Living Standards During Transition to a Market Economy: The Kyrgyz Republic in 1993 and 1996

Household survey data from the Kyrgyz Republic are used to analyse changes in the determinants of household expenditure during the transition from central planning. Quantile regression is applied to a human capital model with consumption related to the household head's education and controlled for demographic and locational variables. Education, region, ethnicity and family size are all significant determinants of expenditure, but the model's explanatory power is stronger in 1996 than at the start of the transition in 1993. The costs of dependents became larger; an extra child was a greater economic burden than an extra pensioner especially in poorer households. The education results are more difficult to interpret; the estimated returns declined between 1993 and 1996, but better educated heads appear to have moved their households up the income distribution.living standards, transition, post-Soviet economies, Kyrgyz Republic, economic development, poverty, income distribution

Are E-Cigarettes an Optimal Choice for Harm Reduction for Tobacco Smokers?

This presentation was given at the Sigma Theta Tau International Congress

Patients with Cancer and Family Caregivers: Management of symptoms caused by Cancer or Cancer Therapy at Home

People are diagnosed with cancer sooner nowadays thanks to increased awareness and improvements in cancer screenings. Patients are able to live longer due to cancer treatment regimens; however, they suffer the consequences of living with cancer and therapy-related symptoms. Symptom management is challenging for both patients and family caregivers. Therefore, family members must be integrated in the patient’s care plan. For this review, a literature search was conducted to determine what types of interventions were available that involved family members of cancer patients with the management of cancer and therapy-related symptoms. The following interventions were found that were designed for the family caregivers or both the patient and caregiver to aide with symptom management: pain intervention program, massage therapy, telephone intervention, self-efficacy improvement, coping enhancement and a multidimensional intervention. A positive effect was noted in all the studies, but several had no significance in the patient intervention group but did in the caregiver intervention group. However, studies indicated decreased symptom intensity for various symptoms, decreased symptom distress for both the patient and caregiver, increased self-efficacy of the family member, and increased satisfaction with certain interventions. Further research should be conducted on both existing interventions to better determine their effect and on family symptom management of cancer patients as they need support from healthcare professionals as well

Immersion Research Education: Students as Catalysts for International Collaboration Research

Background:  This paper describes an international nursing and health research immersion program. Minority students from the USA work with an international faculty mentor in teams conducting collaborative research. The Minority Health International Research Training (MHIRT) program students become catalysts in the conduct of cross-cultural research. Aim:  To narrow the healthcare gap for disadvantaged families in the USA and partner countries. Methods:  Faculty from the USA, Germany, Italy, Colombia, England, Austria and Thailand formed an international research and education team to explore and compare family health issues, disparities in chronic illness care, social inequities and healthcare solutions. USA students in the MHIRT program complete two introductory courses followed by a 3-month research practicum in a partner country guided by faculty mentors abroad. The overall program development, student study abroad preparation, research project activities, cultural learning, and student and faculty team outcomes are explored. Results:  Cross-fertilization of research, cultural awareness and ideas about improving family health occur through education, international exchange and research immersion. Faculty research and international team collaboration provide opportunities for learning about research, health disparities, cultural influences and healthcare systems. The students are catalysts in the research effort, the dissemination of research findings and other educational endeavours. Five steps of the collaborative activities lead to programmatic success. Conclusions:  MHIRT scholars bring creativity, enthusiasm, and gain a genuine desire to conduct health research about families with chronic illness. Their cultural learning stimulates career plans that include international research and attention to vulnerable populations

Gender Differences in Rating the Teaching of EconomicsGender Differences in Rating the Teaching of Economics

This paper examines the effect of instructor and student gender on students' ratings of teaching. We analyze data on ratings of instructors of introductory economics classes from a sample of students at 53 different colleges and universities in the United States. We find, controlling for other characteristics of the instructor and students, no difference in the ratings of male and female instructors of introductory macroeconomics but, on all instructor dimensions, women receive higher ratings than men in introductory microeconomics. In addition, women students have mete difficulty with, and less interest in economics than men.Economics; Female; Gender; Introductory Economics; Teaching of Economics; Women

Reality or Illusion: The Importance of Creaming on Job Placement Rates in Job Training Partnership Act Programs

Critics of the Job Partnership Training Act of 1982 (JTPA) argue that most of its job placement success has been the result of the creaming of participants--that is, of serving individuals who are most employable at the expense of those most in need. Using a bivariate probit model of JTPA trainee selection and job placement success, this paper analyzes the selection of JTPA past recipients. It provides a first approximation of the importance of nonrandom selection on job placement rates. Creaming is found to take place within service delivery areas (SDAs), especially with respect to the avoidance of eligible high school dropouts, but private industry councils do not simply maximize their job placement rates. The authors estimate that, in the absence of creaming, placement rates in Tennessee would fall by 18 percent. But the major change would come in increased enrollment in urban areas, not in the socio-economic characteristic of enrollees within SDAs

In Vitro-In Vivo Translation of Lipid Nanoparticles for Hepatocellular siRNA Delivery

A significant challenge in the development of clinically viable siRNA delivery systems is a lack of in vitro–in vivo translatability: many delivery vehicles that are initially promising in cell culture do not retain efficacy in animals. Despite its importance, little information exists on the predictive nature of in vitro methodologies, most likely due to the cost and time associated with generating in vitro–in vivo data sets. Recently, high-throughput techniques have been developed that have allowed the examination of hundreds of lipid nanoparticle formulations for transfection efficiency in multiple experimental systems. The large resulting data set has allowed the development of correlations between in vitro and characterization data and in vivo efficacy for hepatocellular delivery vehicles. Consistency of formulation technique and the type of cell used for in vitro experiments was found to significantly affect correlations, with primary hepatocytes and HeLa cells yielding the most predictive data. Interestingly, in vitro data acquired using HeLa cells were more predictive of in vivo performance than mouse hepatoma Hepa1-6 cells. Of the characterization parameters, only siRNA entrapment efficiency was partially predictive of in vivo silencing potential, while zeta-potential and, surprisingly, nanoparticle size (when <300 nm) as measured by dynamic light scattering were not. These data provide guiding principles in the development of clinically viable siRNA delivery materials and have the potential to reduce experimental costs while improving the translation of materials into animals.Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (Firm)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Fellowship Award F32EB009623