bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Isolating the Symbolic Implications of Employee Mobility: Price Increases after Hiring Winemakers from Prominent Wineries
Authors: Roberts Peter W , Khaire Mukti , Rider Christopher I
Published: June 2011

Because wines are aged for several years before they are released, newly hired winemakers arrive as wines made by their predecessors enter the market. An analysis of winemaker hiring events reveals that wines released right after a new winemaker's arrival from a prominent competitor are priced significantly higher than corresponding wines released in the preceding year. However, the wines released before and after the hiring event are indistinguishable in terms of quality. These findings isolate a “purely symbolic” effect of employee mobility, which affirm sociological accounts of markets—under conditions of uncertainty, inter-organizational affiliations condition producers' returns to quality demonstrations.
The Restoration of Welfare Economics
Authors: Atkinson Anthony B
Published: June 2011

This paper argues that welfare economics should be restored to a prominent place on the agenda of economists, and should occupy a central role in the teaching of economics. Economists should provide justification for the ethical criteria underlying welfare statements, and these criteria require constant re-evaluation in the light of developments in economic analysis and in moral philosophy. Economists need to be more explicit about the relation between welfare criteria and the objectives of governments, policy-makers and individual citizens. Moreover, such a restoration of welfare economics should be accompanied by consideration of the adoption of an ethical code for the economics profession.
Economists as Worldly Philosophers
Authors: Shiller Robert J , Shiller Virginia M
Published: June 2011

While leading figures in the early history of economics conceived of it as inseparable from philosophy and other humanities, there has been movement, especially in recent decades, towards its becoming an essentially technical field with narrowly specialized areas of inquiry. Certainly, specialization has allowed for great progress in economic science. However, recent events surrounding the financial crisis support the arguments of some that economics needs to develop forums for interdisciplinary interaction and to aspire to broader vision.
Sale Rates and Price Movements in Art Auctions
Authors: Ashenfelter Orley , Graddy Kathryn
Published: June 2011

This paper examines the relationship between sale rates and price shocks in art auctions. Using data on contemporary and impressionist art, we show that while sale rates appear to have little relationship to current prices, there exists a strong negative relationship of sale rates to unexpected price shocks, which is reminiscent of a Phillips curve. We estimate an empirical model that suggests that the reserve price is set on average at about 70% of the low estimate.
Rock and Roll Bands, (In)complete Contracts, and Creativity
Authors: Ceulemans Cédric , Ginsburgh Victor , Legros Patrick
Published: June 2011

Members of a rock and roll band are endowed with different amounts of creativity. They match, compose songs, and share credit. The presence of more creative members increases the probability of success, but those more creative members may also claim a larger share of the pie. In our theoretical model, the nature of matching as well as the covariation between the probability of success and the allocation of credit among individual members are a function of the completeness of contracting. The data show that rock bands tend to enter into incomplete contracts and positive assortative matching.
Art and Money
Authors: Goetzmann William N , Renneboog Luc , Spaenjers Christophe
Published: June 2011

This paper investigates the impact of equity markets and top incomes on art prices. Using a newly constructed art market index, we demonstrate that equity market returns have had a significant impact on the price level in the art market over the last two centuries. We also find evidence that an increase in income inequality may lead to higher prices for art. Finally, the results of Johansen's cointegration tests strongly suggest the existence of a long-run relation between top incomes and art prices.
Comparing the Costs of Intermittent and Dispatchable Electricity Generating Technologies
Authors: Joskow Paul L
Published: June 2011

Economic evaluations of alternative electric generating technologies typically rely on comparisons between their expected “levelized cost” per MWh supplied. I demonstrate that this metric is inappropriate for comparing intermittent generating technologies like wind and solar with dispatchable generating technologies like nuclear, gas combined cycle, and coal. It overvalues intermittent generating technologies compared to dispatchable base load generating technologies. It also likely overvalues wind generating technologies compared to solar generating technologies. Integrating differences in production profiles, the associated variations in wholesale market prices of electricity, and life-cycle costs associated with different generating technologies is necessary to provide meaningful comparisons between them.
Challenges from State-Federal Interactions in US Climate Change Policy
Authors: Goulder Lawrence H , Stavins Robert N
Published: June 2011

With a focus on two sorts of regulation—renewable electricity and clean energy standards, and automobile fuel-economy standards—we analyze problematic interactions that arise when state policies are nested within the domain of Federal policy. Here state efforts may fail to reduce greenhouse gas emissions nationally, and may compromise cost-effectiveness. Difficulties from overlapping regulations are avoidable through price- (as opposed to quantity-) based Federal policy. We identify some potentially positive interactions between state and Federal policies, and identify rationales for state action when Federal and state policies do not overlap.
The Role of Trade and Competitiveness Measures in US Climate Policy
Authors: Fischer Carolyn , Fox Alan K
Published: June 2011

