Son preference and gender-biased breastfeeding in Pakistan

This is the final version. Available from University of Chicago Press via the DOI in this record.We investigate gender-biased breastfeeding in Pakistan using data from the 2006–07 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey. We replicate the analysis of Jayachandran and Kuziemko (2011) in India, where a model of breastfeeding was developed that incorporates its contraceptive properties and yields several predictions regarding when mothers wean their children. We test the validity of their theory in Pakistan, where parents’ stated preference for sons is twice as large as in India. Our replication exercise strongly supports their theory: mothers breastfeed daughters significantly less (especially if there are no elder sons) to increase the chances of becoming pregnant again with the hope to conceive a son. In Pakistan, the male advantage in breastfeeding is more than twice as large as in India (0.9 vs. 0.4 months). In addition, we find similar birth-order patterns for the mother’s subjective assessment of unwanted pregnancies as we do for breastfeeding duration.Vicky Noon Educational Foundation Oxford Scholarshi

The home market effect in the Spanish industry, 1965-1995

This study was intended to identify empirically the existence of the home market effect (HME) in Spanish manufacturing industry, a case which shows some incipient evidence in very early stages of development, and an increasing relevance of this phenomenon over time. Our empirical test is carried out with 17 regions between 1965 and 1995, and lends support to the hypothesis of the existence of the HME in five of the nine industries analysed. These results are obtained using a specification in line with the traditional one but new in the sense that it is defined in proportions instead of levels; this approach has conceptual advantages because it is a relative one, like the definition of HME itself

Mortalidad entre los pacientes en tratamiento con metadona e infectados con el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana y/o hepatitis C [Mortality rate in patients on methadone treatment and infected with the human immunodeficiency virus and/or the hepatitis C virus ]

Sr. Director: La adicción a la heroína es una enfermedad recidivante crónica con graves consecuencias, particularmente en términos de prematura y alta mortalidad (Hser, Hoffman, Grella y Anglin, 2001). Los programas de tratamiento de mantenimiento con metadona (TMM) han demostrado ser eficaces para reducir el uso ilícito de opioides, y el riesgo de infección por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH) y/o virus de la hepatitis C (VHC), entre otras variables (Kleber, 2008; Pedrero-Pérez y MethaQoL, 2017). A pesar de todo, la tasa de mortalidad anual entre los pacientes incluidos en programas de TMM, aproximadamente del 1%, es más de 10 veces superior al de la población general (Zanis y Woody, 1998); constituyendo la sobredosis y la infección por VIH y otros virus transmitidos por la sangre (p.e. VHC) las causas más comunes de muerte (Roncero, Vega, Martinez-Raga y Torrens, 2017). En efecto, entre los drogodependientes por vía parenteral e infectados por VIH, la co-infección por VIH y VHC se observa en el 50% -95% de los casos (Muga, Roca, Egea, Tor, Sirera y Rey-Joly, 2000); pudiendo provocar, dicha infección simultanea por VIH, una mayor carga viral del VHC y una evolución más rápida a la cirrosis hepática y sus complicaciones (Santos y Sanz, 22004; Elizalde, Iñarrairaegui, Rodríguez y Zozaya, 2004)... Dear Director, Heroin addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease with serious consequences, particularly in terms of premature and high mortality (Hser, Hoffman, Grella & Anglin, 2001). Methadone maintenance treatment programs (MMT’s) have shown to be effective in reducing illicit opioid use and the risk of infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and/or Hepatitis C virus (HCV), among other (Kleber, 2008; Pedrero-Pérez & MethaQoL, 2017). Nevertheless, the approximately 1% annual mortality among MMT patients is more than 10 times that of the general population (Zanis &y Woody, 1998); and overdose, HIV infection (VIH), and other viruses transmitted by blood (e.g., HCV infection) constitute the most common causes of death (Roncero, Vega, Martinez-Raga & Torrens, 2017). In fact, among HIV-infected patients, HIV–HCV co-infection is observed in 50–95% of cases (Muga, Roca, Egea, Tor, Sirera & Rey-Joly, 2000); this simultaneous HIV infection can cause an increased viral load of HCV and a more rapid evolution to liver cirrhosis and its complications (Santos & Sanz, 2004; Elizalde, Iñarrairaegui, Rodríguez & Zozaya, 2004)..

