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Species‐specific responses to landscape configuration and landscape composition have been studied extensively. However, little work has been done to compare intraspecific differences in habitat preferences. Bats have potential as good bioindicator taxa in woodland habitats. Therefore, studying sex differences in responses to woodland and the wider landscape can allow us to gain insight into the relative importance of these habitats for both bats and other taxa. In this study, we aimed to test the predictions that (i) habitat type and connectivity will influence the probability of recording female bats in woodlands and (ii) sex differences in response to habitat type and connectivity will be species‐specific. Bat capture data was collected in 206 woodlands over 3 years in England. The probability of detecting females relative to males was modeled in response to a range of woodland characteristics and landscape metrics for six bat species. We recorded sex differences in responses to landscape features in three species. We found a higher probability of capturing female Myotis nattereri in woodlands that were surrounded by a higher proportion of improved grasslands, whereas female Myotis mystacinus were less likely to be recorded in woodlands surrounded by semi‐natural vegetation. Female Plecotus auritus were more likely to be recorded in isolated woodlands with less connectivity to other woodlands and where agriculture dominated the surrounding landscape. Our findings indicate that sexual segregation occurs across several UK bat species in response to landscape connectivity and composition. Sexual segregation in response to landscape characteristics in bats should therefore be an important consideration in the management of fragmented agricultural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon taxes or similar pricing instruments could play a crucial role in helping countries decarbonise their economies. No country has a single carbon price that applies to all greenhouse gas emissions. The UK is typical in having adopted a complex patchwork of policies that raise the cost of different polluting activities to different degrees, resulting in implied carbon taxes that vary greatly across sources of emissions. We document and quantify these inconsistencies in the case of the UK, and assess the case for greater uniformity after accounting for considerations of efficiency, distribution, carbon leakage and the use of alternative policy instruments. We argue for greater rationalisation of environmental taxes in the UK and other developed economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Most of the work on pomegranate antioxidant and antibacterial activity has been carried out with solvent extracts of different plant or fruit parts. Biosensitive compounds in juice may be subject to oxidation, reducing their biological activities. Microencapsulation can be used to protect compounds, allowing its incorporation into functional foods. This study aimed at investigating antioxidant activity after in vitro digestion of microencapsulated juice. Pomegranate juice was encapsulated by spray drying its maltodextrin and gum arabic. The average diameter of the microcapsules was 10–50 µm. We evaluated the bioaccessibility of microencapsulated phenolic compounds by using an in vitro enzymatic digestion. The total phenolic content in digested microencapsulated juice was three times greater than in undigested, indicating that the compounds were made bioaccessible. Digestion also increased antioxidant activity, as measured by ABTS●+ or by DPPH●. Additionally, microencapsulated pomegranate juice showed antibacterial activity against the nine bacteria species tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Loneliness may be a risk factor for mild cognitive impairment but studies on this topic are scarce, particularly from low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the association between loneliness and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in six LMICs (China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa). Methods: Cross‐sectional, community‐based, nationally representative data from the WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) were analyzed. The definition of MCI was based on the National Institute on Ageing‐Alzheimer's Association criteria. Multivariable logistic regression analysis and meta‐analysis were conducted to assess associations. Results: The final analytical sample consisted of 19,092 and 13,623 individuals aged 50–64 years (middle‐aged adults) and ≥65 years (older adults), respectively. Among the middle‐aged, overall, loneliness was associated with a non‐significant 1.43 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.93–2.21) times higher odds for MCI although significant associations were observed in China (OR = 1.51; 95%CI = 1.08–2.09) and South Africa (OR = 3.87; 95%CI = 1.72–8.71). As for older adults, overall, there was a significant association between loneliness and MCI (OR = 1.52; 95%CI = 1.12–2.07). Conclusion: In this large representative sample of middle‐aged and older adults from multiple LMICs, findings suggest that loneliness is associated with MCI. It may be prudent to consider reducing loneliness in low‐economic settings to aid in the prevention of MCI and ultimately dementia. Key points: The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between loneliness and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in six low‐and middle‐income countriesFindings from this study suggest that loneliness is associated with MCIIt may be prudent to consider reducing loneliness in low‐economic settings to aid in the prevention of MCI [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The OECD recently conducted a wide-ranging review of the wealth taxes already in operation within its member countries, and new empirical research has also examined the impacts of existing wealth taxes in a developing country context. Keywords: capital levy; tax policy; wealth tax EN capital levy tax policy wealth tax 389 395 7 10/27/21 20210901 NES 210901 MOTIVATION Around the world, proposals for new taxes on the I stock i of wealth (a "wealth tax") were gaining traction even before the fiscal tumult that has followed the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally - of direct relevance to a wealth tax - it would useful to investigate whether these additional benefits (if any) scale directly with increasing wealth or whether they are only evident at extremely high levels of wealth. In the absence of a wealth tax from which to obtain administrative data on asset holdings, one option - as recommended by the Wealth Tax Commission in its final report - would be for official statistics agencies to incorporate a new booster sample for top wealth into their main household surveys on wealth. [Extracted from the article]

