bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Brief Communication: SIR-2.1-dependent lifespan extension of Caenorhabditis elegans by oxyresveratrol and resveratrol
Authors: Lee Jiyun , Kwon Gayeung , Park Jieun , Kim Jeong-Keun , Lim Young-Hee
Published: May 2016

Resveratrol (RES) has been studied for its effects on the lifespan extension of Caenorhabditis elegans, but controversy still remains on its mechanism related with SIR-2. In this study, longevity assay was performed to confirm SIR-2-dependent lifespan extension of C. elgeans with RES and oxyresveratrol (OXY), an isomer of hydroxylated RES using loss-of-function mutants of C. elegans including sir-2.1 mutant. The results showed that OXY and RES significantly ( P < 0.05) extended the lifespan of C. elegans compared with the control. OXY and RES also significantly ( P < 0.05) increased the mRNA expression levels of sir-2.1 and aak-2 in a dose-dependent manner and increased the protein expression levels of SIR-2.1. OXY and RES treatment extended the lifespan in daf-16 loss-of-function mutants, which suggested that lifespan extension was not occurring via the activation of DAF-16. However, OXY and RES failed to extend the lifespan in loss-of-function mutants of sir-2.1 and aak-2. Therefore, OXY and RES extend the lifespan of C. elegans by overexpression of SIR-2.1, which is related to lifespan extension through calorie restriction and the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway, although this process is independent of the FOXO/DAF-16 pathway.
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over the Right Frontal Inferior Cortex Decreases Neural Activity Needed to Achieve Inhibition: A Double-Blind ERP Study in a Male Population
Authors: Campanella Salvatore , Schroder Elisa , Monnart Aurore , Vanderhasselt Marie-Anne , Duprat Romain , Rabijns Mark , Kornreich Charles , Verbanck Paul , Baeken Chris
Published: May 2016

Inhibitory control refers to the ability to inhibit an action once it has been initiated. Impaired inhibitory control plays a key role in triggering relapse in some pathological states, such as addictions. Therefore, a major challenge of current research is to establish new methods to strengthen inhibitory control in these “high-risk” populations. In this attempt, the right inferior frontal cortex (rIFC), a neural correlate crucial for inhibitory control, was modulated using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Healthy participants (n = 31) were presented with a “Go/No-go” task, a well-known paradigm to measure inhibitory control. During this task, an event-related potential (ERP) recording (T1; 32 channels) was performed. One subgroup (n = 15) was randomly assigned to a condition with tDCS (anodal electrode was placed on the rIFC and the cathodal on the neck); and the other group (n = 16) to a condition with sham (placebo) tDCS. After one 20- minute neuromodulation session, all participants were confronted again with the same ERP Go/No-go task (T2). To ensure that potential tDCS effects were specific to inhibition, ERPs to a face-detection task were also recorded at T1 and T2 in both subgroups. The rate of commission errors on the Go/No-go task was similar between T1 and T2 in both neuromodulation groups. However, the amplitude of the P3d component, indexing the inhibition function per se, was reduced at T2 as compared with T1. This effect was specific for participants in the tDCS (and not sham) condition for correctly inhibited trials. No difference in the P3 component was observable between both subgroups at T1 and T2 for the face detection task. Overall, the present data indicate that boosting the rIFC specifically enhances inhibitory skills by decreasing the neural activity needed to correctly inhibit a response.
Startle Response in Progressive Myoclonic Epilepsy
Authors: Kızıltan Meral E. , Gündüz Ayşegül , Coşkun Tülin , Delil Şakir , Pazarcı Nevin , Özkara Çiğdem , Yeni Naz
Published: May 2016

Cortical reflex myoclonus is a typical feature of progressive myoclonic epilepsy (PME) in which it is accompanied by other types of mostly drug-resistant seizures and progressive neurological signs. Although PME is characterized by cortical hyperexcitability, studies have demonstrated atrophy and degenerative changes in the brainstem in various types of PME. Thus, we have questioned whether any stimuli may trigger a hyperactive response of brainstem reticular formation in PME and investigated the startle reflex in individuals with PME. We recorded the auditory startle response (ASR) and the startle response to somatosensory inputs (SSS) in patients with PME, and compared the results with healthy volunteers and patients with other types of drug-resistant epilepsy. All patients were using antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), 12 were on multiple AEDs. The probability of ASR was significantly lower and mean onset latency was longer in patients with PME compared with other groups. SSS responses over all muscles were low in both the PME and drug-resistant epilepsy groups; however, the differences were not statistically significant. The presence of a response over the biceps brachii muscle was zero in the PME group and showed a borderline difference compared with the other groups. Decreased probability and prolonged latencies of ASR in PME indicate inhibition of reflex circuit. A trend for decreased responses of SSS suggests hypoactive SSS in both PME and other epilepsy groups. Hypoactive ASR in PME and hypoactive SSS in both PME and other epilepsies may be attributed to the degeneration of pontine reticular nuclei in PME and functional inhibition by AEDs in both disorders.
The Availability and Acquisition of Illicit Anabolic Androgenic Steroids and Testosterone Preparations on the Internet
Authors: McBride J. Abram , Carson Culley C. , Coward Robert M.
Published: May 2016

