Quasi-Experimental Evidence on the Effects of Unemployment Insurance from New York State

This paper examines unemployment duration and the incidence of claims following a 36 percent increase in the maximum weekly benefit in New York State. This benefit increase sharply increased benefits for a large group of claimants, while leaving them unchanged for a large share of claimants who provide a natural comparison group. The New York benefit increase has the special features that it was unexpected and applied to in-progress spells. These features allow the effects on duration to be convincingly separated from effects on incidence. The results show a sharp fall in the hazard of leaving UI that coincides with the increase in benefits. The evidence is also consistent with a substantial effect of the benefit level on the incidence of claims and with this change in incidence biasing duration estimates. The evidence further suggests that, at least in this case, standard methods that identify duration effects through nonlinearities in the benefit schedule are not badly biased.

Dissection of Nodule Development by Supplementation of \u3cem\u3eRhizobium leguminosarum\u3c/em\u3e biovar \u3cem\u3ephaseoli\u3c/em\u3e Purine Auxotrophs with 4-Aminoimidazole-5-Carboxamide Riboside

Purine auxotrophs of Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar phaseoli CFN42 elicit uninfected pseudonodules on bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Addition of 4-aminoimidazole-5-carboxamide (AICA) riboside to the root medium during incubation of the plant with these mutants leads to enhanced nodule development, although nitrogenase activity is not detected. Nodules elicited in this manner had infection threads and anatomical features characteristic of normal nodules, such as peripheral vasculature rather than the central vasculature of the pseudonodules that were elicited without AICA riboside supplementation. Although 105 to 106 bacteria could be recovered from these nodules after full development, bacteria were not observed in the interior nodule cells. Instead, large cells with extensive internal membranes were present. Approximately 5% of the normal amount of leghemoglobin and 10% of the normal amount of uricase were detected in these nodules. To promote the development of true nodules rather than pseudonodules, AICA riboside was required no later than the second day through no more than the sixth day following inoculation. After this period, removal of AICA riboside from the root medium did not prevent the formation of true nodules. This observation suggests that there is a critical stage of infection, reached before nodule emergence, at which development becomes committed to forming a true nodule rather than a pseudonodule

Tensile film clamps and mounting block for the rheovibron and autovibron viscoelastometer

A set of film clamps and a mounting block for use in the determination of tensile modulus and damping properties of films in a manually operated or automated Rheovibron is diagrammed. These clamps and mounting block provide uniformity of sample gripping and alignment in the instrument. Operator dependence and data variability are greatly reduced

High-power ac/dc variable load simulator

Design of medium-power dynamic electrical load simulator has been extended to permit simulation of ac as well as dc loads and to provide for operation at higher power levels. Simulator is internally protected against reverse voltage, overvoltage, overcurrent, and overload conditions

On government credit programs

Credit rationing is a common feature of most developing economies. In response to it, the governments of these countries often operate extensive credit programs and lend, either directly or indirectly, to the private sector. We analyze the macroeconomic consequences of a typical government credit program in a small open economy. We show that such programs increase long-run production if the economy is in a development trap and that such programs often lead to endogenously arising aggregate volatility. On the other hand, they may eliminate certain indeterminacies created by endogenous credit market frictions.Banks and banking, Central ; Credit ; Productivity

Infection of Soybean and Pea Nodules by \u3cem\u3eRhizobium\u3c/em\u3e spp. Purine Auxotrophs in the Presence of 5-aminoimidazole-4-Carboxamide Riboside

Purine auxotrophs of various Rhizobium species are symbiotically defective, usually unable to initiate or complete the infection process. Earlier studies demonstrated that, in the Rhizobium etli-bean symbiosis, infection by purine auxotrophs is partially restored by supplementation of the plant medium with 5-amino-imidazole-4-carboxamide (AICA) riboside, the unphosphorylated form of the purine biosynthetic intermediate AICAR. The addition of purine to the root environment does not have this effect. In this study, purine auxotrophs of Rhizobium fredii HH303 and Rhizobium leguminosarum 128C56 (bv. viciae) were examined. Nutritional and genetic characterization indicated that each mutant was blocked in purine biosynthesis prior to the production of AICAR. R. fredii HH303 and R. leguminosarum 128C56 appeared to be deficient in AICA riboside transport and/or conversion into AICAR, and the auxotrophs derived from them grew very poorly with AICA riboside as a purine source. All of the auxotrophs elicited poorly developed, uninfected nodules on their appropriate hosts. On peas, addition of AICA riboside or purine to the root environment led to enhanced nodulation; however, infection threads were observed only in the presence of AICA riboside. On soybeans, only AICA riboside was effective in enhancing nodulation and promoting infection. Although AICA riboside supplementation of the auxotrophs led to infection thread development on both hosts, the numbers of bacteria recovered from the nodules were still 2 or more orders of magnitude lower than in fully developed nodules populated by wild-type bacteria. The ability to AICA riboside to promote infection by purine auxotrophs, despite serving as a very poor purine source for these strains, supports the hypothesis that AICAR plays a role in infection other than merely promoting bacterial growth

