Childhood Poverty Persistence: Facts and Consequences

Examines the persistence and effects of childhood poverty by studying the incidence and duration of poverty among African-American and white children from birth to age 17 and adult outcomes including income, educational attainment, and employment

Enabling Families to Weather Emergencies and Develop: The Role of Assets

Discusses the need for low-income families to build assets for emergencies and employment gaps as well as for long-term stability. Suggests policies to improve savings and ownership opportunities such as incentives and better regulation of small loans

Do Assets Help Families Cope With Adverse Events?

Compares the extent to which families with liquid assets are better able to maintain their material well-being when adverse events affecting income such as job loss or illness occurs than families without assets. Compares effects by income distribution

Do Welfare and IDA Program Policies Affect Asset Holdings?

Analyzes how more lenient state asset tests and eligibility rules, more generous Individual Development Account program rules, and withdrawal restrictions and incentives for restricted savings accounts affect low-income families' asset accumulation

Less Than Equal: Racial Disparities in Wealth Accumulation

When it comes to economic gaps between whites and communities of color in the United States, income inequality tells part of the story. But let's not forget about wealth. Wealth isn't just money in the bank, it's insurance against tough times, tuition to get a better education and a better job, savings to retire on, and a springboard into the middle class. In short, wealth translates into opportunity

Private Transfers, Race, and Wealth

Examines racial/ethnic disparities in private transfers of financial support from extended families and friends, large gifts, and inheritances, as well as net support received after transfers given; their impact on wealth disparities; and implications

Weathering the Storm: Have IDAs Helped Low-Income Homebuyers Avoid Foreclosure?

Examines the demographics of low-income families with Individual Development Accounts, matched savings accounts designed to help them save and build assets through homeownership; their loan terms; and foreclosure rates. Discusses policy implications

Reforming America’s regressive asset-building subsidies would help to address increasing wealth inequalities

Wealth inequality in the United States increased over the last several decades and worsened as a result of the Great Recession, which reduced the average wealth of families by nearly 30 percent. In new research, Signe-Mary McKernan and Caroline Ratcliffe, with Gene Steuerle and Sisi Zhang, measure disparities in wealth accumulation and loss. They argue that social welfare and tax policies pay too little attention to wealth building and mobility relative to consumption and income. Reforming America’s regressive asset-building policies would hel

Assessing Asset Data on Low-Income Households

Assessing Asset Data on Low-Income Household

Urinary Volatile Organic Compound Testing in Fast-Track Patients with Suspected Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal symptoms are common but only infrequently represent serious pathology, including colorectal cancer (CRC). A large number of invasive tests are presently performed for reassurance. We investigated the feasibility of urinary volatile organic compound (VOC) testing as a potential triage tool in patients fast-tracked for assessment for possible CRC. A prospective, multicenter, observational feasibility study was performed across three sites. Patients referred to NHS fast-track pathways for potential CRC provided a urine sample that underwent Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), Field Asymmetric Ion Mobility Spectrometry (FAIMS), and Selected Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry (SIFT-MS) analysis. Patients underwent colonoscopy and/or CT colonography and were grouped as either CRC, adenomatous polyp(s), or controls to explore the diagnostic accuracy of VOC output data supported by an artificial neural network (ANN) model. 558 patients participated with 23 (4%) CRC diagnosed. 59% of colonoscopies and 86% of CT colonographies showed no abnormalities. Urinary VOC testing was feasible, acceptable to patients, and applicable within the clinical fast track pathway. GC-MS showed the highest clinical utility for CRC and polyp detection vs. controls (sensitivity = 0.878, specificity = 0.882, AUROC = 0.896) but it is labour intensive. Urinary VOC testing and analysis are feasible within NHS fast-track CRC pathways. Clinically meaningful differences between patients with cancer, polyps, or no pathology were identified suggesting VOC analysis may have future utility as a triage tool