The lifetime prevalence of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) use in the United States is over 1%. Recent reports have suggested AAS can easily be obtained over the Internet without a prescription, but this has been poorly studied. This study focused on determining the availability and ease of purchase for AAS, testosterone, and other non-AAS therapies on the Internet from the perspective of a typical consumer. A Google search was performed and the top-ranking sites offering AAS for sale were individually evaluated for selection of AAS offered, the purchasing process, and additional consumer information to support AAS use. The current results revealed that 87% of sites offered commonly used forms of AAS, injectable testosterone, and non-AAS hormone therapies. Seventy-five percent offered at least one postcycle recovery agent and 62% offered at least one erectile dysfunction medication. No site required a prescription for purchase of any substance, 75% accepted common forms of payment including credit card, and all sites were supplied by unregulated international pharmacies providing shipment to home addresses with disclaimers that consumers are liable to local laws. Seventy-five percent of sites provided specific cycle and stacking recommendations, 62% provided postcycle recovery information, but only one site offered information on non-AAS alternatives. In conclusion, AAS, injectable testosterone, and other non-AAS therapies are readily available and remarkably easy to purchase on the Internet without a prescription. It is of paramount importance that clinicians are aware of this considerable public health problem given the detrimental physiologic effects including infertility and sexual dysfunction.
Contemporary medical television and crisis in the NHS
Authors: Hamad Hannah
Published: May 2016

This article maps the terrain of contemporary UK medical television (TV), paying particular attention to Call the Midwife as its centrepiece, and situating it in contextual relation to the current crisis in the National Health Service. It provides a historical overview of UK and US medical TV, illustrating how medical TV today has been shaped by noteworthy antecedents. It argues that crisis rhetoric surrounding healthcare leading up to the passing of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 has been accompanied by a renaissance in medical TV; and that issues, strands and clusters have emerged in forms, registers and modes with noticeable regularity, especially around the value of affective labour, the cultural politics of nostalgia and the neo-liberalization of healthcare.
The influence of a telehealth project on healthcare professional recruitment and retention in remote areas in Mali: A longitudinal study
Authors: Mbemba Gisèle Irène Claudine , Bagayoko Cheick Oumar , Gagnon Marie-Pierre , Hamelin-Brabant Louise , Simonyan David A
Published: May 2016

Objectives:

The telehealth project EQUI-ResHuS (in French, Les TIC pour un accès Équitable aux Ressources Humaines en Santé) aimed to contribute to more equitable access to care and support practice in remote regions in Mali. This study explored the evolution of perceptions concerning telehealth among healthcare professionals in the four district health centres that participated in the EQUI-ResHus project and identified variables influencing their perceptions of telehealth impact on recruitment and retention of health professionals.

Methods:

One year after a first survey (T1), a second data collection (T2) was carried out among healthcare professionals using a 91-item questionnaire. Questions assessing telehealth use and perceptions and perceived impact on recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals were rated on a 5-point Likert scale. A total of 10 independent variables were considered for the analyses. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed to detect differences between T1 and T2, and a bivariate linear regression model for repeated measures was carried out to assess the impact of independent variables on dependent variables.

Results:

There were no noticeable changes in perceptions related to telehealth influence on recruitment and retention. Only access to information and communication technology significantly differed between T1 and T2 according the Wilcoxon rank test (p = 0.001). Perceived influence of telehealth on recruitment and retention was mostly explained by attitude towards telehealth, perceived effect on recruitment and retention and barriers to recruitment and retention.

Conclusion:

Based on our results, telehealth was perceived as having a positive influence but mostly indirect influence on healthcare professional recruitment and retention. Also, there were no major changes after 1 year of telehealth use.
Construct Confounding Among Predictors of Mathematics Achievement
Authors: Schenke Katerina , Rutherford Teomara , Lam Arena C. , Bailey Drew H.
Published: May 2016

Identifying which early mathematics skills have the largest effects on later mathematics achievement has important implications. However, regression-based estimates often rely on untested assumptions: (a) Scores on different mathematics skills reflect unique constructs, and (b) other factors affecting early and later mathematics achievement are fully controlled. We illustrate a process to test these assumptions with a sample of third and fourth graders who completed measures of mathematics skills, working memory and motivation, and standardized mathematics and English language arts tests. Factor analyses indicated that mathematics skills largely reflect the same underlying construct. The skills that loaded highest on the general factor most predicted both later mathematics and English language arts, even after adjusting for working memory and motivation. Findings suggest that relations between earlier mathematics and later achievement largely reflected more general factors that contribute to children’s learning. We discuss the importance of establishing construct validity in correlational studies.
Abnormalities of follicular helper T-cell number and function in Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome
Authors: Zhang Xuan , Dai Rongxin , Li Wenyan , Zhao Hongyi , Zhang Yongjie , Zhou Lina , Du Hongqiang , Luo Guangjin , Wu Junfeng , Niu Linlin , An Yunfei , Zhang Zhiyong , Ding Yuan , Song Wenxia , Liu Chaohong , Zhao Xiaodong
Published: May 2016

Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp) is a hematopoietic-specific regulator of actin nucleation. Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) patients show immunodeficiencies, most of which have been attributed to defective T-cell functions. T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are the major CD4+ T-cell subset with specialized B-cell helper capabilities. Aberrant Tfh cells activities are involved in immunopathologies such as autoimmunity, immunodeficiencies, and lymphomas. We found that in WAS patients, the number of circulating Tfh cells was significantly reduced due to reduced proliferation and increased apoptosis, and Tfh cells were Th2 and Th17 polarized. The expression of inducible costimulator (ICOS) in circulating Tfh cells was higher in WAS patients than in controls. BCL6 expression was decreased in total CD4+ T and Tfh cells of WAS patients. Mirroring the results in patients, the frequency of Tfh cells in WAS knockout (KO) mice was decreased, as was the frequency of BCL6+ Tfh cells, but the frequency of ICOS+ Tfh cells was increased. Using WAS chimera mice, we found that the number of ICOS+ Tfh cells was decreased in WAS chimera mice, indicating that the increase in ICOS+ Tfh cells in WAS KO mice was cell extrinsic. The data from in vivo CD4+ naive T-cell adoptive transfer mice as well as in vitro coculture of naive B and Tfh cells showed that the defective function of WASp-deficient Tfh cells was T-cell intrinsic. Consistent findings in both WAS patients and WAS KO mice suggested an essential role for WASp in the development and memory response of Tfh cells and that WASp deficiency causes a deficient differentiation defect in Tfh cells by downregulating the transcription level of BCL6.
Loss of Bone in Sickle Cell Trait and Sickle Cell Disease Female Mice Is Associated With Reduced IGF-1 in Bone and Serum
Authors: Xiao Liping , Andemariam Biree , Taxel Pam , Adams Douglas J. , Zempsky William T. , Dorcelus Valerie , Hurley Marja M.
Published: May 2016

Characterization of the bone phenotype of 24-week-old female transgenic sickle cell disease (SCD), sickle cell trait (SCT) revealed significant reductions in bone mineral density and bone mineral content relative to control with a further significant decreased in SCD compared with SCT. By microcomputed tomography, femur middiaphyseal cortical area was significantly reduced in SCT and SCD. Cortical thickness was significantly decreased in SCD vs control. Diaphysis structural stiffness and strength were significantly reduced in SCT and SCD. Histomorphometry showed a significant increase in osteoclast perimeter in SCD and significantly decreased bone formation in SCD and SCT compared with control with a further significant decrease in SCD compared with SCT. Collagen-I mRNA was significantly decreased in tibiae from SCT and SCD and osterix, Runx2, osteoclacin, and Dmp-1 mRNA were significantly decreased in tibiae of SCD compared with control. Serum osteocalcin was significantly decreased and ferritin was significantly increased in SCD compared with control. Igf1 mRNA and serum IGF1 were significantly decreased in SCD and SCT. IGF1 protein was decreased in bone marrow stromal cells from SCT and SCD cultured in osteogenic media. Crystal violet staining revealed fewer cells and significantly reduced alkaline phosphatase positive mineralized nodules in SCT and SCD that was rescued by IGF1 treatment. We conclude that reduced bone mass in SCD and SCT mice carries architectural consequences that are detrimental to the mechanical integrity of femoral diaphysis. Furthermore reduced IGF1 and osteoblast terminal differentiation contributed to reduced bone formation in SCT and SCD mice.
Burying Money? Monetary Origins and Afterlives of Luther's Reformation
Authors: Rössner Philipp
Published: May 2016

The article offers a new interpretation of Martin Luther as an economic thinker, as well as the monetary economic origins of the Reformation of 1517. The argument is presented in six sections. The first one outlines key points in Luther's biography relevant for the present purpose. A second section discusses the basic features of Luther's economic “theory.” This gives rise to a brief discussion of the development of the money supply in Germany in the period and the most likely development in the velocity of the circulating coins. Both are important for setting the context of the quite peculiar economic discourses on pilgrimages, balance-of-payment deficits, and indulgences that were prominent in the early 1520s in the German lands. Martin Luther picked up directly on the economic situation and economic discourses of his day, which were marked by crisis and depression. Debates on indulgences and balance-of-payment constraints waged by the humanists and early reformers of the 1520s thus “created” the Reformation of 1517. These debates also stood at the heart of a long proto-Keynesian tradition in Continental European economic thought that emphasized, since the Middle Ages, the need to spend or invest money rather than letting it lie idle.
Knut Wicksell on Utility and Market Aggregation
Authors: Boianovsky Mauro
Published: May 2016

