`A hopeful but nonetheless hard-hitting analysis of alternative economic spaces proliferating in the belly of the capitalist beast. In this book Leyshon, Lee and Williams convene fascinating studies ...of exchange, enterprise, credit and community. They invite us onto a new and promising discursive terrain where we can analyze, criticize and above all recognize actually existing economies of diversity in the wealthy countries of the West? - J K Gibson-Graham, Australian National University and University of Massachusetts, Amherst In the context of problems in the `new economy? - from dot.com start-ups, high-technology, and telecoms - Alternative Economic Spaces presents a critical evaluation of alternatives to the global economic mainstream. It focuses on the emergence of alternative economic geographies within developed economies and analyzes the emergence of alternative economic practices within industrialized countries. These include the creation of institutions like Local Exchange and Trading Systems, Credit Unions, and other social economy initiatives; and the development of alternative practices from informal work to the invention of consumption sites that act as alternatives to the monoply of the `big-box?, multi-chain retail outlets. Alternative Economic Spaces is a reconsideration of what is meant by the `economic? in economic geography; its objective is to bring together some of the ways in which this is being undertaken. The volume shows how the `economic? is being rethought in economic geography by detailing new economic geographies as they are emerging in practice.
The current study aimed to examine the short-term choroidal response to optical defocus in schoolchildren. Myopic schoolchildren aged 8-16 were randomly allocated to control group (CG), myopic ...defocus group (MDG) and hyperopic defocus group (HDG) (n = 17 per group). Children in MDG and HDG received additional +3D and -3D lenses, respectively, to their full corrections on the right eyes. Full correction was given to their left eyes, and on both eyes in the CG. Axial length (AXL) and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFChT) were then measured by spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Children wore their group-specific correction for 2 hours after which any existing optical defocus was removed, and subjects wore full corrections for another 2 hours. Both the AXL and SFChT were recorded hourly for 4 hours. The mean refraction of all subjects was -3.41 ± 0.37D (± SEM). SFChT thinned when exposed to hyperopic defocus for 2 hours but less thinning was observed in response to myopic defocus compared to the control group (p < 0.05, two-way ANOVA). Removal of optical defocus significantly decreased SFChT in the MDG and significantly increased SFChT in the HDG after 1 and 2 hours (mean percentage change at 2-hour; control vs. hyperopic defocus vs. myopic defocus; -0.33 ± 0.59% vs. 3.04 ± 0.60% vs. -1.34 ± 0.74%, p < 0.01). Our results showed short-term exposure to myopic defocus induced relative choroidal thickening while hyperopic defocus led to choroidal thinning in children. This rapid and reversible choroidal response may be an important clinical parameter in gauging retinal response to optical defocus in human myopia.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Purpose
This study aims to explore the use and relevance of WALYs (well-being-adjusted life years) in light of the utilitarian premises of neoclassical economics that continue to dominate health ...outcomes evaluation. QALYs (quality-adjusted life years) and DALYs (disability-adjusted life years) measure longevity and quality of life in terms of purely health-related aspects and outcomes of medical interventions. However, evaluative questions of subjective well-being may be equally important in comparing outcomes and cost-effectiveness of these interventions.
Design/methodology/approach
A two-phase online search strategy for refereed research on dry eye treatment with omega-3 fatty acids (omega-3s) was adopted. Phase I aimed to identify and contrast clinical parameters of efficacy in omega-3 dietary supplementation. Phase II aimed to find a preference-based, multi-attribute utility instrument specific and sensitive enough to dry eye and its consequences on patients’ subjective well-being. We then illustrate how WALYs can be conceptualized and calculated based on the search results.
Findings
Empiric therapies like omega-3s can be assessed in terms of reducing or relieving symptomatic discomfort and pain, and enabling the patient to enjoy life and derive satisfaction from daily activities. We find in VisQoL (Vision and Quality of Life Index) a viable alternative to conventional multi-attribute utility instruments, including those typically used in QALY and DALY calculations. Clinical efficacy indices of dry eye can be linked to VisQoL’s quality of life dimensions. Differently weighted outcomes can be aggregated. And WALYs per patient per year can be computed by scaling aggregated outcomes to match the WALY rating scale. The implications of subjective well-being for both patient and society can thus be approached from a broader and richer perspective.
