How Effective Are Unemployment Benefit Sanctions? Looking Beyond Unemployment Exit

This paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of benefit sanctions, i.e. temporary reductions in unemployment benefits as punishment for noncompliance with eligibility requirements. In addition to the effects on unemployment durations, we evaluate the effects on post-unemployment employment stability, on exits from the labor market and on earnings. In our analysis we use a rich set of Swiss register data which allow us to distinguish between ex ante effects, the effects of warnings and the effects of enforcement of benefit sanctions. Adopting a multivariate mixed proportional hazard approach to address selectivity, we find that both warnings and enforcement increase the job finding rate and the exit rate out of the labor force. Warnings do not affect subsequent employment stability but do reduce post-unemployment earnings. Actual benefit reductions lower the quality of post-unemployment jobs both in terms of job duration as well as in terms of earnings. The net effect of a benefit sanction on post-unemployment income is negative. Over a period of two years after leaving unemployment workers who got a benefit sanction imposed face a net income loss equivalent to 30 days of full pay due to the ex post effect. In addition to that, stricter monitoring may reduce net earnings by up to 4 days of pay for every unemployed worker due to the ex ante effect.unemployment duration, earnings effects, benefit sanctions, competing-risk duration models

How effective are unemployment benefit sanctions? Looking beyond unemployment exit

This paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of benefit sanctions ,i.e. temporary reductions in unemployment benefits as punishment for noncompliance with eligibility requirements. In addition to the effects on unemployment durations, we evaluate the effects on post-unemployment employment stability, on exits from the labor market and on earnings. In our analysis we use a rich set of Swiss register data which allow us to distinguish between ex ante effects, the effects of warnings and the effects of enforcement of benefit sanctions. Adopting a multivariate mixed proportional hazard approach to address selectivity, we find that both warnings and enforcement increase the job finding rate and the exit rate out of the labor force. Warnings do not affect subsequent employment stability but do reduce post-unemployment earnings. Actual benefit reductions lower the quality of post-unemployment jobs both in terms of job duration as well as in terms of earnings. The net effect of a benefit sanction on post-unemployment income is negative. Over a period of two years after leaving unemployment workers who got a benefit sanction imposed face a net income loss equivalent to 30 days of full pay due to the ex post effect. In addition to that, stricter monitoring may reduce net earnings by up to 4 days of pay for every unemployed worker due to the ex ante effect.Benefit sanctions; earnings effects; unemployment duration; competing-risk duration models

Measurements in merging flow

Previous measurements of the velocity field in the vicinity of two intersecting submerged turbulent jets provided evidence that, contrary to the usual assumptions, intersecting flows may not necessarily be combined using vector addition of velocities or momentum flux densities. To gather additional experimental evidence on the details of the velocity field near the intersection of two submerged turbulent jets, this study measured time average velocity magnitudes and directions of two perpendicular intersecting axisymmetric submerged turbulent incompressible air jets of approximately equal strength. Because of the need to detect reverse flows, a three-dimensional pitot-type probe was used. This could sense yaw and pitch angles as well as velocity magnitudes. Two sets of measurements were taken. The more detailed set was confined to the plane of the nozzles, the less detailed set obtained cross-sectional data at four stations, three of these being in the observed reverse flow. The data show that the reverse flow spreads much more rapidly perpendicular to the nozzle plane than in the nozzle plane, whereas the forward flow is fairly symmetric. , Similarity profiles were found in both the forward and reverse flows. In the forward flow the distribution was essentially Gaussian. This was also true in the backward flow in the direction normal to the plane of the nozzles. In the plane of the nozzles the backward flow profiles were close to semi-elliptical or semi-circular, depending on the scales for plotting.U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological SurveyOpe

Analysis Strategy Riau University Organization in Human Resource Development (a Case Study Development University Lecturers Riau)

As educational staff in University of Riau (UR), a Lecturers has duty to implement the three of higher education responsibility. Particularly in teaching, a lecture must have education background . Infact, almost eductional background of lecturers in University of Riau are master degres (S2). To be a lecturer in University of Riau, a lecturer should be have doctoral degree (S3) in other to achieve vision and mission of the university and also society trust UR to study there. From the result can be obtained that the education development strategy to continue lecturers study is not did seriously. It can be indicated by their role to give information tranparently about scholarship fund from cooperation parties as DIKTI and Local Goverment of Riau Province. Another reason is no budget allocation to help lecturer to continue their study. We can take an example when the lecturer need a fund as tickets to go abroad and back. UR is not provide funds for it. Besides, there is no cooperation of units in UR to negotiated to improve lecturer education. What happens is partial that cause no place to coordinate each other, share,or making strong strategies to developped lecturer. UR has given a fund seriously for researcher to developt their self. There are many available grant for lecturer to do research, but it is need activeness and seriousness to submit their proposal. Here, there are competiton to obtain the grant research. Keywords: strategy, education, research, lecture

Drug-Induced Pigmentation

Drug-induced pigmentation occurs in up to 20% of acquired pigmentary disorders of the skin. Association of its occurrence was reported in certain drugs, including alkylating/cytotoxic agents, analgesics, antiarrhythmics, anticoagulants, antiepileptics, antimalarials, antimicrobials, antiretrovirals, metals, prostaglandin analogs, and psychotropic agents, among others. Proposed mechanisms include (1) accumulation of melanin, (2) accumulation of drug, (3) generation of new pigment, and (4) deposition of iron. Though difficult to confirm the drug association, the history, with emphasis on currently used drugs, and clinical examination may guide practitioners to an accurate diagnosis. Treatment options include cessation of the drug, adequate sun protection, and non-ablative pigment lasers

Structural insights into selectivity and cofactor binding in snake venom l-amino acid oxidases