Knut Wicksell discussed in his 1893 Value, Capital, and Rent, as part of a critical comment on Launhardt and Jevons, conditions for consistent aggregation. He argued that Jevons's “trading body” concept was only valid if identical linear marginal utility functions (with ensuing parallel Engel lines for all individuals) could be assumed, which he regarded as unrealistic. Wicksell preferred Léon Walras's notion of market excess aggregate demand functions, which are functions of prices only. Such functions would not be affected by aggregation problems, if only disequilibrium transactions were assumed away. The article also addresses Wicksell's position concerning the so-called Cournot problem (that the general equilibrium system may not be able to provide precise numerical solutions), and his use of the notion of the representative agent in the formulation of the saving function.
Outsourced Heroes and Queer Incorporations
Authors: David Emmanuel
Published: May 2016

This article examines state and corporate discourses that portray outsourced call center workers as bagong bayani, or “new national heroes” of the Philippines. Through a queer reading of state narratives and corporate advertisements that deploy these rhetorical devices, I argue that the new national heroes trope functions ideologically to praise, cultivate, and broker flexible Filipino labor while seeking to quell a host of moral anxieties about gender, sexuality, and globalization. I argue that the naming of outsourced laborers as new national heroes extends the logic of the labor brokerage process that, to date, has been theorized in the context of global migration. The essay charts this shift by looking at the manufacturing of idealized outsourced laborers as well as the neoliberal incorporation of queer and transgender subjects, and others on the margins of the global South, into the logics of capital. At the same time, it examines how call center work has become one site for the articulation of, and struggle over, respectable queer and transgender subjectivities.
Global Cycles: Capital Flows, Commodities, and Sovereign Defaults, 1815–2015
Authors: Reinhart Carmen M. , Reinhart Vincent , Trebesch Christoph
Published: May 2016

Capital flow and commodity cycles have long been connected with economic crises. Sparse historical data, however, has made it difficult to connect their timing. We date turning points in global capital flows and commodity prices across two centuries and provide estimates from alternative data sources. We then document a strong overlap between the ebb and flow of financial capital, the commodity price super-cycle, and sovereign defaults since 1815. The results have implications for today, as many emerging markets are facing a double bust in capital inflows and commodity prices, making them vulnerable to crises.
Productivity Dispersion in Medicine and Manufacturing
Authors: Chandra Amitabh , Finkelstein Amy , Sacarny Adam , Syverson Chad
Published: May 2016

The conventional wisdom in health economics is that large differences in average productivity across US hospitals are the result of idiosyncratic features of the healthcare sector which dull the role of market forces. Strikingly, however, we find that productivity dispersion in heart attack treatment across hospitals is, if anything, smaller than in narrowly defined manufacturing industries such as ready-mixed concrete. While this fact admits multiple interpretations, it suggests that healthcare may have more in common with “traditional” sectors than is often assumed, and relatedly, that insights from research on productivity and allocation in other sectors may enrich analysis of healthcare.
Market Regulations, Prices, and Productivity
Authors: Cette Gilbert , Lopez Jimmy , Mairesse Jacques
Published: May 2016

This study is, to our knowledge, the first attempt to infer the consequences on productivity entailed by anticompetitive regulations in product and labor markets through their impacts on production prices and wages. Results show that changes in production prices and wages at country*industry levels are informative about the creation of rents impeding productivity in different ways and to different extents. A simulation based on OECD regulation indicators suggests that nearly all countries could expect sizeable gains in multifactor productivity from the implementation of large structural reform programs changing anticompetitive regulation practices on product and labor markets.
Women on Boards in Finance and STEM Industries
Authors: Adams Renée B. , Kirchmaier Tom
Published: May 2016

We document that women are less represented on corporate boards in Finance and more traditional STEM industry sectors. Even after controlling for differences in firm and country characteristics, average diversity in these sectors is 24% lower than the mean. Our findings suggest that well-documented gender differences in STEM university enrolments and occupations have long-term consequences for female business leadership. The leadership gap in Finance and STEM may be difficult to eliminate using blanket boardroom diversity policies. Diversity policies are also likely to have a different impact on firms in these sectors than in non-STEM sectors.
“We Thinking” and Its Consequences
Authors: Akerlof Robert
Published: May 2016

Increasingly, economists are drawing on concepts from outside economics--such as “norms,” “esteem,” and “identity”--to model agents' social natures. A key reason for studying such social motivation is to shed light on the conditions that facilitate--or deter--collective action. It has been widely observed, for instance, that groups are more able to engage in collective action when they have a common, group identity. This paper gives one explanation for such a link. The paper develops a new concept, “we thinking”; and it also provides a deeper understanding of the concepts of norms, identity, and esteem.
Identity-Driven Cooperation versus Competition
Authors: Snower Dennis J. , Bosworth Steven J.
Published: May 2016

