Asperger\u27s Syndrome/Autism Spectrum Disorder and Marital Satisfaction: A Quantitative Study

Few empirical studies exist that examine adult Asperger-affected relationships. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the marital satisfaction of individuals in relationships in which at least one partner has Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), differs in some significant way from the marital satisfaction of individuals in relationships in which neither partner has AS/ASD. Participants were 126 adults in relationships in which at least one partner had a diagnosis of AS or ASD, recruited from Asperger- and autism-related websites, social media, and organizations from English-speaking countries. Couples consisted of heterosexual and same-sex couples, couples with and without children, and couples in which either the male and/or the female partner had an AS/ASD diagnosis. Members of each couple responded independently. Using an online version of the Marital Satisfaction Inventory, Revised (MSI R), the mean scores of individuals in AS/ASD-affected relationships were compared with the normative data of the MSI R for males and females on each of 10 dimensions of marital satisfaction, resulting in 20 comparisons. The dimensions of martial satisfaction included global distress, affective communication, problem solving communication, time together, aggression, sexual dissatisfaction, disagreement about finances, family history of distress, dissatisfaction with children, and conflict over child rearing. Comparisons were made using independent samples t-tests. Because of the highly significant results, step-down procedures were not needed to correct for possible inflation of Type 1 errors. Of the 20 comparisons, 15 demonstrated significantly more dissatisfaction among individuals in AS/ASD-affected relationships than those from the normative data sample, at p \u3c .001. In all cases, individuals in AS/ASD-affected partnerships were more dissatisfied than their normative sample counterparts. Separate analyses revealed that NT individuals were less satisfied than their AS/ASD partners. Women reported higher levels of sexual dissatisfaction than men. Findings of lower marital satisfaction for AS/ASD-affected relationships replicate those of a similar, prior study, but differ from two other studies that found no difference in marital satisfaction related to partner AS/ASD status. Future research, clinical implications, and alternatives to traditional couples counseling are discussed

Exchange Rates and U.S. Foreign Direct Investment in the Global Processed Food Industry

This paper focuses on estimating the effects of the real FDI-weighted exchange rate on real U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI) in the global processed food industry. We use a straightforward production possibility framework as our theoretical basis to demonstrate the shift of production between countries on the basis of exchange rate fluctuations. The log-log regression model, derived from the theoretical model, gives statistically robust results to show that for the years 1983 to 2002, the exchange rate fluctuations, the level of fixed capital in the U.S. food industry, and the cost of materials in both the United States and abroad were major determinants of the stock of U.S. FDI in the global processed food industry. As the dollar appreciated, U.S. FDI increased. An overall conclusion is that countries with an undervalued exchange rate will experience increased FDI. Countries with overvalued exchange rates incur costs from lost export opportunities for domestic firms as well as discourage FDI.U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI), global processed food industry, FDI-weighted exchange rates, International Relations/Trade,

Transitioning from Transaction-Based Markets to Alliance-Based Supply Chains: Implications for Firms

Industrial Organization,

Investigation of Optimal Heating and Cooling Systems in Residential Buildings

This article compares four heating and cooling systems. The systems are: a high efficiency furnace and electric air conditioner; a ground source heat pump; an absorption air conditioner and direct heating; and a thermally driven heat pump; the last two systems use solar thermal energy and backup non-renewable energy. A comprehensive program was developed that predicted the entire life cycle cost, energy usage, exergetic efficiency, and exergy destruction, of all four systems operating in the same home figuratively placed in the cities of Louisville, KY; Houston, TX; Minneapolis, MN; Sacramento, CA; and Phoenix, AZ. The results showed that the vertical ground source heat pump always paid back in the shortest time, between 4-15 years in all five cities compared to the furnace and air conditioner system. The economic pay back period was the shortest between 4- 7 years in the cities of Louisville. Minneapolis, and Phoenix, which have larger heating and/or cooling requirements. The thermally driven heat pump, which largely used renewable energy, had equal or greater exergetic efficiency than the ground source heat pump in each city, while the furnace and air conditioner always had the lowest exergetic efficiency

