An Analysis of the Determinants of Job Satisfaction when Individuals’ Baseline Satisfaction Levels May Differ

A growing literature seeks to explain differences in individuals’ self-reported satisfaction with their jobs. Most of the accumulated evidence so far has, however, been based on cross-sectional data and when panel data have been used, individual unobserved heterogeneity has been modelled following the random effects approach, namely using the ordered probit model with random effects. This paper makes use of longitudinal data for Denmark, taken from the waves 1995-1999 of the European Community Household Panel, and estimates fixed effects ordered logit models using the estimation methods proposed by Ferrer-i-Carbonel and Frijters (2004) and Das and Van Soest (1999). For comparison and testing purposes a random effects ordered probit is also estimated. Estimations are carried out separately on the samples of men and women for individuals’ overall satisfaction with the jobs they hold. We find that using the fixed effects approach (that clearly rejects the random effects specification), considerably reduces the number of key explanatory variables. In addition to wages, good health and being a public sector employee are particularly important in explaining individual differences in job satisfaction. Moreover, the impact of being employed on a temporary contracts or working in the public sector differs between the genders.job satisfaction; fixed effects ordered logit model; random effects

Unemployment Durations of French Young People

Using the 1990-1992 wave of the French Labour Force Survey this paper analyzes the effects of different factors on the probability of leaving unemployment of French young people. It also studies duration dependence of the hazard rate while controlling for unobserved heterogeneity separately for men and women. A semi-parametric and two parametric hazard functions have been estimated using grouped duration data. A gamma mixing distribution is used to capture individual unobserved heterogeneity. When the correction for unobserved heterogeneity is not incorporated the model chosen is (for both groups) the Weibull that shows modelled the exponential hazard function (no duration dependence) id retained and again foe both population analysed. This result seems to suggest that observed true negative duration dependence should be explained more trough unobserved heterogeneity than trough structural factors, a conclusion to be thought in terms of the mover-stayer paradigm.proportional hazard models; grouped duration data; discrete-time data; unobserved heterogeneity

Targeting Teacher Education and Professional Development for Inclusion

Teachers around the world are likely to encounter students with varied backgrounds and experiences, strengths and weaknesses in their classrooms. The paper reviews the literature and available data on how teachers can be agents of inclusion in education. It focuses particularly on how teacher education and professional development systems can assist in this task. It then describes the challenges present in the existing design of systems and offers recommendations for ways forward. The article is based on the research conducted for the 2020 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report (UNESCO, 2020). Hence, it takes a broad view of inclusion in education, not limited to any groups, but rather focused on learning for all learners. The paper emphasises the central role teachers can play in accommodating students of all abilities and backgrounds. It also highlights the importance of relevant internationally comparable data on teacher training, as part of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) and particularly its target 4.c. Finally, the paper discusses the challenges and ways forward in supporting and strengthening teachers’ role in building inclusion in education

Orbits in bootstrapped Newtonian gravity

Bootstrapped Newtonian gravity is a nonlinear version of Newton’s law, which can be lifted to a fully geometric theory of gravity starting from a modified potential. Here, we study geodesics in the bootstrapped Newtonian effective metric in vacuum and obtain bounds on a free parameter from Solar System data and S-star orbits near our Galaxy center. These bounds make vacuum bootstrapped Newtonian gravity experimentally indistinguishable from General Relativity

TMEM219 regulates the transcription factor expression and proliferation of beta cells

Pancreatic beta cells replenishment is considered the next therapeutic option for type 1 diabetes; while stimulating endogenous beta cells proliferation is the “holy grail” for those patients with exhausted beta cell mass. Here we are demonstrating that the pro-apoptotic receptor TMEM219 is expressed in fetal pancreas, in beta cell precursors and in in vitro embryonic-derived endocrine progenitors. TMEM219 signaling negatively regulates beta cells at early stages and induces Caspase 8-mediated cell death. Pharmacological blockade of TMEM219 further rescued beta cell precursor and proliferation markers, and decreased cell death, both in islets and in in vitro-derived endocrine progenitors, allowing for beta cell preservation. While addressing the upstream controlling TMEM219 expression, we determined the TMEM219 miRNet; indeed, one of those miRNAs, miR-129-2, is highly expressed in human islets, particularly in patients at risk or with established type 1 diabetes. miR-129-2 mimic downregulated TMEM219 expression in islets, in in vitro embryonic-derived endocrine progenitors and in highly proliferating insulinoma-derived cells. Moreover, miR-129-2 inhibitor induced a TMEM219 overexpression in insulinoma-derived cells, which restored cell proliferation and functional markers, thus acting as endogenous regulator of TMEM219 expression. The TMEM219 upstream regulator miR129-2 controls the fate of beta cell precursors and may unleash their regenerative potentials to replenish beta cells in type 1 diabetes

Prostaglandin E2 Stimulates the Expansion of Regulatory Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells in Type 1 Diabetes

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) are multipotent stem cells that have been harnessed as a curative therapy for patients with hematological malignancies. Notably, the discovery that HSPCs are endowed with immunoregulatory properties suggests that HSPC-based therapeutic approaches may be used to treat autoimmune diseases. Indeed, infusion with HSPCs has shown promising results in the treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and remains the only “experimental therapy” that has achieved a satisfactory rate of remission (nearly 60%) in T1D. Patients with newly diagnosed T1D have been successfully reverted to normoglycemia by administration of autologous HSPCs in association with a non-myeloablative immunosuppressive regimen. However, this approach is hampered by a high incidence of adverse effects linked to immunosuppression. Herein, we report that while the use of autologous HSPCs is capable of improving C-peptide production in patients with T1D, ex vivo modulation of HSPCs with prostaglandins (PGs) increases their immunoregulatory properties by upregulating expression of the immune checkpoint-signaling molecule PD-L1. Surprisingly, CXCR4 was upregulated as well, which could enhance HSPC trafficking toward the inflamed pancreatic zone. When tested in murine and human in vitro autoimmune assays, PG-modulated HSPCs were shown to abrogate the autoreactive T cell response. The use of PG-modulated HSPCs may thus provide an attractive and novel treatment of autoimmune diabetes