We review the proposed measures for addressing competitiveness and carbon leakage concerns in recent US climate policy legislation. For eligible energy-intensive, trade-exposed sectors, output-based rebates would initially dampen cost increases; later, border adjustments would ensure that imports face comparable cost burdens. Both measures can in theory enhance the economic efficiency of carbon reduction efforts, but both pose some interesting economic and practical trade-offs. This paper discusses our recent research into the welfare and carbon leakage effects of using output-based allocation and trade measures in conjunction with climate policies.
Vertical Targeting and Leakage in Carbon Policy
Authors: Bushnell James B , Mansur Erin T
Published: June 2011

This paper examines the intersection between two aspects of climate policy design. The first is the point of regulation: should it be placed on pollution sources, carbon-rich inputs, or consumers? The second aspect concerns the external effects of a local climate policy. Leakage occurs when partial regulation results in an increase in emissions in unregulated parts of the economy. Our model demonstrates how directly regulating polluters can increase foreign emissions while indirect regulation (either upstream or downstream of the pollution source) will decrease foreign emissions. The net effect on combined domestic and foreign emissions will depend on market elasticities.
The Effect of Allowing Pollution Offsets with Imperfect Enforcement
Authors: Sigman Hilary , Chang Howard F.
Published: June 2011

Public policies for pollution control, including climate change policies, sometimes allow polluters in one sector subject to an emissions cap to offset excessive emissions with pollution abatement in another sector. The government may find it more costly to verify offset claims than to verify compliance with emissions caps. Concerns about such enforcement difficulties may lead regulators to restrict the use of offsets. We demonstrate that allowing offsets may increase pollution abatement and reduce illegal pollution, even if the government has a fixed enforcement budget. We explore circumstances that may make allowing pollution offsets an attractive option when enforcement is costly.
Trust in Public Institutions over the Business Cycle
Authors: Stevenson Betsey , Wolfers Justin
Published: June 2011

We document that trust in public institutions—and particularly trust in banks, business and government—has declined over recent years. US time series evidence suggests that this partly reflects the pro-cyclical nature of trust in institutions. Cross-country comparisons reveal a clear legacy of the Great Recession, and those countries whose unemployment grew the most suffered the biggest loss in confidence in institutions, particularly in trust in government and the financial sector. Finally, analysis of several repeated cross-sections of confidence within US states yields similar qualitative patterns, but much smaller magnitudes in response to state-specific shocks.
What Explains Changes in Retirement Plans during the Great Recession?
Authors: Goda Gopi Shah , Shoven John B , Slavov Sita Nataraj
Published: June 2011

We examine changes in subjective probabilities regarding retirement between the 2006 and 2008 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Using a first-difference approach to eliminate individual heterogeneity, we find that the steep drop in asset prices in 2008 increased the reported probability of working at age 62 during the Great Recession. Increasing unemployment at least partly attenuated this effect, but subjective probabilities of working did not respond to changes in housing markets. Older workers' probabilities of working were more sensitive to fluctuations in the stock market, but less responsive to changes in labor market conditions.
Trade Finance and the Great Trade Collapse
Authors: Ahn JaeBin , Amiti Mary , Weinstein David E
Published: June 2011

Economic models that do not incorporate financial frictions only explain about 70 to 80 percent of the decline in world trade that occurred in the 2008–2009 crisis. We review evidence that shows financial factors also contributed to the great trade collapse and uncover two new stylized facts in support of it. First, we show that the prices of manufactured exports rose relative to domestic prices during the crisis. Second, we show that US seaborne exports and imports, which are likely to be more sensitive to trade finance problems, saw their prices rise relative to goods shipped by air or land.
The Persistence of Treatment Effects with Norm-Based Policy Instruments: Evidence from a Randomized Environmental Policy Experiment
Authors: Ferraro Paul J , Miranda Juan Jose , Price Michael K
Published: June 2011

Policymakers increasingly use norm-based messages to promote conservation efforts. Despite the apparent success of such strategies, empirical analyses have thus far focused exclusively on short-run effects. From a policy perspective, however, whether and how such strategies influence behavior in the long-run is of equal interest. We partner with a metropolitan water utility to implement a natural field experiment examining the effect of such messages on longer-run patterns of water use. Empirical results are striking. While appeals to pro-social preferences affect short-run patterns of water use, only messages augmented with social comparisons have a lasting impact on water demand.
Can Tailored Communications Motivate Environmental Volunteers? A Natural Field Experiment
Authors: Al-Ubaydli Omar , Lee Min
Published: June 2011

Volunteering is a significant component of economic activity, especially for environmental organizations. Environmental organizations that rely on volunteers communicate with them using a variety of media, such as newsletters. This is a field experiment investigating whether tailoring the content of these communications to the stated motivations of a volunteer has a positive effect on the number of hours he/she volunteers. For the non-profit in our study, we find that such tailoring has an effect only for volunteers motivated primarily by career concerns. We also find this to be robust to the volunteers being aware that the tailoring is occurring.
Using Artefactual Field Experiments to Learn about the Incentives for Sustainable Forest Use in Developing Economies
Authors: Voors Maarten , Bulte Erwin , Kontoleon Andreas , List John A , Turley Ty
Published: June 2011