This paper seeks to extend the domain of identity economics by exploring motivational foundations of in-group cooperation and out-group competition. On this basis, we explore the reflexive interaction between individual economic decisions and social identities in response to technological change in market economies. Our analysis explores how technological change falling on marketable goods and services, rather than non-market caring relationships, leads to a restructuring of identities, which increases the scope of individualism and promotes positional competition at the expense of caring activities. Since positional competition generates negative externalities while caring activities create positive ones, these developments have important welfare implications.
Interbank Markets and Banking Crises: New Evidence on the Establishment and Impact of the Federal Reserve
Authors: Carlson Mark , Wheelock David C.
Published: May 2016

This paper examines the impact of the Federal Reserve's founding on seasonal pressures and contagion risk in the interbank system. Deposit flows among classes of banks were highly seasonal before 1914; amplitude and timing varied regionally. Panics interrupted normal flows as banks throughout the country sought funds from the central money markets simultaneously. Seasonal pressures and contagion risk in the system were lower by the 1920s, when the Fed provided seasonal liquidity and reserves. Panics returned in the 1930s, due in part to shocks from nonmember banks and because the Fed's decentralized structure hampered a vigorous response to national crises.
International Data on Measuring Management Practices
Authors: Bloom Nicholas , Lemos Renata , Sadun Raffaella , Scur Daniela , Van Reenen John
Published: May 2016

We examine methods used to survey firms on their management and organizational practices. We contrast the strengths and weaknesses of “open ended questions” (like the World Management Survey) with “closed questions” (like the MOPS). For this type of data, open ended questions give higher quality responses, but are more costly than closed question-based surveys.
Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Policy in OECD Countries
Authors: Hatton Timothy J.
Published: May 2016

Refugees and asylum seekers are only a small proportion of the 60 million forcibly displaced persons. But those seeking asylum in the developed world have received much of the attention as western governments have struggled to develop a policy response. An analysis of asylum applications by origin and destination indicates that these flows are largely driven by political terror and human rights abuses. Poor economic conditions in origin countries and tough asylum policies in destination countries matter too. In the light of the findings I suggest that greater coordination among OECD countries could improve the lot of those fleeing from persecution but even this would make only modest inroads into the sum of human misery that displaced people exemplify.
War, Inflation, and Social Capital
Authors: Guriev Sergei , Melnikov Nikita
Published: May 2016

We use weekly data from 79 Russian regions to measure the impact of economic shocks and proximity to war in Ukraine on social capital in Russian regions. We proxy social capital by the relative intensity of internet searches for the most salient dimensions of pro-social behavior such as “donate blood”, “charity”, “adopt a child” etc. This measure of social capital is correlated with a survey-based measure of generalized social trust. Our search-based measure of social capital responds negatively to the spikes of inflation and positively to the intensity of the conflict in Ukraine (controlling for region and week fixed effects).
Childhood Environment and Gender Gaps in Adulthood
Authors: Chetty Raj , Hendren Nathaniel , Lin Frina , Majerovitz Jeremy , Scuderi Benjamin
Published: May 2016

We show that differences in childhood environments shape gender gaps in adulthood by documenting three facts using population tax records for children born in the 1980s. First, gender gaps in employment rates, earnings, and college attendance vary substantially across the parental income distribution. Notably, the traditional gender gap in employment rates is reversed for children growing up in poor families: boys in families in the bottom quintile of the income distribution are less likely to work than girls. Second, these gender gaps vary substantially across counties and commuting zones in which children grow up. The degree of variation in outcomes across places is largest for boys growing up in poor, single-parent families. Third, the spatial variation in gender gaps is highly correlated with proxies for neighborhood disadvantage. Low-income boys who grow up in high-poverty, high-minority areas work significantly less than girls. These areas also have higher rates of crime, suggesting that boys growing up in concentrated poverty substitute from formal employment to crime. Together, these findings demonstrate that gender gaps in adulthood have roots in childhood, perhaps because childhood disadvantage is especially harmful for boys.
To Buy or Not to Buy: Consumer Constraints in the Housing Market
Authors: Fuster Andreas , Zafar Basit
Published: May 2016

We use a strategic household survey to study the sensitivity of intended homeownership decisions to financing constraints. We find that the average stated likelihood of buying a home is strongly sensitive to the size of the required down payment, which we vary exogenously across three scenarios. This sensitivity is particularly high for respondents that appear more liquidity constrained based on observable characteristics (including current renters, or owners with low savings or low home equity). For renters, expectations of future rent inflation and of improvements to their personal financial situation also predict intention to buy.
Anticipated Banking Panics
Authors: Gertler Mark , Kiyotaki Nobuhiro , Prestipino Andrea
Published: May 2016

We develop a macroeconomic model with banking instability. Sunspot runs can arise that are harmful to the economy. However, whether a run equilibrium exists depends on fundamentals. In contrast to earlier work, the probability of a sunspot run is the outcome of rational forecast based on fundamentals. The model captures the movement from slow to fast runs that was a feature of the Great Recession: A weakening of banks' balance sheets increases the probability of a run, leading depositors to withdraw funds from banks. These slow runs have harmful effects on the economy and set the stage for fast runs.
Guns, Latrines, and Land Reform: Dynamic Pigouvian Taxation
Authors: Kremer Michael , Willis Jack
Published: May 2016

