bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimating Average Treatment Effects: Supplementary Analyses and Remaining Challenges
Authors: Athey Susan , Imbens Guido , Pham Thai , Wager Stefan
Published: May 2017

There is a large literature on semiparametric estimation of average treatment effects under unconfounded treatment assignment in settings with a fixed number of covariates. More recently attention has focused on settings with a large number of covariates. In this paper we extend lessons from the earlier literature to this new setting. We propose that in addition to reporting point estimates and standard errors, researchers report results from a number of supplementary analyses to assist in assessing the credibility of their estimates.
Pandora's Auctions: Dynamic Matching with Unknown Preferences
Authors: Fershtman Daniel , Pavan Alessandro
Published: May 2017

Matching theory typically assumes that agents know their values for possible partners and confines attention to settings in which matching is either static, or driven by population dynamics. In many environments of interest, instead, dynamics originate in the agents learning their preferences through interactions with other agents. In this short paper, we illustrate how platforms can use appropriately designed auctions to account for the joint value of experimentation and cross-subsidization in dynamic matching markets. The model is a stylized version of the general one in Fershtman and Pavan (2016).
Multidimensional Platform Design
Authors: Veiga André , Weyl E. Glen , White Alexander
Published: May 2017

Successful platforms attract not just many users, but also those of the right kind. 'The right kind of user' is one who can either be directly monetized or who differentially attracts other valuable users. Bonacich centrality on the network of user sorting with direct value of monetization captures this feedback loop and thus characterizes the value of user characteristics. We use this value to determine optimal steady-state platform design and reliable means for platforms to reach such a steady state. We apply these results respectively to explain the dynamic growth strategy of social networks and urban development policies of cities.
Large-Scale Affirmative Action in School Choice: Admissions to IITs in India
Authors: Aygün Orhan , Turhan Bertan
Published: May 2017

We provide a real-life application of a large scale affirmative action policy in school choice in the context of engineering school admissions in India where students not only care about what program they are matched to but also what type of seat category they are admitted under. We explain the market and the mechanism currently in use. Two significant shortcomings of the current mechanism are explained. The affirmative action policy in use leaves many seats vacant even though there are students who would take these seats. We provide the insight of a potential matching-theoretical solution to these problems.
Improving Climate-Change Modeling of US Migration
Authors: Partridge Mark D. , Feng Bo , Rembert Mark
Published: May 2017

Manmade climate change (CC) has catastrophic consequences. The United States has already experienced wholesale population realignment due to climate as households have relocated to the Sunbelt and West. The irony is that people are moving toward the heat and major storms associated with CC. As CC intensifies, with high rates of internal US factor mobility, firms and households will likely again relocate to areas with higher utility and profits, reducing CC costs. Yet current research typically focuses on CC costs in a given location without considering this realignment. We propose several avenues to overcome such shortcomings in US CC modeling.
The Role of Marriage in Fighting HIV: A Quantitative Illustration for Malawi
Authors: Greenwood Jeremy , Kircher Philipp , Santos Cezar , Tertilt Michèle
Published: May 2017

How might policies that promote marriage and/or dissuade divorce help in the fight against HIV/AIDS? This question is addressed employing a choice-theoretic general equilibrium search model, using Malawi as a case study. In the framework developed, individuals can choose between married and single life. A single person can select among abstinence and sex with or without a condom. The results suggest that marriage-friendly policies can help to abate HIV/AIDS. The policy predictions that obtain from general equilibrium analysis are compared with those that arise from simulated synthetic field experiments and epidemiological studies.
Reminders and Recidivism: Using Administrative Data to Characterize Nonfilers and Conduct EITC Outreach
Authors: Guyton John , Langetieg Pat , Manoli Day , Payne Mark , Schafer Brenda , Sebastiani Michael
Published: May 2017

This project uses third-party information reporting and population-level administrative tax data to identify the population of nonfilers. This population consists of individuals who do not file a tax return despite having income reported by third parties to the United States Internal Revenue Service. After identifying and characterizing this population, we identified nonfilers who may have been eligible for Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) benefits. Using an experimental sample drawn from this population of potentially EITC-eligible nonfilers, we conducted two randomized controlled trials to test multiple hypotheses regarding inattention and recency effects in these low-income earners' tax filing decisions.
Quantifying the Disincentive Effects of Joint Taxation on Married Women's Labor Supply
Authors: Bick Alexander , Fuchs-Schündeln Nicola
Published: May 2017

We quantify the disincentive effects of elements of joint taxation in the labor income tax codes of 17 European countries and the US. We analyze the extent to which hours worked of married men and women would change if each country switched to a system of separate taxation of married couples. In this hypothetical tax reform, we keep the average tax burden of married households constant. With the exception of four countries featuring already a system of separate taxation, the model predicts that married women's hours worked increase on average by 115 hours, or 10.5 percent, through this reform.
The Expanding Gender Earnings Gap: Evidence from the LEHD-2000 Census
Authors: Goldin Claudia , Kerr Sari Pekkala , Olivetti Claudia , Barth Erling
Published: May 2017