External economies as a mechanism of agglomeration in EU manufacturing

International audienceProductive externalities are significant determinants of agglomeration, not deeply studied at the industry and international level. We analyse the impact on productivity growth of technological externalities, both inter- and intraindustry, national or international, at the industry level for the European Union (EU) countries and the period 1995-2002. The results confirm the advisability of considering international externalities when countries are takes as regions, whose omission underestimates national spillovers. Together with national endowments and a central geographical position, the growth of productivity is encouraged by national and international specialization as a general result; moreover, it is fuelled by stronger interindustry spillovers and productive diversification, a result more evident for high technology industries, while lower technology industries are more sensitive to the omission of international externalities. Economic integration seems to be relevant, because supranational regions with less friction for goods and factor movements are more likely to take advantage of external economies as a mechanism of productivity growth and agglomeration

Son preference and gender-biased breastfeeding in Pakistan

We investigate gender-biased breastfeeding in Pakistan using data from the 2006-2007 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey. We replicate the analysis of Jayachandran and Kuziemko (2011) in India, who develop a model of breastfeeding that incorporates its contraceptive properties and yields several predictions regarding when mothers wean their children. We test the validity of their theory in Pakistan, where parents’ stated preference for sons is twice as large as in India. Our replication exercise strongly supports their theory: Mothers breastfeed daughters significantly less (especially if there are no elder sons) in order to increase the chances of becoming pregnant again with the hope to conceive a son. In Pakistan, the male advantage in breastfeeding is more than twice as large as in India (0.9 vs. 0.4 months). In addition, we find similar birth-order patterns for the mother’s subjective assessment of unwanted pregnancies as we do for breastfeeding duration

Son preference and gender-biased breastfeeding in Pakistan

We investigate gender-biased breastfeeding in Pakistan using data from the 2006-2007 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey. We replicate the analysis of Jayachandran and Kuziemko (2011) in India, who develop a model of breastfeeding that incorporates its contraceptive properties and yields several predictions regarding when mothers wean their children. We test the validity of their theory in Pakistan, where parents’ stated preference for sons is twice as large as in India. Our replication exercise strongly supports their theory: Mothers breastfeed daughters significantly less (especially if there are no elder sons) in order to increase the chances of becoming pregnant again with the hope to conceive a son. In Pakistan, the male advantage in breastfeeding is more than twice as large as in India (0.9 vs. 0.4 months). In addition, we find similar birth-order patterns for the mother’s subjective assessment of unwanted pregnancies as we do for breastfeeding duration

Atazanavir–bilirubin interaction: a pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic model [Corrigendum]

Lozano R, Domeque N, Apesteguia AF. Clinical Pharmacology: Advances and Applications. 2013;5(1):153–159. On page 155, "Deriving Michaelis–Menten’s equation,26 View original paper by Lozano R, Domeque N, Apesteguia A

Atazanavir–bilirubin interaction: a pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic model

Roberto Lozano,1 Nieves Domeque,2 Alberto-Fermin Apesteguia3 1Pharmacy Department, 2Psychiatry Department, Hospital Real Nuestra Señora de Gracia, 3Pharmacy Department, Hospital Clinico Universitario "Lozano Blesa", Zaragoza, Spain Purpose: The aim of this work was to analyze the atazanavir–bilirubin relationship, using a new mathematical approach to pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic models, for competitive drug interactions based on Michaelis–Menten equations. Patients and methods: Because atazanavir induces an increase of plasma bilirubin levels, in a concentration-dependent manner, we developed a mathematical model, based on increments of atazanavir and bilirubin concentrations at steady state, in HIV infected (HIV+) patients, and plotted the corresponding nomogram for detecting suboptimal atazanavir exposure. Results: By applying the obtained model, the results indicate that an absolute value or an increment of bilirubin at steady state below 3.8 µmol/L, are predictive of suboptimal atazanavir exposure and therapeutic failure. Conclusion: We have successfully implemented a new mathematical approach to pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic model for atazanavir–bilirubin interaction. As a result, we found that bilirubin plasma levels constitute a good marker of exposure to atazanavir and of viral suppression. Keywords: atazanavir, bilirubin, HIV/AIDS, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetic

Assortative Mating on Education: A Genetic Assessment

Social scientists have overwhelmingly documented a strong and increasing educa-tional homogamy between spouses. When estimating sorting by education, the pres-ence of measurement error in the education variables or random factors in the matching process may underestimate the actual degree of assortative mating, simultaneity bias may overestimate it, while omitting other individual characteristics relevant in the marriage market may under- or overestimate it. We address these issues using an in-strumental variables approach based on exploiting genetic variation in polygenic scores and controlling for population stratification. Specifically, we instrument spousal edu-cation with his/her educational polygenic score while controlling for own educational polygenic score. If the exclusion restriction is satisfied, our findings indicate that (1) assortative mating is underestimated when using OLS, and that (2) male education is correlated with other matching-relevant socioeconomic characteristics, while female education is productive per se in the matching. If the exclusion restriction is not satisfied, our evidence is consistent with (2). This suggests that individual socioeco-nomic attractiveness in the marriage market is multidimensional for men, but can be summarized with education for women