Dynamically and statically optimal Pigouvian subsidies and taxes on durables will differ in a growing economy. In a dynamic game, consumers may delay purchasing durables with positive externalities, such as latrines, anticipating greater future subsidies. Governments can most cheaply induce optimal purchasing by commiting to make subsidies temporary. Foreign donors may make commitment impossible, generating delays in private investment that more than fully offset the social benefits of transfers. Anticipated future taxes or regulation of durables with negative externalities, such as guns, may encourage current purchase, potentially causing policymakers who would otherwise prefer taxes or regulation to abandon such policies.
Converging to American: Healthy Immigrant Effect in Children of Immigrants
Authors: García-Pérez Mónica
Published: May 2016

We analyze children of immigrants' healthy immigrant effect using parental year of arrival and region of birth. Using data from Integrated National Health Interview Survey 2008-2014, we evaluate children of immigrants' health status by using obesity rates and the number of visits to the doctor versus their native counterparts. Consistent with their parents, children of immigrants' health status declines the longer their parents, remain in the United States. Meanwhile, there is an increase in the number of visits to the doctor the more years their parents, have resided in the country. The convergence rate differs by immigrant group.
HIV/AIDS and Development: A Reappraisal of the Productivity and Factor Accumulation Effects
Authors: Azomahou Théophile T. , Boucekkine Raouf , Diene Bity
Published: May 2016

We build an economico-epidemiological Solow-Swan model. Mortality and morbidity effects on effective labor are taken into account. A Ben-Porath-like mechanism affects the dynamics of the saving rate and reduces labor productivity. Based on optimal projections of the demographic and economic South African series on the period 2000-2050, we identify a delayed effect of HIV/AIDS on economic growth: the growth rate gap between the AIDS and no-AIDS scenarios is rather stable between 2010 and 2020, but then it increases sharply between 2020 and 2030, keeps increasing at a much lower pace between 2030 and 2040, and finally stabilizes after 2040. The fall in active population is the main factor behind AIDS impact on economic growth during the decade 2020-2030 while the Ben-Porath mechanism on labor productivity is more relevant in the last decade. Physical capital accumulation plays a minor role.
The Math Gender Gap: The Role of Culture
Authors: Nollenberger Natalia , Rodríguez-Planas Núria , Sevilla Almudena
Published: May 2016

This paper investigates the effect of gender-related culture on the math gender gap by analysing math test scores of second-generation immigrants, who are all exposed to a common set of host country laws and institutions. We find that immigrant girls whose parents come from more gender-equal countries perform better (relative to similar boys) than immigrant girls whose parents come from less gender-equal countries, suggesting an important role of cultural beliefs on the role of women in society on the math gender gap. The transmission of cultural beliefs accounts for at least two thirds of the overall contribution of gender-related factors.
Student Loan Information Provision and Academic Choices
Authors: Schmeiser Maximilian , Stoddard Christiana , Urban Carly
Published: May 2016

We examine the effect of a student loan information intervention on changes in college major using administrative data from the Montana University System from 2002-2014. Our difference-in-difference-in-differences strategy exploits the relative trends for students at Montana State University above and below the cutoff for receiving a warning letter about their student debt, compared to their counterparts at the University of Montana. We find that students who receive information suggesting they may be unlikely to be able to repay their loans are more likely to switch to higher earning majors, with higher academic performers most likely to choose STEM fields.
Medicare Part D and Portfolio Choice
Authors: Ayyagari Padmaja , He Daifeng
Published: May 2016

Economic theory suggests that medical spending risk affects the extent to which households are willing to accept financial risk, and consequently their investment portfolios. In this study, we focus on the elderly for whom medical spending represents a substantial risk. We exploit the exogenous reduction in prescription drug spending risk due to the introduction of Medicare Part D in the U.S. in 2006 to identify the causal effect of medical spending risk on portfolio choice. Consistent with theory, we find that Medicare-eligible persons increased risky investment after the introduction of prescription drug coverage, relative to a younger, ineligible cohort.
Testing Service Innovation: A Methodological Review of Video Experiments
Authors: Victorino Liana , Dixon Michael J.
Published: May 2016

Experimenting with and testing new or improved service designs is often a challenging task for managers. In this paper, we promote the use of video experiments as a dynamic method for testing service innovation. We conducted a systematic review of over 40 articles from five prominent journals that span the disciplines of organizational behavior, operations management, marketing, and service management to summarize how researchers have used video experiments to develop managerial theory. We found that video experiments provide service researchers and practitioners the opportunity to effectively communicate important experiential aspects of service systems such as emotions and psychological effects. Moreover, customer responses to service design choices can be assessed based on the results of a video experiment. Consequently, we position video experiments as a particularly well-suited method for examining innovations that are related to the application of behavioral science insights or what we term as behavioral-based service innovations. To advance the future use of video experiments in service innovation research, we present a suggested guide for developing a video experiment and discuss important methodological considerations. We also review future research opportunities for studying behavioral-based service innovations through the use of video experiments.
Caseload management methods for use within district nursing teams: a literature review
Authors: Roberson Carole
Published: May 2016