Abstractl-Amino acid oxidases (LAAOs) are flavoenzymes that catalytically deaminate l-amino acids to corresponding α-keto acids with the concomitant production of ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Particularly, snake venom LAAOs have been attracted much attention due to their diverse clinical and biological effects, interfering on human coagulation factors and being cytotoxic against some pathogenic bacteria and Leishmania ssp. In this work, a new LAAO from Bothrops jararacussu venom (BjsuLAAO) was purified, functionally characterized and its structure determined by X-ray crystallography at 3.1Å resolution. BjsuLAAO showed high catalytic specificity for aromatic and aliphatic large side-chain amino acids. Comparative structural analysis with prokaryotic LAAOs, which exhibit low specificity, indicates the importance of the active-site volume in modulating enzyme selectivity. Surprisingly, the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor was found in a different orientation canonically described for both prokaryotic and eukaryotic LAAOs. In this new conformational state, the adenosyl group is flipped towards the 62–71 loop, being stabilized by several hydrogen-bond interactions, which is equally stable to the classical binding mode

The Integrative Effects of Board Diversity, Firm Reputation, and Innovation vis-a-vis Firm Performance

A plethora of worldwide study on board diversity and its relationship with firm performance had produced mixed results. Our study investigated not only from the board diversity perspective, but also examined the integrative web of firm reputation and innovation as well as the shareholder activism. We employed Smart PLS and SPSS to run the 105-sampled data and the statistical findings suggested that firm reputation does boost firm performance but not innovation, and also there is a positive correlation between board diversity and firm reputation. The findings further posit that shareholder activism does indeed affect diverse representation of the board. However, it does not agree that shareholder activism itself has a positive correlation with firm performance. This could be attributed to the views of top-level management, directors, and company secretaries, who are more familiar with the nuances of the board modus operandi and functions

BCL11B regulates arterial stiffness and related target organ damage

RATIONALE: BCL11B (B-cell leukemia 11b) is a transcription factor known as an essential regulator of T lymphocytes and neuronal development during embryogenesis. A genome-wide association study showed that a gene desert region downstream of BCL11B, known to function as a BCL11B enhancer, harbors single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with increased arterial stiffness. However, a role for BCL11B in the adult cardiovascular system is unknown. OBJECTIVE: Based on these human findings, we sought to examine the relation between BCL11B and arterial function. METHODS AND RESULTS: Here we report that BCL11B is expressed in the vascular smooth muscle where it regulates vascular stiffness. RNA sequencing of aortas from wild-type and Bcl11b null mice (BSMKO) identified the cGMP (cyclic guanosine monophosphate)-cGMP-dependent protein kinase G (PKG) as the most significant differentially regulated signaling pathway in BSMKO compared with wild-type mice. BSMKO aortas showed decreased levels of PKG1, increased levels of Ca++-calmodulin-dependent serine/threonine phosphatase calcineurin (PP2B) and decreased levels of their common phosphorylation target, phosphorylated vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (pVASPS239), a regulator of cytoskelatal actin rearrangements. Decreased pVASPS239 in BSMKO aortas was associated with increased actin polymerization (filamentous/globular actin ratio). Functionally, aortic force, stress, wall tension, and stiffness, measured ex vivo in organ baths, were increased in BSMKO aortas, and BSMKO mice had increased pulse wave velocity, the in vivo index of arterial stiffness. Despite having no effect on blood pressure or microalbuminuria, increased arterial stiffness in BSMKO mice was associated with increased incidence of cerebral microbleeds compared with age-matched wild-type littermates. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified vascular smooth muscle BCL11B as a crucial regulator of aortic smooth muscle function and a potential therapeutic target for vascular stiffness.R01 HL136311 - NHLBI NIH HHS; R01 AG053274 - NIA NIH HHS; R01 HL107385 - NHLBI NIH HHS; T32 HL007224 - NHLBI NIH HHS; P30 DK046200 - NIDDK NIH HHS; R01 HL105287 - NHLBI NIH HHS; R01 HL070100 - NHLBI NIH HHS; R01 HL126136 - NHLBI NIH HHS; R21 AG050599 - NIA NIH HHS; R01 HL080124 - NHLBI NIH HHS; R01 AI067846 - NIAID NIH HHSPublished versio

Phytoplankton productivity and growth rate kinetics in the Cedar River lakes

Lakes Findley, Chester Morse and Sammamish, Washington, are characterized by one major outburst of phytoplankton productivity and biomass (mainly diatoms) with usually no or low fall activity. Vernal outbursts were often delayed in the monomictic lakes by inadequate light because of unfavorable climate and/or a lack of thermal stratification. Strong inhibition by light (probably u.v.) was observed in Findley such that average maximum productivity occurred at 10% of surface intensity while maximum was customarily at 60% in the other lakes. Annual productivity was 369C/m2 in Findley, 479C/m2 in Chester Morse and 1989C/m2 in Sammamish. The range in mean chlorophyll a content was 0.8 to 10 ug/,for the same lakes respectively. Although more than three fourths of the productivity in the four lakes was contributed by nanoplankton (5-50u), a tendency for increased contribution from netplankton was observed with increasing trophic state. In vitro experiments during all parts of the growing season show that nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were simultaneously limiting productivity increase in the three lakes. Growth rate kinetics experiments showed increasing half-saturation constants for P (0.17 to 2.8pgP/A) for the natural phytoplankton progressing from oligotrophy to eutrophy. Growth rate models using these parameters were evaluated in Findley Lake subsequent to iceout in 1973. The best agreement was obtained with a model using light (with a function that included inhibition) N and P in contrast to several other combinations of those variables. Light was the most important factor and adaptation problems to low experimental light necessitated increasing the maximum growth rate by a factor of 10 in order to obtain the best agreement with in situ growth rate