bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘It was sort of like a globe of abuse’. A psychosocial exploration of child protection social work with emotional abuse
Authors: North Gemma
Published: May 2018

This article draws on research findings from an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded PhD psychosocial exploration of child protection social work with emotional abuse. Intrafamilial harm occurs predominantly within the relationship between a parent and their child in the context of this research. Emotional abuse is a complex concept, comprising of many cumulative elements, which may include restricting a child’s psychological autonomy. Emotional abuse is not so clearly observed as other forms of parental harm, but it causes the most significant impairment. The dual overarching goals of this research was to make the less tangible aspects of work with this form of child abuse more visible, and to improve professional understandings of how to work with it more effectively. The focus of this article is to exemplify how the critical realist methodological framework and psychosocial research approach were developed to underpin the data collection and analysis processes. Psychosocial methods incorporate researcher and research participant’s use of self to explore the often deeply subjective, and undocumented process of identifying the presence of emotionally abusive behaviour. The research sought to elicit responses that enabled social workers to share their unconscious thought processes to get under the surface of everyday decision making. Sharing their ‘workings out’. This article draws on one social worker’s narrative of encountering emotional abuse to illuminate some of the professional and personal challenges the work can present. This research provides a methodological template for further research into supporting social workers in effective interventions into intrafamilial emotional abuse.
Bulleyaconitine A attenuates hyperexcitability of dorsal root ganglion neurons induced by spared nerve injury: The role of preferably blocking Nav1.7 and Nav1.3 channels
Authors: Xie Man-Xiu , Yang Jie , Pang Rui-Ping , Zeng Wei-An , Ouyang Han-Dong , Liu Yan-Qing , Liu Xian-Guo
Published: May 2018

Background

Oral administration of Bulleyaconitine A, an extracted diterpenoid alkaloid from Aconitum bulleyanum plants, is effective for treating chronic pain in rats and in human patients, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood.

Results

As the hyperexcitability of dorsal root ganglion neurons resulting from the upregulation of voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels has been proved critical for development of chronic pain, we tested the effects of Bulleyaconitine A on Nav channels in rat spared nerve injury model of neuropathic pain. We found that Bulleyaconitine A at 5 nM increased the threshold of action potentials and reduced the firing rate of dorsal root ganglion neurons in spared nerve injury rats but not in sham rats. Bulleyaconitine A preferably blocked tetrodotoxin-sensitive Nav channels over tetrodotoxin-resistant ones in dorsal root ganglion neurons of spared nerve injury rats. Bulleyaconitine A was more potent for blocking Nav1.3 and Nav1.7 than Nav1.8 in cell lines. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values for resting Nav1.3, Nav1.7, and Nav1.8 were 995.6 ± 139.1 nM, 125.7 ± 18.6 nM, and 151.2 ± 15.4 μM, respectively, which were much higher than those for inactivated Nav1.3 (20.3 ± 3.4 pM), Nav1.7 (132.9 ± 25.5 pM), and Nav1.8 (18.0 ± 2.5 μM). The most profound use-dependent blocking effect of Bulleyaconitine A was observed on Nav1.7, less on Nav1.3, and least on Nav1.8 at IC50 concentrations. Bulleyaconitine A facilitated the inactivation of Nav channels in each subtype.

Conclusions

Preferably blocking tetrodotoxin-sensitive Nav1.7 and Nav1.3 in dorsal root ganglion neurons may contribute to Bulleyaconitine A’s antineuropathic pain effect.
Factors associated with late arrival of acute stroke patients to emergency department in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Al Khathaami Ali M , Mohammad Yasmeen O , Alibrahim Fatimah S , Jradi Hoda A
Published: May 2018

Background:

Tissue plasminogen activator within 4.5 h of onset is effective for acute ischemic stroke. However, only small proportion of patients is treated due to delayed presentation. We aimed to examine the factors associated with delays of stroke patients in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Methods:

A cross-sectional survey was conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during a 6-month period. An interviewer administered structured questionnaire addressed to the acute stroke patients or their relatives was used to explore the factors associated with delayed arrival.

Results:

A total of 227 patients attending the emergency department were interviewed. The mean age was 60.4 ± 15.6 years. Approximately 56.4% presented after 4.5 h of stroke onset. Factors associated with late arrival were being alone during the onset of stroke, not being transported in an ambulance, not knowing that they were experiencing a stroke, and residing outside the city of Riyadh.