We implement a public goods game and a social intervention modeled after a public goods game in rural Sierra Leone near the Gola Forest Reserve. We also collect demographic, economic and forest conservation data on households in the area. We use this data to assess the mapping of social preferences from the artefactual field experiment (AFE) into real world behavior. We find evidence of heterogeneity in shifting factors between the AFE, the field experiment, and conservation outcomes. We also find evidence that social controls like war violence and witchcraft may explain some of this correlation.
Long-term Consequences of Vietnam-Era Conscription: New Estimates Using Social Security Data
Authors: Angrist Joshua D , Chen Stacey H , Song Jae
Published: June 2011

We use the draft lottery to construct instrumental variables (IV) estimates of the impact of Vietnam-era military service on veterans' Social Security (SSA) earnings through 2007. We also use SSA data to construct IV estimates for employment (as measured by an indicator for positive earnings) and disability status (as measured by an indicator for social security disability program application). New findings for recent years show surprisingly rapid convergence in veteran and nonveteran earnings: by the early 1990s, there was no longer a substantial Vietnam-era conscription penalty. The IV estimates also show no effect on employment or disability rates.
Battle Scars? The Puzzling Decline in Employment and Rise in Disability Receipt among Vietnam Era Veterans
Authors: Autor David H , Duggan Mark G , Lyle David S
Published: June 2011

Using Current Population Survey and US Army administrative data, we document that between 2000 and 2010, the employment rate of Vietnam era veterans fell markedly relative to non-veterans of the same cohorts while simultaneously their enrollment increased steeply in the Veterans Disability Compensation (DC) program, which provides healthcare and transfer payments to veterans with service-connected disabilities. Thirty percent of Vietnam era Army veterans enrolled in DC in 2006 received benefits for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, with median annual payments of $25,500. The declining employment and rising transfer payments to Vietnam era veterans underscore the long-term private and public costs of wartime service, potentially stemming from both adverse health consequences and policies that have expanded benefits eligibility.
The New Deal, Race, and Home Ownership in the 1920s and 1930s
Authors: Kollmann Trevor M , Fishback Price V
Published: June 2011

Many federal government housing policies began during the New Deal of the 1930s. Many claim that minorities benefitted less from these policies than whites. We estimate the relationships between policies in the 1920s and 1930s and black and white home ownership in farm and nonfarm settings using a pseudo-panel of repeated cross-sections of households in 1920, 1930, and 1940 matched with policy measures in 460 state economic areas. The policies examined include FHA mortgage insurance, HOLC loan refinancing, state mortgage moratoria, farm loan programs, public housing, public works and relief, and payments to farmers to take land out of production.
Heterogeneity in Choice Inconsistencies among the Elderly: Evidence from Prescription Drug Plan Choice
Authors: Abaluck Jason , Gruber Jonathan
Published: June 2011

This paper investigates the degree to which choice inconsistencies documented in the context of Medicare Part D plan choice vary across consumers and geographic regions. Our main finding is that there is surprisingly little variation: regardless of age, gender, predicted drug expenditures or the predictability of drug demand consumers underweight out of pocket costs relative to premiums and fail to consider the individualized consequences of plan characteristics; as a result, they frequently choose plans which are dominated in the sense that an alternative plan provides better risk protection at a lower cost. We find limited evidence that the sickest individuals had more difficulty with plan choice, and we document that much of the variation in potential cost savings across states comes from variation in choice sets, not variation in consumers ability to choose.
The Risky Steady State
Authors: Coeurdacier Nicolas , Rey Hélène , Winant Pablo
Published: June 2011

We propose a simple quantitative method to linearize around the risky steady state of a small open economy. Unlike when the deterministic steady state is used, the net foreign asset position is well defined. We allow for stochastic income and stochastic interest rate.
Disasterization: A Simple Way to Fix the Asset Pricing Properties of Macroeconomic Models
Authors: Gabaix Xavier
Published: June 2011

A central difficulty in economics is to create a model with both good business cycle properties and asset pricing properties. I show how to solve this difficulty by a simple portable modeling device: the “disasterization” of models. Take an economy with good business cycle properties and create a new, “disasterized” economy, which is essentially identical to the original one except that disasters can destroy part of the capital stock and productivity. In such a disasterized economy, asset prices exhibit high and volatile risk premia, but macro variables remain unchanged. Perturbations of this benchmark allow for feedback from finance to macro.
Regulating Asset Price Risk
Authors: Bacchetta Philippe , Tille Cédric , Wincoop Eric van
Published: June 2011