The gender earnings gap is an expanding statistic over the lifecycle. We use the LEHD Census 2000 to understand the roles of industry, occupation, and establishment 14 years after leaving school. The gap for college graduates 26 to 39 years old expands by 34 log points, most occurring in the first 7 years. About 44 percent is due to disproportionate shifts by men into higher-earning positions, industries, and firms and about 56 percent to differential advances by gender within firms. Widening is greater for married individuals and for those in certain sectors. Non-college graduates experience less widening but with similar patterns.
A Gender Agenda: A Progress Report on Competitiveness
Authors: Niederle Muriel
Published: May 2017

I review the role of a new behavioral trait, competitiveness, on the gender agenda. I first describe how to measure competitiveness in the laboratory and show that gender differences in competitiveness are robust. I then establish the external economic relevance of the experimental measure of competitiveness: competitiveness correlates with education and labor market outcomes and can help account for gender differences therein. Finally, institutions can differ in the importance they place on competitiveness and hence can affect gender differences in economic outcomes. Exploring these institutional differences and their effects remains an open area of behavioral market design.
Some Lasting Effects of Undergraduate Economics on Retirement Planning
Authors: Bosshardt William , B.Walstad William
Published: May 2017

This study investigated the likely effects of undergraduate economics on whether a college graduate has opened a retirement account four years after graduation. Economic education is measured by the number of economics credit hours or whether a college graduate had majored in economics. Additional control variables for the logit analyses include occupation differences, employment record, and some demographics. Completing an undergraduate course in economics is significantly associated with having a retirement account, and economics majors are more likely than some other majors to have a retirement account. The analysis uses college transcript data from the Baccalaureate and Beyond study ( nces.ed.gov/surveys/b&b/ ).
Learning Outcomes for Economists
Authors: Allgood Sam , Bayer Amanda
Published: May 2017

Articulating thoughtful learning outcome statements for courses and majors improves teaching and learning and satisfies accreditation requirements. After reading this paper, economists will be able to construct learning outcome statements that guide and enhance teaching and learning in their courses and programs. We present a framework for developing learning outcomes based on a set of five fundamental competencies in economics. We then provide another public good, offering a complete set of learning outcomes for an introductory microeconomics course, which instructors can include in their syllabi. For additional guidance, we construct examples of lesson-specific learning outcomes as well.
Segregation and Homeownership in the Early Twentieth Century
Authors: Logan Trevon D. , Parman John M.
Published: May 2017

We use new county-level segregation estimates for the period of 1880 to 1940 to document a general rise in residential segregation in both urban and rural counties occurring alongside rising homeownership rates. However, we find a negative correlation between segregation and homeownership across space for both black and white households. Following Fetter (2013), we show that living in a more segregated county substantially reduced the impact of GI Bill benefits on white homeownership rates, suggesting that segregated locations potentially hindered both white and black homeownership.
Does Machine Learning Automate Moral Hazard and Error?
Authors: Mullainathan Sendhil , Obermeyer Ziad
Published: May 2017

Machine learning tools are beginning to be deployed en masse in health care. While the statistical underpinnings of these techniques have been questioned with regard to causality and stability, we highlight a different concern here, relating to measurement issues. A characteristic feature of health data, unlike other applications of machine learning, is that neither y nor x is measured perfectly. Far from a minor nuance, this can undermine the power of machine learning algorithms to drive change in the health care system--and indeed, can cause them to reproduce and even magnify existing errors in human judgment.
Wearable Technologies and Health Behaviors: New Data and New Methods to Understand Population Health
Authors: Handel Benjamin , Kolstad Jonathan
Published: May 2017

We study a randomized control trial in a large employer population of access to “wearable” technologies and the associated planning and monitoring tools on improved health behaviors (sleep and exercise). Both ITT and IV estimates based on actual plan enrollment for the treatment group suggest statistically significant but economically small changes in behavior after three months. We then implement machine learning-based models to assess treatment effect heterogeneity. We find little evidence for heterogeneous treatment effects base on observables. We also present detailed data on sleep patterns underscoring the value of this new data source to researchers.
Keeping It in the Family: Lineage Organization and the Scope of Trust in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Moscona Jacob , Nunn Nathan , Robinson James A.
Published: May 2017

We present evidence that the traditional structure of society is an important determinant of the scope of trust today. Within Africa, individuals belonging to ethnic groups that organized society using segmentary lineages exhibit a more limited scope of trust, measured by the gap between trust in relatives and trust in non-relatives. This trust gap arises because of lower levels of trust in non-relatives and not higher levels of trust in relatives. A causal interpretation of these correlations is supported by the fact that the effects are primarily found in rural areas where these forms of organization are still prevalent.
The Evolution of Egalitarian Sociolinguistic Conventions
Authors: Naidu Suresh , Hwang Sung-Ha , Bowles Samuel
Published: May 2017