Originality/value
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind in pharmaceutical outcomes valuation and marketing. It offers a framework for analyzing life satisfaction and well-being among dry eye patients under treatment. It is also the first to use and adapt a multi-attribute utility measure to treatment outcomes of omega-3s in ocular diseases, from which this study suggests WALYs may be computed. However, it does not suggest that WALYs should supplant QALYs and DALYs in evaluating health outcomes. Medical economics is enriched if alternative methods of outcomes evaluations can help fill in the gaps in existing paradigms and do so by accounting for other effects of condition-specific interventions. Costs and benefits of interventions to the individual and society can then be valued not just more effectively, but also more equitably.
The understanding and prediction of species distributions have been advanced by the development of community assembly theories and functional trait‐based approaches. Coupled with null models, trait ...dispersion patterns are commonly used to gauge the relative importance of niche versus neutral‐based processes on shaping local communities. However, asymmetrical trait dispersion patterns of identical communities may artificially arise as a result of sampling methods choice. This non‐random filtering on traits is overlooked, and it may bias the estimation of functional components as well as the detection of underlying assembly mechanisms—especially for species‐rich arthropod communities.
We sampled subtropical ground‐dwelling ant communities using a paired treatment design comprising pitfall traps and Winkler extractors (Winklers), two commonly used sampling techniques for terrestrial arthropods, in 17 shrublands and 33 secondary forest 400 m2 plots in Hong Kong to determine the effect of sampling filters on functional composition (community means of six morphological traits) and functional diversity (range and variance of individual traits; size and filling properties of multidimensional trait space) using a null model approach for each habitat.
We found, as hypothesized, that sampling filters from different methods affected the trait composition and diversity of ant communities asymmetrically. In shrublands and forests, the trait compositions of communities sampled by pitfall traps were dominated by larger sized, slender‐shaped and long‐legged ants as compared to those sampled by Winklers. The latter method also underestimated the diversity of individual traits related to body size as well as the size and filling properties of multidimensional trait space.
Our results highlight that the usage of particular sampling methods without prior knowledge on their potential filtering effects on traits can affect the detection of assembly processes, and interpretation of functional proxies, such as body size. Additional care should be taken when comparing trait components obtained from studies using different sampling methods, so as to distinguish the sampling artefacts from actual ecological phenomena. Hence, it is important to consider the potential biases that different sampling methods may introduce to functional trait‐based research.
Foreign Language 摘要
群落組成理論 (Community assembly theory)與功能性狀方法 (Functional trait‐based approach) 促進了我們對物種分佈的理解及預測。其中,研究員會藉評估零模型(Null model)下的多維功能性狀空間分散程度,來衡量當地群落的主要組成機制是基於–生態位理論(Niche‐based processes) 抑或是中性理論(Neutral‐based processes)。然而,同一群落性狀的分佈模式可能會因採樣方法的選擇而產生偏差。若這種對功能性狀的非隨機性過濾被忽略(尤其於物種豐富的節肢動物群落),它可能會影響功能成分的呈現,以致誤導群落組成機制的分析結果。
我們利用亞熱帶地棲螞蟻群落作例,比較兩種常用的陸地節肢動物採樣方法– 陷阱法 (Pitfall traps) 和落葉袋採集法(Winkler extractors)。於香港的17個灌木叢和33個次生林樣地(400平方米)以零模型探討採樣過濾機制於不同的生境對功能性狀組成(六種形態特徵的群落平均值)和其多樣性(形態特徵的範圍和方差; 多維功能性狀空間的大小和填充的特性)的影響。
我們發現不同的採樣方法有著過濾螞蟻群落性狀組成和多樣性的差異。在灌木叢和森林中,相對落葉袋採集法,以陷阱法採得的群落特徵成分主要為體型較大﹑修長和足部較長的螞蟻。同時,落葉袋採集法亦低估了體型的多樣性,以及多維功能性狀空間的大小和填充的性質。
我們的結果顯示在沒有先驗知存的情況下,住用特定的採樣方法可能會影響物種組成機制與功能性狀的剖析,例如體型。因此,在比較以不同採樣方法獲得的功能性狀成分時,應進一步區分差異是來自採樣的過濾機制或實際的生態現象。研究員住用功能性狀方法時,應當考慮及注意因選擇不同採樣方法而導致的潛在偏差。
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