There has been a long debate about whether speculators are stabilizing or not. We consider a model where speculators have a stabilizing role in normal times, but may also provoke large risk panics. The very feature that makes arbitrageurs liquidity providers in normal times, namely their tolerance of risk, enables a large increase in asset price risk during a financial panic. We show that a policy that discourages balance sheet risk reduces the magnitude of financial panics, as well as asset price risk in both normal and panic states.
The Limits of Transparency: Pitfalls and Potential of Disclosing Conflicts of Interest
Authors: Loewenstein George , Cain Daylian M , Sah Sunita
Published: June 2011

We review evidence from our published and ongoing research that disclosing conflicts of interest has unintended consequences, helping conflicted advisors and harming their advisees: With disclosure, advisors feel comfortable giving more biased advice, but advisees do not properly adjust for this and generally fail to sufficiently discount biased advice. Disclosure also increases pressure on advisees to comply with advice; following disclosure, advisees feel more uncomfortable in turning down advice (e.g., it signals distrust of the advisor's motives). Finally, we examine the effectiveness of policy interventions aimed at reducing these unintended consequences and discuss how to realize potential benefits of disclosure.
The Financial Education Fallacy
Authors: Willis Lauren E
Published: June 2011

Research to date does not demonstrate a causal chain from financial education to welfare-enhancing financial behavior, in part due to biases, heuristics, and emotional influences on decisions. Yet the search for effective financial education continues. But it is time to ask whether giving every person effective financial education would make us better off. Two reasons it might not are discussed here. First, the time, expense, and invasion of privacy required would be enormous. Second, such a world would entail a decrease in individual autonomy. Alternative tools could potentially increase household financial welfare and security at lower social and individual expense.
Superfund Cleanups and Infant Health
Authors: Currie Janet , Greenstone Michael , Moretti Enrico
Published: June 2011

We are the first to examine the effect of Superfund cleanups on infant health rather than focusing on proximity to a site. We study singleton births to mothers residing within 5km of a Superfund site between 1989–2003 in five large states. Our “difference in differences” approach compares birth outcomes before and after a site clean-up for mothers who live within 2,000 meters of the site and those who live between 2,000–5,000 meters of a site. We find that proximity to a Superfund site before cleanup is associated with a 20 to 25% increase in the risk of congenital anomalies.
Environmental Regulation and Labor Reallocation: Evidence from the Clean Air Act
Authors: Walker W. Reed
Published: June 2011

This paper uses newly available data on plant level regulatory status linked to the Census Longitudinal Business Database to measure the impact of changes in county level environmental regulations on plant and sector employment levels. Estimates from a variety of specifications suggest a strong connection between changes in environmental regulatory stringency and both employment growth and levels in the affected sectors. The preferred estimates suggest that changes in county level regulatory status due to the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments reduced the size of the regulated sector by as much as 15 percent in the 10 years following the changes.
Does Concentration Matter? Measurement of Petroleum Merger Price Effects
Authors: Hosken Daniel , Silvia Louis , Taylor Christopher
Published: June 2011

We have estimated the price effects of two changes in market structure resulting from two changes in the ownership of gasoline refineries in the San Francisco Bay area: Tosco's purchase of Unocal's Rodeo refinery in April 1997 and UDS's purchase of Tosco's Avon refinery in August 2000. These events provide a relatively unique opportunity to test a price concentration relationship. If market concentration is related to price, then we should observe prices increase and then decrease by a similar amount following these transactions. We do not find evidence of a consistent price concentration relationship.
Teacher Mobility Responses to Wage Changes: Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment
Authors: Falch Torberg
Published: June 2011

This paper utilizes a Norwegian experiment with exogenous wage changes to study teachers' turnover decisions. Within a completely centralized wage setting system, teachers in schools with a high degree of teacher vacancies in the past got a wage premium of about 10 percent during the period 1993–94 to 2002–03. The empirical strategy exploits that several schools switched status during the empirical period. In a fixed effects framework, I find that the wage premium reduces the probability of voluntary quits by six percentage points, which implies a short run labor supply elasticity of about 1¼.
Negative Returns to Seniority and Job Mobility across the Program Quality Distribution: Are Top Public PhD-Granting Programs Different?
Authors: Hilmer Michael J , Hilmer Christiana E
Published: June 2011

We analyze a unique data set containing annual salary and detailed job and publication histories for a sample of 1,009 faculty members drawn from 53 public Ph.D.-granting economics departments. Empirical results suggest that all else equal: (1) statistically significant negative returns to seniority exist within lower-ranked but not top 15 programs; (2) more frequent movers observe statistically higher annual salaries in lower-ranked but not top 15 programs; and (3) for each level of seniority, faculty in top 15 programs are more likely to move at any point in the career than faculty in lower-ranked programs.
Interpreting Labor Supply Regressions in a Model of Full- and Part-Time Work
Authors: Chang Yongsung , Kim Sun-Bin , Kwon Kyooho , Rogerson Richard
Published: June 2011