Conclusion:

More than half of patients missed the golden hours for thrombolysis due to delayed presentation. Reasons include lack of knowledge, underuse of ambulance and difficult access to care. Urgent community-based interventions are needed to address these factors.
Implementation of an automated inclusion system for the histological analysis of murine tissue samples: A feasibility study in DSS-induced chronic colitis
Authors: Cribiù Fulvia Milena , Burrello Claudia , Ercoli Giulia , Garavaglia Federica , Villanacci Vincenzo , Caprioli Flavio , Bosari Silvano , Facciotti Federica
Published: May 2018

Animal models are powerful tools to expand our understanding of human diseases. Histopathological evaluation of murine experimental models is often required to support further research; thus, a more rigorous evaluation of murine histological samples is strongly advocated. Indeed, the overall quality of tissue sections is critical to draw reliable and accurate conclusions. As several methodological variables may reduce the reliability of the pathological analysis, a standardization of the procedural steps required for the processing of histological murine tissues is advisable. Here, we describe a method to standardize the technical procedure from the initial preparation to the paraffin embedding of murine samples. Specifically, we have implemented an automated inclusion system, that is, the SAKURA Tissue-Tek inclusion instrument, which is routinely used for paraffin inclusion of human samples, to process murine specimens of intestinal inflammation. Colitis severity was assessed in chronically Dextran Sodium Sulphate (DSS)–treated mice by cytofluorimetric analysis of colonic cellular infiltrates, expression of inflammatory genes and histopathological analysis of tissue samples, comparing manual and automated tissue preparation systems. We here conclude that implementation of this technique can significantly increase the quality and the reliability of histopathological examination of murine tissues.
Characteristics of Human Behavior in an Online Society
Authors: Li Ying , Cao Hongduo , Zhang Ying , Li Beibei
Published: May 2018

This study analyzed user behaviors on Epinions and generated the following findings. The frequency of the trusting, writing, and rating behaviors of Epinions users demonstrated a power law distribution. Only a small group of users were active on Epinions then. The majority of users obtained trust from only a small group of users, whereas only a small group of Epinions users were trusted by a sizable group. Therefore, most Epinions users were information receivers, whereas only a small group of users were information providers. The intervals of writing, trusting, and rating behaviors on Epinions followed power law distributions, conforming to the results of previous human dynamics studies. The interval of reciprocation also exhibited a power law distribution. The small proportion of reciprocation among Epinions users reflected a distinction between an online trust-relationship network and a real-world social network. Trusting, writing, and rating behaviors on Epinions exhibited patterns similar to power law declines and their frequency fluctuated in later periods. Finally, this study proposed a model on the basis of diminishing user activity over time. By describing the probability of participating in a behavior on Day t and conducting simulation calculations, this study found that this model fit the power law distribution characteristics of user behavior intervals and could thereby serve as an adequate human dynamics model.
Multidisciplinary Cleft Palate Program at BC Children’s Hospital: Are We Meeting the Standards of Care?
Authors: Dahiya Anita , Courtemanche Rebecca , Courtemanche Douglas J.
Published: May 2018

Objective:

To characterize current Cleft Palate Program (CPP) practices and evaluate the timeliness of appointments with respect to patient age and diagnosis based on American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA) population guidelines and CPP patient-specific recommendations.

Design:

A retrospective review of CPP patient appointments from November 6, 2012, to March 31, 2015, was done. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Setting:

The study was conducted using data from the CPP at BC Children’s Hospital.

Patients:

A total of 1214 appointments were considered in the analysis, including syndromic and nonsyndromic patients of 0 to 27 years of age.

Main Outcome Measures:

Percentage of patients meeting follow-up targets by ACPA standards and CPP team recommendations.

Results:

Our results showed patients 5 years and younger or nonsyndromic were more likely to be seen on time ( P < .001). No relationship between the timeliness of an appointment and specific patient diagnoses or distance to clinic was found. With the exception of nursing (97% of appointments were on time), all disciplines had less than 45% of appointments on time with 51% of appointments meeting ACPA guidelines for timeliness and 32% of all appointments meeting CPP recommendations.

Conclusion:

Timely care for the cleft/craniofacial patient populations represents a challenge for the CPP. Although half of patients may meet the general ACPA guidelines, only 32% of patients are meeting the CPP patient-specific recommendations. To provide better patient care, future adjustments are needed, which may include improved resource allotment and program support.
“That we may live”: Pesticides, plantations, and environmental racism in the United States South
Authors: Williams Brian
Published: May 2018

This article situates pesticides as technologies marked by both continuities and discontinuities from previous modes of agrarian racism in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta, a plantation region of the United States South. Attention to the historical-geographical specificity of pesticide intensification, I argue, provides the means to understand pesticide intensification as a mode of what I term agro-environmental racism. Anti-Black racism shaped the politics of pesticides, underpinning policies and material practices that were destructive of both the environment and human welfare in the Delta and beyond. The structures and ideologies of plantation racism helped position the Delta as one of the most pesticide-intensive sectors of U.S. agriculture during the mid-20th century—a particularly consequential period for both the intensification of pesticides and the formation of contemporary environmentalism. Pesticides were defended by agro-industrial interests as technologies supporting agricultural production—and particularly that of cotton, the most pesticide-intensive commodity crop. Simultaneously, they were figured as technologies crucial to a normative way of life. Although pesticides were articulated without explicit mention of race by the 1960s, I argue that the freedom struggle activism of the Mississippi Freedom Labor Union and Fannie Lou Hamer provide context necessary to explain the pesticide politics of the Delta’s plantation bloc. These mobilizations to enact more just, sustainable, and livable geographies were an indictment of a plantation politics which put the health of cotton and profitability of plantations above all else.
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M mutation identified in plasma indicates failure sites and predicts clinical prognosis in non‐small cell lung cancer progression during first‐generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy: a prospective observational study
Authors: Zhang Shirong , Zhu Lucheng , Xia Bing , Chen Enguo , Zhao Qiong , Zhang Xiaochen , Chen Xueqin , Chen Xufeng , Ma Shenglin
Published: May 2018

