Physician Financial Incentives and Cesarean Section Delivery

The 'induced demand' model states that in the face of negative income shocks physicians may exploit their agency relationship with patients by providing excessive care in order to maintain their incomes. We test this model by exploiting an exogenous change in the financial environment facing obstetrician/gynecologists during the 1970s: declining fertility in the U.S. We argue that the 13.5% fall in fertility over the 1970-1982 period increased the income pressure on ob/gyns, and led them to substitute from normal childbirth towards a more highly reimbursed alternative, cesarean delivery. Using a nationally representative micro-data set for this period, we show that there is a strong correlation between within state declines in fertility and within state increases in cesarean utilization. This correlation is robust to consideration of a variety of alternative hypotheses, and appears to be symmetric with respect to periods of fertility decline and fertility increase.

An Evaluation of the Effect Of Degradation on IrisPlex SNPs

The information from short tandem repeats (STRs), the current standard forensic DNA typing technology, does not always result in identification. In these cases, there are other informative markers in DNA that can be used to help generate investigative leads, one of which is single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). One of the uses of SNPs is for phenotype determination. Among the phenotypic characteristics that can be predicted is eye color. A commonly used tool for eye color prediction is the free, online statistical prediction model IrisPlex, which includes 6 SNPs known to control eye color. While SNPs can be useful, they, like all DNA, are susceptible to degradation. Research on the effect of degradation on SNPs has already been done, but much of it uses massively parallel sequencing (MPS), which is not currently feasible for most crime labs. A stronger consensus is needed regarding the value of SNPs with instrumentation and techniques available to crime labs, such as real-time PCR. Because SNPs are such small fragments, they will be highly resistant to the effects of degradation. Buccal swabs from 3 donors were degraded using two methods: UV exposure and burial in soil. Modern teeth and ancient remains found in the Gobi Desert were also analyzed to represent more natural degradation. DNA was extracted and quantified, and the degradation index was assessed. SNP profiles were generated using qPCR and input into IrisPlex to get an eye color prediction. The SNPs were found to be resistant to degradation and the degradation index was not an indicator of SNP assay success or IrisPlex prediction accuracy. The intermediate eye colors did not produce as many accurate predictions as the brown eyes, which reinforces the need to focus on improving prediction accuracy for intermediate eye colors. The TaqMan assays are an option to generate the SNP data; however, there are other methods that likely work better, such as sequencing via capillary electrophoresis

First human study in treatment of unresectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer with irinotecan-loaded beads (DEBIRI)

The objective of this pilot clinical study was to assess the safety, technical feasibility, pharmacokinetic (PK) profile and tumour response of DC Bead™ with irinotecan (DEBIRI™) delivered by intra-arterial embolisation for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. Eleven patients with unresectable liver metastases from CRC, tumour burden <30% of liver volume, adequate haematological, liver and renal function, performance status of <2 were included in this study. Patients received up to 4 sessions of TACE with DEBIRI at 3-week intervals. Feasibility of the procedure, safety and tumour response were assessed after each cycle. PK was measured after the first cycle. Patients were followed up to 24 weeks. Only mild to moderate adverse events were observed. DEBIRI is a technically feasibile procedure; no technical complications were observed. Average Cmax for irinotecan and SN-38 was 194 ng/ml and 16.7 ng/ml, respectively, with average t½ of 4.6 h and 12.4 h following administration of DEBIRI. Best overall response during the study showed disease control in 9 patients (2 patients with partial response and 7 with stable disease, overall response rate of 18%). Our study shows that transarterial chemoembolisation with irinotecan-loaded DC beads (DEBIRI) is safe, technically feasible and effective with a good PK profile

Erwerbsorientierung und Erwerbstätigkeit ost- und westdeutscher Frauen unter veränderten gesellschaftlichen Rahmenbedingungen (Employment orientation and economic activity of women in eastern and western Germany under changed basic social conditions)