Motivated by historical examples and ideas from socio-linguistics, in particular the “non-reciprocal power semantic” of Brown and Gilman (1960), we extend evolutionary models of language to incorporate intentional linguistic innovations among conventions that may convey social superiority and inferiority, despite being ambiguous, in the sense of less efficiency in communicating information. We show that egalitarian and unambiguous linguistic conventions can be stochastically stable but also identify conditions under which ambiguous linguistic conventions that are imperfect signals of status differences may be stochastically stable.
The Role of Unemployment in the Rise in Alternative Work Arrangements
Authors: Katz Lawrence F. , Krueger Alan B.
Published: May 2017

The share of U.S. workers in alternative work arrangements has increased substantially in recent decades. Micro longitudinal analyses show that unemployed workers are much more likely to transition into alternative work arrangements than other workers. Macro time-series evidence shows that weak labor market conditions lead to an increase in non-traditional work. But the estimated magnitudes imply that the Great Recession and high unemployment in the 2000s can account for only a modest part of the rise in alternative work. Secular factors associated with rising inequality and technological changes making it easier to contract out work appear to be the driving forces.
Firm-Related Risk and Precautionary Saving Response
Authors: Fagereng Andreas , Guiso Luigi , Pistaferri Luigi
Published: May 2017

We propose a new approach to identify the strength of the precautionary motive and the extent of self-insurance in response to earnings risk based on Euler equation estimates. To address endogeneity problems, we use Norwegian administrative data and instrument consumption and earnings volatility with the variance of firm-specific shocks. The instrument is valid because firms pass some of their productivity shocks onto wages; moreover, for most workers, firm shocks are hard to avoid. Our estimates suggest a coefficient of relative prudence of 2, in a very plausible range.
Worker Betas: Five Facts about Systematic Earnings Risk
Authors: Guvenen Fatih , Schulhofer-Wohl Sam , Song Jae , Yogo Motohiro
Published: May 2017

The magnitude of and heterogeneity in systematic earnings risk has important implications for various theories in macro, labor, and financial economics. Using administrative data, we document how the aggregate risk exposure of individual earnings to GDP and stock returns varies across gender, age, the worker's earnings level, and industry. Aggregate risk exposure is U-shaped with respect to the earnings level. In the middle of the earnings distribution, aggregate risk exposure is higher for males, younger workers, and construction and durable manufacturing. At the top of the earnings distribution, aggregate risk exposure is higher for older workers and finance.
Is Modern Technology Responsible for Jobless Recoveries?
Authors: Graetz Georg , Michaels Guy
Published: May 2017

Since the early 1990s, recoveries from recessions in the US have been plagued by weak employment growth. We investigate whether a similar problem afflicts other developed economies, and whether technology is a culprit. We study recoveries from 71 recessions in 28 industries and 17 countries from 1970-2011. We find that though GDP recovered more slowly after recent recessions, employment did not. Industries that used more routine tasks, and those more exposed to robotization, did not recently experience slower employment recoveries. Finally, middle-skill employment did not recover more slowly after recent recessions, and this pattern was no different in routine-intensive industries.
Secular Stagnation? The Effect of Aging on Economic Growth in the Age of Automation
Authors: Acemoglu Daron , Restrepo Pascual
Published: May 2017

Several recent theories emphasize the negative effects of an aging population on economic growth, either because of the lower labor force participation and productivity of older workers or because aging will create an excess of savings over desired investment, leading to secular stagnation. We show that there is no such negative relationship in the data. If anything, countries experiencing more rapid aging have grown more in recent decades. We suggest that this counterintuitive finding might reflect the more rapid adoption of automation technologies in countries undergoing more pronounced demographic changes and provide evidence and theoretical underpinnings for this argument.
Concentrating on the Fall of the Labor Share
Authors: Autor David , Dorn David , Katz Lawrence F. , Patterson Christina , Reenen John Van
Published: May 2017

The recent fall of labor's share of GDP in numerous countries is well-documented, but its causes are poorly understood. We sketch a “superstar firm” model where industries are increasingly characterized by “winner take most” competition, leading a small number of highly profitable (and low labor share) firms to command growing market share. Building on Autor et al. (2017), we evaluate and confirm two core claims of the superstar firm hypothesis: the concentration of sales among firms within industries has risen across much of the private sector; and industries with larger increases in concentration exhibit a larger decline in labor's share.
Precommitment, Cash Transfers, and Timely Arrival for Birth: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Nairobi Kenya
Authors: Cohen Jessica , Lofgren Katherine , McConnell Margaret
Published: May 2017

Maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya are among the highest in the world. Mounting evidence suggests that delivering in a facility is not enough to ensure mortality reductions: women must deliver in high-quality facilities and arrive early enough for appropriate care if complications arise. We designed an RCT combining labeled cash transfers and pre-commitment incentives to encourage earlier and more effective delivery facility choice and to promote earlier facility arrival. We find that the intervention improves planning, increases delivery at the desired facility, and encourages more timely arrival at delivery facilities.
Personality Traits and Performance Contracts: Evidence from a Field Experiment among Maternity Care Providers in India
Authors: Donato Katherine , Miller Grant , Mohanan Manoj , Truskinovsky Yulya , Vera-Hernández Marcos
Published: May 2017

We study how agents respond to performance incentives according to key personality traits (conscientiousness and neuroticism) through a field experiment offering financial incentives for improving maternal and neonatal health outcomes to rural Indian doctors. More conscientious providers performed better--but improved less--under performance incentives. The effect of the performance incentives was also smaller for providers with higher levels of neuroticism. Our results contribute to a growing body of empirical research on heterogeneous responses to incentives and have implications for worker selection.
The Ethics of Incentivizing the Uninformed: A Vignette Study
Authors: Ambuehl Sandro , Ockenfels Axel
Published: May 2017

Our recent working paper (Ambuehl, Ockenfels, and Stewart 2017) shows theoretically and experimentally that people with higher costs of information processing respond more to an increase in the incentive for a complex transaction, and decide to participate based on a worse understanding of its consequences. Here, we address the resulting tradeoff between the principle of informed consent and the principle of free contract. Respondents to our vignette study on oocyte donation overwhelmingly favor the former and support policies that require donors to thoroughly understand the transaction. This finding helps design markets that are not only efficient but also considered ethical.
Policy Analysis in Matching Markets
Authors: Agarwal Nikhil
Published: May 2017

Price and quantity interventions intended to affect assignments are common in many labor and education markets (e.g., financial aid, quotas). This article discusses an empirical framework, based on the theory of stable matching, that is suitable for policy analysis while accounting for the presence of equilibrium sorting. It then compares financial incentives and supply interventions for encouraging the training of family medicine residents in rural America. Due to equilibrium effects, the primary effect of financial incentives is to increase the quality, not numbers, of residents in rural programs, while quantity regulations directly affect numbers without adversely affecting quality.
Assessing the Rate of Replication in Economics
Authors: Berry James , Coffman Lucas C. , Hanley Douglas , Gihleb Rania , Wilson Alistair J.
Published: May 2017

We assess the rate of replication for empirical papers in the 2010 American Economic Review. Across 70 empirical papers, we find that 29 percent have 1 or more citation that partially replicates the original result. While only a minority of papers has a published replication, a majority (60 percent) have either a replication, robustness test, or an extension. Surveying authors within the literature, we find substantial uncertainty over the number of extant replications.
Recognition for Group Work: Gender Differences in Academia
Authors: Sarsons Heather
Published: May 2017

How is credit for group work allocated when individual contributions are not observed? I use data on academics' publication records to test whether demographic traits like gender influence how credit is allocated under such uncertainty. While solo-authored papers send a clear signal about ability, coauthored papers are noisy, providing no specific information about each contributor's skills. I find that men are tenured at roughly the same rate regardless of coauthoring choices. Women, however, are less likely to receive tenure the more they coauthor. The result is much less pronounced among women who coauthor with other women.
Women's Inheritance Rights, Household Allocation, and Gender Bias
Authors: Bose Nayana , Das Shreyasee
Published: May 2017

We analyze the impact of improved land inheritance rights for women in India on female empowerment by examining their educational attainment and the intergenerational effects of the reform. Using a difference-in-differences strategy, we find that the amendment to the Hindu Succession Act significantly increased education of women from landed households by 0.48 years. However, our results indicate a significant decrease in the educational attainment of children, especially boys of treated mothers. We attribute this decrease to treated mothers who are better educated and able to assess the higher opportunity cost of education for boys.
Capitalization of School Quality in Housing Prices: Evidence from Boundary Changes in Shelby County, Tennessee
Authors: Collins Courtney A. , Kaplan Erin K.
Published: May 2017

In 2013 Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools consolidated into a unified system, creating one of the largest districts in the nation. Six Memphis suburbs subsequently voted to create separate municipal districts. Many school zoning changes resulted from the merger and subsequent splintering of districts, providing a rare opportunity to separately identify the value of both school and district quality as they are capitalized in housing prices. Utilizing school fixed effects and repeat sales data, we find that a one standard deviation increase in test scores increases prices by 3-4% while district administration accounts for 5-8% of home values.
Teenage Motherhood and Sibling Outcomes
Authors: Heissel Jennifer A.
Published: May 2017

