Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Budgets”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 595 records · Page 33Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Micrometeorological measurements of the urban heat budget and CO2 emissions on a city scale.

Direct measurements of urban CO2 emissions and heat fluxes are presented, made using the eddy covariance technique. The measurements were made from the top of a tower, approximately 65 m above the street level of Edinburgh, Scotland, and the fluxes are representative of footprint source areas of several square kilometers. The application of a stationarity test and spectral analysis techniques shows that at this height, the stationarity criterion for eddy covariance is fulfilled for wind directions from the city center for 93% of the time, while for other wind directions this declines to 59%, demonstrating that pollutant fluxes from urban areas can be measured. The average CO2 emission from the city center was 26 micromol m(-2) s(-1) (10 kt of C km(-2) yr(-1)), with typical daytime peaks of 50-75 and nighttime values of 10 micromol m(-2) s(-1). The correlation between CO2 emission and traffic flow is highly significant, while residential and institutional heating with natural gas are estimated to contribute about 39% to the emissions during the day and 64% at night. An analysis of the energy budget shows that, during the autumn, fossil fuel combustion within the city contributed one-third of the daily anthropogenic energy input of 3.8 MJ m(-2) d(-1), with the remainder coming from other energy sources, dominated by electricity. Conversely, the total energy input in late spring (May/June) was found to be approximately half this value.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2004

Locating sources of surf zone pollution: a mass budget analysis of fecal indicator bacteria at Huntington Beach, California.

The surf zone is the unique environment where ocean meets land and a place of critical ecological, economic, and recreational importance. In the United States, this natural resource is increasingly off-limits to the public due to elevated concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria and other contaminants, the sources of which are often unknown. In this paper, we describe an approach for calculating mass budgets of pollutants in the surf zone from shoreline monitoring data. The analysis reveals that fecal indicator bacteria pollution in the surf zone at several contiguous beaches in Orange County, California, originates from well-defined locations along the shore, including the tidal outlets of the Santa Ana River and Talbert Marsh. Fecal pollution flows into the ocean from the Santa Ana River and Talbert Marsh outlets during ebb tides and from there is transported parallel to the shoreline by wave-driven surf zone currents and/or offshore tidal currents, frequently contaminating >5 km of the surf zone. The methodology developed here for locating and quantifying sources of surf zone pollution should be applicable to a wide array of contaminants and coastal settings.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1997

Maximal sustained energy budgets in humans and animals.

Why are sustained energy budgets of humans and other vertebrates limited to not more than about seven times resting metabolic rate? The answer to this question has potential applications to growth rates, foraging ecology, biogeography, plant metabolism, burn patients and sports medicine.

Animals↗
PubMed2024

Predictions of rhizosphere microbiome dynamics with a genome-informed and trait-based energy budget model.

Soil microbiomes are highly diverse, and to improve their representation in biogeochemical models, microbial genome data can be leveraged to infer key functional traits. By integrating genome-inferred traits into a theory-based hierarchical framework, emergent behaviour arising from interactions of individual traits can be predicted. Here we combine theory-driven predictions of substrate uptake kinetics with a genome-informed trait-based dynamic energy budget model to predict emergent life-history traits and trade-offs in soil bacteria. When applied to a plant microbiome system, the model accurately predicted distinct substrate-acquisition strategies that aligned with observations, uncovering resource-dependent trade-offs between microbial growth rate and efficiency. For instance, inherently slower-growing microorganisms, favoured by organic acid exudation at later plant growth stages, exhibited enhanced carbon use efficiency (yield) without sacrificing growth rate (power). This insight has implications for retaining plant root-derived carbon in soils and highlights the power of data-driven, trait-based approaches for improving microbial representation in biogeochemical models.

Rhizosphere↗
PubMed2003

An inventory-based carbon budget for forest and woodland ecosystems of Turkey.

