SMRs for males and females in the general population each as 100, the SMR in the psychiatric population were 518 (95% CI 402–657) for males and 937 (692–1225) for females. The diagnostic groups with the highest mortality were development disorders (SMR 3017, 95% CI 1757–4831), eating disorders (SMR 1103, 443–2272), and affective disorders (SMR 940, 589–1423).

Conclusion:  Adolescent psychiatric disorders represent a serious public health issue, with a steep rise in hospital admissions during the teenage years, and a six‐fold increased death rate within one year of discharge compared to the general population of the same age.
Language, ethnicity and religion: a complex and persistent linkage
Authors: SAFRAN WILLIAM
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT. Among the markers of ethnonational identity, language and religion have figured with equal prominence. In many cases, religion has been the bedrock of nation‐building; and even today, it is difficult to separate a number of national identities from their religious matrices. Religious identity is based on, and perpetuated in, narratives expressed in a specific language. Language and religion are related; in our secular age, however, that relationship is no longer consistent. The two may feed upon one another; language may substitute for religion; or religion may trump language. This article explores the varying relationships between language and religion.
Recognition or imposition? Federalism, national minorities, and the Supreme Court of Canada†
Authors: SCHERTZER ROBERT
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT. This paper makes two main arguments. First, federalism in Canada, properly conceived, is a system which evolves as a result of struggles over the norms of mutual recognition between territorially based groups. Second, if federalism is to work as a way of accommodating national minorities, the role of the judiciary in adjudicating this relationship must be taken into account, because it plays an integral role in the continuing contestation of the arrangement.

I begin with the ‘problem’ of national minorities in the nation‐state system and why federalism is espoused as a solution for alleviating tensions, focusing on Canada. I then turn to review the relevant jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) in adjudicating the federal arrangement. Finally, considering this jurisprudence, I reflect on why it is important to account for the role of the Court when promoting federalism to accommodate national minorities. I go on to argue that a dialogical approach to federalism, as opposed to a monological one, is best suited to do this.
Beyond ethno‐nationalism: emerging trends in Cypriot politics after the Annan Plan†
Authors: VURAL YÜCEL , PERISTIANIS NICOS
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT. Historically, conflict between the two communities in Cyprus has been characterised by the diverging demands of ethno‐nationalists. The introduction of the Annan Plan for the solution of the Cyprus problem has fostered new trends in Cypriot politics and a new alignment of the political forces on the island. This paper argues that the conventional ethno‐nationalist division and the left–right divide are no longer sufficient in understanding the conflict in Cyprus. The new dividing and unifying elements in Cypriot politics can be best understood through analysing the views of political actors on such issues as sovereignty, territoriality, identity and power‐sharing.
‘Buy and promote the national cause’: consumption, class formation and nationalism in Mandate Palestinian society1
Authors: BERNSTEIN DEBORAH , HASISI BADI
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT. This article deals with patterns of consumption and of advertisement, as a field for the analysis of two major processes in the Palestinian society of Mandate Palestine: the growth of an urban middle class and the consolidation of the Palestinian national movement. The advertisements, sampled from the popular daily paper Filastin, analysed in the context of political and economic events, highlight the complex interplay between nationalism and class formation, and the contradictory tensions between the two processes. A smaller sampling in al‐Difa' points to similar, though not identical, trends. This analysis also highlights new dimensions of the Jewish–Arab conflict by drawing attention to the semi‐private sphere of consumption which appears to have been less segregated than the more often studied political and economic spheres.
Hubris and melancholy in multinational states
Authors: RESNICK PHILIP
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT. The article sets out to explore the rather different roles that hubris and melancholy can play in the relations between majority and minority nationalities within multinational states. In the case of majority‐type nationalities, there is a sense of being a Staatsvolk, a feeling reinforced by linguistic, cultural, geographical, and political characteristics associated with the larger nation‐state. There may also be a sense of pride caught up with the larger identity between the nation‐state and the empire with which it is associated. For their part, minority‐type nationalities have been more prone to express their national sentiment in melancholic terms. Hence a tendency to dwell on lost battles of the past, on suppressed rebellions, on recurrent threats of assimilation and linguistic extinction. There may be elements both of hubris and of melancholy to national sentiment in multinational states, and the dialectic between the two colours their overall political development.
THE LEVEL OF RESERVE PROTEIN AS THE PROXIMATE FACTOR CONTROLLING THE TIMING OF BREEDING AND CLUTCH‐SIZE IN THE RED‐BILLED QUELEA QUELEA QUELEA
Authors: Jones P. J. , Ward P.
Published: August 2010