Using annual longitudinal data, I show that all children in families with teen childbearing are on a downward trajectory several years before pregnancy begins. Compared to students on similar trajectories from families without teenage childbearing, siblings of teen mothers have lower test scores, higher high school dropout, and higher juvenile justice system exposure following the birth. The change in test score outcomes occurs after the baby is born, indicating that the child's arrival affects performance, rather than some unobserved occurrence leading to both teen pregnancy and poor outcomes. The test scores for teen mothers drop in the year of pregnancy.
The Importance of Information Targeting for School Choice
Authors: Ajayi Kehinde F. , Friedman Willa H. , Lucas Adrienne M.
Published: May 2017

Although school choice programs are common, we know little about the underlying decision-making processes. In this study, we randomly assigned 900 junior high schools in Ghana, a country with universal secondary school choice, to 1 of 3 treatment arms: (1) information to students, (2) information to students and guardians, and (3) control group. We observe changes in beliefs, behaviors, and the decision maker's identity through a survey of guardians. Our intervention increased the likelihood that guardians were involved with and informed about the school selection process. Moreover, specifically targeting guardians led to significantly larger changes for most outcomes.
Taxman's Dilemma: Coercion or Persuasion? Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment in Ethiopia
Authors: Shimeles Abebe , Gurara Daniel Zerfu , Woldeyes Firew
Published: May 2017

We analyze data from a randomized controlled trial of two innovative anti-tax evasion schemes in Ethiopia that signal threats of audit and complimentary messages that encourage tax morale. Our results indicate that the threat of audit reduces tax evasion significantly, and its effect is higher in businesses commonly suspected of high tax evasion rates. We also find that appealing to the tax morale promotes compliance but slightly less than that of audit threat. Our results are robust to different estimation strategies and less sensitive to potential confounding factors.
Disease and Gender Gaps in Human Capital Investment: Evidence from Niger's 1986 Meningitis Epidemic
Authors: Archibong Belinda , Annan Francis
Published: May 2017

This paper examines whether disease burdens, especially prevalent in the tropics, contribute significantly to widening gender gaps in educational attainment. We estimate the impact of sudden exposure to the 1986 meningitis epidemic in Niger on girls' education relative to boys. Our results suggest that increases in meningitis cases during epidemic years significantly reduce years of education disproportionately for primary school-aged going girls in areas with higher meningitis exposure. There is no significant effect for boys in the same cohort and no effects of meningitis exposure for non-epidemic years. Our findings have broader implications for climate-induced disease effects on social inequality.
Inequality in the Labor Market for Native American Women and the Great Recession
Authors: Burnette Jeffrey D.
Published: May 2017

This research paper builds on previous literature and documents general changes in the labor market for Native American women that occurred during the Great Recession using extracts of data from the Current Population Survey Annual Earnings file, known as the Merged Outgoing Rotation Groups (MORG). Wages, unemployment, and other labor market variables for Native American women are contrasted with those of Native American men and white women to determine the relative change in labor market inequality that occurred during the Great Recession.
The Dynamic Spillovers of Entry: An Application to the Generic Drug Industry
Authors: Ronald Gallant A. , Hong Han , Khwaja Ahmed
Published: May 2017

This paper examines whether experience from entry in one market can potentially enhance profitability at a future market opportunity for a related product. We formulate and estimate a dynamic game of entry in which forward-looking firms make decisions not just based on present benefits of past entry but also anticipating potential future benefits of current entry. Dynamic spillovers of entry are incorporated through a firm-specific unobservable (to the researcher) cost that depends on past entry decisions. The unobserved costs may also be serially persistent. Thus, the model allows for firm-specific unobserved heterogeneity that evolves based on firm actions. The challenge of estimating a dynamic game with serially correlated unobserved state variables subject to endogenous feedback is overcome by embedding a particle filter-based technique in a nested fixed-point algorithm. Using an application to a stylized model of entry in the generic pharmaceutical industry, we underscore the motivation for the model specification and the methodology developed. Our estimates imply positive spillover effects of entry. Moreover, these spillovers suggest heterogeneity not just across firms but also within firms over time based on their history of entry decisions. Our results illustrate that entry may potentially provide firms with additional strategic advantage in later markets and that entry spillovers may be an important factor to consider in the equilibrium evolution of the generic drug industry.

The web appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2016.2648 .

This paper was accepted by J. Miguel Villas-Boas, marketing.
Online Auctions and Multichannel Retailing
Authors: Kuruzovich Jason , Etzion Hila
Published: May 2017

The Internet enables sellers to offer products through multiple channels simultaneously. In particular, many sellers utilize online auctions in parallel to an offline channel in which they offer the item for a fixed price. Using search theory, we develop an analytical model for studying sellers’ pricing decisions and auction outcomes in the context of such multichannel retailing. Our analytical model provides a framework for studying how characteristics of the demand in an offline retail sales channel impact the seller’s optimal reserve price in the auction channel, the probability that an auction ends in a sale, the probability that an item is sold through the auction channel, and the auction expected sale price. We then utilize data from eBay Motors auctions and examine empirically how the quality of a sellers’ retail location impacts the seller’s auctions outcomes. The results of our empirical analysis match the predictions of the analytical model.