We construct a family model of labor supply that features adjustment along both the intensive and extensive margin. Intensive margin adjsutment is restricted to two values: full-time work and part-time work. Using simulated data from the steady state of the calibrated model, we examine whether standard labor supply regressions can uncover the true value of the intertemporal elasticity of labor supply parameter. We find positive estimated elasticities that are larger for women and that are highly significant, but they bear virtually no relationship to the underlying preference parameters.
Fertility and the Plough
Authors: Alesina Alberto , Giuliano Paola , Nunn Nathan
Published: June 2011

This paper provides evidence that the form of agriculture traditionally practiced—intensive plough agriculture versus shifting hoe agriculture—affected historic norms and preferences about fertility, and that these norms persist, affecting observed fertility around the world today.
Robustness to Parametric Assumptions in Missing Data Models
Authors: Graham Bryan S , Hirano Keisuke
Published: June 2011

We consider estimation of population averages when data are missing at random. If some cells contain few observations, there can be substantial gains from imposing parametric restrictions on the cell means, but there is also a danger of misspecification. We develop a simple empirical Bayes estimator, which combines parametric and unadjusted estimates of cell means in a data-driven way. We also consider ways to use knowledge of the form of the propensity score to increase robustness. We develop an empirical Bayes extension of a double robust estimator. In a small simulation study, the empirical Bayes estimators perform well. They are similar to fully nonparametric methods and robust to misspecification when cells are moderate to large in size, and when cells are small they maintain the benefits of parametric methods and can have lower sampling variance.
Origins of the Unemployment Rate: The Lasting Legacy of Measurement without Theory
Authors: Card David
Published: June 2011

The modern definition of unemployment emerged in the late 1930s from research conducted at the Works Progress Administration and the Census Bureau. According to this definition, people who are not working but actively searching for work are counted as unemployed. This concept was first used in the Enumerative Check Census, a follow-up sample for the 1937 Census of Unemployment, and continued with the Monthly Report on the Labor Force survey, begun in December 1939 by the Works Progress Administration. A similar definition is now used to measure unemployment around the world.
The Impact of the Transatlantic Slave Trade on Ethnic Stratification in Africa
Authors: Whatley Warren , Gillezeau Rob
Published: June 2011

In the last 15 years, economists and economic historians have argued that Africa has undergone a “reversal of fortune” and that ethnic fragmentation is a significant cause of Africa's underdevelopment. In this article, we join these narratives by arguing that the transatlantic slave trade increased the degree of ethnic heterogeneity in Africa today. Using both correlational and causal instrumental variables analysis, we find an economically and statistically significant positive relationship between slave exports and ethnic heterogeneity. This relationship is robust to changes in the scheme for drawing ethnic boundaries and the choice of observational unit.
Remittances and Income Smoothing
Authors: Amuedo-Dorantes Catalina , Pozo Susan
Published: June 2011

Due to inadequate savings and binding borrowing constraints, income volatility can make households in developing countries particularly susceptible to economic hardship. We examine the role of remittances in either alleviating or increasing household income volatility using Mexican household level data over the 2000 through 2008 period. We correct for reverse causality and endogeneity and find that while income smoothing does not appear to be the main motive for sending remittances in a non-negligible share of households, remittances do indeed smooth household income on average. Other variables surrounding income volatility are also considered and evaluated.
Applying Fixed Effects to Hierarchical Segregation Models
Authors: Shatnawi Dina , Oaxaca Ronald , Ransom Michael
Published: June 2011

This paper expands the empirical implementation of hierarchical segregation models to allow for the use of panel methods. We use firm level data collected between 1977 and 1985 from a regional grocery store that faced a title VII class-action lawsuit over gender discrimination much the same as Wal-Mart and Costco. Special problems arise in implementing decompositions in a fixed effects and random effects setting, especially when analyzing wage-level differences. We develop a variation of wage decompositions that takes into consideration an unbalanced design and extends the literature by explicitly formalizing the inclusion of the unobserved heterogeneous effects.
Does Mestizaje Matter in the US? Economic Stratification of Mexican Immigrants
Authors: Dávila Alberto , Mora Marie T , Stockly Sue K
Published: June 2011

Using data from the 2003 New Immigrant Survey, this paper examines whether stratification as reflected by skin shade exists among newly legalized Mexican immigrants in the US. While we do not find evidence that skin color directly related to employment probabilities, complexion appeared to play a role in the likelihood of owning a home, having a bank account, and occupational status. As these outcomes partly reflect immigrants' pre-migration experiences, our findings suggest that the social stratification structure in Mexico might be sustained in the US among Mexican-origin populations.
The Effect of Bottle Laws on Income: New Empirical Results
Authors: Ashenmiller Bevin
Published: June 2011