Changes in the fat and flight muscle protein reserves of adult Red‐billed Queleas Quelea quelea were followed in two colonies in Tanzania and Botswana. At the start of a breeding attempt the protein reserves were higher that at any other time of the year, particularly in females which had heavier flight muscles (non‐fat dry weight) than did the (larger) males at that time. The pre‐breeding increase in the labile component of the muscle protein (the actual protein reserve) is calculated at 80% for females, but only 14% for males. The fat reserve was only increased slightly at the beginning of the breeding attempt.

In both sexes, though for different reasons, the protein and fat reserves fell rapidly during the first few days of the attempt, in some individuals to dangerously low levels. During the incubation period there was rapid recovery while the situation during the rearing period appeared to vary between colonies.

It is proposed that the proximate control of breeding is provided by the individual's own body condition, and particularly the state of its protein reserves. No environmental releasers are required for the birds to breed at the appropriate time of the year.

Individual females producing two, three and four egg clutches differed in the rate at which their reserves fell during egg formation. The results are used to support the view that in this quelea the actual clutch‐size produced on any occasion is the largest the female can produce before becoming too enfeebled. Thus, clutch‐size appears to be determined phenotypically downward from a maximum which is indirectly under genetic control.
The hunting of migratory birds in Europe: a ringing recovery analysis
Authors: McCULLOCH M.N. , TUCKER G M. , BAILLIE S.R.
Published: August 2010

The hunting of 20 species of migratory birds in Europe and countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea was investigated using ringing recovery data. The intensity of the hunting of birds in each country was measured by the calculation of an index which controls for ringing effort and reporting rates. The hunting of birds was shown to be consistently high in western Mediterranean countries, particularly in southern France, northern and southwestern Iberia, northern Italy and in northwest Africa. Geographical patterns in the relative magnitude of hunting indices for different breeding populations were species‐specific. In Europe most birds are taken during autumn and winter but in North Africa hunting is almost equally prevalent in spring. All species investigated, other than those that remain legitimate quarry species, showed a general reduction in index values after 1980. Analysis of long‐term trends in index values since 1950 indicated a statistically significant overall decrease in the hunting of the majority of species. These changes are thought to be at least partly attributable to a real decline in the taking of birds but they may also reflect changed attitudes to reporting the hunting of species which are now protected. This analysis provides the first quantitative Europe‐wide assessment of geographical and temporal trends in the hunting of migratory birds.
Male parental care promotes early fledging in an open‐nester, the Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus
Authors: BJ0RNSTAD GRO , LIFJELD JAN T.
Published: August 2010

The importance of male parental care to female reproductive success was investigated in the monogamous Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus by removing the male parent at two different stages of the breeding cycle. Females that were widowed at the start of egg‐laying continued breeding and managed to raise their brood on their own with no apparent reductions in numbers fledged or fledgling body‐mass. The widowed females compensated for the loss of male assistance by increasing their own food provisioning rate as compared with control females. However, widows spent less time brooding the small young, and the growth rate of nestlings was reduced. In nests where the male parent was removed 7 days after the eggs hatched, the subsequent growth rate of nestlings was still affected, which suggests that male care is influential throughout the nestling period. On average, broods reared by widows fledged 2 days later than did broods of control females. An extension of the nestling period may appreciably affect reproductive success, since 68% of nests failed due to predation, mostly during the nestling period. We suggest that the main role of male parental care in the Willow Warbler is to assure a high growth rate of nestlings, which leads to early fledging and hence a reduced risk of nest predation.
Diet of the King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus during three summers at South Georgia
Authors: OLSSON OLOF , NORTH5 A. W.
Published: August 2010