Introduction

Plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is an ideal approach to detecting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M mutation, which is a major mechanism of resistance to first‐generation EGFR‐tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. The present study aimed to explore the association of ctDNA‐identified T790M mutation with disease failure sites and clinical prognosis in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Methods

Patients who progressed on first‐generation TKIs were categorized into failure site groups of chest limited (CF), brain limited (BF) and other (OF). Amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) were used to identify the T790M mutation in ctDNA. Prognosis was analyzed with Kaplan–Meier methods.

Results

Overall concordance between the two methods was 78.3%. According to both ARMS and ddPCR, patients in the OF group had a significantly higher rate of T790M mutation than did patients in the BF and CF groups (P < 0.001), and a significantly higher T790M mutation rate was also observed in OF‐group patients than in those in the CF and BF groups (P < 0.001). AZD9291 was found to be an excellent treatment option and yielded the longest survival for T790M+ patients in all groups who had progressed on EGFR‐TKIs; for other treatments, the prognosis of T790M− patient subgroups varied.

Conclusions

The present study demonstrates that T790M mutation in ctDNA is associated with failure sites for NSCLC patients after EGFR‐TKI therapy and indicates that both failure site and T790M mutational status greatly influence treatment selection and prognosis.
Comparison of Nine Tools for Screening Drug-Drug Interactions of Oral Oncolytics
Authors: Marcath Lauren A. , Xi Jingyue , Hoylman Emily K. , Kidwell Kelley M. , Kraft Shawna L. , Hertz Daniel L.
Published: May 2018

Purpose:

Patients with cancer are an especially vulnerable population to potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs). This makes it important to adequately screen them for DDIs. The objective of this study was to compare the abilities of nine DDI screening tools to detect clinically relevant interactions with oral oncolytics.

Methods:

Subscription-based tools (ie, PEPID, Micromedex, Lexicomp, Facts & Comparisons) and free tools (ie, Epocrates Free, Medscape, Drugs.com, RxList, WebMD) were compared for their abilities to detect clinically relevant DDIs for 145 drug pairs including an oral oncology agent. Clinical relevance was determined by a pharmacist using Stockley’s Drug Interactions. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each tool, including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV), and then compared grouped by free or subscription-based tools for the secondary analysis and analyzed via generalized estimating equations.

Results:

For individual metrics, PPV had overall higher values (0.88 to 0.97) relative to the low values included for sensitivity (0.65 to 0.96), specificity (0.53 to 0.93) and NPV (0.38 to 0.83). The top-performing subscription and free tools, Lexicomp and Drugs.com, had no statistically significant differences in performance. Overall, subscription tools had a significantly higher sensitivity (0.85 ± 0.017 v 0.78 ± 0.017; P = .0082) and NPV (0.57 ± 0.039 v 0.48 ± 0.032; P = .031) than free tools. No differences were observed between the specificity and PPV.

Conclusion:

Due to the low performance of some tools for sensitivity, specificity, and NPV, individual performance should be examined and prioritized on the basis of the intended use when selecting a DDI tool. If a strong-performing subscription-based tool is unavailable, a strong-performing free option, like Drugs.com, is available.
Elevated Levels of Organochlorine Pesticides in South Asian Immigrants Are Associated With an Increased Risk of Diabetes
Authors: Daniels Sarah I , Chambers John C , Sanchez Sylvia S , La Merrill Michele A , Hubbard Alan E , Macherone Anthony , McMullin Matthew , Zhang Luoping , Elliott Paul , Smith Martyn T , Kooner Jaspal
Published: May 2018

Objective

Rates of diabetes mellitus are higher in South Asians than in other populations and persist after migration. One unexplored cause may be higher exposure to persistent organic pollutants associated with diabetes in other populations. We compared organochlorine (OC) pesticide concentrations in South Asian immigrants and European whites to determine whether the disease was positively associated with OC pesticides in South Asians.

Research Design and Methods

South Asians of Tamil or Telugu descent (n = 120) and European whites (n = 72) were recruited into the London Life Sciences Population Study cohort. Blood samples as well as biometric, clinical, and survey data were collected. Plasma levels of p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), p,p′- dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, β-hexachlorohexane (HCH), and polychlorinated biphenyl-118 were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. South Asian cases and controls were categorized by binary exposure (above vs below the 50th percentile) to perform logistic regression.

Results

Tamils had approximately threefold to ninefold higher levels of OC pesticides, and Telugus had ninefold to 30-fold higher levels compared with European whites. The odds of exposure to p,p′-DDE above the 50th percentile was significantly greater in South Asian diabetes cases than in controls (OR: 7.00; 95% CI: 2.22, 22.06). The odds of exposure to β-HCH above the 50th percentile was significantly greater in the Tamil cases than in controls (OR: 9.35; 95% CI: 2.43, 35.97).