Environmental monitoring of national-level comparisons of CO(2) emissions is needed to quantify sources and sinks of carbon (C) in national ecosystems. In this study, a national forest inventory database was used to estimate the past and current pools and fluxes of C in deciduous and coniferous forest and woodland ecosystems (20.7 x 10(6) ha) of Turkey. Growing C stock was 12.63 t C ha(-1) in 1960 and 16.55 t C ha(-1) in 1995. Total C store in the whole live woody biomass was estimated at 22.77 t C ha(-1) in 1996. The total flux of C from the atmosphere into the forest and woodland ecosystems driven by primary productivity was about 1.46 t C ha(-1)(or 30.2 Mt C) in 1996. The estimated net release of C from the forest and woodland ecosystems of Turkey to the atmosphere was about 1.34 t C ha(-1)(or 21.5 Mt C) in 1996. When C released was taken into account, net ecosystem sequestration (NES) resulted in 0.12 t C ha(-1) per year. Such analytical tools as national forest C budgets are needed to improve our preventive and mitigative strategies for dealing with global climate change.

Atmosphere↗
PubMed2002

Pressure ulcer prevalence in long-term nursing home residents since the implementation of OBRA '87. Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate change in pressure ulcer prevalence in long-term nursing home residents since the implementation of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA '87). DESIGN: Cross-sectional comparison of two time periods. SETTING: Ninety-two nursing homes scheduled for a quality-of-care survey randomly selected from 22 representative states. PARTICIPANTS: Four thousand six hundred seventy-nine residents who had resided in the facility for at least 100 days were evaluated: 2,336 during 1992-1994 and 2,343 during 1997-1998. MEASUREMENTS: Trained registered nurses collected data on pressure ulcer prevalence, stage, and risk factors from medical record review during on-site evaluations. Risk-adjusted differences were estimated using logistic regression. RESULTS: Unadjusted prevalence rates for all stages of pressure ulcers (8.52% vs 8.54%, P =.983) and those rated stage 2 or greater (5.31% vs 5.63%, P =.624) did not differ between the two time periods. After adjustment for urinary incontinence, immobility, poor nutrition, and history of previous pressure ulcers, the relative odds of having a pressure ulcer in 1992/4 versus 1997/8 was 1.06 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.84-1.34) for all stages and 1.21 (95% CI = 0.92-1.60) for stages 2 and greater. CONCLUSIONS: No change in pressure ulcer prevalence was demonstrated since implementation of OBRA '87 in this nationally derived sample of long-term nursing home residents.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.↗
PubMed1994

[The necessity of conducting to the end the activities of vector control in the onchocerciasis control program in west Africa: recall of the stakes and proposal of a minimum budget for the period 1998-2002].

After a brief presentation of the Onchocerciasis Control Programme in West Africa (OCP), the authors realize the health and socioeconomic consequences that could follow a cessation of larvicide treatment before 2002 in the south-eastern and western extensions of the Programme. Taking into account that OCP activities are theoretically supported until 1997, but aware of financial constraints that will probably increase from now to 2002, this paper proposes an a minima estimation of the residual vector control activities for a "phasing out" spread out for five years (1998-2002). These estimations essentially concern the larvicide coverage, the insecticides used, the entomological surveillance, the logistical support and their financial aspects. As far as 48 U.S. $ million amount for 5 years are concerned, the budget allocated for vector control activities should not exceed the third of the global amount allocated to OCP for the actual fourth financial phase of the Programme (1992-1997).

Africa, Western↗
PubMed1994

Behavioural expression of laying hens in aviaries and cages: frequencies, time budgets and facility utilisation.