King Penguins Aptenodytes patagonicus which were rearing chicks were studied during three summers from November 1991 to March 1994 at South Georgia. Stomach samples (n=115) collected by flushing had a mean mass of 1308 g. Fish mass was allocated to each species based on the relationship between fish mass and otolith length. Three mesopelagic lanternfishes (Myctophidae), Krefftichthys anderssoni, Electrona carlsbergi and Protomyctophum choriodon, dominated the diet both by numbers and mass. They were small fish with mean mass of 3–7 g. Overall, K. anderssoni dominated the diet in terms of numbers and mass. Although Barracudina Notolepis coatsi occurred in <3% of the diet by numbers, it was large (106 g) and was second most important in terms of mass. Squid represented <3% of the diet by mass. Although the chick‐rearing success was poor in the 1993–1994 summer, meal size was not reduced but foraging trips were longer. In the 1993–1994 summer, a larger proportion of the otoliths were not identifiable because they were more completely digested. Fewer otoliths were identified as being those of K. anderssoni, but we argue that about 90% of the unidentified otoliths were K. anderssoni. There was also more squid and N. coatsi in the diet during the poor summer. A consistent trend was that P. choriodon was rare or absent in early summer but more important later in the year, and at the end of 1992–1993, it was the dominant prey. We conclude that myctophid fish, especially K. anderssoni, are the main summer prey of King Penguins rearing chicks at South Georgia, as found in other recent studies in the Southern Ocean.
Correcting eggshell indices of raptor eggs for hole size and eccentricity
Authors: NYGÅRD TORGEIR
Published: August 2010

Eggshell thickness is often expressed by means of an index based on the length, breadth and weight of the shell. The effect of the blow‐hole and egg eccentricity on Ratcliffe's shell thickness index was investigated in a sample of 585 eggs from six raptor species. Corrections for the size of the hole and egg eccentricity are proposed, as is a combined formula to correct both sources of error at the same time. It is shown that by using these formulae, considerable improvements in estimates of shell thinning are obtained. These may be especially useful when sample sizes are small, which is often the case when working with species that have been reduced in numbers.
Biannual complete moult in the Black‐chested Prinia Prinia flavicans
Authors: HERREMANS M.
Published: August 2010

The Black‐chested PriniaPrinia flavicansshows two distinctive periods each year during which adult birds undergo a complete moult: there is a fast moult (about 67 days) in spring (September‐November) involving all birds simultaneously and a slower moult (about 108 days) in autumn (February‐June), when about 95% of adults are moulting during April. A biannual complete moult pattern was also shown to occur in individual birds. The pattern of secondary replacement was variable and unusual for a passerine; the majority replaced S8 to S5/S4 descendantly, or had feathers being renewed ascendantly amongst S4‐S7 before the ascendant series starting from the outermost secondary reached the middle secondaries. The descendant series tended to be longer during the autumn moult with S4 most frequently being the last to be replaced in autumn, but S5 last in spring. Breeding was erratic during summer in response to rains and sometimes overlapped extensively with moulting, the onset of which was less variably timed. When breeding occurred during the autumn moult, the new plumage was not the usual winter plumage (without the chest‐band), but a new summer plumage.
Constraints on, and determinants of, the annual number of breeding attempts in the multi‐brooded Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
Authors: WEGGLER MARTIN
Published: August 2010

With reference to models predicting patterns of reproduction in multi‐brooded species, I analysed some of the factors potentially affecting the number of breeding attempts per season made by female Black RedstartsPhoenicurus ochrurosin the central Swiss Alps. The maximum number of successful broods per female per season was three, the median two. The proportion of females initiating only a single clutch per season varied from 16 to 58% over 10 years. Variation in the frequency of single brooding between years was positively related to the date of the onset of breeding. Egg‐laying started after a temperature‐related threshold value was crossed in April. Females frequently re‐nested before fledglings of the previous brood were independent. Short interbrood intervals were associated with triple brooding. The interbrood interval shortened during the breeding season. Intra‐individual variation in the number of breeding attempts per season was partitioned according to female age, laying date of the season's first egg (standardized in relation to the median date of first laying within a year) and the occurrence of breeding failures before the ultimate nesting attempt. However, mortality during the season often terminated breeding early, in particular among novice breeder females. Seasonal reproductive success increased linearly with each additional breeding attempt. The productivity of a breeding attempt was independent of the time in the season. Increased reproductive effort affected neither current or future survival nor reproduction of females. The reproductive patterns and trade‐offs in multi‐brooded Black Redstarts contrast in many aspects with those found in single‐brooded species. They are in accordance with models predicting that multi‐brooded species are selected to start breeding as early as possible, continue breeding for as long as conditions are suitable, and save time by overlapping broods.
Nitrate leaching and pasture yields following the application of dairy shed effluent or ammonium fertilizer under spray or flood irrigation: results of a lysimeter study
Authors: Di H.J. , Cameron K.C. , Moore S. , Smith N.P.
Published: August 2010