Eleven US states have “bottle laws,” deposit-refund programs that combine a consumption tax with a recycling rebate. When states set the bottle deposit low enough it becomes a tax on high wage earners, for whom the opportunity cost of their time prevents them from returning containers for their deposit. However, this bottle deposit will still be high enough that harvesting recyclables provides employment for low wage earners. Using individual data on observed cash recycling behavior, this paper shows that an unintended consequence of bottle laws is that they have the potential to increase the incomes of very low wage workers.
Tracking Intergenerational Progress for Immigrant Groups: The Problem of Ethnic Attrition
Authors: Duncan Brian , Trejo Stephen J
Published: June 2011

In tracking the later-generation descendants of immigrants, measurement biases can arise from “ethnic attrition” (e.g., US-born individuals who do not self-identify as Mexican despite having ancestors who immigrated from Mexico). We present evidence that such ethnic attrition is sizeable and selective for the third-generation populations of key Hispanic and Asian immigrant groups. In addition, our results suggest that ethnic attrition generates biases that vary across national origin groups in direction as well as magnitude, and that correcting for these biases will raise the socioeconomic standing of the US-born descendants of most Hispanic immigrants relative to their Asian counterparts.
House Prices and Marital Stability
Authors: Farnham Martin , Schmidt Lucie , Sevak Purvi
Published: June 2011

We investigate the effect of house price changes on divorce using data for 1991–2010 from the Current Population Survey and the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Our findings suggest that changing house prices significantly affect the share of a cohort that is divorced, and that these effects are asymmetric with respect to housing gains versus losses. In addition, we find differential effects for groups that are more likely to be homeowners versus renters. Some of this evidence is consistent with homeowners being locked into their homes—and hence marriages—by increased transactions costs in down markets.
Hazardous Waste Cleanup, Neighborhood Gentrification, and Environmental Justice: Evidence from Restricted Access Census Block Data
Authors: Gamper-Rabindran Shanti , Timmins Christopher
Published: June 2011

We test for residential sorting and changes in neighborhood characteristics in response to the cleanup of hazardous waste sites using restricted access fine-geographical-resolution block data. We examine changes between 1990 and 2000 in blocks within 5km of sites that are proposed to the National Priority List that fall in a narrow interval of Hazardous Ranking Scores, comparing blocks near sites that were cleaned with those near sites that were not. Cleanup leads to increases in population density and housing unit density; increases in mean household income and shares of college-educated; but also to increases in the shares of minorities.
The Environmental Consequences of Global Reuse
Authors: Kinnaman Thomas , Yokoo Hide-Fumi
Published: June 2011

This paper summarizes a two-country model that solves for optimal tax rates to achieve efficiency in an economy with international trade in used consumer electronics. If only the developed nation can tax the disposal of e-waste, then the global Pareto Optimum can be obtained by either imposing an import tariff on used consumer electronics or subsidizing the return of e-waste for disposal in the developed country. The global Pareto Optimum can also be obtained by reducing the disposal tax in the developed country to a level below the external marginal cost of disposal should no other policy option be available.
Aberrant deep flexor muscles of the forearm associated with the accessory origin of first lumbrical muscle
Authors: Jiji P J , Krishnamurthy Ashwin , Nayak Soubhagya R , D'Costa Sujatha , Pai Mangala M , Prabhu Latha V , Kumar Senthil , Lalitha M K
Published: June 2011

Objective

To find out variations in the deep forearm flexors that are associated with anomalous origin of the first lumbrical muscle.

Introduction

Muscular anomalies of the upper extremity could cause peripheral nerve disorders. Although variations in the attachments of lumbrical muscles have been commonly studied, muscle with an additional origin in the proximal aspect of the forearm from the deep flexors is not much discussed.

Methods

Fifty-three formalin-fixed upper limbs were dissected to assess the aberrant origin of the first lumbrical from the deep forearm flexors. The measurement, shape, origin, insertion and innervation of aberrant deep forearm flexors were noted and photographed.

Results

In two (3.77%) out of 53 upper limbs unilateral aberrant deep forearm flexors were found giving accessory anomalous origin to the first lumbrical muscle. In 11 cases (20.75%) the presence of accessory head of flexor pollicis longus was seen, and found co-existing with the aberrant deep forearm flexor in one (1.89%) limb.

Discussion

The clinical implication of these muscular anomalies, such as aberrant origins and hypertrophy of the first lumbrical, in nerve entrapments, especially in the aetiology of carpal tunnel syndrome, is considered. The awareness and identification of the muscular variations of the antebrachial and carpal regions will facilitate safe surgery of cases of median nerve entrapment syndromes.
Comparison of the effect of two application methods of self-adherent wrap (Coban™) on range of motion in the hands of healthy subjects
Authors: Glassey Nicole , Phillips Mia
Published: June 2011

Introduction

Coban™ (3M, Berkshire, UK) is a self-adherent dressing frequently used to control oedema in hands. There is a paucity of evidence investigating the effect of different application techniques of Coban™ on range of motion (ROM) of the hand.