"The number of western German women who wish to work has increased continuously since the mid-sixties irrespective of the economic development. In eastern Germany it remained at a high level in spite of continuously high unemployment. With the crisis on the labour market in the early nineties, however, it also became increasingly difficult for western German women to realise their wishes regarding employment, and in eastern Germany the competition on the labour market intensified at the expense of the women. The result was a stagnating labour force participation of women in western Germany compared with the 1980s, with an increasing shift from full-time to part-time work, high unemployment, and the decline in the employment of women in eastern Germany almost to the level in western Germany. These are the results of a survey carried out by the IAB in 1995 which included 4,059 women in western Germany and 2,683 in eastern Germany. In addition it could be seen that the higher labour force participation of better qualified women which was ascertained as early as the 1980s stabilised in all age groups in western Germany in the 1990s. As a result of the above-average sudden drops in employment among women without a vocational qualification and among those with skilled or semi-skilled worker qualifications, the employment opportunities of eastern German women were even more strongly determined by the level of vocational qualifications. The consequence of this was that eastern German women from lower income groups, whose financial necessity to work is the highest, succeed less and less in finding employment again.With the improved basic legal conditions since the beginning of 1991, the number of women on childcare leave increased clearly, especially in western Germany. The 'voluntary' retreat from working life in this phase of life was, however, frequently of a temporary nature: the vast majority of western German women and virtually all eastern German women wished to return to work following the period of childcare leave. Whereas to a large extent western German women succeeded in returning to work after childcare leave, more than a quarter of the eastern German women who gave up work between 1990 and 1992 in order to care for children were unemployed or seeking work at the time of the survey. Women in western Germany also more frequently had possibilities to maintain contact to their company via part-time or temporary work during their childcare leave than did women in eastern Germany." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))Frauen, Erwerbsbeteiligung, Arbeitsmarktchancen, Arbeitszeitwunsch, Erwerbsmotivation, Berufsverlauf, regionaler Vergleich, Erwerbsunterbrechung, Erziehungsurlaub, berufliche Reintegration, Arbeitslosigkeit, Ehefrauen, Erwerbsquote, berufliche Flexibilität, erwerbstätige Frauen, Altersstruktur, Qualifikationsstruktur, Stellung im Beruf, Westdeutschland, Ostdeutschland, Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Erstellung eines förderungsorientierten Diagnosemodells für arbeitslose Jugendliche mit besonderem Schwerpunkt auf deren Arbeitshaltungen

In dieser Studie wurde versucht, durch Bezugnahme auf das „Wiener Diagnosemodell zum Hochleistungspotenzial“ von Holocher-Ertl (2008a), ein Diagnosemodell zur förderungsorientierten Diagnostik für arbeitslose Jugendliche zu erstellen. Im Speziellen wurde jeweils ein Test aus dem Bereich „Persönlichkeit“ („Arbeitshaltungen“, AHA, Kubinger & Ebenhöh, 1996) und „Kognitive Fähigkeiten“ („Adaptiver Matrizentest“, AMT, Hornke, Etzel & Rettig, 1999) ausgewählt (Holocher-Ertl 2008a). Als Stichprobe wurden arbeitslose Jugendliche ausgewählt die Teilnehmer der Berufsorientierungs- und Coachingmaßnahmen“ des österreichischen Arbeitsmarktservice (AMS) waren. Ziel dieser Studie war es, herauszufinden, ob die ausgewählten Verfahren innerhalb der „Berufsorientierungs- und Coachingmaßnahmen“ des österreichischen Arbeitsmarktservice (AMS) differenzieren können. Durch diesen substantiellen Informationsgewinn könnten die Trainer bereits frühzeitig intervenieren und die Jugendlichen fördern. Insgesamt wurden 110 Jugendliche aus der Steiermark und aus Wien getestet, die an einer „Berufsorientierungs- und Coachingmaßnahme“ des AMS teilnahmen. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass nur die Variable „Frustrationstoleranz“ (Kubinger & Ebenhöh, 1996) innerhalb der Gruppe arbeitsloser Jugendlicher differenzieren kann. Diese Ergebnisse lassen vermuten, dass man dem AMS beziehungsweise den Trainern nicht eindeutig empfehlen kann diese diagnostischen Verfahren direkt zu Kursbeginn anzuwenden. Nur der Test „Arbeitshaltungen“ (Kubinger & Ebenhöh, 1996) mit seiner Variable Frustrationstoleranz scheint anwendbar um unmittelbar eine erste Einschätzung der Kursteilnehmer zu erhalten und um frühzeitig intervenieren und fördern zu können.In reference to the “Viennese diagnostic model of high achievement potential“ (Holocher-Ertl, 2008a) the following study tried to develop a diagnostic model for the advancement of unemployed adolescents. The test “Adaptiver Matrizentest“ (AMT, Hornke, Etzel & Rettig, 1999) was chosen to cover the field “Intellectual Abilities“ and the diagnostic test “Arbeitshaltungen“ (AHA, Kubinger & Ebenhöh, 1996) was chosen to cover the field “Personality Traits“ (Holocher-Ertl, 2008a). The goal of this study was to investigate whether the named diagnostic tests are able to differentiate within the “Job Orientation and Coaching Courses“ of the Public Employment Service Austria (AMS). If this is the case, then the coaches of the AMS would already gain substantial information at an early stage, which then could be used for effectively supporting the adolescents. 110 unemployed adolescents from Styria and from Vienna who participated at the “Job Orientation and Coaching Courses“ were tested. The results of the study suggest that only the variable “Frustration Tolerance” (Kubinger & Ebenhöh, 1996) can differentiate within the “Job Orientation and Coaching Courses“. Based on the results of this study it is suggested, that the AMS and its coaches can only use the diagnostic tests “Arbeitshaltungen“ with its variable “Frustration Tolerance” (Kubinger & Ebenhöh, 1996) directly at the beginning of the “Job Orientation and Coaching Courses“ for effectively supporting the adolescents

