Unemployment Dynamics in New Zealand

In this paper we analyse the experiences of the unemployed by looking at what happened to groups of job seekers over a four year period. In particular, we focus on job seekers who either registered as unemployed with the New Zealand Employment Service in 1993, or left the unemployment register in 1993. Overall, our analysis showed that there was considerable variation in how individuals experienced unemployment. For a quarter of job seekers, unemployment was a singular and relatively brief experience. However by way of contrast, a quarter of job seekers also experienced chronic unemployment often in repeated spells. In addition, unemployment experiences tended to vary for different social groups and across time with the economic cycle

Childlessness is high in the US once again, but this time it’s driven by choice, not poverty.

Recent years have seen a rise in childlessness rates in the US close to levels not seen for more than a century. In new research which examines the drivers of childlessness then and now, Thomas Baudin, David de la Croix and Paula E. Gobbi find that while in the early 20th century poverty meant that many women were forced into having fewer children, better education and higher income for women are now the causes of childlessness

Unemployment Dynamics in New Zealand

In this paper we analyse the experiences of the unemployed by looking at what happened to groups of job seekers over a four year period. In particular, we focus on job seekers who either registered as unemployed with the New Zealand Employment Service in 1993, or left the unemployment register in 1993. Overall, our analysis showed that there was considerable variation in how individuals experienced unemployment. For a quarter of job seekers, unemployment was a singular and relatively brief experience. However by way of contrast, a quarter of job seekers also experienced chronic unemployment often in repeated spells. In addition, unemployment experiences tended to vary for different social groups and across time with the economic cycle

Interferon beta 1b following natalizumab discontinuation: one year, randomized, prospective, pilot trial

Background: Natalizumab (NTZ) discontinuation leads to multiple sclerosis reactivation. The objective of this study is to compare disease activity in MS patients who continued on NTZ treatment to those who were switched to subcutaneous interferon 1b (IFNB) treatment. Methods: 1-year randomized, rater-blinded, parallel-group, pilot study (ClinicalTrial.gov ID: NCT01144052). Relapsing remitting MS patients on NTZ for ≥12 months who had been free of disease activity on this therapy (no relapses and disability progression for ≥6 months, no gadolinium-enhancing lesions on baseline MRI) were randomized to NTZ or IFNB. Primary endpoint was time to first on-study relapse. Additional clinical, MRI and safety parameters were assessed. Analysis was based on intention to treat. Results: 19 patients (NTZ n=10; IFNB n=9) with similar baseline characteristics were included. 78% of IFNB treated patients remained relapse free (NTZ group: 100%), and 25% remained free of new T2 lesions (NTZ group: 62.5%). While time to first on-study relapse was not significantly different between groups (p=0.125), many secondary clinical and radiological endpoints (number of relapses, proportion of relapse free patients, number of new T2 lesions) showed a trend, or were significant (new T2 lesions at month 6) in favoring NTZ. Conclusions: De-escalation therapy from NTZ to IFNB over 1 year was associated with some clinical and radiological disease recurrence. Overall no major safety concerns were observed

Development Policies when Accounting for the Extensive Margin of Fertility

Beyond natural sterility, there are two main types of childlessness: one driven by poverty and another by the high opportunity cost to child-rearing. We argue that taking childlessness and its causes into account matters for assessing the impact of development policies on fertility. We measure the importance of the components of childlessness with a structural model of fertility and marriage. Deep parameters are identified using census data from 36 developing countries. On average, one more year of education decreases poverty-driven childlessness by 0.75 percentage points, but increases opportunity-cost-driven childlessness by 0.57 percentage points from the 9th year of schooling onwards. Neglecting the endogenous response of marriage and childlessness leads to overestimating the effectiveness of family planning policies, except where highly educated mothers are also heavily affected by unwanted births, and to underestimating the effect of promoting gender equality on fertility, except in countries where poverty-driven childlessness is high

Clima, tipo de suelo y enmiendas orgánicas como factores reguladores de la dinámica de raíces finas en briznales de Pinus halepensis

Hemos estudiado el efecto de la aplicación de 60 Mg.ha-1 de peso seco de biosólidos sobre la producción y mortalidad de raíces de brinzales de 1 savia de Pinus halepensis plantados sobre suelos forestales contratados, desarrollados sobre roca caliza, marga y arenisca. Para ello dispusimos de rizotrones de 40x40x70 cm simulando un hoyo de plantación, con pared frontal transparente e inclinada, a través de la cual fue posible hacer el seguimiento de la aparición y desaparición de raíces durante los meses posteriores a la plantación. La colonización del suelo por las raíces de P. halepensis fue rápida, prolongándose hasta finales de primavera y mediados de verano, según el suelo. La mortalidad de raíces se inició algunas semanas después, decayendo al poco tiempo. En consecuencia, la densidad de raíces incrementó hasta alcanzar un máximo que se mantuvo relativamente constante durante buena parte del verano y el principio de otoño. El tipo de suelo modificó el patrón temporal de producción de raíces, pero no afectó a la producción, mortalidad o densidad de raíces. La aplicación de biosólidos no afectó a la dinámica radical. Estos resultados ponen de manifiesto la importancia de la respuesta de los brinzales durante las semanas posteriores a la plantación y antes del inicio de la sequía estival, y su relativa independencia de las condiciones edáficas.Este trabajo ha sido llevado a cabo gracias a la financiación recibida del MEC-FEDER, proyecto Bases científicas para la aplicación de biosólidos en montes mediterráneos (BIOMON; REN2000-0181P4-03), a la beca concedida a A. Gobbi por la Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional, y al apoyo del proyecto Consolider-Ingenio 2010 Multidisciplinary research consortium on gradual and abrupt climate changes, and their impacts on the environment (GRACCIE). Agradecemos la ayuda recibida de EPSAR Comunidad Valenciana y especialmente de F. Llavador. La Fundación CEAM está financiada por la Generalidad Valenciana y Bancaixa