Abstract. Nitrate leaching and pasture (Lolium perenne / Trifolium repens) yields were measured on monolith lysimeters (80 cm diam. × 120 cm depth) of a Templeton sandy loam soil (Udic Ustochrept), following repeated applications of dairy shed effluent (DSE) or ammonium fertilizer (NH4Cl), under spray (50 mm/month) or flood (100 mm/month) irrigation. Applications of DSE at 400 kg N/ha per annum resulted in significantly less nitrate leaching (8–25 kg N/ha per yr) compared with NH4Cl (28–48kg N/ha per yr) (P < 0.01). Over the two year period, the total mineral N (predominantly nitrate) leached was equivalent to 2.5–3.7% of the total N applied in the DSE and 8.7–9.8% of the N applied in the NH4Cl. There was a trend of slightly less nitrate leaching under the flood irrigation than under the spray irrigation, probably because of the greater potential for denitrification under the wetter conditions. Average nitrate concentrations in the leachate were generally below the drinking water standard except in the NH4Cl treatment under spray irrigation where it averaged 10 mg NO3‐N/l over the two year period. DSE was equally as effective as NH4Cl in stimulating pasture dry matter production. Annual nitrogen uptakes were similar for the DSE (343 kg N/ha) and NH4Cl (332–344kg N/ha) treatments in the first year but were higher in the DSE (361–412 kg N/ha) than in the NH4Cl (324–340 kg N/ha) treatments in the second year. Pasture uptakes of phosphorus and sulphur were also higher in the DSE than in the NH4Cl treatments in the second year. The results emphasize the need to set different regulatory limits for land application of organic wastes of various types and for N fertilizers.
Modelling of soil nutrient budgets: an assessment of agricultural sustainability in Nepal
Authors: Brown S. , Schreier H. , Shah P.B. , Lavkulich L.M.
Published: August 2010

Abstract. Sustaining soil fertility under agricultural intensification and expansion onto marginal lands is a significant challenge in the Nepalese Middle Mountains. In a detailed watershed study it was shown that the overall soil fertility is poor, forest soils display the poorest conditions as a result of biomass removal, and sustaining agriculture is questionable due to the transformation from traditional to multiple cropping systems. Parent material is a significant factor influencing low phosphorus status while insufficient inputs create deficiencies in total carbon, nitrogen and bases. A nutrient budget model was developed to assess inputs, redistribution and losses relative to soil fertility. Yield, input and management data obtained from farm interviews, and soil analysis data were used in the calculation of nutrient budgets. Results from modelling indicate declining soil fertility under rainfed agriculture, forest and rangelands, and marginal conditions under irrigated agriculture subject to intensive cultivation. Nutrient deficits were relatively low for irrigated rice‐wheat systems, which benefit from nutrient inputs via sediments and irrigation waters, but the introduction of triple cropping showed greater deficits. Nutrient balances were most critical under rainfed maize production where 94% of the farms were in deficit. Current shortages of organic matter make elimination of nutrient deficits problematic but improvement of composting, biological N‐fixation and fertilizer efficiency and reducing erosion were found to be potential options.
Buffering capacity of cashew soils in South Eastern Tanzania
Authors: Dondeyne S. , Ngatunga E.L. , Cools N. , Dondeyne S. , Deckers J.A. , Merckx R.
Published: August 2010

Abstract. Cashew soils of South Eastern Tanzania become acidified due to sulphur used for controlling powdery mildew disease (Oidium anacardii Noack). The buffering capacity of surface and subsurface horizons of 35 soil profiles of major cashew growing areas –‐ the Makonde plateau, its piedmont and inland plains –‐ was studied. The buffering capacity of surface and subsurface horizons was strongly correlated with clay content and weakly with organic carbon content. In addition, it was only weakly correlated with total exchangeable bases and available P of the surface horizon, but strongly with soil pH, base saturation and cation exchange capacity of the clay fraction of the subsurface horizon. Highly weathered sandy soils, dominant on the Makonde plateau and common on the Piedmont, had the lowest buffering capacity. Soils from the inland plains had better buffering capacities as they are generally more clayey or are less weathered. The risk of severe acidification and of a decline in productivity of cashew and of food crops is highest on the Makonde plateau. Further development and dissemination of methods which can reduce the use of sulphur are required.
Evaluation of two N cycle models for the prediction of N mineralization from grassland soils in the UK
Authors: Bhogal A. , Bhogal A. , Shepherd M.A. , Hatch D.J. , Brown L. , Jarvis S.C.
Published: August 2010