Conclusions

South Asian immigrants have a higher body burden of OC pesticides than European whites. Diabetes mellitus is associated with higher p,p′-DDE and β-HCH concentrations in this population. Additional longitudinal studies of South Asian populations should be performed.
Halving the Volume of AnaConDa: Evaluation of a New Small-Volume Anesthetic Reflector in a Test Lung Model
Authors: Bomberg Hagen , Meiser Franziska , Daume Philipp , Bellgardt Martin , Volk Thomas , Sessler Daniel I. , Groesdonk Heinrich V. , Meiser Andreas
Published: May 2018

BACKGROUND:

Volatile anesthetics are increasingly used for sedation in intensive care units. The most common administration system is AnaConDa-100 mL (ACD-100; Sedana Medical, Uppsala, Sweden), which reflects volatile anesthetics in open ventilation circuits. AnaConDa-50 mL (ACD-50) is a new device with half the volumetric dead space. Carbon dioxide (CO2) can be retained with both devices. We therefore compared the CO2 elimination and isoflurane reflection efficiency of both devices.

METHODS:

A test lung constantly insufflated with CO2 was ventilated with a tidal volume of 500 mL at 10 breaths/min. End-tidal CO2 (Etco
2) partial pressure was measured using 3 different devices: a heat-and-moisture exchanger (HME, 35 mL), ACD-100, and ACD-50 under 4 different experimental conditions: ambient temperature pressure (ATP), body temperature pressure saturated (BTPS) conditions, BTPS with 0.4 Vol% isoflurane (ISO-0.4), and BTPS with 1.2 Vol% isoflurane. Fifty breaths were recorded at 3 time points (n = 150) for each device and each condition. To determine device dead space, we adjusted the tidal volume to maintain normocapnia (n = 3), for each device. Thereafter, we determined reflection efficiency by measuring isoflurane concentrations at infusion rates varying from 0.5 to 20 mL/h (n = 3), for each device.

RESULTS:

Etco
2 was consistently greater with ACD-100 than with ACD-50 and HME (ISO-0.4, mean ± standard deviations: ACD-100, 52.4 ± 0.8; ACD-50, 44.4 ± 0.8; HME, 40.1 ± 0.4 mm Hg; differences of means of Etco
2 [respective 95% confidence intervals]: ACD-100 − ACD-50, 8.0 [7.9–8.1] mm Hg, P < .001; ACD-100 − HME, 12.3 [12.2–12.4] mm Hg, P < .001; ACD-50 − HME, 4.3 [4.2–4.3] mm Hg, P < .001). It was greatest under ATP, less under BTPS, and least with ISO-0.4 and BTPS with 1.2 Vol% isoflurane. In addition to the 100 or 50 mL “volumetric dead space” of each AnaConDa, “reflective dead space” was 40 mL with ACD-100 and 25 mL with ACD-50 when using isoflurane. Isoflurane reflection was highest under ATP. Under BTPS with CO2 insufflation and isoflurane concentrations around 0.4 Vol%, reflection efficiency was 93% with ACD-100 and 80% with ACD-50.

CONCLUSIONS:

Isoflurane reflection remained sufficient with the ACD-50 at clinical anesthetic concentrations, while CO2 elimination was improved. The ACD-50 should be practical for tidal volumes as low as 200 mL, allowing lung-protective ventilation even in small patients.
Welfarism's Envy Problem Extends to Popular Judgments
Authors: Weinzierl Matthew
Published: May 2018

Economists use a welfarist approach to policy evaluation, but doing so can lead to recommendations that violate seemingly wise non-welfarist principles. I explore one example: the proper tax policy response to envy. Using a novel survey, I find that a majority of US respondents are skeptical of envy-based redistribution, even if they are told that its direct effect is to increase welfare. This skepticism is consistent with a long history of judgments by economists, including leading welfarists. Such conflicts between direct welfarist analysis and prevailing normative principles challenge economists to consider modifying our dominant method of policy evaluation.
Intergenerational Effects of Incarceration
Authors: Bhuller Manudeep , Dahl Gordon B. , Løken Katrine V. , Mogstad Magne
Published: May 2018

An often overlooked population in discussions of prison reform is the children of inmates. How a child is affected depends both on what incarceration does to their parent and what they learn from their parent's experience. To overcome endogeneity concerns, we exploit the random assignment of judges who differ in their propensity to send defendants to prison. Using longitudinal data for Norway, we find that imprisonment has no effect on fathers' recidivism but reduces their employment by 20 percentage points. We find no evidence that paternal incarceration affects a child's criminal activity or school performance.
Mind The (Profit) Gap: Why Are Female Enterprise Owners Earning Less than Men?
Authors: Hardy Morgan , Kagy Gisella
Published: May 2018