The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2017.2732 .

This paper was accepted by Chris Forman, information systems.
An overview of wound care in the care home population
Authors: Todd Marie
Published: May 2017

Older people are at increased risk of sustaining wounds due to the natural physiological changes associated with the ageing process. In this article, Marie Todd explains what can be done to help manage and facilitate wound healing in the care home environment
Promoting healthy mouths for older people living in care
Authors: Humphreys Katie
Published: May 2017

The value of good mouth health for care home residents should not be underestimated. Katie Humphreys provides an overview of the oral health problems residents face, and how care high-quality care can improve residents' general health and wellbeing
Alzheimer's disease research: the roadmap to a cure
Authors: Mendes Aysha
Published: May 2017

Alzheimer's disease, the biggest cause of dementia, is expected to be the biggest killer of the century. In this article, Aysha Mendes discusses the research initiative ‘Roadmap’, which forms the next step in the path to finding a cure for dementia
Brexit and adult social care: planning for the future
Authors: Bernstein Adam
Published: May 2017

Article 50 has been triggered, and the UK is leaving the European Union in 2019. In this article, Adam Bernstein explains how homes can best prepare for the changes ahead, and their inevitable impact this will have on the adult social care sector
How IR35 legislation reforms will affect you
Authors: Elliot David
Published: May 2017

Recently announced changes to IR35 legislation came into effect on 6 April. David Elliot looks at what they will mean for GP practices
Promises, promises, promises
Authors: Moffat Polly
Published: May 2017

The forthcoming general election has reignited debates about the future of the NHS and its staff. What are the parties' pledges for the next four years?
Longitudinal change in foot posture in children with cerebral palsy
Authors: Church C. , Lennon N. , Alton R. , Schwartz J. , Niiler T. , Henley J. , Miller F.
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Foot deformities are common in children with cerebral palsy (CP), yet the evolution of such deformities is not well documented. We aimed to observe and analyse changes in foot posture during growth in children with CP.

Methods

We followed 51 children (16 unilateral, 35 bilateral; 37 Gross Motor Function Classification Scale (GMFCS) I/II, 14 III/IV) aged two to 12 years in this level II, IRB-approved prospective longitudinal study. Data after bony foot corrections were excluded. Outcome measures included coronal plane pressure index (CPPI) and pressure impulses from the heel, medial midfoot and medial forefoot. Data were LOESS smoothed and resulting models were compared for significant differences across time using a derived FANOVA method.

Results

The GMFCS I/II group had more foot valgus than typically developing (TD) children until seven years which normalised thereafter. From two to 12 years, GMFCS III/IV children had more foot valgus than TD children. Heel impulse was significantly reduced in both GMFCS groups compared with TD children, and the III/IV group had less heel contact than the I/II group.

Conclusions

Due to early variability and the tendency for resolving valgus foot posture in children with CP, conservative management of coronal plane foot deformity is suggested in early childhood, especially for children classified as GMFCS I and II.
Increasing rates of surgical treatment for paediatric diaphyseal forearm fractures: A National Database Study from 2000 to 2012
Authors: Cruz A. I. , Kleiner J. E. , DeFroda S. F. , Gil J. A. , Daniels A. H. , Eberson C. P.
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Forearm fractures are one of the most commonly sustained injuries in children and are often treated non-operatively. The purpose of this study was to estimate the rate of inpatient surgical treatment of paediatric forearm fractures over time using a large, publicly available, national database.

Methods

The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Kids’ Inpatient Database (KID) was evaluated between 2000 and 2012. Forearm fractures and surgeries were identified using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9 CM) diagnosis and procedure codes. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to determine variables associated with greater proportion of surgical treatment. All statistical analyses were performed using SAS statistical software v.9.4 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results

The database identified 30 936 forearm fracture admissions. Overall, 19 837 of these patients were treated surgically (64.12%). The percentage of patients treated with surgery increased from 59.3% in 2000 to 70.0% in 2012 (p < 0.001). Multivariable regression analysis found increased age (p < 0.001), more recent year (p < 0.001), male gender (p = 0.003) and admission to a children's hospital (p < 0.001) were associated with an increased proportion of patients receiving surgical treatment. Medicaid payer status was associated with a lower proportion of surgical treatment (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The rate of operative treatment for paediatric forearm fractures admitted to the hospital increased over time. Increased surgical rates were associated with older age, male gender, treatment at a children's hospital and non-Medicaid insurance status.
SOFTWARE TESTING ESTIMATION: BIBLIOGRAPHIC SURVEY IN BRAZILIAN AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS
Authors: Araujo Fernando Oliveira de , Matieli Luciana Vago
Published: May 2017