1. We studied: behavioural frequencies and time budgets of behaviour patterns in non-beak-trimmed White Leghorn layers housed in cages (720 cm2/hen, 3 hens/cage), and in the Marielund, the Tiered Wire Floor (TWF), and the Laco-Volétage aviaries (17 hens/m2 ground area); individual variation in behaviour among aviary hens; spatial utilisation of the different types of aviary. 2. At 25, 40, and 60 weeks of age behaviour patterns of 114 focal animals were data logged. Each bird was observed for 10 min 4 times a day on three consecutive days. 3. The frequency of activity transitions and the activity level was highest in TWF, second highest in cages, and lowest in Laco-Volétage, suggested that Laco-Volétage hens were the calmest, whereas birds in cages and in TWF were more restless. Abnormal types of behaviour occurred most often in cages and TWF. The disadvantageous behaviour patterns shown by birds in TWF and cages imply that these environments were the least appropriate for this layer strain. 4. Pronounced individual variations in mobility and facility utilisation were found, both within and between the three aviaries. Resting levels were used twice as much (Laco-Volétage), and litter areas one third as much (Marielund), as that expected on a simple a proportionate basis. Most feather pecking was performed at resting levels and on feeding floors, whereas most agonistic behaviour patterns were observed on feeding floors and litter. 5. Measures to improve the aviaries are outlined.

Aging↗
PubMed1998

Time-budgets, comfort behaviours and injurious pecking of turkeys housed in pairs.

1. Large group size and high stocking density can compromise the welfare of poultry. This study, the first in a series of trials to determine the effect of these factors, examined the behaviour of turkeys under conditions in which group size and stocking density would have minimal influence, that is, when the birds were housed as pairs in pens measuring 3.0 x 3.6 m. 2. The 24 h time-budgets, frequency of comfort behaviours and incidence of injurious pecking were recorded on 12 occasions when the birds were between 4 and 22 weeks of age. 3. Over the duration of the study the proportion of time engaged in drinking or pecking other birds remained constant, but decreased for sleeping, environment pecking, wing-flapping, and running, increased for stretching, and varied throughout for feeding, standing, sitting, strutting, preening whilst standing, preening whilst sitting, and walking. 4. Some of the changes in activity were probably attributable to age effects per se. though other changes may have been related to increased musculo-skeletal weakness. 5. At 18 weeks of age, the turkeys spent a considerable proportion (30%) of time performing a sexual courtship display, strutting. Although the prevalence of this activity subsequently decreased, the likelihood of increased metabolic costs and potential for frustration indicate further investigation is warranted. 6. The turkeys behaved socially and were strongly influenced by social facilitator. 7. There were considerable differences between the behaviour of the turkeys and other common poultry species: the turkeys performed a running or frolicking behaviour and strutting, but did not exhibit other behaviours commonly observed such as dustbathing and ground-scratching whilst feeding. 8. Injurious pecking was infrequent. Only 14 bouts of behaviour likely to cause injury were recorded in 1,656 turkey-hours of continuous observation; no turkey required attention as a consequence of this behaviour. Feather pecking and cannibalism did not occur despite higher than conventional light intensities; the low frequency of injurious pecking could be attributed to the small group size/low stocking density.

Aggression↗
PubMed2005

Low-budget method for lifestyle improvement in primary care. Experiences from the Göteborg Health Profile Project.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a self-administered preventive tool dealing with risk factors for cardiovascular disease and its effect with special reference to the question: did the project involve persons most in need of lifestyle changes? DESIGN: Screening questions offered to consecutive patients and followed by a self-administered health profile, intervention, and follow-up. Setting. Primary healthcare area of Askim, Sweden. SUBJECTS: Men and women between 18 and 65 years of age visiting GPs for acute disorders or planned visits during a three-month period were offered screening questions and, if wanted, a health profile. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participation rates, effects on lifestyle factors. RESULTS: There was an overrepresentation of subjects with a less favourable lifestyle among those who asked for the health profile. There was good agreement for all variables between self-estimation in screening questions and grading in the basal health profile. Lifestyle improvement was observed for dietary habits, physical activity, and mental stress at the one year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that a relevant selection of persons with a "risk profile" can be made by means of simple screening questions. The pedagogic model using self-administered health profile in combination with own responsibility seems to be a tool for low-budget preventive work in primary healthcare.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The energy budget of captive Siberian hamsters, Phodopus sungorus, exposed to photoperiod changes: mass loss is caused by a voluntary decrease in food intake.