We explore potential causes for the well-documented profit gap between male- and female-owned microenterprises in low-income countries. We use rich data from an ongoing field project in Ghana's garment making sector, and our study sample consists of all garment making firms in a midsize district capital. Even within the same industry, male-owned firms earn nearly twice as much profit as female-owned firms. Furthermore, we find the large and persistent gender difference in profits cannot be explained by our extensive firm- and owner-level characteristics. We conclude that factors outside of individual firm or firm-owner characteristics are likely to be at play.
Estimating Heterogeneous Consumer Preferences for Restaurants and Travel Time Using Mobile Location Data
Authors: Athey Susan , Blei David , Donnelly Robert , Ruiz Francisco , Schmidt Tobias
Published: May 2018

We estimate a model of consumer choices over restaurants using data from several thousand anonymous mobile phone users. Restaurants have latent characteristics (whose distribution may depend on restaurant observables) that affect consumers' mean utility as well as willingness to travel to the restaurant, while each user has distinct preferences for these latent characteristics. We analyze how consumers reallocate their demand after a restaurant closes to nearby restaurants versus more distant restaurants, comparing our predictions to actual outcomes. We also address counterfactual questions such as what type of restaurant would attract the most consumers in a given location.
The Potential of Digital Credit to Bank the Poor
Authors: Björkegren Daniel , Grissen Darrell
Published: May 2018

Many households in developing countries lack access to credit: physically providing small loans to poor and remote populations is costly. However, the digitization of developing countries enables a new model: digital credit delivered directly via mobile phones. Mobile money enables inexpensive financial transfers, and mobile phones capture behavior that can predict repayment when mined with machine learning. This paper evaluates the potential for digital credit to reach those excluded from current financial systems.
The Empirics of Social Progress: The Interplay between Subjective Well-Being and Societal Performance
Authors: Fehder Daniel , Porter Michael , Stern Scott
Published: May 2018

Though economists have long recognized that GDP is not by itself a measure of societal well-being, most GDP alternatives incorporate direct measures of economic performance. We propose instead an independently constructed measure, a social progress index, focusing exclusively on noneconomic dimensions of societal performance, highlighting three core dimensions—basic human needs, foundations of well-being, and opportunity. GDP and social progress are correlated but distinct, the social progress dimension least related to GDP (opportunity) is strongly related to subjective well-being, and the relationship between social progress and well-being is greater for individuals at lower relative income and educational attainment.
Ramsey Strikes Back: Optimal Commodity Taxes and Redistribution in the Presence of Salience Effects
Authors: Allcott Hunt , Lockwood Benjamin , Taubinsky Dmitry
Published: May 2018

An influential result in modern optimal tax theory, the Atkinson and Stiglitz (1976) theorem, holds that for a broad class of utility functions, all redistribution should be carried out through labor income taxation, rather than differential taxes on commodities or capital. An important requirement for that result is that commodity taxes are known and fully salient when consumers make income-determining choices. This paper allows for the possibility consumers may be inattentive to (or unaware of) some commodity taxes when making choices about income. We show that commodity taxes are useful for redistribution in this setting. In fact, the optimal commodity taxes essentially follow the classic “many person Ramsey rule” (Diamond 1975), scaled by the degree of inattention. As a result, to the extent that commodity taxes are not (fully) salient, goods should be taxed when they are less elastically consumed, and when they are consumed primarily by richer consumers. We extend this result to the setting of corrective taxes, and show how non-salient corrective taxes should be adjusted for distributional reasons.
Rationalizations and Mistakes: Optimal Policy with Normative Ambiguity
Authors: Goldin Jacob , Reck Daniel
Published: May 2018

Behavior that appears to violate neoclassical assumptions can often be rationalized by incorporating an optimization cost into decision-makers' utility functions. Depending on the setting, these costs may reflect either an actual welfare loss for the decision-maker who incurs them or a convenient (but welfare irrelevant) modeling device. We consider how the resolution of this normative ambiguity shapes optimal policy in a number of contexts, including default options, inertia in health plan selection, take-up of social programs, programs that encourage moving to a new neighborhood, and tax salience.
On the Heterogeneity in Family Earnings and Income Dynamics in the PSID
Authors: Hryshko Dmytro , Manovskii Iourii
Published: May 2018

A large body of knowledge on income dynamics in the United States is based on data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). We find two sets of households in the PSID that differ dramatically in the dynamics of their income. Households headed by the sons of original PSID members have a highly persistent income process, whereas households headed by males who marry daughters of the original PSID members have a much less persistent income process. Using a variety of methods for identification of the persistence of income shocks, we show that these differences, albeit surprising, are highly robust.
Beyond the Flipped Class: The Impact of Research-Based Teaching Methods in a Macroeconomics Principles Class
Authors: Boyle Austin , Goffe William L.
Published: May 2018

