Abnormalities of fuel utilization as predisposing to the development of obesity in humans.

A number of recent investigations in man have demonstrated that a low ratio of fat to carbohydrate oxidation (i.e., a high respiratory quotient or RQ) was associated with actual and/or subsequent body weight gain in obese non-diabetic Pima Indians, in American men of various ages and in post-obese European women investigated shortly after the cessation of a hypocaloric diet. It is well known that numerous exogenous and endogenous factors influence the RQ at rest such as: the level of feeding (positive vs. negative energy balance), the composition of food eaten (high vs. low carbohydrate), the size of the glycogen stores, the amount of adipose tissue as well as genetic factors. It should be stressed that some nutritional situations can co-exist during which a low ratio of fat to carbohydrate is observed (i.e., a high RQ) despite weight loss. Furthermore, in most studies mentioned above, the low fat to carbohydrate oxidation ratio explains less than 10% of the variance in weight gain, suggesting that numerous additional factors also play a substantial role in the onset of weight gain. It is concluded that: 1) a low fat to carbohydrate oxidation ratio or an abnormal fat oxidation is difficult to define quantitatively since it is largely influenced by the energy level and the composition of the diet.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Skill, Luck, Overconfidence, and Risk Taking

In most naturally occurring situations, success depends on both skill and chance. We compare experimental market entry decisions where payoffs depend on skill alone and combinations of skill and luck. We find more risk taking with skill and luck as opposed to skill alone, particularly for males, and little overconfidence. Our data support an explanation based on differential attitudes toward luck by those whose self-assessed skills are low and high. Making luck more important induces greater optimism for the former, while the latter maintain a belief that high levels of skill are sufficient to overcome the vagaries of chance.

An integrative review of drug utilization by the elderly in primary health care

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To identify knowledge produced about drug utilization by the elderly in the primary health care context from 2006 to 2014. METHOD An integrative review of the PubMed, LILACS, BDENF, and SCOPUS databases, including qualitative research papers in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. It excluded papers with insufficient information regarding the methodological description. RESULTS Search found 633 papers that, after being subjected to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, made up a corpusof 76 publications, mostly in English and produced in the United States, England, and Brazil. Results were pooled in eight thematic categories showing the current trend of drug use in the elderly, notably the use of psychotropics, polypharmacy, the prevention of adverse events, and adoption of technologies to facilitate drug management by the elderly. Studies point out the risks posed to the elderly as a consequence of changes in metabolism and simultaneous use of several drugs. CONCLUSION There is strong concern about improving communications between professionals and the elderly in order to promote an exchange of information about therapy, and in this way prevent major health complications in this population.

The impact of trade liberalization on skill upgrading. Evidence from Argentina

In this paper I study the effects of a regional free trade agreement on the demand for skill.I start by documenting a series of facts to shed light on the determinants of a steep increasein the relative demand of skilled labor in a panel of Argentinean industrial firms covering thetrade liberalization period. First, this is not explained by labor reallocation across industriesor firms but by skill upgrading within firms. Second, exporters upgrade skill faster than nonexporters. Third, firms upgrading skill also upgrade technology. These findings are consistentwith a model where a reduction in trading partner s tariffs induces the most productive firms(exporters) to adopt skill-intensive production technologies. Indeed, I find that the reduction inBrazil s tariffs induces the most productive Argentinean firms to upgrade skill, while the leastproductive ones downgrade. One third of the increase in the relative demand for skill can beattributed to the reduction in Brazil s tariffs.

The skill bias of world trade

Under plausible assumptions about preferences and technology, the model in this papersuggests that the entire volume of world trade matters for wage inequality. Therefore,trade integration, even among identical countries, is likely to increase the skill premium.Further, we argue that empirical evidence of a falling relative price of skill-intensive goods can be reconciled with the fast growth of world trade and that the intersectoral mobility of capital exacerbates the effect of trade on inequality. We provide new empirical evidence in support of our results and a quantitative assessment of the skill bias of world trade.

Education, disease prevalence and health service utilization in the Swiss National Health Survey "SOMIPOPS".

The relation among education, disease prevalence, and frequency of health service utilization was analyzed using data from the Swiss National Health Survey SOMIPOPS, conducted in 1981-1983 on a randomly selected sample of 4,255 individuals, representative of the entire Swiss population. The prevalence of several important cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, osteoarticular, and psychiatric disorders was higher among less educated individuals; only allergic conditions were directly associated with indicators of social class. More educated individuals reported lower frequencies of general practitioner visits, but higher frequencies of specialized consultations. These findings confirm that education is an important determinant not only of mortality but also of morbidity and health-care utilization and require careful consideration in terms of the planning and evaluation of health services.

Social preferences and skill segregation

This paper shows that models where preferences of individuals dependnot only on their allocations, but also on the well-being of otherpersons, can produce both large and testable effects. We study theallocation of workers with heterogeneous productivities to firms. Weshow that even small deviations from purely selfish preferences leadsto widespread workplace skill segregation. That is, workers ofdifferent abilities tend to work in di¤erent firms, as long as theycare somewhat more about the utilities of workers who are close .