Abstract. The ability of two nitrogen cycle models, of contrasting complexity, to predict N mineralization from a range of grassland soils in the UK, was evaluated. These were NCYCLE, a simple mass balance model of the N cycle in UK grasslands, and CENTURY, a more complex model simulating long‐term C, N, P & S dynamics in grassland ecosystems. The models were tested using field measurements of net N mineralization from a range of grassland soils (differing in soil type, history & management practice), obtained over a 2 year period using a soil core incubation technique. This method was considered to measure the total net release of mineral N from the soil organic matter over a specified time, including N which may have been recycled several times. NCYCLE consistently under‐estimated mineralization rates at all sites. By contrast, there was some correlation between CENTURY predictions of net N mineralization and field measurements. This may have reflected the different abilities of the two models to simulate N recycling. Neither model, however, was able to predict adequately the effect of cultivation and reseeding on net N mineralization.
A land suitability system for spate irrigation schemes in Eritrea
Authors: Tesfai Mehreteab
Published: August 2010

Abstract. Spate irrigation is a system used for wetting land prior to planting. Use is made of seasonal rivers (wadis) producing flash floods in the uplands, which are directed by structures to irrigate fields in the lowlands. A land suitability system for spate irrigation schemes in Eritrea was studied in the Sheeb area of Eritrea with and without land improvements. The availability of floods and soil moisture were the major land use requirements for spate‐irrigated sorghum and maize, while salinity hazard has only a minor effect in spate irrigation systems. The suitable land for spate irrigation in the Sheeb area is distributed as follows: 16% is highly to moderately suitable, 24% is moderately suitable and 17% is marginally suitable. About 40% of the study area was found to be currently unsuitable for spate irrigation mainly due to a lack of floodwater and poor soils. With improvements to the spate irrigation system, such as construction of permanent flood diversion structures, the area of land suitable for spate irrigation will expand. The land suitability system presented in this study could be applied in other spate irrigation schemes of Eritrea and perhaps in other countries also.
Outdoor pigs and flooding: an English case study
Authors: Evans R.
Published: August 2010

Abstract. The number of outdoor pigs has increased greatly in England over the last two decades. It is known that runoff and soil erosion are likely to occur in such fields; however, the off‐field impacts of runoff have not been addressed. A group of properties adjacent to fields of outdoor pigs near Culford, Suffolk, England was flooded at frequent intervals in 1998 and 1999. The factors that may have caused the flooding are examined. The floods were initiated and exacerbated because the soils in the fields were trampled by pigs and rutted by tractors, severely restricting the rates at which rain could infiltrate the soil, thereby promoting runoff. The runoff carried sediment, faeces and pathogens. To a home owner such flooding, or a high risk of flooding, is unacceptable. The results of a claim in the County Court arising from the floods are briefly described.
Organic carbon ranges in arable soils of England and Wales
Authors: Verheijen F.G.A. , Bellamy P.H. , Kibblewhite M.G. , Gaunt J.L.
Published: August 2010

Abstract. Knowledge of the stocks and the potential range of soil organic carbon (SOC) in various land–soil combinations is an important precursor to policies aimed at linking, for example, management of SOC to greenhouse gas emission controls. To investigate the factors controlling the percentage of SOC (%SOC) of soils in England and Wales, we made a multiple regression analysis of data for the 2448 arable and ley‐arable sites in the 1980 England and Wales National Soil Inventory (NSI). Clay content, average annual precipitation and depth of topsoil explained 25.5% of the variation in %SOC, when calcareous and peaty soils and those susceptible to flooding were excluded. Using ‘robust’ statistics, ‘indicative SOC management ranges’ were estimated for different physiotopes, that is, landscape units for which the environmental factors governing %SOC are similar, namely soil clay content and precipitation. These ranges describe the expected %SOC range for an arable soil in a given physiotope. They have potential to support approximate targets for the %SOC of arable soils and for estimating upper and lower limits for sequestered soil carbon in arable systems.
Combining input‐output analysis and micro‐simulation to assess the effects of carbon taxation on Spanish households
Authors: Labandeira Xavier , Labeaga José
Published: August 2010