Cognitive scientists have identified fundamental principles influencing learning: deliberate practice, interleaving, retrieval practice, spacing, metacognition, desirable difficulties, limited working memory, curse of knowledge, schema generation, and constructivism. STEM education researchers have repeatedly shown improved learning when instruction employs these principles. Particularly, teaching methods like flipping and clickers work best when implemented using them. These “research-based teaching methods” are becoming the norm in STEM teaching. A macro principles course was redesigned using these principles. Five hundred and eight students in this course achieved 0.77 standard deviations more learning than principles students normally do on the macroeconomic Test of Understanding of College Economics (TUCE).
Global Financial Cycles and the Exchange Rate Regime: A Perspective from Emerging Markets
Authors: Obstfeld Maurice , Ostry Jonathan D. , Qureshi Mahvash S.
Published: May 2018

This paper examines the claim that exchange rate regimes are of little relevance in the transmission of global financial conditions to domestic financial and macroeconomic conditions. Our findings suggest that exchange rate regimes do matter, at least for emerging market economies. The transmission of global financial shocks to domestic variables is magnified under fixed exchange rate regimes relative to more flexible regimes. For advanced economies, however, the jury is still out, as the recent paucity of truly fixed regimes among these economies poses a challenge for estimating the effect of exchange rate flexibility.
Financial Cycles and Credit Growth across Countries
Authors: Coimbra Nuno , Rey Hélène
Published: May 2018

In Coimbra and Rey (2017) we develop a dynamic macroeconomic model with heterogeneous financial intermediaries and endogenous entry. It features time-varying endogenous macroeconomic risk that arises from the risk-shifting behavior of financial intermediaries. We test empirically in a broad panel of countries the implication that credit creation is more elastic to funding costs when the distribution of leverage in the banking system is more positively skewed.
Unconventional Fiscal Policy
Authors: D’Acunto Francesco , Hoang Daniel , Weber Michael
Published: May 2018

Unconventional fiscal policy uses announcements of future increases in consumption taxes to generate inflation expectations and accelerate consumption expenditure. It is budget neutral and time consistent. We provide preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of such policies using changes in value-added tax (VAT) and household survey data for Poland. We find households increased their inflation expectations and willingness to purchase durables before the increase in VAT. Future research has to ensure income, wealth effects, or intratemporal substitution channels cannot explain these results and ideally exploit exogenous variation in VAT in a fixed nominal interest rate environment.
The Productivity-Wage Premium: Does Size Still Matter in a Service Economy?
Authors: Berlingieri Giuseppe , Calligaris Sara , Criscuolo Chiara
Published: May 2018

The literature has established two robust stylized facts: (i) the existence of a firm size-wage premium and (ii) a positive relationship between firm size and productivity. However, the existing evidence is mainly based on manufacturing, which nowadays accounts for a small share of the economy. Using a unique micro-aggregated dataset covering 17 countries over 1994-2012, this paper compares these relationships across sectors. While the size-wage and size-productivity premia are significantly weaker in market services compared to manufacturing, the link between wages and productivity is stronger. In a service economy the stylized fact is a “productivity-wage premium” rather than a “size-wage premium.”
The Geographic Spread of a Large Devaluation
Authors: Cravino Javier , Levchenko Andrei A.
Published: May 2018

Cravino and Levchenko (2017) establish that the 1994 Mexican peso devaluation raised the prices of consumption baskets of low-income households substantially more than the prices of the consumption baskets of high-income households. In this paper, we explore this result further by focusing on the regional variation in how much prices of consumption baskets changed following the devaluation. Our main finding is that the devaluation was anti-poor in all regions, but there is substantial regional dispersion in the relative inflation faced by the poor.
What Matters for the Productivity of Kidney Exchange?
Authors: Agarwal Nikhil , Ashlagi Itai , Azevedo Eduardo , Featherstone Clayton , Karaduman Ömer
Published: May 2018

Kidney exchange platforms serve patients who need a kidney transplant and who have a willing, but incompatible, donor. These platforms match patients and donors to produce transplants. This paper documents operational details of the three largest platforms in the United States. It then uses the framework developed in Agarwal et al. (2017) to examine how practical details influence platform productivity. The results show that reducing frictions in accepting proposed matches, frequent matching, and encouraging altruistic donors are important ways in which a platform can increase its productivity.
Central Bank Communications and the General Public
Authors: Haldane Andrew , McMahon Michael
Published: May 2018

Despite the recent revolution in central bank communication, it is unclear the general public have benefitted from these enhanced central bank communications. We first analyze the growth of communication and some reasons that the public may have missed the revolution. We then discuss the desirability of greater communication with the public. The case for feasibility of such communication examines observational and experimental evidence following the recently adopted use of a layered communication at the Bank of England. We find that, while more research is needed, there are compelling reasons for central banks to continue trying to target communication at the public.
The “Standard Error” of Event Studies: Lessons from the 2016 Election
Authors: Wolfers Justin , Zitzewitz Eric
Published: May 2018

The 2016 Election offers an unusually stark warning about the limitations of event studies. In four separate pre-election event windows, financial market responses to shifts in electoral probabilities were consistent with expectations that a surprise Trump win would lead the S&P 500 to fall by 11 percent. The initial decline that accompanied Trump's win was more than reversed on the day after the election, however, suggesting a reassessment of its expected effect. We discuss explanations for this reassessment. But our broader point is methodological: today's event study may not reveal tomorrow's market expectation.
When Nudges Are Forever: Inertia in the Swedish Premium Pension Plan
Authors: Cronqvist Henrik , Thaler Richard H. , Yu Frank
Published: May 2018

