Was There a National Labor Market at the End of the Nineteenth Century? New Evidence on Earnings in Manufacturing

DOI:10.1017/S002205070001696XAverage annual earnings calculated from the census of manufactures are used to extend previous research on labor market integration in the United States. In contrast to earlier research examining occupational wage rates, census average earnings indicate that a well-integrated labor market had emerged in the Northeast and North Central regions as early as 1879. They also reveal substantial convergence within the South Atlantic and South Central regions, suggesting the emergence of a unified southern labor market. Large and persistent North-South differentials indicate, however, that a unified national labor market did not develop before World War I

Structural outcomes in the Cleft Care UK study. Part 2:Dento-facial outcomes

OBJECTIVES: To compare facial appearance and dento-alveolar relationship outcomes from the CSAG (1998) and CCUK (2013) studies. SETTING AND SAMPLE POPULATION: Five-year-olds born with non-syndromic unilateral cleft lip and palate. Those in the original CSAG were treated in a dispersed model of care with low-volume operators. Those in CCUK were treated in a more centralized, high-volume operator model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared facial appearance using frontal view photographs (252 CCUK, 239 CSAG) and dental relationships using study models (198 CCUK, 223 CSAG). Facial appearance was scored by a panel of six assessors using a standardized and validated outcome tool. Dento-alveolar relationships were scored by two assessors using the 5-Year-Olds’ Index. Ordinal regression was used to compare results between surveys. RESULTS: Excellent or good facial appearance was seen in 36.2% of CCUK compared with 31.9% in CSAG. In CCUK, 21.6% were rated as having poor or very poor facial appearance compared with 27.6% in CSAG. The percentage rated as having excellent or good dento-alveolar relationships was 53.0% in CCUK compared with 29.6% in CSAG. In CCUK, 19.2% were rated as having poor or very poor dento-alveolar relationships compared to 36.3% in CSAG. The odds ratios for improved outcome in CCUK compared to CSAG were 1.43 (95% CI 1.03, 1.97) for facial appearance and 2.29 (95% CI 1.47, 3.55) for dento-alveolar relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Facial and dento-alveolar outcomes were better in CCUK children compared to those in CSAG

Satisfaction with web-based training in an integrated healthcare delivery network: do age, education, computer skills and attitudes matter?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Healthcare institutions spend enormous time and effort to train their workforce. Web-based training can potentially streamline this process. However the deployment of web-based training in a large-scale setting with a diverse healthcare workforce has not been evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the satisfaction of healthcare professionals with web-based training and to determine the predictors of such satisfaction including age, education status and computer proficiency.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Observational, cross-sectional survey of healthcare professionals from six hospital systems in an integrated delivery network. We measured overall satisfaction to web-based training and response to survey items measuring Website Usability, Course Usefulness, Instructional Design Effectiveness, Computer Proficiency and Self-learning Attitude.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 17,891 healthcare professionals completed the web-based training on HIPAA Privacy Rule; and of these, 13,537 completed the survey (response rate 75.6%). Overall course satisfaction was good (median, 4; scale, 1 to 5) with more than 75% of the respondents satisfied with the training (rating 4 or 5) and 65% preferring web-based training over traditional instructor-led training (rating 4 or 5). Multivariable ordinal regression revealed 3 key predictors of satisfaction with web-based training: Instructional Design Effectiveness, Website Usability and Course Usefulness. Demographic predictors such as gender, age and education did not have an effect on satisfaction.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The study shows that web-based training when tailored to learners' background, is perceived as a satisfactory mode of learning by an interdisciplinary group of healthcare professionals, irrespective of age, education level or prior computer experience. Future studies should aim to measure the long-term outcomes of web-based training.</p

Anxiolytic activity of pyridoindole derivatives SMe1EC2 and SMe1M2: behavioral analysis using rat model

Anxiety and mood disorders have become very significant affections in the last decades. According to WHO at least one mental disease occurred per year in 27% of EU inhabitants (more than 82 mil. people). It is estimated that by 2020, depression will be the main cause of morbidity in the developed countries. These circumstances call for research for new prospective drugs with anxiolytic and antidepressive properties exhibiting no toxicity and withdrawal effect and possessing beneficial properties, like antioxidant and/or neuroprotective effects. The aim of this study was to obtain information about psychopharmacological properties of pyridoindole derivatives SMe1EC2 and SMe1M2, using non-invasive behavioral methods in rats

A random six-phase switch regulates pneumococcal virulence via global epigenetic changes

Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is the world's foremost bacterial pathogen in both morbidity and mortality. Switching between phenotypic forms (or 'phases') that favour asymptomatic carriage or invasive disease was first reported in 1933. Here, we show that the underlying mechanism for such phase variation consists of genetic rearrangements in a Type I restriction-modification system (SpnD39III). The rearrangements generate six alternative specificities with distinct methylation patterns, as defined by single-molecule, real-time (SMRT) methylomics. The SpnD39III variants have distinct gene expression profiles. We demonstrate distinct virulence in experimental infection and in vivo selection for switching between SpnD39III variants. SpnD39III is ubiquitous in pneumococci, indicating an essential role in its biology. Future studies must recognize the potential for switching between these heretofore undetectable, differentiated pneumococcal subpopulations in vitro and in vivo. Similar systems exist in other bacterial genera, indicating the potential for broad exploitation of epigenetic gene regulation.Ana Sousa Manso, Melissa H. Chai, John M. Atack, Leonardo Furi, Megan De Ste Croix, Richard Haigh, Claudia Trappetti, Abiodun D. Ogunniyi, Lucy K. Shewell, Matthew Boitano, Tyson A. Clark, Jonas Korlach, Matthew Blades, Evgeny Mirkes, Alexander N. Gorban, James C. Paton, Michael P. Jennings, Marco R. Oggion

Host adaption to the bacteriophage carrier state of Campylobacter jejuni

The carrier state of the foodborne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni represents an alternative life cycle whereby virulent bacteriophage can persistent in association with host bacteria without commitment to lysogeny. Host bacteria exhibit significant phenotypic changes that improve their ability to survive extra-intestinal environments but exhibit growth phase dependent impairment in motility. We demonstrate that early-exponential phase cultures become synchronised with respect to the non-motile phenotype, which corresponds with a reduction in their ability adhere and invade intestinal epithelial cells. Comparative transcriptome analyses (RNA-seq) identify changes in gene expression that account for the observed phenotypes: down regulation of stress response genes hrcA, hspR and perR; and down regulation of the major flagellin flaA with the chemotactic response signalling genes cheV, cheA and cheW. These changes present mechanisms by which the host and bacteriophage can remain associated without lysis, and the cultures survive extra-intestinal transit. These data provide a basis for understanding a critical link in the ecology of Campylobacter bacteriophage

Lipophilic nalmefene prodrugs to achieve a one-month sustained release

Nalmefene is an opioid antagonist which as a once-a-day tablet formulation has recently been approved for reducing ethanol intake in alcoholic subjects. In order to address the compliance issue in this patient population, a number of potential nalmefene prodrugs were synthesized with the aim of providing a formulation that could provide plasma drug concentrations in the region of 0.5–1.0 ng/mL for a one-month period when dosed intramuscular to dogs or minipigs. In an initial series of studies, three different lipophilic nalmefene derivatives were evaluated: the palmitate (C16), the octadecyl glutarate diester (C18-C5) and the decyl carbamate (CB10). They were administered intramuscularly to dogs in a sesame oil solution at a dose of 1 mg-eq. nalmefene/kg. The decyl carbamate was released relatively quickly from the oil depot and its carbamate bond was too stable to be used as a prodrug. The other two derivatives delivered a fairly constant level of 0.2–0.3 ng nalmefene/mL plasma for one month and since there was no significant difference between these two, the less complex palmitate monoester was chosen to demonstrate that dog plasma nalmefene concentrations were dose-dependent at 1, 5 and 20 mg-eq. nalmefene/kg. In a second set of experiments, the effect of the chain length of the fatty acid monoester promoieties was examined. The increasingly lipophilic octanoate (C8), decanoate (C10) and dodecanoate (C12) derivatives were evaluated in dogs and in minipigs, at a dose of 5 mg-eq. nalmefene/kg and plasma nalmefene concentrations were measured over a four-week period. The pharmacokinetic profiles were very similar in both species with Cmax decreasing and Tmax increasing with increasing fatty acid chain length and the target plasma concentrations (0.5–1.0 ng/mL over a month-long period) were achieved with the dodecanoate (C12) prodrug. These data therefore demonstrate that sustained plasma nalmefene concentrations can be achieved in both dog and minipig using nalmefene prodrugs and that the pharmacokinetic profile of nalmefene can be tuned by varying the length of the alkyl group

The Farm, the city, and the emergence of social security

We study the social, demographic and economic origins of social security. The data for the U.S. and for a cross section of countries suggest that urbanization and industrialization are associated with the rise of social insurance. We describe an OLG model in which demographics, technology, and social security are linked together in a political economy equilibrium. In the model economy, there are two locations (sectors), the farm (agricultural) and the city (industrial) and the decision to migrate from rural to urban locations is endogenous and linked to productivity differences between the two locations and survival probabilities. Farmers rely on land inheritance for their old age and do not support a pay-as-you-go social security system. With structural change, people migrate to the city, the land loses its importance and support for social security arises. We show that a calibrated version of this economy, where social security taxes are determined by majority voting, is consistent with the historical transformation in the United States