This paper explores the effects of a tax levied on Spanish energy‐related CO2 emissions. After justifying the relevance of carbon taxation in the Spanish context, we consider the introduction of a product (fossil‐fuel) tax with a rate obtained through the ‘actual damage cost’ method. Our empirical analysis proceeds in two stages. First, we employ an input‐output demand model to calculate the price changes after the introduction of carbon taxation. In a second stage, simulation with Spanish household micro‐data for 1994 yields the environmental and economic effects of a Spanish carbon tax. We find a limited short‐run reaction to the carbon tax, which hampers its environmental success. The carbon tax burden is, however, significant, with a proportional distribution across households.
The Proposed State Second Pension
Authors: Agulnik Phil
Published: August 2010

The UK government has recently proposed radical changes in second‐tier pension provision, with the existing State Earnings‐Related Pension Scheme (SERPS) being replaced by a new State Second Pension (SSP). This paper sets out how the proposed scheme differs from its predecessor and describes the distributional effects of this reform. It shows that the SSP greatly increases the pension entitlements of low earners while maintaining existing benefit levels for higher earners. However, the higher contributions needed to pay for the new scheme mean that, after taking financing into account, people earning more than around £12,000 a year will lose out. Because of the upper limit to National Insurance contributions for employees, these losses will be greatest for people earning at the contribution ceiling.
Government Failure in Urban Transportation
Authors: Winston Clifford
Published: August 2010

This paper assesses governmental performance in its investment, provision and regulation of urban transportation. Attention is given to public bus and rail transit and road transportation. Evidence based on urban transport in US cities reveals substantial allocative and technical inefficiencies that have led to large public transit deficits and severe highway congestion.

I argue that it is futile to expect public officials to remedy the situation by pursuing more efficient policies such as congestion pricing and weighing costs and benefits when deciding transit service. The problem is that urban transportation policy is largely shaped by entrenched political forces that inhibit constructive change. The only realistic way to improve the system is to shield it from those influences and expose it to market forces by privatising it. This position is supported by empirical evidence based on simulations for the US and the UK's early experience with privatisation.
Targeting welfare in Italy: old problems and perspectives on reform
Authors: Baldini Massimo , Bosi Paolo , Tosi Stefano
Published: August 2010

This paper has two principal objectives. Using a tax‐benefit microsimulation model and the 1998 micro data of the Bank of Italy survey of household income and wealth, we first study the distributional effects of the current Italian income maintenance system and highlight its main defects and limitations, concerning in particular its unequal coverage of the population and its low efficiency in fighting poverty. The second aim is to describe and analyse the reforms recently implemented in this field; in particular, the Italian government has reformed the targeting criteria and introduced three new cash transfers. We describe these reforms both in their institutional characteristics and in their likely distributional consequences, and examine whether and to what extent they are able to overcome the shortcomings of the current system.
The tax treatment of UK defined contribution pension schemes
Authors: Booth Philip , Cooper Deborah
Published: August 2010

The paper aims to clarify the tax status of pension schemes in the UK and, by using economic and other arguments, to establish a theoretical benchmark that could be considered the ‘appropriate’ tax regime for pension saving. We consider existing tax regimes for saving (such as the ‘ISA’ regime) and theoretical regimes (such as a pure expenditure tax and a comprehensive income tax) and we compare the costs different tax regimes impose on defined contribution pension schemes.