This paper asks when a wealth tax would, in principle, be a desirable part of the tax system, setting aside the practicalities and politics that would be crucial in reality. The case for a one‐off wealth tax is simple. If it were unexpected and credibly one‐off – a major challenge in practice – this would be an efficient way to raise revenue and could be used to address existing wealth inequality. Whether such a tax is desirable hinges on whether it is considered fair, about which reasonable people will differ. Making the case for an annual wealth tax, which would affect future wealth accumulation as well as existing wealth, is less straightforward. It requires explaining why it is better to tax the same wealth every year – penalising those who save – rather than raising the same revenue by taxing all sources of wealth once when they are received (and/or when they are spent). Such a case can be made based on subtle arguments for why taxing wealth might help to ease the trade‐off between redistribution and work incentives; and a wealth tax might also be justified if holding on to wealth, rather than spending it, benefits the holder or harms others. These theoretical arguments probably justify some taxation of wealth in principle, though we have little basis for judging the appropriate level, so only part of the theoretical benefit could be attained. It is questionable whether the achievable benefits outweigh the costs of an imperfect wealth tax in practice. There are strong reasons to radically reform how we currently tax the sources/uses of wealth; this includes reforming capital income taxes in order to properly tax high returns. An annual wealth tax would be a poor substitute for doing that. But to the extent that taxes remain imperfect and that responses to a wealth tax would not affect revenue from other taxes (such as on income, expenditure and bequests), there may be a benefit to adding a wealth tax in order to diversify sources of revenue and prevent any one tax getting too high – though that must be weighed against the extra administrative burdens of having another tax. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely accepted that firm‐level investment is characterized by periods of low investment punctuated by 'spikes', but widely debated whether such lumpiness matters for aggregate investment. We provide new empirical evidence that variation in UK aggregate investment is driven by variation in the number of firms undertaking investment spikes; this pattern holds for all sectors and across the business cycle. We set out and estimate a tractable firm‐level model of the timing of investment spikes that incorporates the effect of specific macroeconomic factors and aggregates to match observed variation in aggregate investment. Using simulations, we establish that low demand growth was the dominant factor inhibiting UK firms' investment spikes immediately following the Great Recession, while heightened uncertainty prolonged low investment and prevented a 'v‐shaped' economic recovery. We use the Great Recession as a source of exogenous variation with which to study heterogeneity in response to aggregate shocks. We find that the minority of firms operating with persistently high‐debt levels—and therefore with balance sheets more exposed to the costs of financial distress—were significantly less likely to undertake an investment spike following the recession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The higher prevalence of autism reported in blind children has been commonly attributed to the confounding effects of an underlying intellectual disability. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between symptoms of autism and blindness in adults with intellectual disability. We hypothesized that blindness can increase the probability of the autism phenotype, independent of known risk factors, that is, severity of intellectual disability and gender. A general population case register (population size of 0.7 million) was used to conduct two studies. The first study was on 3,138 adults with intellectual disability, using a validated autism risk indicator to study adults with visual impairment. This identified 386 adults with partial and complete visual impairment, both of which were associated with presence of high number of autistic traits (P < 0.001). The second study was only on those with congenital blindness using a standardized assessment tool, the Pervasive Developmental Disorder—Mental Retardation Scale. Those with hearing impairment or unilateral, partial, and acquired visual impairment were excluded. Control groups were randomly selected from those with normal hearing and vision. Prevalence of the autism phenotype was higher among those with congenital blindness (n = 46/60; 76.7%) than their controls (n = 36/67; 53.7%) and this association was statistically significant (adjusted odds ratio = 3.03; 95% confidence interval: 1.34–6.89; P = 0.008). Our results support the hypothesis that a congenital blindness independently affects psychosocial development and increases the probability of the autism phenotype. Early identification of autism could facilitate appropriate psychosocial interventions and educational opportunities to improve quality of life of people with blindness. Autism Res 2019, 12: 1411–1422. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Lay Summary: Although autism has been commonly reported in those with blindness, it is generally attributed to an accompanying intellectual disability. Current study, however, revealed that congenital blindness is independently associated with symptoms of autism. In spite of its high prevalence, autism can be overlooked in those with intellectual disability and blindness. Improving diagnosis in this population should, therefore, be advocated through raising awareness of this association to facilitate early access to services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide evidence on how changes in the use of high-skilled workers (inventors) in a foreign location affect a firm's domestic use of the same type of worker. We exploit rich data that provide variation in the location of inventors within multinational firms across industries and countries to control for confounding firm-time and industry factors. We find that a 10% increase in the use of foreign inventors leads to a 1.9% increase in the use of domestic inventors. Our results suggest that foreign and domestic inventors are complementary in the production of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A preterm neonate at 29-week gestational age was born with intrauterine growth restriction, severe pancytopaenia and gross skeletal dysplasia. Antenatal screening bloods, TORCH/parvovirus