To inform economists and policymakers about whether the effects of nudges are persistent in one specific context, we study the choice architecture of the Swedish Premium Pension Plan. The data we study consist of all initial choices and subsequent rebalancing activities by the entire population of 7.3 million retirement savers in Sweden during the period 2000 to 2016. Based on our analysis of these data, we conclude that the effects of nudging in this case were surprisingly persistent and seem to last nearly two decades, if not forever.
Split Families and the Future of Children: Immigration Enforcement and Foster Care Placements
Authors: Amuedo-Dorantes Catalina , Arenas-Arroyo Esther
Published: May 2018

Tougher immigration enforcement has been responsible for approximately 1.8 million deportations between 2009 and 2013 alone. Children enter the foster care system when their parents are apprehended, deported, and unable to care for them. We find that the average increase in interior immigration enforcement over the 2001 through 2015 period contributed to raising the share of Hispanic children entering foster care between 15 and 21 percent. Given the revival of police-based immigration enforcement by President Donald Trump, further analyses of its consequences on families are well warranted.
Racial Differences in Police Use of Force: Evidence from the 1960s Civil Disturbances
Authors: Cunningham Jamein P. , Gillezeau Rob
Published: May 2018

There is little empirical evidence as to whether protests against policy brutality impact the behavior of police forces. We seek to close this gap by considering the impact of the racial civil disturbances in the 1960s and 1970s on deaths by legal intervention using an event study approach. In the first three years after a protest in a county, police killings of white Americans increase by 0.4-1.0 annually in impacted counties and killings of non-whites increase by 0.7 annually. In subsequent years, the impact on killings of white Americans disappears while the impact on killings of non-whites persists.
Time and Money: Social Security Benefits and Intergenerational Transfers
Authors: Mukherjee Anita
Published: May 2018

I examine the relationship between Social Security benefits, a major component of income in older age, and intergenerational transfers of financial help and caregiving. I find that the net pass-through rate of Social Security benefits from parents to children is about 15 percent, including only monetary inter vivos transfers. Parents with higher Social Security benefits provide more hours of help to children in the form of grandchild care, even though children significantly withdraw caregiving to parents along this dimension. Taken together, these results are consistent with parental altruism and have strong implications for the distributional consequences of Social Security reform.
Studying the (Economic) Consequences of Populism
Authors: Kaltwasser Cristóbal Rovira
Published: May 2018

Pundits and academics alike are increasingly interested in populism. This is a welcome development, since not long ago research on populism was relegated to the margins of the social sciences. Among those who are starting to undertake comparative research on populism, there is, however, a tendency to overlook the cumulative scholarship that has been developed on the topic (e.g., Rovira Kaltwasser et al. 2017). In this short piece I offer an overview of the ideational approach to populism, which is becoming increasingly influential in the political science literature and can also be useful for those interested in studying the economic consequences of populism.
Genomics of autism spectrum disorder: approach to therapy
Authors: Ayhan Fatma , Konopka Genevieve
Published: May 2018

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental condition with no current treatment available. Although advances in genetics and genomics have identified hundreds of genes associated with ASD, very little is known about the pathophysiology of ASD and the functional contribution of specific genes to ASD phenotypes. Improved understanding of the biological function of ASD-associated genes and how this heterogeneous group of genetic variants leads to the disease is needed in order to develop therapeutic strategies. Here, we review the current state of ASD research related to gene discovery and examples of emerging molecular mechanisms (protein translation and alternative splicing). In addition, we discuss how patient-derived three-dimensional brain organoids might provide an opportunity to model specific genetic variants in order to define molecular and cellular defects that could be amenable for developing and screening personalized therapies related to ASD.
Questionnaires as a Basis for Identifying the Needs of Employees to Select Elements of Social Development
Authors: Оношко А. , Onoshko A.
Published: May 2018

Due to the fact that the market economy creates conditions for flexible use of lobar, employees don’t have a strong attachment to the organization. In the current circumstances, with the threat to stability, the management of organizations should from time to time review the system of non-material incentives for employees. The development of social policy in the organization will not only stimulate the staff and increase their income, but also create an image of the organization, as well as a favourable opinion about it. Each organization needs to find its way to social policy so that voluntary social services are fl exible, economically viable and staff -oriented. The article reveals the essence of social policy of the organization. The methods of social personnel management are considered. Particular attention was paid to identifying the needs of the employees through the application of the questionnaire method. The results of employees survey of the organization are presented, which operates in the field of housing and communal services.
Peculiarities of Innovation Process Stuffing in Russia
Authors: Свистунов Василий , Svistunov Vasiliy , Аббас Н. , Abbas N. , Минченкова А. , Minchenkova A.
Published: May 2018