Analyzing Medication Documentation in Electronic Health Records: Dental Students’ Self-Reported Behaviors and Charting Practices

The aim of this two-part study was to assess third- and fourth-year dental students’ perceptions, self-reported behaviors, and actual charting practices regarding medication documentation in axiUm, the electronic health record (EHR) system. In part one of the study, in fall 2015, all 125 third- and 85 fourth-year dental students at one U.S. dental school were invited to complete a ten-item anonymous survey on medication history-taking. In part two of the study, the EHRs of 519 recent dental school patients were randomly chosen via axiUm query based on age >21 years and the presence of at least one documented medication. Documentation completeness was assessed per EHR and each medication based on proper medication name, classification, dose/frequency, indication, potential oral effects, and correct medication spelling. Consistency was evaluated by identifying the presence/absence of a medical reason for each medication. The survey response rate was 90.6% (N=187). In total, 64.5% of responding students reported that taking a complete medication history is important and useful in enhancing pharmacology knowledge; 90.4% perceived it helped improve their understanding of patients’ medical conditions. The fourth-year students were more likely than the third-year students to value the latter (p=0.0236). Overall, 48.6% reported reviewing patient medications with clinic faculty 76-100% of the time. The respondents’ most frequently cited perceived barriers to medication documentation were patients’ not knowing their medications (68.5%) and, to a much lesser degree, axiUm limitations (14%). Proper medication name was most often recorded (93.6%), and potential oral effects were recorded the least (3.0%). Medication/medical condition consistency was 70.6%. In this study, most of the students perceived patient medication documentation as important; however, many did not appreciate the importance of all elements of a complete medication history, and complete medication documentation was low

Barriers to international capital flows: when, why, how big, and for whom?

Until recently, the trend in world capital markets has been toward increasing “globalization.” Recent events in Latin America and Asia have forced a rethinking of the desirability of unrestricted world capital flows. In this paper we ask whether simple restrictions on capital mobility can succeed in reducing the volatility of funds flows, whether such restrictions are consistent with the long-term development of the countries that might impose them, whether such restrictions are beneficial for poorer countries while harming wealthier countries, and whether barriers to capital movements should be reduced in magnitude as the development process proceeds. ; We find first that appropriately selected barriers to capital movements can be used by a poorer country to eliminate the short-term volatility of capital flows and other economic volatility as well. Second, we find that these barriers are consistent with increased rather than reduced levels of economic development in both the short and long run. Third, we show that it is empirically plausible that such barriers will be reduced over time as economies develop. Fourth, we show that, in the long run, all countries can benefit from the presence of barriers to capital mobility. And, fifth, we show that barriers to capital mobility can increase the magnitude of net capital flows in a steady state.International economic relations ; International finance ; Capital movements ; Monetary policy

Anisotropy and universality: Critical Binder cumulant of the two-dimensional Ising model

We reanalyze transfer matrix and Monte Carlo results for the critical Binder cumulant U* of an anisotropic two-dimensional Ising model on a square lattice in a square geometry with periodic boundary conditions. Spins are coupled between nearest neighboring sites and between next-nearest neighboring sites along one of the lattice diagonals. We find that U* depends only on the asymptotic critical long-distance features of the anisotropy, irrespective of its realization through ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic next-nearest neighbor couplings. We modify an earlier renormalization-group calculation to obtain a quantitative description of the anisotropy dependence of U*. Our results support our recent claim towards the validity of universality for critical phenomena in the presence of a weak anisotropy.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; one reference and some clarifications adde

Diagnosis of an anaerobic pond treating temperate domestic wastewater: An alternative sludge strategy for small works

An anaerobic pond (AP) for treatment of temperate domestic wastewater has been studied as a small works sludge management strategy to challenge existing practice which comprises solids separation followed by open sludge storage, for up to 90 days. During the study, effluent temperature ranged between 0.1 °C and 21.1 °C. Soluble COD production was noted in the AP at effluent temperatures typically greater than 10 °C and was coincident with an increase in effluent volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration, which is indicative of anaerobic degradation. Analysis from ports sited along the AP's length, demonstrated VFA to be primarily formed nearest the inlet where most solids deposition initially incurred, and confirmed the anaerobic reduction of sludge within this chamber. Importantly, the sludge accumulation rate was 0.06 m3 capita−1 y−1 which is in the range of APs operated at higher temperatures and suggests a de-sludge interval of 2.3–3.8 years, up to 10 times longer than current practice for small works. Coincident with the solids deposition profile, biogas production was predominantly noted in the initial AP section, though biogas production increased further along the AP's length following start-up. A statistically significant increase in mean biogas production of greater than an order of magnitude was measured between winters (t(n=19) = 5.52, P < 0.001) demonstrating continued acclimation. The maximum methane yield recorded was 2630 mgCH4 PE−1 d−1, approximately fifty times greater than estimated from sludge storage (57 mgCH4 PE−1 d−1). Anaerobic ponds at small works can therefore enable sludge reduction and longer sludge holding times than present thus offsetting tanker demand whilst reducing fugitive methane emissions currently associated with sludge storage, and based on the enhanced yield noted, could provide a viable opportunity for local energy generation