Rapid discharges in a model Veterans Hospital

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

An Ontario Libraries' Network, or Cooperative Entanglement

While I accepted the invitation to discuss the College Bibliocentre at this Clinic, I cannot say that I did so with equanimity. Quite apart from many organizational difficulties, the systems both in operation and in varying stages of development at the College Bibliocentre, have evolved from practical emersion without the benefit of the finite planning or initial test and research proce- dures from grant aids that many others have experienced. This is why I adopted the latter part of my title for this paper. I was asked particularly to discuss the techniques we are using to acquire the necessary input to the various systems. However, if I was asked to underline what I considered to be the major problems facing the development of a central technical service unit, the technicalities of how to input would be the least concern. The major problems are those beyond the technological requirements how to achieve the degree of coordination required and, in particular, how to overcome the financial hazards which face such an organiza- tion.published or submitted for publicatio

What Has Happened to Wages in Mexico since NAFTA?

In this paper, I examine the impacts of trade and investment liberalization on the wage structure of Mexico. Part one of the paper surveys recent literature on the labor-market consequences of Mexico's economic reforms in the 1980?s. Mexico's policy reforms appear to have raised the demand for skill in the country, reduced rents in industries that prior to reform paid their workers high wages, and raised the premium paid to workers in states along the U.S. border. These changes have resulted in an increase in wage dispersion in the country. Part two of the paper examines changes in Mexico's wage structure during the 1990's. In the last decade, Mexico has experienced rising returns to skill, which mirror closely wage movements in the United States. There is, however, little evidence of wage convergence between the two countries. Regional wage differentials in Mexico have widened and appear to be explained largely by variation in regional access to foreign trade and investment and in regional opportunities for migration to the United States. I discuss implications of Mexico's experience for the rest of Latin America in the event a Free Trade Agreement of the Americas is enacted.

Illegal Migration from Mexico to the United States

In this paper, I selectively review recent literature on illegal migration from Mexico to the United States. I begin by discussing methods for estimating stocks and flows of illegal migrants. While there is uncertainty about the size of the unauthorized population, new data sources make it possible to examine the composition of legal and illegal populations and the time-series covariates of illegal labor flows. I then consider the supply of and demand for illegal migrants. Wage differentials between the United States and Mexico are hardly a new phenomenon, yet illegal migration from Mexico did not reach high levels until recently. An increase in the relative size of Mexico%u2019s working-age population, greater volatility in U.S.-Mexico relative wages, and changes in U.S. immigration policies are all candidate explanations for increasing labor flows from Mexico. Finally, I consider policies that regulate the cross-border flow of illegal migrants. While U.S. laws mandate that authorities prevent illegal entry and punish firms that hire unauthorized immigrants, these laws are imperfectly enforced. Lax enforcement may reflect political pressure by employers and other interests that favor open borders.

An Optimal Taxation Approach to Fiscal Federalism

In a Federal system of government, each unit of government decides independently how much of each type of public good to provide, and what types of taxes, and which tax rates, to use in funding the public goods. In this paper we explore what types of problems can arise from this decentralized form of decision-making. In particular, we describe systematically the types of externalities that one unit of government can create for nonresidents, through both its public goods decisions and its taxation decisions. The paper also explores briefly what the central government might do to lessen the costs of decentralized decision-making.

Thermal storage technologies for solar industrial process heat applications

The state-of-the-art of thermal storage subsystems for the intermediate and high temperature (100 C to 600 C) solar industrial process heat generation is presented. Primary emphasis is focused on buffering and diurnal storage as well as total energy transport. In addition, advanced thermal storage concepts which appear promising for future solar industrial process heat applications are discussed