Method

A within-subject design was used to evaluate the effect of two methods of application of Coban™ on the hand ROM of 25 participants. Each participant was tested at baseline, during the two methods of application and after removal of Coban™. Assessments were taken of finger flexion using a goniometer and of thumb ROM using the Kapandji's scale.

Results

The application of Coban™ reduced active range of joint flexion within the digits. There was also statistically significant difference active joint range of flexion between cylindrical and spiral Coban™ applications at the index finger proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint (5.2°, P = 0.033), and the middle finger PIP (3.8°, P = 0.003) and distal interphalangeal joints (3.6°, P = 0.018).

Discussion

The study findings suggest that both cylindrical and spiral Coban™ application to the interphalangeal joint of the thumb and the index and middle fingers reduce range of finger flexion. The cylindrical application limits to a lesser degree than a spiral application. Although the differences were statistically significant, the extent of change may not be of clinical importance.
‘Now you see it, now you do not’: sensory–motor re-education in complex regional pain syndrome
Authors: Lewis Jennifer S , Coales Karen , Hall Jane , McCabe Candida S
Published: June 2011

The patient with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) commonly describes a lack of ownership of their painful limb, poor definition of that body part and difficulty with localization of the limb when performing daily activities. These descriptions suggest that sensory input from the limb may be reduced leading to neglect of the limb and poor motor control. However, the cardinal symptom of CRPS is pain, commonly severe, which demands a high level of attention. Patients are highly protective of the painful region and hypervigilant to any potential threats to their affected limb. These seemingly conflicting behavioural responses and sensory descriptions are confusing for the patient and health-care professional. In recent years our understanding has greatly advanced on how altered sensory perception of a CRPS affected limb relates to changes in the central representation of that body part, and how this may interact with motor planning and autonomic function. Excitingly, this increased knowledge has directly informed clinical practice via a new evaluation of sensory–motor re-education techniques and the development of novel interventions to enhance sensory discrimination. We review the common sensory problems seen in CRPS, the mechanisms that may be behind these clinical symptoms, and how sensory, motor and autonomic systems interact. Therapies designed to enhance sensory discrimination and motor planning are discussed, supported by the results of a small case series undergoing sensory re-education for CRPS. The clinical protocol and two case studies are available as additional online material to illustrate how all of this is applied in practice.
The influence of the local sequence environment on RNA loop structures
Authors: Schudoma Christian , Larhlimi Abdelhalim , Walther Dirk
Published: June 2011

RNA folding is assumed to be a hierarchical process. The secondary structure of an RNA molecule, signified by base-pairing and stacking interactions between the paired bases, is formed first. Subsequently, the RNA molecule adopts an energetically favorable three-dimensional conformation in the structural space determined mainly by the rotational degrees of freedom associated with the backbone of regions of unpaired nucleotides (loops). To what extent the backbone conformation of RNA loops also results from interactions within the local sequence context or rather follows global optimization constraints alone has not been addressed yet. Because the majority of base stacking interactions are exerted locally, a critical influence of local sequence on local structure appears plausible. Thus, local loop structure ought to be predictable, at least in part, from the local sequence context alone. To test this hypothesis, we used Random Forests on a nonredundant data set of unpaired nucleotides extracted from 97 X-ray structures from the Protein Data Bank (PDB) to predict discrete backbone angle conformations given by the discretized η/θ-pseudo-torsional space. Predictions on balanced sets with four to six conformational classes using local sequence information yielded average accuracies of up to 55%, thus significantly better than expected by chance (17%–25%). Bases close to the central nucleotide appear to be most tightly linked to its conformation. Our results suggest that RNA loop structure does not only depend on long-range base-pairing interactions; instead, it appears that local sequence context exerts a significant influence on the formation of the local loop structure.
Fluorescent labeling of tRNA dihydrouridine residues: Mechanism and distribution
Authors: Kaur Jaskiran , Raj Monika , Cooperman Barry S.
Published: June 2011

Dihydrouridine (DHU) positions within tRNAs have long been used as sites to covalently attach fluorophores, by virtue of their unique chemical reactivity toward reduction by NaBH4, their abundance within prokaryotic and eukaryotic tRNAs, and the biochemical functionality of the labeled tRNAs so produced. Interpretation of experiments employing labeled tRNAs can depend on knowing the distribution of dye among the DHU positions present in a labeled tRNA. Here we combine matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectroscopy (MALDI-MS) analysis of oligonucleotide fragments and thin layer chromatography to resolve and quantify sites of DHU labeling by the fluorophores Cy3, Cy5, and proflavin in Escherichia coli tRNAPhe and E. coli tRNAArg. The MALDI-MS results led us to re-examine the precise chemistry of the reactions that result in fluorophore introduction into tRNA. We demonstrate that, in contrast to an earlier suggestion that has long been unchallenged in the literature, such introduction proceeds via a substitution reaction on tetrahydrouridine, the product of NaBH4 reduction of DHU, resulting in formation of substituted tetrahydrocytidines within tRNA.
Zygotic amplification of secondary piRNAs during silkworm embryogenesis
Authors: Kawaoka Shinpei , Arai Yuji , Kadota Koji , Suzuki Yutaka , Hara Kahori , Sugano Sumio , Shimizu Kentaro , Tomari Yukihide , Shimada Toru , Katsuma Susumu
Published: June 2011

PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are 23–30-nucleotide-long small RNAs that act as sequence-specific silencers of transposable elements in animal gonads. In flies, genetics and deep sequencing data have led to a hypothesis for piRNA biogenesis called the ping-pong cycle, where antisense primary piRNAs initiate an amplification loop to generate sense secondary piRNAs. However, to date, the process of the ping-pong cycle has never been monitored at work. Here, by large-scale profiling of piRNAs from silkworm ovary and embryos of different developmental stages, we demonstrate that maternally inherited antisense-biased piRNAs trigger acute amplification of secondary sense piRNA production in zygotes, at a time coinciding with zygotic transcription of sense transposon mRNAs. These results provide on-site evidence for the ping-pong cycle.
Mesothelial cells activate the plasma kallikrein-kinin system during pleural inflammation
Authors: Varano della Vergiliana Julius F. , Lansley Sally , Tan Ai Ling , Creaney Jenette , Lee Y.C. Gary , Stewart Geoffrey A.
Published: June 2011

Pleural inflammation underlies the formation of most exudative pleural effusions and the plasma kallikrein-kinin system (KKS) is known to contribute. Mesothelial cells are the predominant cell type in the pleural cavity, but their potential role in plasma KKS activation and BK production has not been studied. Bradykinin concentrations were higher in pleural fluids than the corresponding serum samples in patients with a variety of diseases. Bradykinin concentrations did not correlate with disease diagnosis, but were elevated in exudative effusions. It was demonstrated, using a range of primary and transformed mesothelial and mesothelioma cell lines, that cells assembled high molecular weight kininogen and plasma prekallikrein to liberate bradykinin, a process inhibited by novobiocin, a heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) inhibitor, cysteine, bradykinin and protamine sulphate. Of the common plasma prekallikrein activators, mesothelial cells expressed HSP90, but not prolylcarboxypeptidase or Factor XII. Calcium mobilisation was induced in some mesothelium-derived cell lines by bradykinin. Des-Arg9-bradykinin was inactive, indicating that mesothelial cells are responsive to bradykinin, mediated via the bradykinin receptor subtype 2. In summary, pleural mesothelial cells support the assembly and activation of the plasma KKS by a mechanism dependent on HSP90, and may contribute to KKS-mediated inflammation in pleural disease.
Characteristic interactions and successive approximations in problems on evaluating coefficients of transport equation and elemental content of a medium
Authors: Khisamutdinov Alfred I.
Published: June 2011

Inversion methods are very important components of nuclear-geophysical technologies. Their main aim is to evaluate the set of parameters of a formation, using measurements data. The parameters describe the properties and the elemental content of it, and they enter into coefficients of the transport equation. In this paper we develop and formalize an approach to problems on mathematical interpretation of the data, we state two inverse problems to the equation and construct successive approximations of the “prime” iteration type to solve a corresponding system of parameters evaluation. The approach is based on concepts defined of “characteristic” interactions, elements, and matrix, it uses the superposition principle for transport processes and linear a priori constraints for the unknowns. Earlier a few concrete problems were examined within this approach.
Identification problems for quasilinear first-order partial differential equations in one space dimension and applications
Authors: Lorenzi Alfredo
Published: June 2011

We recover unknown nonlinear terms in quasilinear first-order partial differential equations and give some applications to conservation laws.
An identification problem for the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck operator
Authors: Lorenzi Luca
Published: June 2011

We consider the problem of identifying the constant α ∈ ℝ in the Cauchy problem , when , from an additional measurement on the solution u.
Effects of Stimulus Direction on the Correlation between Behavior and Single Units in Area MT during a Motion Detection Task
Authors: Bosking William H. , Maunsell John H. R.
Published: June 2011

Trial-to-trial variations in the firing rates of neurons in the middle temporal visual area (MT) are correlated with the behavior of macaque monkeys performing motion detection and motion discrimination tasks. Here we examine how these correlations depend on the direction of motion used for a detection task relative to the preferred direction of the neuron under study. There was a robust correlation between the firing rate of MT neurons and the animal's detection of motion when the direction of that motion was within ∼45° of the preferred direction of the neuron. This correlation was undetectable using motions that were ∼90° away from the preferred direction, and an inverse correlation between activity and behavior was found for motion in the null direction. Correlation between reaction times and single-cell activity in MT followed a similar pattern. Although motion detection could have been based solely on the activity of neurons preferring the expected direction, these results suggest that it depends on the relative activity of neurons preferring opposite directions of motion. They furthermore show that the subset of neurons used to guide behavior can vary from trial to trial based on task requirements.