We’re thrilled to announce the Inaugural Queen’s WIDEN (Workshops for Inter-Discipline Exchange and Novelty):
On Measures
February 1 2013, 2-4pm
room 021 in the basement of the New Medical Building (15 Arch Street)
All are welcome. No advance registration is required.
Moderator: Daniel Paluzzi, Medicine
Presentations:
How Does Alzheimer’s Disease Affect the Ability to Respond to Music?
Ashley Vanstone, Psychology
The individual with severe Alzheimer’s disease, resurrected from a disoriented state by the power of music, has acquired the status of a cultural meme. Neuropsychologists have approached this phenomenon by studying how AD affects the underlying processes involved in making sense of and remembering music. My research aims to clarify how information gained from these neuropsychological studies is reflected in the everyday musical lives of persons living with AD. This talk describes the measurement of music engagement in everyday life in a population of people who may not be able to complete paper and pencil questionnaires. I then explore the interconnections between these music engagement data and neuropsychological measures of music processing in a group of individuals living with AD.
Modeling the Price of Dairy Quotas under Price Ceiling Legislation: A Case Study of the Market for Dairy Quotas in Québec
Alex Chernoff, Economics
In this paper I estimate the price of dairy quotas that would be realized in the absence of price ceiling legislation in Québec. Starting from a dynamic economic model of the demand for quotas, I develop an econometric model that is used to estimate producers’ discount factor. The model is estimated using producer-level data from the Québec Federation of Management Clubs’ Agritel database. My results suggest that the rapid escalation in quota prices during the late 1990s can be attributed to an increase in producers’ discount factor. Using my estimate of producers’ discount factor for the period 1993-2005 and the formula for the equilibrium price, I estimate the price of dairy quotas in Québec for the period 1993 to 2010. The modeled price fits the actual quota exchange price reasonably well during the pre price ceiling era. After the introduction of the price ceiling in 2007, the modeled price remains well above the price ceiling in the years 2008-2010. In 2010, I estimate that dairy quotas in Québec would trade at a price of $31,955 per unit. My results indicate that lowering the valuation of quotas to $25,000 would require an 11.83% reduction in the price of farm milk in Québec. In 2010, an 11.83% reduction in operating revenue would have reduced Québec dairy farmers’ profit margins to the lowest level in recent history.
On Pins and Needles: Acceptance (?) of Acupuncture by the Canadian Medical Establishment
Belle Song, Medicine
Acupuncture, one component of Chinese Traditional Medicine, involves placing needles at certain locations to treat conditions ranging from headaches to digestive disorders. Initial interest in acupuncture was fuelled by sensationalist accounts from Canadian physicians visiting China in the 1960s. However, this enthusiasm soon subsided into misgivings, and many articles were written calling for more research using, of course, the gold standard of Western medicine: randomized controlled trials. An increasing number of studies examining the effectiveness of acupuncture was conducted worldwide starting in the 1990s. However, none were published in the flagship journal of the Canadian Medical Association until 2007, which coincidentally was also the year that traditional Chinese medicine was recognized as a separate health profession in Ontario, independent from conventional medicine. Was the Canadian medical establishment applying a double standard to acupuncture out of self-interest, by refusing to acknowledge the proof they themselves had requested and defined?