Skill-biased technological change and the business cycle

Over the past two decades, technological progress in the United States hasbeen biased towards skilled labor. What does this imply for business cycles?We construct a quarterly skill premium from the CPS and use it to identifyskill-biased technology shocks in a VAR with long-run restrictions. Hours fallin response to skill-biased technology shocks, indicating that at least part of thetechnology-induced fall in total hours is due to a compositional shift in labordemand. Skill-biased technology shocks have no effect on the relative price ofinvestment, suggesting that capital and skill are not complementary in aggregateproduction.

Fat oxidation and adiposity in prepubertal children: exogenous versus endogenous fat utilization.

Fat balance plays an important role in fat mass regulation. The mechanisms by which fat intake and fat oxidation are controlled are poorly understood. In particular, no data are available on the origin, i.e. exogenous (meal intake) or endogenous (adipose tissue lipolysis), of fat oxidized during the postprandial period in children and the proportion between these two components. In this study we tested the hypothesis that there is a relationship between adiposity and the oxidative fate of fat taken with a mixed meal in a group of 15 children with a wide range of fat mass (9-64%). The combination of stable isotope analysis ([13C] enriched fatty acids added to a mixed meal) and indirect calorimetry allowed us to differentiate between the exogenous and endogenous resting fat oxidation rate over the 9-h postprandial period. During the 9 hours of the postprandial period, the children oxidized an amount of fat comparable to that ingested with the meal [26.8 (+/-2.31) g vs. 26.4 (+/-2.3) g, respectively, P = ns]. On average, exogenous fat oxidation [2.99 (+/-3.0) g/9 h] represented 10.8% (+/-0.9) of total fat oxidation. Endogenous fat oxidation, calculated as the difference between total fat oxidation and exogenous fat oxidation, averaged 23.4 (+/-1.9) g/9 h and represented 88.2% (+/-0.9) of total fat oxidation. Endogenous fat oxidation as well as exogenous fat oxidation were highly correlated to total fat oxidation (r = 0.83, P < 0.001; r = 0.84, P < 0.001, respectively). Exogenous fat oxidation expressed as a proportion of total fat oxidation was directly related to fat mass (r = 0.56, P < 0.03), while endogenous fat oxidation expressed as a proportion of total fat oxidation was inversely related (r = -0.57, P < 0.03) to the degree of adiposity. The enhanced exogenous fat oxidation observed when adiposity increases in the dynamic phase of obesity may be viewed as a protective mechanism to prevent further increase in fat mass and hence to maintain fat oxidation at a sufficient rate when the body is exposed to a high amount of dietary fat, as typically encountered in obese children.

Drug utilization studies and data registries in primary care

This article reviews the methodology of the studies on drug utilization with particular emphasis on primary care. Population based studies of drug inappropriateness can be done with microdata from Health Electronic Records and e-prescriptions. Multilevel models estimate the influence of factors affecting the appropriateness of drug prescription at different hierarchical levels: patient, doctor, health care organization and regulatory environment.Work by the GIUMAP suggest that patient characteristics are the most important factor in the appropriateness of prescriptions with significant effects at the general practicioner level.

Peru's contribution to the utilization of underexploited and potential fishery resources

Describe la situación de la pesca peruana, su mar y sus recursos marinos, poniendo enenfasis la poca explotación y el potencial de sus recursos

Peru's contribution to the utilization of underexploited and potential fishery resources

estudia el potencial pesquero del mar peruano y su poco aprovechamiento de sus recursos.

Space Utilization and Building Study for the Department of General Services, October 9, 2000

Purposes of this Report: • Recommend the most logical and economical options to address state governmental space needs in the Polk County metropolitan area to the year 2010. • Include building size, location, phasing, financing, method of project delivery and estimated cost. • Develop a software tool to compare costs of leasing vs. ownership of space. Methodology: Identify: 1. Current amount and location of owned and leased space, by agency; 2. Types of space and whether best located on or off of the Capitol Complex; 3. Utilization of space, noting over-crowding and under-utilization; 4. Current number of workstations for full and part time employees, Personnel Employment Organization (PEO) workers, contractors, interns, etc.; and, 5. History of staff levels to assist in the prediction of staff growth. Scope: This report focuses on 10 state-owned buildings located on the Capitol Complex and 48 leased spaces in the Polk County metropolitan area. (See Figures 1 and 2.) • Due to a separate space study under way by the Legislature, implications of area and staff for the State Capitol building are included only for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, Secretary of State, Auditor and the Department of Management. • Because it is largely a museum building that does not have office space available for other agencies, the area and staff of the Historical Building are not fully addressed. • Only the parking implications of the new Judicial Building are included in this study because the building space is under the jurisdiction of the Judicial Branch and not available for other agencies. Several state-owned buildings are not included in the scope of this report, generally because they have highly focused purposes, and their space is not available for assignment to other agencies. Several leased locations are not included for similar reasons, including leases that do not fall within the authority of the Department of General Services.

Medical appropriateness of hospital utilization: an overview of the Swiss experience.

We present here the principal results of four concurrent hospital utilization reviews conducted in Switzerland in 1990 and 1991, based on an adapted Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol. The studies were performed on all the hospital days from a sample of patients admitted over a 6 month period. The level of inappropriate use ranged between 8 and 15% in terms of days and was consistently higher in medicine than in surgery. In comparison with other published studies, the low proportion of observed inappropriate days is probably due, at least partly, to differences in study design.