Cross-Country Estimates of Employment and Investment in Organisational Capital: A Task-Based Methodology Using the PIAAC Database

This work proposes a task-based methodology for the measurement of employment and investment in organisational capital (OC) in 20 OECD countries. It builds on themethodology of Squicciarini and Le Mouel (2012) and uses information from the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). OCis defined as firm-specific organisational knowledge resulting from the performance of tasks affecting the long-term functioning of firms, such as developing objectives and strategies; organising, planning and supervising production; and managing human resources. Occupations contributing to the generation of OC are identified using distribution-based criteria and clustering analysis. Cross-country heterogeneity in OC-related occupations emerges: while 20 occupational classes of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO 2008) are on average identified as being OC-related, country-specific values range between 14 (in Korea) and 24 occupations (in Poland). A core group of managerial occupations are consistently identified as OC occupations across countries, whereas differences arise in the selection of professionals and associate professionals in science and engineering, health, education, and business administration. In-house investment in OC for the 2012 is measured à la Corrado, Hulten and Sichel (2009), as 20% of wages paid to OC-related occupations. Estimates at the aggregate level suggest the share of OC occupations in total employment to represent between 9.5% (Denmark) to 26% (United Kingdom), with an average of 16%. Total investment in OC, as a share of value-added, ranges from 1.4% in the Czech Republic to 3.7% in the United Kingdom, with an average 2.2% across all countries. Managers appear to account for less than half of total employment and investment in OC, and total investment in OC is higher in services than in manufacturing. Experimental estimates of investment in OC by firm class size and by the private and public sector and are also proposed. In the services sector, small firms account for on average half of OC investment in that sector, while in manufacturing, 45% of OC investment comes from large firms. Finally, with only few exceptions, investment in OC appears to be higher in the public sector than in the private sector

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

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Differential Effect of Left vs. Right White Matter Hyperintensity Burden on Functional Decline: The Northern Manhattan Study

Asymmetry of brain dysfunction may disrupt brain network efficiency. We hypothesized that greater left-right white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV) asymmetry was associated with functional trajectories. Methods: In the Northern Manhattan Study, participants underwent brain MRI with axial T1, T2, and fluid attenuated inversion recovery sequences, with baseline interview and examination. Volumetric WMHV distribution across 14 brain regions was determined separately by combining bimodal image intensity distribution and atlas based methods. Participants had annual functional assessments with the Barthel index (BI, range 0–100) over a mean of 7.3 years. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) models estimated associations of regional WMHV and regional left-right asymmetry with baseline BI and change over time, adjusted for baseline medical risk factors, sociodemographics, and cognition, and stroke and myocardial infarction during follow-up. Results: Among 1,195 participants, greater WMHV asymmetry in the parietal lobes (−8.46 BI points per unit greater WMHV on the right compared to left, 95% CI −3.07, −13.86) and temporal lobes (−2.48 BI points, 95% CI −1.04, −3.93) was associated with lower overall function. Greater WMHV asymmetry in the parietal lobes (−1.09 additional BI points per year per unit greater WMHV on the left compared to right, 95% CI −1.89, −0.28) was independently associated with accelerated functional decline. Conclusions: In this large population-based study with long-term repeated measures of function, greater regional WMHV asymmetry was associated with lower function and functional decline. In addition to global WMHV, WHMV asymmetry may be an important predictor of long-term functional status