Progressive cortical visual failure associated with occipital calcification and coeliac disease with relative preservation of the dorsal ‘action’ pathway

We describe the first reported case of a patient with coeliac disease and cerebral occipital calcification who shows a progressive and seemingly selective failure to recognize visual stimuli. This decline was tracked over a study period of 22 years and occurred in the absence of primary sensory or widespread intellectual impairment. Subsequent tests revealed that although the patient was unable to use shape and contour information to visually identify objects, she was nevertheless able to use this information to reach, grasp and manipulate objects under central, immediate vision. This preservation of visuo-motor control was echoed in her day-to-day ability to navigate and live at home independently. We conclude that occipital calcification following coeliac disease can lead to prominent higher visual failure that, under prescribed viewing conditions, is consistent with separable mechanisms for visual perception and action control

Psychedelics in developmental stuttering to modulate brain functioning: a new therapeutic perspective?

Developmental stuttering (DS) is a neurodevelopmental speech-motor disorder characterized by symptoms such as blocks, repetitions, and prolongations. Persistent DS often has a significant negative impact on quality of life, and interventions for it have limited efficacy. Herein, we briefly review existing research on the neurophysiological underpinnings of DS -specifically, brain metabolic and default mode/social-cognitive networks (DMN/SCN) anomalies- arguing that psychedelic compounds might be considered and investigated (e.g., in randomized clinical trials) for treatment of DS. The neural background of DS is likely to be heterogeneous, and some contribution from genetically determinants of metabolic deficiencies in the basal ganglia and speech-motor cortical regions are thought to play a role in appearance of DS symptoms, which possibly results in a cascade of events contributing to impairments in speech-motor execution. In persistent DS, the difficulties of speech are often linked to a series of associated aspects such as social anxiety and social avoidance. In this context, the SCN and DMN (also influencing a series of fronto-parietal, somato-motor, and attentional networks) may have a role in worsening dysfluencies. Interestingly, brain metabolism and SCN/DMN connectivity can be modified by psychedelics, which have been shown to improve clinical evidence of some psychiatric conditions (e.g., depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc.) associated with psychological constructs such as rumination and social anxiety, which also tend to be present in persistent DS. To date, while there have been no controlled trials on the effects of psychedelics in DS, anecdotal evidence suggests that these agents may have beneficial effects on stuttering and its associated characteristics. We suggest that psychedelics warrant investigation in DS

Brain iron content in cerebral amyloid angiopathy using quantitative susceptibility mapping

IntroductionCerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a small vessel disease that causes covert and symptomatic brain hemorrhaging. We hypothesized that persons with CAA would have increased brain iron content detectable by quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and that higher iron content would be associated with worse cognition.MethodsParticipants with CAA (n = 21), mild Alzheimer’s disease with dementia (AD-dementia; n = 14), and normal controls (NC; n = 83) underwent 3T MRI. Post-processing QSM techniques were applied to obtain susceptibility values for regions of the frontal and occipital lobe, thalamus, caudate, putamen, pallidum, and hippocampus. Linear regression was used to examine differences between groups, and associations with global cognition, controlling for multiple comparisons using the false discovery rate method.ResultsNo differences were found between regions of interest in CAA compared to NC. In AD, the calcarine sulcus had greater iron than NC (β = 0.99 [95% CI: 0.44, 1.53], q < 0.01). However, calcarine sulcus iron content was not associated with global cognition, measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (p > 0.05 for all participants, NC, CAA, and AD).DiscussionAfter correcting for multiple comparisons, brain iron content, measured via QSM, was not elevated in CAA compared to NC in this exploratory study

Biomechanical access method for analyzing isometricity in reconstructing the medial patellofemoral ligament

OBJETIVO: Apresentar um dispositivo biomecânico para o estudo da reconstrução do ligamento patelofemoral medial (LPFM) e sua isometricidade. MÉTODOS: Foi desenvolvido um sistema biomecânico acessível, que permite a aplicação de forças fisiológicas e não fisiológicas no joelho, através de um braço mecânico e aplicação de pesos e contrapesos, possibilitando a execução de diferentes estudos, além de ter um sistema de medidas bastante preciso de aferição de distâncias entre diferentes estruturas para análise dos experimentos. Este artigo descreve a montagem deste sistema, além de sugerir algumas aplicações práticas. Foram estudados seis joelhos de cadáveres. Os joelhos foram preparados em uma máquina de ensaios desenvolvida no Laboratório de Biomecânica do IOT HC FMUSP, que permitiu a avaliação dinâmica do comportamento patelar, quantificando a sua lateralização entre 0 e 120 graus. A diferença entre as distâncias encontradas, com e sem carga, aplicada na patela foram agrupadas segundo o ângulo de fixação do enxerto (0°, 30°, 60° e 90°) e situação do joelho (íntegro, reconstruído e lesado). RESULTADOS: Houve uma tendência em ocorrer menor desvio lateral em ângulos de fixação acima de 30 graus de flexão, principalmente entre os ângulos entre 45° e 60° graus de flexão, após a reconstrução. Para os demais ângulos não houve significância estatística. CONCLUSÃO: O método desenvolvido é uma ferramenta útil para os estudos da articulação patelofemoral, além de ter um sistema de medidas bastante preciso de aferição de distâncias entre diferentes estruturas e permitir a sua utilização em instituições com menos recursos disponíveis