The methodologies used in the market regarding pricing practices related to software testing activity are strongly based on empiricism, without the parameters and criteria that are widely accepted, what does not confer the due credibility in terms of time and cost for businesses. Despite the highlighted theoretical and empiric importance assigned to the field of software testing, in Brazil, investigations on the theme software testing estimation are still scarce. This article provides a literature review of the main academic publications in national and international circulation which focus on the study of how to estimate software testing, aiming at fomenting and guiding further national researches specifically dedicated to this thematic. The review has provided both the characterization of how to estimate software testing and survey of the main existing techniques.
LIFE MICROINSURANCE IN BRAZIL: A PROPOSAL FOR PRICING AND ASSESSING THE TARGET AUDIENCE
Authors: Soares Raphael Portilho , Neto Julio Vieira , Méxas Mirian Picinini , Rigueira Tayana Aparecida
Published: May 2017

The purpose of this article is the creation of a pricing model for life micro-insurance, as well as the analysis of its market potential in Brazil. In this sense, we sought to address issues relating to a biometric table used for pricing, such as the financial impact that the hiring value of this type of product reflects on family income. In addition, it is intended to expose the anti-selection risk made by the insurer, as well as the difference between the premium values for male and female genders, as women outlive men according to life tables published by the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics). In the development of the research, the methodology adopted was an exploratory, documental study by means of a qualitative research on the micro-insurance theme, especially life insurance, as well as the elements used in the measurement of insurance. It can be concluded in this work, that the financial impact on family income is not relevant, especially when the premium is parceled monthly according to the terms of the proposed product, making it accessible.
ASSESSING INTEGRATION OF COMPUTER SIMULATION IN DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING AND ASSEMBLY
Authors: Silva Carlos Eduardo Sanches da
Published: May 2017

The process of product development strengthens as a reason for competitiveness, using sundry optimisation methods, e.g. Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA). Simulating allows engineers or managers to obtain a systemic perspective of how local changes will affect the overall performance over the entire production system, obtaining thus its optimisation. In this study, we aimed at assessing both how DFMA can be integrated with computer simulation and the benefits from the alternatives identified by such method during production and assembly. Using as object of study the electronic voting machine printer, we identified options to improve design from principles of DFMA. The benefits are: reduction in assembly time and costs. As research method we used simulation, in which data were obtained by using direct observations, document analysis, and interviews with incumbents and users. Five models were composed to represent the current assembly process and two future models before applying amendments proposed by DFMA. The results show how effective the integration is with the DFMA simulation.
Job satisfaction of advisors working in Private Educational Institutions: Izmir case
 Özel Eğitim Kurumlarında çalışan rehber öğretmenlerin iş doyumları: İzmir örneği
Authors: Cirhinlioglu Zafer , Demir Ayşegül
Published: May 2017

The aim of his study was to help teachers by preparing a more consistent work environment, their institutions to understand teachers’ purpose and motivate them to perform better in terms of providing better conditions and guidance services. A demographic information form and occupational satisfaction measure were applied to the advisors working in 108 special education institutions in Izmir. A significant relationship between marital status, age, graduation, professional experience, income level and job satisfaction was found. However, there was no significant relationship between gender, level of education, duration of study, type of service, and job satisfaction.Extended English abstract is in the end of PDF (TURKISH) file.  ÖzetBu araştırma, rehber öğretmenlere daha tutarlı bir çalışma ortamı hazırlayarak onların çalıştıkları kurumların amaç ve değerlerini anlamalarını sağlama, onları ileri düzeyde motive ederek daha iyi bir performans göstermelerine olanak verme ve rehberlik hizmetlerini daha sağlıklı koşullarda sunabilme amaçlarını gütmektedir. Araştırmada, İzmir iline bağlı 108 özel eğitim kurumunda çalışan rehber öğretmene kişisel bilgi formu ve mesleki doyum ölçeğini içeren anket uygulanmıştır. Araştırmanın sonucunda, demografik değişkenler içerisinde yer alan medeni durum, yaş, mezuniyet, mesleki tecrübe, ve gelir düzeyi ile iş doyumu arasında anlamlı bir ilişkinin olduğu; cinsiyet, öğrenim düzeyi, çalışma süresi, hizmet türü ve yer değişkeni ile iş doyumu arasında anlamlı bir ilişkinin olmadığı saptanmıştır.
PEMANFAATAN JENIS POHON LOKAL CEPAT TUMBUH UNTUK PEMULIHAN LAHAN PASCATAMBANG BATUBARA (STUDI KASUS DI PT. SINGLURUS PRATAMA, KALIMANTAN TIMUR)
Authors: Adman Burhanudin , Hendrarto Budi , Sasongko Dwi P
Published: May 2017