Nahrungsmittelkonsum und Ernährung in Österreich

Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, einen genaueren Blick auf die Ernährungslage und die Ess- und Kochkultur der Österreicher/innen von 1945 bis 1965 zu werfen. Es soll auch herausgefunden werden, ob und wie sich die jeweiligen äußeren Umstände in zeitgenössischen Kochbüchern widerspiegeln. Zu diesem Zweck wurde nicht nur die relevante Sekundärliteratur herangezogen, sondern auch eine Kochbuchanalyse auf der Grundlage der Analysekonzepte von Achim Landwehr und Hartmut Stöckl durchgeführt. Dies führte zum Ergebnis, dass sich die äußeren Gegebenheiten deutlich in den Kochbüchern feststellen lassen und deren Inhalt beeinflussen. Somit können Kochbücher einen interessanten Einblick in die Ess- und Kochkultur der Österreicher/innen liefern.The aim of this thesis is to have a closer look at the state of nutrition and the eating and cooking culture of the Austrians from 1945 to 1965. It should be also found out if and how the particular outer circumstances are reflected in contemporary cookery books. Therefore, not only the relevant secondary literature has been used, but also an analysis on the basis of the analysis concepts by Achim Landwehr and Hartmut Stöckl has been carried out. This led to the result that the outer circumstances can be clearly recognized in the cookery books and that they influence their contents. Thus, cookery books can offer an interesting insight into the eating and cooking culture of the Austrians

Qualitative Interviews with Irregular Migrants in Times of COVID-19: Recourse to Remote Interview Techniques as a Possible Methodological Adjustment

Forschungsdesigns erfordern Flexibilität. Wichtig ist aber, dass Anpassungen nicht immer ausschließlich mit Nachteilen verbunden sein müssen. In dieser Forschungsnotiz möchten wir unsere Überlegungen zu den Auswirkungen von COVID-19 auf die Durchführung von qualitativen Interviews mit irregulären Migrant*innen veranschaulichen. Die Ausführungen wurden in Anlehnung an eines unserer eigenen Projekte entwickelt, bei dem sich die Feldarbeit derzeit in der Planungsphase befindet. Aufgrund ihrer möglichen Relevanz für ähnliche Projekte möchten wir unsere methodischen Überlegungen teilen. Wir liefern Anmerkungen zur aktuellen Situation irregulärer Migrant*innen in verschiedenen (europäischen) Ländern sowie eine Einschätzung der methodischen Durchführbarkeit von qualitativen Face-to-Face-Interviews mit irregulären Migrant*innen und möglicher Alternativen zu dieser Methode (insbesondere verschiedener Formen von Ferninterviews). Abschließend kommen wir auf unsere Entscheidung zu sprechen, mit einem Mixed-Mode-Ansatz zu arbeiten, der es uns erlaubt, verschiedene Fernbefragungsmodi zu nutzen, und damit die nötige Flexibilität zur Anpassung an den Verlauf derartiger gesundheitlicher und gesellschaftlicher Krisen bietet.Research designs require flexibility, and adjustments made to the designs do not always have to lead exclusively to disadvantages. In this research note, we would like to share our reflections on the impact of COVID-19 on the conduct of qualitative interviews with irregular migrants. Since these considerations were developed in close connection with one of our own projects, in which fieldwork is currently in the planning phase, we believe they may be relevant to similar projects. We include a brief remark on the current situation of irregular migrants in different (European) countries, as well as an assessment of the methodological feasibility of qualitative face-to-face interviews with irregular migrants and possible alternatives to this method such as remote and online interview formats. We conclude with insights on our recommendation to rely on a mixed-mode approach, which allows us to use various remote interview modes, thus providing the necessary flexibility to adapt to profound health and social crises such as COVID-19