Unlike most nonhibernating small mammals, Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) undergo a pronounced mass loss, almost exclusively as white adipose tissues, in response to a switch from long- to short-photoperiod exposure. This mass loss can be caused by an increase in the rate of energy expenditure, a decrease in the rate of energy intake, or a decrease in assimilation efficiency. In order to determine how they relate to photoperiod-induced mass loss, we measured these energy budget components every 2 wk on 12 captive Siberian hamsters exposed to 8 wk of long photoperiod followed by 12 wk of short photoperiod. Body mass decreased shortly after short-photoperiod exposure. This was accompanied by an immediate decrease in the rate of energy intake and, after a 2-wk delay, by a decrease in the rate of energy expenditure. The overall cumulative decrease in energy intake (376 kJ) could account for the mass loss (249 kJ) observed during short-photoperiod exposure. Regression analyses indicated that only the rate of energy intake was significantly related to the rate of mass change. Therefore, we conclude that photoperiod-induced mass loss in Siberian hamsters is caused by a decrease in the rate of food intake, rather than by changes in energy expenditure or in assimilation efficiency.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Variation in energy expenditure among black-legged kittiwakes: effects of activity-specific metabolic rates and activity budgets.

We sought to determine the effect of variation in time-activity budgets (TABs) and foraging behavior on energy expenditure rates of parent black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla). We quantified TABs using direct observations of radio-tagged adults and simultaneously measured field metabolic rates (FMR) of these same individuals (n=20) using the doubly labeled water technique. Estimated metabolic rates of kittiwakes attending their brood at the nest or loafing near the colony were similar (ca. 1.3 x basal metabolic rate [BMR]), although loafing during foraging trips was more costly (2.9 x BMR). Metabolic rates during commuting flight (7.3 x BMR) and prey-searching flight (6.2 x BMR) were similar, while metabolic rates during plunge diving were much higher (ca. 47 x BMR). The proportion of the measurement interval spent foraging had a positive effect on FMR (R2=0.68), while the combined proportion of time engaged in nest attendance and loafing near the colony had a negative effect on FMR (R2=0.72). Thus, more than two-thirds of the variation in kittiwake FMR could be explained by the allocation of time among various activities. The high energetic cost of plunge diving relative to straight flight and searching flight suggests that kittiwakes can optimize their foraging strategy under conditions of low food availability by commuting long distances to feed in areas where gross foraging efficiency is high.

Alaska↗
PubMed2002

Breaking bones, breaking budgets: a clinical and economic evaluation of a prospective, randomized, practice controlled, intervention study in the prevention of accidents in primary care.

OBJECTIVE: This longitudinal study was designed to assess the effect of an educational training package for primary health care teams in accident prevention for older people, with reference to the incidence of accidents and their associated economic consequence. METHODS: Nineteen general practices in the West Midlands serving a population of 138 397 were allocated randomly at the practice level either to receive training or continue normal practice. Study data was collated from the initial telephone call, reporting an accident, to the surgery, advice/treatment given at the practice and/or the community, casualty, inpatient care, written correspondence to the patient's GP and any subsequent follow-up visits for accidents to people aged 65 years or older. RESULTS: One thousand, six hundred and sixty-six (8.2%) patients aged 65 years or older registered with the participating practices experienced one accident or more, costing the NHS pound 1.4 million. Extrapolated nationally, annual costs to the NHS for accidents to older people amount to pound 568 million. The educational package had no significant impact on the incidence of accidents. A paucity of general safety advice was given [48 (1.8%) occasions]. CONCLUSIONS: Budgets are being eroded and patients are suffering unnecessarily due to lack of accident prevention advice. This should be considered a priority within the primary health care team. Educational packages alone do not appear to be a cost-effective approach to accident prevention in primary care.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1982

Time budgets of older people:" a window on four lifestyles.

