Labour Force Participation and Household Debt

In the past decade or so there has been a substantial rise in the indebtedness and debt-servicing obligations of Australian households. This has been accompanied by a trend increase in labour force participation (LFP) for women and more recently for men. Microeconomic data show a clear positive correlation between indebtedness and LFP. This paper models the LFP decision of prime-age Australian women and men accounting for the influence of debt and assets along with a range of other variables found to be important in the literature. The potential two-way causation between debt and labour supply is also addressed. Data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey are used as it contains recent and detailed data on household wealth along with extensive labour market and demographic data. A cross-section model of LFP is estimated using the detailed measures of household debts and assets available in Wave 2 of the survey. In addition, a panel model, using only measures of owner-occupied housing debt and assets, is estimated using all five currently available waves. Evidence is presented to suggest that LFP is determined by several factors, including family structure, education, health and indebtedness. In general, most of the effect of indebtedness on an individual’s probability of participation in the labour force is captured through the household debt-servicing ratio, although the level of owner-occupied mortgage debt appears important for men. Also, the panel results suggest that accounting for unobserved heterogeneity across individuals is important when examining the influence of debt on labour supply.labour force participation; household debt; credit constraints; HILDA

The impact of the Clandestine Marriages Act: three case-studies in conformity

This article examines the extent of compliance with the Clandestine Marriages Act 1753 through three parish studies. It demonstrates that the vast majority of the sample cohort of parents whose children were baptized in church, and indeed of couples living together, had married in church as required by the 1753 Act, and shows how the proportion of marriages traced rises as more information about the parties becomes available. Through a study of settlement examinations, the article posits an explanation of why some marriages have not been traced, and argues that researchers should be cautious in inferring non-compliance from the absence of a record in a specific parish. It is also argued that the reason for such high rates of compliance has less to do with the power of statute and more to do with the fact that the 1753 Act was not such a radical break with the past as has been assumed

Outcomes of Implementation of an Evidence-Based Enteral Feeding Protocol in Neonates Weighing Less Than 1800g at Birth

Background: Several studies have demonstrated that the implementation of standardized enteral feeding guidelines can lead to positive outcomes in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), including improved nutrition, decreased need for parenteral nutrition (PN), central lines and decreased costs. Furthermore, implementation of standard feeding regimens have significantly reduced the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a devastating gastrointestinal emergency in neonates. It has been reported that NEC has an iatrogenic component related to variations in feeding practices. While the exact mechanism of the reduced risk of NEC and implementation of feeding protocols is unclear, standard feeding regimens likely improve consistency in feeding practice contributing to the decreased NEC rate

The gender impact of pension reform : a cross-country analysis

Pension systems may have a different impact on gender because women are less likely than men to work in formal labor markets and earn lower wages when they do. Recent multipillar pension reforms tighten the link between payroll contributions and benefits, leading critics to argue that they will hurt women. In contrast, supporters of these reforms argue that it will help women by the removal of distortions that favored men and the better targeted redistributions in the new systems. To test these conflicting claims and to analyze more generally the gender effect of alternative pension systems, the authors examine the differential impact of the new and old systems in three Latin American countries-Argentina, Chile, and Mexico. Based on household survey data, they simulate the wage and employment histories of representative men and women, the pensions they are likely to generate under the new and old rules, and the relative gains or losses of men and women because of the reform. The authors find that women do accumulate private annuities that are only 30-40 percent those of men in the new systems. But this effect is mitigated by sharp targeting of the new public pillars toward low earners, many of whom are women, and by restrictions on payouts from the private pillars, particularly joint annuity requirements. As a result of these transfers, total lifetime retirement benefits for women reach 60-80 percent those of men, and for"full career"women they equal or exceed benefits of men. Also as a result, women are the biggest gainers from the pension reform. For women who receive these transfers, female/male ratios of lifetime benefits in the new systems exceed those in the old systems in all three countries. Private intra-household transfers from husband to wife in the form of joint annuities play the largest role.Pensions&Retirement Systems,Public Health Promotion,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Population&Development,Gender and Development,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Pensions&Retirement Systems,Population&Development,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Anthropology

Impact of milk production level on beef cow-calf productivity in Tennessee

The beef cattle industry tends to focus on selecting production traits with the purpose of maximizing cow-calf performance. One such trait is milking ability, which is considered the primary influence on weaning weight of the calf. But, it can also have a negative effect on cow reproductive efficiency and cost of production. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of actual milk yield on reproductive performance, circulating blood metabolites, and calf performance in beef cows in Tennessee. Data were collected from 239, 3- to 9-yr-old Angus sired beef cows from 3 research centers across Tennessee. On approximately d 58 and 129 postpartum, 24-hr milk production was measured with a modified weigh-suckle-weigh technique using a milking machine. Subsamples of milk were collected for analysis of milk components. Milk yield data were used to classify cows on actual milk yield as High (≥ 10 kg/d), Moderate (8-9 kg/d), or Low (/d). Cow BW and BCS were collected weekly at each location through breeding. Calf BW was recorded at birth, mid-weight for an adjusted 58-d, and weaning BW for an adjusted 205-d. At d 58 and 129 of postpartum, milk yields were different (P \u3c 0.001) among the treatment groups. Milk fat, protein, and solids-non-fat (g/d) were influenced (P \u3c 0.001) by milk yield. However, milk lactose was not influenced (P = 0.82) by milk yield. Cow BW at the beginning of the study and at the end of breeding were different (P \u3c 0.05) among milk production groups. Cow BCS were different after parturition, and pre- breeding (P ≤ 0.05). AI pregnancy rates and overall pregnancy rates were not different (P ≥ 0.21) across the individual milk groups. Calf BW at 58-d and 205-d of age (P \u3c 0.001) was influenced by milk production level of their dams. Results indicate that increased milk production in beef cows has the potential to increase calf weights at weaning. However, selection for milk production in this management environment could be discounted to decrease to nutrient demands of lactation and maintain productivity