tests and karyotype were unremarkable. Postnatally, he had normal microarray comparative genomic hybridization and serum B12/folate levels, and human immunodeficiency virus and cytomegalovirus polymerase chain reaction and antoimmune screening were negative. Targeted gene testing for Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS) revealed the pathognomic mutation (c.183_184delTAinsCT). His postnatal clinical course was complicated by: (i) Ventilator dependency because of a combination of a pathologically compliant chest wall and preterm-associated chronic lung disease. (ii) Progressive bone marrow failure, resulting in transfusion dependence and profound neutropenia associated with recurrent sepsis. (iii) Gastrointestinal failure and TPN dependency. (iv) Poor postnatal growth with weight/length/head circumference all <3rd centile. (v) Prognostication was complicated by the lack of published literature on the presentation of SDS in a preterm infant. However, because of inexorable progression of multiorgan failure, intensive care was withdrawn on day 54 of life. SDS is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterised by haematological abnormalities, skeletal dysplasia and exocrine pancreatic dysfunction. Neonatal presentation is thought to be extremely rare. However, with the availability of genetic testing, it has now become clear that because of overlap in clinical presentation, term-born infants with skeletal dysplasia and severe respiratory distress may initially be misdiagnosed as asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy. This case report highlights the complexities of preterm birth complicating clinical manifestations of SDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporation tax was one of the most active policy areas under the coalition government in power in the UK from 2010 to 2015. In attempting to fulfil an aim to create 'the most competitive corporate tax regime in the G20', the government reduced the main rate by 8 percentage points, introduced a Patent Box and reformed the taxation of foreign income. The government also made changes to the tax base - notably, reducing the generosity of capital allowances for plant and machinery and temporarily increasing the generosity of the annual investment allowance - and took steps to reduce avoidance opportunities. This paper reviews the policy changes and sets out where they leave the UK corporate tax system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spawning is a key but often fragile event in the life cycles of fish populations. Nevertheless, it has been relatively little studied for lithophilic lacustrine species requiring hard spawning substrates, such as gravels or stones, largely devoid of fine sediments. Twelve demonstrated or putative spawning grounds of Arctic charr ( Salvelinus alpinus) in shallow and deep areas of the north and south basins of the eutrophicated lake of Windermere, UK, were described by hydroacoustic, physical and visual surveys. In addition, their current conditions were compared with their original qualitative descriptions made over 50 years ago. Spawning ground characteristics were found to be more complex than originally described, with considerable overlaps in depth ranges and only limited areas of appropriate hard substrates. Moreover, extensive gill netting surveys in recent years have found spawning Arctic charr at only seven of the original 12 demonstrated or putative spawning grounds, although several new spawning areas have also been found. The distribution of unsuitable fine sediments is widespread in the lake, particularly in the more eutrophicated south basin where suitable spawning habitat within the putative spawning areas is limited. Windermere faces a number of environmental problems including climate change and species introductions. However, the temporal and spatial patterns of the lake's eutrophication suggest that associated increases in fine sediments have been a major driver of the observed deterioration of Arctic charr spawning grounds and so may have also contributed to a marked decline recently observed in the local abundance of this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Revenues from corporate income taxes have remained relatively stable as a share of national income over the last three decades despite reductions in corporate tax rates and increased opportunities for multinational tax avoidance. This is largely explained by an increase in the share of corporate profits in national income. In this paper, we discuss the sources of corporate profits, and specifically corporate taxable profits; these include a normal return to capital investment, returns to labour or entrepreneurial effort that are realised as dividends or capital gains, and returns to market power. We relate these components of profits to the ways that corporate taxes can change incentives to invest or exert effort, and we discuss some implications for policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pharmacological interventions to address behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) can have undesirable side effects, therefore non‐pharmacological approaches to managing symptoms may be preferable. Past studies show that music therapy can reduce BPSD, and other studies have explored how formal caregivers use music in their caring roles. However, no studies have examined the effects on BPSD of music interventions delivered by informal caregivers (CGs) in the home setting. Our project addresses the need for improved informal care by training cohabiting family CGs to implement music interventions that target BPSD, and the quality of life (QoL) and well‐being of people with dementia and CGs. Methods: An international three‐arm parallel‐group randomised controlled trial has so far randomised 130 of the target 495 dyads from Australia, Germany, UK, Poland and Norway. Dyads are randomised equally to standard care (SC), a home‐based music programme plus SC, or a home‐based reading programme plus SC for 12 weeks. The primary outcome is BPSD of people with dementia (measured using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory‐Questionnaire). Secondary outcomes examine relationship quality between CG and people with dementia, depression, resilience, competence, QoL for CG and QoL for people with dementia. Outcomes are collected at baseline, at the end of the 12‐week intervention and at 6 months post randomisation. Resource Utilisation in Dementia captures economic data across the life of the intervention and at 6‐month follow‐up. Our presentation will briefly outline the study protocol and describe the caregiver training protocol and interventions in detail with video footage illustrating how the intervention looks in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]