The purposes of this research were first to describe how a group of urban elderly spend their days and, second, to examine the responsiveness of the behavioral day to rather marked environmental and personal differences. Detailed time budgets for one full day (including the content, duration, social and environmental context, and the amount of liking for each activity) were obtained from 535 persons, from four groups: independent community residents, public housing tenants, recipients of intensive in-home services, and an institutional waiting list group. Consistent patterns appeared across groups, particularly in the amount of time spent in the various social contexts and in most discretionary activities. However, the independent groups spent more time than the service groups away from home and in obligatory tasks such as housework, cooking, and shopping. Independent groups tended to express greater liking for many activities but not for more novel activities which the service groups liked equally as well.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Time-activity budget of adult screwworm behavior (Diptera: Calliphoridae).

A time-activity budget of adult screwworm behavior was determined in an outdoor screened enclosure. Screwworms spent most (75.7%) of their time in the passive behaviors of resting and grooming. The adults spent 9.5% of daytime activity feeding, mainly on flowers or nectaries, but also on animal wound fluids and feces. Adults moving in vegetation preferred walking over flying in both frequency and duration. Flying was a frequent activity, but flights were of short (13.7 s) duration. Courtship, mating, and oviposition constituted less than 1% of a fly's total activity. The unusual behavior characterized as "bubbling" was interpreted as either thermoregulation or a nectar concentration.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Carbon budget of Pinus sylvestris saplings after four years of exposure to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration.

To study the responses of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), a commercially important tree species in Europe, to future increases in atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]), we grew saplings for 4 years in the ground in open-top chambers in ambient or ambient + 400 micromol mol(-1) CO2, without supplemental addition of nutrients and water. Carbon (C) budgets were developed for trees in both CO2 treatments based on productivity and biomass data obtained from destructive harvests at the end of the third and fourth years of treatment, and simulations of annual gross photosynthesis (P(tot)) and maintenance respiration by the model MAESTRA. Simulated P(tot) was enhanced by elevated [CO2], despite significant down-regulation of photosynthetic capacity. The subsequent increase in C uptake was allocated primarily to tissues with limited longevity (needles and fine roots), which explains why the measured annual increment in woody biomass did not differ between CO2 treatments. Thus, our results suggest that accelerated stem growth only occurs in the first 2 years in the presence of elevated [CO2] and that forest rotations will not be shortened significantly in response to increasing [CO2]. In elevated [CO2], a higher proportion of available C was allocated below ground, resulting in altered biomass distribution patterns. In trees of equal size, measured ratios of fine root/needle biomass and belowground/aboveground biomass were almost twice as large in the elevated [CO2] treatment. Although there are uncertainties in scaling from saplings to mature canopies, the data indicate that, in nutrient-limited Scots pine forests, elevated [CO2] is unlikely to accelerate tree growth significantly, but is likely to increase C inputs to soil.

Biomass↗
PubMed2006

Did postoperative mortality increase after the implementation of the Medicare Balanced Budget Act?

BACKGROUND: The Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 was a cost-saving measure designed to reduce Medicare reimbursements by $116.4 billion from 1998 to 2002. Resulting financial strain could adversely affect the quality of patient care in hospitals. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether 30-day mortality rates for surgical patients who developed complications changed at different rates in hospitals under different levels of financial strain from the BBA. METHODS: Pennsylvania hospital discharge data, financial data, and death certificate data from 1997 to 2001 were obtained. A retrospective multivariate analysis examined whether 30-day mortality rates from 8 postoperative complications varied based on degree of hospital financial strain. RESULTS: The average magnitude of Medicare payment reduction on overall hospital net revenues was estimated at 1.8% for hospitals with low BBA impact and 3.5% for hospitals with high impact in 1998, worsening to 2.0% and 4.8%, respectively, by 2001. Mortality rates changed at similar rates for high- and low-impact hospitals from 1997 to 1999, but from 1997 to 2000 mortality rates increased more among patients in high-impact compared with low-impact hospitals (P<0.05). From 2000 to 2001, mortality rates among impact groups converged. There were no statistically significant differences based on BBA impact in changes in nursing staff or length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: The mortality of surgical patients who developed postoperative complications increased to a greater degree in the short term in hospitals affected more by BBA. Measuring the quality impact of reimbursement cuts is necessary to understand cost-quality tradeoffs that may accompany cost-saving reforms.

Aged↗