Effective and efficient caseload management requires extensive skills to ensure that patients receive the right care by the right person at the right time. District nursing caseloads are continually increasing in size and complexity, which requires specialist district nursing knowledge and skills. This article reviews the literature related to caseload management with the aim of identifying the most effective method for district nursing teams. The findings from this review are that there are different styles and methods of caseload management. The literature review was unable to identify a single validated tool or method, but identified themes for implementing effective caseload management, specifically caseload analysis; workload measurement; work allocation; service and practice development and workforce planning. This review also identified some areas for further research.
Innovation in catheter securement devices: minimising risk of infection, trauma and pain
Authors: Holroyd Sharon
Published: May 2016

Urinary catheters are one of the most common invasive devices used in the NHS. The risks are well-documented and the practice of catheterisation of the bladder has been around for years. Traditionally catheter fixation devices have not been widely used, despite many best practice guidelines advising on their use as a standard within catheter care and maintenance. This article considers some of the evidence around urinary catheterisation and the benefits and limitations of fixation devices. There will be a product focus on the Optimum Medical Ugo Fix Gentle catheter fixation device, with case histories to demonstrate patient satisfaction with the product.
Covert administration of medicines: a contentious issue
Authors: Griffith Richard
Published: May 2016

In its State of Care (2015) report the Care Quality Commission once again highlight unsafe management of medicines as a key concern in those care providers that require improvement. Underpinning the poor management of medicines is the unsafe and routine use of covert administration. In this article Richard Griffith looks at the legal and professional obligations for district nurses when they consider advising the use of covert medicines.
Airing your opinions
Authors: Foster Sam
Published: May 2016

Sam Foster, chief Nurse at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, considers the senior nurse as ‘digital professional’ and whether, were she alive today, Florence Nightingale would have been tweeting
Management of incontinence-associated dermatitis with a skin barrier protectant
Authors: Southgate Geraldine , Bradbury Sarah
Published: May 2016

The skin performs many important protective functions, one of which is to act as a barrier to moisture, irritants and bacteria. Good management of patients' skin is a fundamental part of nursing care to prevent development of complex and distressing problems, such as pressure ulceration and incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD). IAD is skin breakdown related to faecal and/or urinary incontinence, which requires adoption of a structured skin care regimen, including regular skin inspection, cleansing and the use of skin barrier protectants, to proactively protect the skin from irritant bodily fluids. Six case studies using Medi Derma-S skin barrier protectants on patients with IAD highlighted the potential for improved clinical outcomes on skin either vulnerable or compromised due to the effects of incontinence. Positive observations were noted with regard to improvement in skin condition, pain and discomfort, promotion of independence and prevention of deterioration of concurrent pressure damage.
Open, non-comparative, multi-centre post clinical study of the performance and safety of a gelling fibre wound dressing on diabetic foot ulcers
Authors: Chadwick P. , McCardle J.
Published: May 2016

Objective:

To evaluate the performance and safety of Exufiber, a gelling fibre wound dressing incorporating Hydrolock technology, in the management of highly exuding diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).

Method:

The study was conducted over a 12 week period involving a total of 21 patients with DFUs. A number of parameters were measured to monitor the change in condition of the peri-wound skin from baseline assessments. The evaluation of dressing-related pain was measured using a 100mm visual analogue scale (VAS). Wound status (measured by changes in wound size and healing phase) was recorded. Clinician/patient opinions of the test product and technical performance (measured by the presence of dressing residue following removal and handling of wound exudate) were also recorded.

Results:

The number of patients with healthy/intact peri-wound skin increased from baseline to the final visit. There was also a steady decrease in wound exudate volume throughout the study. Pain levels were very low throughout the investigation period, bearing in mind issues with neuropathy. A gradual decline in all wound size parameters from baseline to the final visit was noted; there was a statistically significant reduction in both wound area (cm2), p=0.0094, and wound volume (cc), p=0.0056, from baseline to the final visit. Throughout the study, a small decline in the mean percentage of granulation tissue within the wound paralleled a gradual increase in the mean percentage of epithelialisation tissue, while the percentage of non-viable tissue remained very low. The primary endpoints of product performance and safety were measured by the changes from baseline in the condition of the peri-wound skin. Results showed that the number of patients with healthy/intact peri-wound skin increased from baseline to the final visit, increasing from 6 patients (28.6%) at baseline to 14 patients (66.7%) at the final visit. There were no occurrences of product degradation on the skin and no reported adverse events (AE)/adverse device effects (ADE) during the course of the study that were judged to be related to the investigational product.

Conclusion:

This study has demonstrated the capacity for the test dressing to minimise damage to the peri-wound skin and dressing-associated pain. Despite the majority of wounds remaining unhealed at the final visit, improvements were noted in terms of tissue type and a significant reduction in wound area and volume. The technical performance of the dressing was demonstrated by an ability to absorb and retain exudate. Product safety was also demonstrated by an increase in the number of patients with healthy/intact peri-wound skin and the lack of identified product-related AE/ADEs.