We conclude that an expenditure tax is an appropriate benchmark tax regime for pension saving, and that other tax regimes impose additional financial as well as administrative costs.
Left out in the cold? New energy tariffs, low‐income households and the fuel poor
Authors: Bennett Matthew , Cooke Dudley , Waddams Price Catherine
Published: August 2010

Two new gas tariffs were introduced in 2000, with contrasting effects. One abolished a fixed standing charge, while the other, specifically targeted at low‐income consumers, introduced a preset charge, independent of fuel consumption, for eligible consumers. We analyse the effect of the abolition of the standing charge on different household groups, including the fuel poor, the current focus of government and regulatory policy. We find that while low‐income groups have benefited more than others from abolition of the standing charge, the fuel poor have gained less than average. We contrast this with the other targeted preset charge scheme.
Targeting fuel poverty in England: is the government getting warm?
Authors: Sefton Tom
Published: August 2010

This paper examines the cost‐effectiveness of the new Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (HEES), a key component of the UK government's Fuel Poverty Strategy. The impact on the fuel poverty gap is simulated using data on a large‐scale and representative sample of households in England. The scope for improving the scheme's targeting is considered by examining the optimal allocation of grants between households. The extent to which these potential gains might be achieved in practice using pragmatic criteria for distributing grants, and the implications of taking into account the dynamics of fuel poverty and the self‐selection of grant applicants, are also explored. The current scheme is unlikely to have a very significant impact on fuel poverty, and considerable gains could be achieved by redesigning HEES, although the paper also highlights the difficulties involved in efficient targeting, including some additional complications not encountered in the analysis of more traditional anti‐poverty measures.
Simplifying the personal income tax system: lessons from the 1998 Spanish reform
Authors: Levy Horacio , Mercador‐Prats Magda
Published: August 2010

Governments often try to reduce the complexity of personal income tax systems by decreasing the number of tax filings. The 1998 reform of the Spanish income tax system has followed this approach by adjusting withholding on earned income to the income tax liability. In this paper, we assess to what extent the reform has fulfilled its purposes, making use of a micro‐simulation tax‐benefit model for Spain, ESPASIM. The number of individuals exempt from filing a tax return has been reduced to around half of the total number of taxpayers. However, the quantity of tax returns sent to the tax administration has not changed so much because the new withholding system adjusts taxes for only 29 per cent of those exempt. Moreover, the new system increases the overall excess of tax withholding by 1.5 billion euro. We also study alternative reforms that could achieve better results than the one implemented.
The Distribution of Wealth of Older Self‐Employed Britons
Authors: Parker Simon C.
Published: August 2010

Little is known about the wealth of older self‐employed people, despite growing interest in this labour market group. This paper utilises the British Retirement Survey to fill the gap by providing novel estimates of their lifetime wealth. The findings dispel the idea that the self‐employed live in poverty; indeed, they seem to be a relatively wealthy group, holding a broad spread of assets and subject to moderate lifetime wealth inequality. These findings may help inform modelling of retirement behaviour of this group, as well as pension policy design.
Social Security Design in the UK: What is optimal?
Authors: Miles David , Sefton James
Published: August 2010

This paper uses a simple model of how households at different points on the income distribution make decisions about saving and labour supply to illustrate some of the problems government faces in designing social security systems. We show simulation results, which highlight the costs and benefits of alternative pension and income support regimes, and analyse what is happening in the UK in the light of the results.
Does Privatisation Matter? The Long‐Term Performance of British Telecom over 40 Years
Authors: Florio Massimo
Published: August 2010

In this paper, we offer and discuss new evidence on the performance of British Telecom (BT) before and after privatisation. We use a unique data‐set based on company accounts over 40 years (1960–99) and original additional company data on several variables. We focus particularly on output, prices, revenues, costs, employment, productivity, profits and investment. Our key findings are that operating profits (i.e. gross profits before interest and tax) were remarkably stable before and after divestiture, and that ownership change per se had little discernible impact on productivity trends, particularly between 1984 and 1991. Major changes in performance after 1991 were, however, related to variations in financial arrangements, competition and regulatory pressure. This allows us to regard the BT case history as a natural experiment on the relative importance of privatisation, liberalisation and regulation.
Comparing Investments in New Transport Infrastructure: Roads versus Railways?
Authors: Affuso Luisa , Masson Julien , Newbery David
Published: August 2010

This paper contributes to the debate on investment in transport infrastructure and the allocation of public funds between road and railway projects. We model the two options and provide a consistent framework to appraise investment in typical new inter–urban road and rail projects. Our results suggest that road improvements have substantially higher returns than railway schemes. These findings cast doubt on the rationale of the new transport policy for the UK, which proposes to allocate more public funds to the (private) railways than total new investment in strategic roads.