Synthesis of graphene platelets

Graphene, a single-layer of graphite, is frequently termed a ‘wonder material’ due to the wide range of extraordinary properties it possesses and the potential it has for uses in a broad variety of different applications. Key to the realisation of graphene’s use in applications is the ability to produce large scale quantities of graphene with consistent quality, which remains a challenge to the field. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the synthesis of graphene via a number of different methodologies in order to develop novel techniques that are suitable to scale and that provide graphene materials that are useful in different applications. To this aim, four studies were carried out; two involving the ‘top-down’ synthesis of graphene from graphite and two involving the ‘bottom-up’ synthesis of graphene from molecular precursors. In the first study a series of intermediate materials between graphene oxide (GO) and reduced GO (rGO) were successfully produced using a well-controlled reduction reaction, and the trend in their properties was explored, while in the second study rGO was successfully produced using a novel method that is simple, scalable and environmentally friendly. In both these studies a novel method of handling GO was used that eliminated the requirement for the final, time consuming purification step of GO synthesis. In the third study bulk graphene platelets were successfully produced using a novel chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method, and in the final study the templated growth of graphene via CVD over metal microcrystals was investigated. The work builds on some relatively new concepts for graphene synthesis; including tailoring the graphene product to the particular application and size/shape control for bulk scale graphene platelets, and also presents an interesting case study on carbon growth on copper which may provide new insights into carbon synthesis in these systems

Beauty and Modern Art: The Importance of Classically Educating Students about Beauty through Modern Art

It has often been asked throughout the history of mankind what classifies beauty within an artwork. When observing some of the outstanding works of Leonardo DaVinci or Sandro Botticelli, a few of the great masters of the Renaissance, there is no problem teaching students about what makes those artists’ work beautiful. What about the artistic work from the past two hundred years to the current art being produced today? I have found through my own personal journey as an artist that there is a severe lack of promotion for creative gifts being used for God within the Christian communities (and even more so an appreciation for the role of the modern artist). As a Christian, I was always taught that Jesus loved me and had a purpose for me but I was not necessarily taught that my artistic talents could be a part of that purpose. I later on knew and believed that He gave me talents and gifts to be used for Him. It is important that other students in like-minded situations with artistic talents and gifts learn this as well. It is my intention through this paper to propose my design solution on how to properly educate students on the concept of beauty as defined by the Bible through the Modern and Contemporary art movements. I will prove if there is any way someone (more specifically, a student) of a Christian faith can relate the artwork of these art movements to the Biblical definition of beauty. I discuss the research, writing, and design process that was taken to create an elementary academic/interactive book that analyzes art from the Modern and Contemporary art movements seeking to classically educate the student or reader from a Christian perspective

An exploration of sarcasm detection in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Amanda K. Ludlow, Eleanor Chadwick, Alice Morey, Rebecca Edwards, and Roberto Gutierrez, ‘An exploration of sarcasm detection in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder’, Journal of Communication Disorders, Vol. 70: 25-34, November 2017. Under embargo. Embargo end date: 31 October 2019. The Version of Record is available at doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2017.10.003.The present research explored the ability of children with ADHD to distinguish between sarcasm and sincerity. Twenty-two children with a clinical diagnosis of ADHD were compared with 22 age and verbal IQ matched typically developing children using the Social Inference–Minimal Test from The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT, McDonald, Flanagan, & Rollins, 2002). This test assesses an individual’s ability to interpret naturalistic social interactions containing sincerity, simple sarcasm and paradoxical sarcasm. Children with ADHD demonstrated specific deficits in comprehending paradoxical sarcasm and they performed significantly less accurately than the typically developing children. While there were no significant differences between the children with ADHD and the typically developing children in their ability to comprehend sarcasm based on the speaker’s intentions and beliefs, the children with ADHD were found to be significantly less accurate when basing their decision on the feelings of the speaker, but also on what the speaker had said. Results are discussed in light of difficulties in their understanding of complex cues of social interactions, and non-literal language being symptomatic of children with a clinical diagnosis of ADHD. The importance of pragmatic language skills in their ability to detect social and emotional information is highlighted.Peer reviewe

Does Age Influence Knowledge and Attitudes about Intrauterine Devices?

Primary objectives: Are there differences in attitudes and beliefs about IUDs based on age? We hypothesized that older women may be more familiar with the negative outcomes of earlier models of the IUD and therefore may hold more negative attitudes toward IUDs.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/cwicposters/1016/thumbnail.jp