Declaration of interest:

The study was supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Mölnlycke Health Care.
Macrocyclic lactone resistance on new grass leys — the putative role of accidental ‘dose-and-move’ strategies due to use of persistent macrocyclic lactone products
Authors: Crilly James Patrick , Sargison Neil D
Published: May 2016

Nematodirosis and teladorsagiosis/trichostrongylosis were detected in 8-week old lambs on a Scottish lowland farm and treated with oral ivermectin. A drench check identified treatment failure in some pastures but not others. Ivermectin resistance was confirmed by faecal egg count reduction test. Grazing history suggested treatment of ewes with injectable moxidectin in the autumn and oral moxidectin post-lambing and movement onto clean grazing played a role in the selection for macrocyclic lactone resistance on this farm.
Deep digital flexor tendon lesions in the foot — a careerending injury for the equine athlete?
Authors: Bolt David M , Dixon Jonathon J
Published: May 2016

Injuries to the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) are commonly identified as a cause of forelimb lameness with the increased availability of magnetic resonance imaging in horses. Both conservative and surgical treatments have been shown to result in a guarded to fair prognosis for a return to athletic activity. Several studies have indicated that the outcome after DDFT injuries depends on lesion type, extent, localisation and duration before treatment.
NG28: Promoting patient-centred care for adults with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Meetoo Danny , Alsomali Sabah
Published: May 2016

Diabetes mellitus, usually classified as either type 1 (T1DM) or type 2 (T2DM), is a long-term metabolic disorder, characterised by a chronically elevated blood glucose level (hyperglycaemia), which results from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both ( Kumar et al, 2003 ). The number of people with diabetes has quadrupled since 1980, to 422 million ( World Health Organization, 2016 ), and the condition is now one of the biggest threats to human health in the 21st century ( Zimmet et al, 2005 ). Over the past two decades, there has been an explosive increase in the number of people diagnosed with diabetes worldwide ( International Diabetes Federation, 2015 ). Changes in the human environment and a tendency towards an obesogenic lifestyle, together with globalisation, have resulted in alarming rises in the rates of both obesity and diabetes. It is estimated that the NHS spends 10% of its budget on diabetes ( Hex, 2012 ); the total cost (direct care and indirect costs) associated with diabetes in the UK currently stands at £23.7 billion, and this figure is predicted to rise to £39.8 billion by 2035/6 ( Hex, 2016 ). In December 2015, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a new guideline, NG28, Type 2 diabetes in adults: Management, which gives recommendations for managing the condition, with a focus on patient education, dietary advice, managing cardiovascular risk, managing blood glucose levels, and identifying and managing long-term complications. This article gives a critical overview of the new guideline.
Method Comparison of Model Based Tomography and Grid Based Tomography to refine interval velocity
Authors: Nugroho Yuninggar Dwi , S Sudarmaji
Published: May 2016

The input data for pre stack time migration and pre stack depth migration is velocity model. The exact velocity model can provide maximum result in seismic section. The best seismic section can minimize possibility of errors during interpretation. Model based and grid based tomography are used to refine the interval velocity model. The interval velocity will be used as input in the pre stack depth migration. Initial interval velocity is obtained from RMS velocity
using Dix formula. This velocity will be refined by global depth tomography method. The global depth tomography method is divided into model based and grid based tomography. Velocity analysis is performed along the horizon (depth model). Residual depth move out is obtained from picking velocity. It is used as input in tomography method. The flat gather is obtained at tenth iteration. The interval velocity that is obtained from tenth iteration has the small errors. Tomography method can provide maximum result on velocity refinement. That is shown by the result that the pre stack depth migration is much better than using initial interval velocity. The pull up effect can be corrected by tomography method.
MAPAS CONCEITUAIS: PROPOSTAS DE APRENDIZAGEM E AVALIAÇÃO
Authors: Silva Edson Coutinho da
Published: May 2016

Os mapas conceituais são ferramentas gráficas para a organização e representação do conhecimento. Os mapas conceituais surgem com a proposta de aprendizagem e não ensinamento, o que rompe com a estrutura conservadora aplicada no ensino no país. O objeto de estudo é o mapa conceitual, e o objetivo é o de apresentar sete modelos de avaliação de mapas conceituais com vistas a disponibilizar mecanismos e/ou constructos de avaliação aos professores. Este ensaio, meramente teórico, tem três seções: (a) aprendizagem significativa e sua contribuição para o mapa conceitual; (b) analogia entre mapa mental e conceitual; e (c) modelos de avaliação de mapas conceituais. O presente ensaio não se propõe a debater e discutir quais dos modelos apresentados é mais ou menos adequados para a avaliação de mapas conceituais, deixando que os leitores do artigo tenham suas próprias avaliações, uma vez que não foi conduzida uma pesquisa empírica para testá-los.