ABSTRAK Upaya reklamasi di pengusahaan pertambangan yang masuk dalam Kawasan Budidaya Kehutanan (KBK) mengharuskan upaya reklamasi mengikuti aturan yang dikeluarkan oleh Kementerian Kehutanan yang mensyaratkan penanaman jenis pohon lokal. Informasi jenis-jenis pohon lokal yang dapat digunakan untuk revegetasi lahan pascatambang batubara belum banyak tersedia sehingga perlu dilakukan penelitian ini. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis jenis-jenis pohon lokal cepat tumbuh yang berpotensi untuk revegetasi lahan pascatambang batubara di PT. SGP. Metode yang digunakan adalah analisis vegetasi, analisis sifat fisik kimia tanah dan kajian habitat tempat tumbuh tiap jenis serta kemampuan regenerasi alami. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan dari 58 jenis pohon yang ditemukan, terdapat tujuh jenis pohon yang berpotensi untuk digunakan dalam revegetasi lahan pascatambang, yaitu Ficus sp., Fordia splendidissima, Homalanthus populneus, Leea indica, Macaranga hypoleuca, Melastoma malabathricum dan Vernonia arborea. Aspek teknis yang perlu diperhatikan dalam revegetasi dengan ketujuh jenis tersebut adalah sumber benih/bibit, serta teknik penanaman dan pemeliharaan. Kata Kunci: revegetasi, pascatambang batubara; Kecamatan Samboja Kabupaten Kutai Kartanegara ABSTRACT Reclamation efforts in the mining business in the District Forestry Culture (CBC) lead reclamation efforts following the rules issued by the Ministry of Forestry, which requires the planting of local species. Information of local tree species that can be used for post-mining land revegetation of coal has not been widely available so that this research needs to be done. This study aims to analyze the species of fast-growing native trees that potential to plant on revegetation of post-mining coal area in PT. SGP. The method used is the analysis of vegetation, analysis of soil physical and chemical properties and study of the grow habitats of each species and the ability of natural regeneration. The results showed that from 58 species of trees that are found, there are seven species of trees that potential for revegetation post-mining, i.e. Ficus sp., Fordia splendidissima, Homalanthus populneus, Leea indica, Macaranga hypoleuca, Melastoma malabathricum and Vernonia arborea. Technical aspects that need to be considered in revegetation with seven types of sources are source of seeds/seedlings, also planting and maintenance techniques. Keywords: revegetation, post-mining coal; District Samboja Kutai Kartanegara Regency
POTENSI GLISEROL DALAM PEMBUATAN TURUNAN GLISEROL MELALUI PROSES ESTERIFIKASI
Authors: Prasetyo Ari Eko , Widhi Anggra , Widayat W
Published: May 2017

ABSTRAK Gliserol dapat diproduksi dalam proses produksi biodiesel sebagai hasil samping dari reaksi transesterifikasi. Gliserol berpotensi sebagai bahan baku dan dikonversi menjadi produk yang berpotensi lebih.Banyak penelitian yang telah dilakukan untuk memperoleh turunan gliserol. Di dalam proses ini ini digunakan reaksi esterifikasi, yang merupakan reaksi antara asam karboksilat dengan alcohol. Gliserol merupakan senyawa alcohol dengan gugus hidroksil berjumlah tiga gugus. Produk-produk yang dapat diproduksi meliputi gliserol trihepanoat, gliserol monostearat, lesithin, Tri Tetra Butil gliserol, Mono Gliserida oleat, gliserol triasetat /triasetin, gliserol tri bensoat /tribensoitdan resin ester gliserol maleat. Secara umum produk-produk ini digunakan di industri kosmetik, makanan, kertas, tinta, plastic, aditif bahan bakar biodiesel dan banyak lagi. Kata Kunci: produk samping biodiesel, turunan gliserol, ester gliserol, esterifikasi, konversi gliserol ABSTRACT Glycerol can be produced in biodiesel production as by product. Glycerol has potential as raw material and convert to potential value products. Various research that have been done to get glycerol derivatives. In this process used esterification reactio that reaction alcohol with carbocilic acid. Glycerol is a alcohol with three hydroxyl funtiona . The products have been produced from this process including Triheptanoate glycerol, glycerol monostearate, lecithin, glycerol Tri-Tetra Butyl, Mono Glyceride Oleic, Tri Acetyl glycerol / triacetin, Gryceril Tri Benzoic / Tribenzoin, Glycerol  ester  maleic  resin. In general, these derivatives are used in the cosmetics industry, food, paper, ink, plastic, biodiesel additive materials and much more. Keywords: by product of biodiesel, glycerol derivatives, glycerol ester, esterification, conversion of glycerol