The article discusses the main directions of the study of staffi ng innovative processes. Today, the initial indicators of innovative abilities of the personnel is considered to be the level of professional education of employees and their qualifi cations. Supporting this provision, the authors note that often the problem is not only in the level of vocational education, training of qualifi ed specialists and scientists, but also in the need to change the personality of these personnel, their maximum motivation for creativity and initiative. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the composition of indicators that can be used to characterize the personnel in the formation of the integrated assessment of innovation potential. As the results of the conducted research, the analytical data characterizing the modern composition of personnel of the national science are presented. Characteristics of staffi ng personnel engaged in research and development, in terms of number and composition, are supplemented by an analysis of the movement of this category of personnel.
Organic chemistry in food biotechnology
Authors: Блохин Юрий , Blohin Yuriy , Яркова Татьяна , Yarkova Tat'yana , Соколова Ольга , Sokolova Ol'ga
Published: May 2018

The book deals with proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and food additives that form the basis of modern food. Their importance in human nutrition, classification, chemical structure, production in industry, transformation in food production technologies are discussed. The methods of their determination in food products are indicated. The questions of influence of food additives on the human body and their safety are covered.
The textbook is designed for students in the areas of training bachelors: 19.03.01 Biotechnology, 19.03.02 food of vegetable raw materials, 19.03.03 – food of animal origin, 19.03.04 – production Technology and organization of public catering, 38.03.07 –merchandising of food, agricultural and other technological Universities, as well as for graduate students and faculty working in the field of food chemistry.
Measurement of pathological personality traits according to the DSM-5: A Polish adaptation of the PID-5. Part II – empirical results
Authors: Rowiński Tomasz , Kowalska-Dąbrowska Monika , Strus Włodzimierz , Cieciuch Jan , Czuma Iwona , Żechowski Cezary , Markon Kristian , Krueger Robert
Published: May 2018

Cel pracy

Artykuł prezentuje wyniki badań nad polską adaptacją Inwentarza Osobowości PID-5 (Personality Inventory for DSM-5) – narzędzia stworzonego do pomiaru patologicznych cech w ramach nowego, dymensjonalnego modelu zawartego w hybrydowym systemie diagnozy zaburzeń osobowości według sekcji III DSM-5.

Metoda

Przeprowadzono badania w próbie klinicznej (N = 129 osób w wieku M = 32,40; SD = 9,08, z których 84,5% miało rozpoznane zaburzenie osobowości), oraz w próbie nieklinicznej (N = 1043, wieku M = 34,98; SD = 15,71) z wykorzystaniem inwentarzy PID-5 oraz MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory – 2).

Wyniki

Wyniki badania potwierdziły rzetelność polskiej adaptacji inwentarza PID-5 (wysokie współczynniki zgodności wewnętrznej skal i podskal inwentarza w próbie klinicznej i zadowalające w próbie nieklinicznej) oraz jego trafność. Wszystkie skale i niemal wszystkie podskale PID-5 okazały się różnicować próbę kliniczną i próbę niekliniczną; skale i podskale PID-5 ujawniły także spójny wzorzec związków ze wskaźnikami pięciu wymiarów psychopatologii osobowości PSY-5 (Personality Psychopathology Five) oraz ze skalami klinicznymi MMPI-2.

Wnioski

Uzyskane dane wskazują, że PID-5 jest satysfakcjonującą operacjonalizacją modelu patologicznych cech osobowości, potwierdzając jednocześnie obiecującą wartość naukową samego modelu DSM-5.
Using fibers in the reinforcement of concrete
Authors: El-Marsafy S. M.
Published: May 2018

The main target of the present research is to study the possibility of utilizing used (recycled) polypropylene (PP) packages in the reinforcement of concrete as an alternate for the virgin mono-filament and mesh PP currently in use in Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (FRC). The over-arching benefits of loading concrete with used PP may be summarized as: reducing the cost of FRC as a step towards wider range of applications, as well as utilizing a solid waste as a step towards a cleaner environment. In the present work PP fibers of different geometry (mesh, monofilament and recycled) are added to concrete in different concentrations namely: 0.1% by volume, equivalent to 900 gm fiber/m3 concrete and 0.2% by volume equivalent to 1800 gm fiber/m3 concrete. The concrete specimens are subjected to both normal (soaking in water) and severe (soaking in acids at various concentrations) conditions, for periods of time: 7, 14 and 21 days. Compressive strength test was applied for all prepared blocks after soaking for 7, 14 and 21 days and the average values are recorded. The results obtained for the FRC are compared with those of the blank sample. Results showed that incorporating PP to concrete blocks leads to an enhancement in the compressive strength with increasing the incorporated-fiber concentration up till 0.1%, above which the compressive strength decreased significantly. On soaking in H2SO4, the highest strength for the three types of PP fibers was recorded after 14 days, after which the strength deteriorated rapidly until it reached the lowest value after 21 days. X-Ray analysis was applied in an attempt to interpret the obtained results.
Some study of a cauchy problem in parabolic integrodifferential equations class
Authors: AL-FHAID A. S.
Published: May 2018

We consider the parabolic integrodifferential equations of a form given below. We establish local existence and uniqueness and prove the convergence in L2(En) to the solution Ut of the Cauchy problem.