NORTH AMERICAN INTEGRATION IN AGRICULTURE: A SURVEY PAPER

This paper surveys the economic literature about North American integration in the agri-food sector. The purpose of this survey is two-fold: it summarizes the lessons learned, and it identifies areas where further research could provide valuable input into policy discussions. As the integration of North American agriculture progresses, the range of agri-food policies with strictly domestic effects becomes increasingly narrow. Thus, policymakers in North America need to consider the effects that their decisions will have on other NAFTA countries, as well as the impact that decisions by other NAFTA governments will have at home. The paper is organized as follows. Section 2 identifies the major factors contributing to integration and comments on their relative importance. Section 3 summarizes research into the indicators of integration. These studies focus on price co-movements and trade flow data. Section 4 outlines the state of current knowledge regarding foreign direct investment in the agri-food sector, while Section 5 assesses the impact of integration on the structure and performance of the sector. Section 6 discusses opportunities for further integration in the sector, and Section 7 concludes the paper. Throughout the paper, gaps in the knowledge base are highlighted, along with suggested areas for further research.Industrial Organization,

Psychological Recovery from Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: The Use of Complementary Therapies

This study explored the use of complementary therapies that patients pursued after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and its relation to psychological recovery, particularly postoperative distress. Information about post-CABG surgery depression and general distress, health-care practice thereafter, perceived social support, and chronic conditions other than cardiac disease was gathered from a sample of 151 patients through two questionnaires. Additional cardiac, surgical, and demographic data were obtained from medical records. Structural equation modeling (LISREL 8) was used to test the hypothesis that patients' health-care practices improved psychological adjustment after CABG. Of the sample, 85% practiced complementary approaches, especially prayer, exercise, and lifestyle-diet modification. The number of other chronic illnesses strongly predicted post-CABG depression and general distress. CABG patients who pursued complementary approaches, particularly exercise and prayer, had better psychological recovery.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/63178/1/acm.1997.3.343.pd

Cost-Effectiveness of Referring Patients to Centers of Excellence for Mitral Valve Surgery

BACKGROUND The 2014 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Valvular Heart Disease Guidelines state that mitral valve diseases should be repaired at a Center of Excellence (CoE). We evaluate the cost-effectiveness of such referrals. METHODS We estimate patients’ life expectancy based on projected survival of patients after mitral valve surgery and develop a cost model to calculate short- and long-term benefits and costs to both patients and payers. Benefits include increased life expectancy and avoidance of medical complications for patients. Short-term costs include all upfront payments by patients and payers at the time of discharge. Long-term costs include all payments associated with the condition that prompted the surgical procedure incurred during the remainder of a patient’s life. We assess cost-effectiveness of treating patients with various ages and major comorbidities at CoEs vs non-CoEs. RESULTS Full implementation of the guidelines would result in an increase in the percentage of patients obtaining mitral valve repair instead of valve replacement from 58% to 72%. Depending on the patient’s age and comorbidities, it would also result in a 6.64% to 12.47% reduction in mortality, 7.85% to 9.97% reduction in reoperation, 9.97% to 17.16% reduction in stroke, and an average gain of 3.77 to 9.88 months of life expectancy. Finally, greater reliance on CoEs results in financial savings to payers, due to avoidance of the costs of future complications. CONCLUSION Patients benefit from mitral valve surgery at a CoE regardless of their age or comorbidities. Payers may incur additional short-term costs when patients are referred to a CoE, but these are fully offset by long-term savings at the current repair rate gap of 24% between CoEs and non-CoEs in New York State. Redesigning co-pay structures and/or refining the set of patients who are referred to CoEs could further align the incentives of patients and payers on a case-by-case basis and achieve an even more desirable social outcome.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111881/1/1281_Wang.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111881/4/1281_Wang_May2015.pdfDescription of 1281_Wang_May2015.pdf : May 2015 revisio

ATP precursor depletion and postischemic myocardial recovery

Although cardioplegia reduces myocardial metabolism during ischemia, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) depletion occurs, which may contribute to poor functional recovery after reperfusion. Augmenting myocardial adenosine during ischemia is successful in improving ATP repletion and myocardial recovery following ischemia. If adenosine is an important determinant of ischemic tolerance, then depletion or elimination of myocardial adenosine should lead to poor functional and metabolic recovery after ischemia. To test this hypothesis, isolated, perfused rabbit hearts were subjected to 120 min of 34[deg]C ischemia. Hearts received St. Thomas cardioplegia alone or cardioplegia containing 200 [mu]M adenosine, or cardioplegia containing 15, 5, 2.5, or 0.025 [mu]g/ml adenosine deaminase (ADA), which catalyzes the breakdown of adenosine to inosine, making adenosine unavailable as an ATP precursor. Functional recovery was determined and myocardial nucleotide levels were measured before, during, and after ischemia. Following ischemia and reperfusion, control hearts recovered to 51 +/- 3% of preischemic developed pressure (DP). There was significantly better recovery in adenosine-augmented hearts (68 +/- 7%), while ADA hearts had significantly worse recovery. Hearts treated with 0.025 [mu]g/ml ADA recovered to only 29 +/- 5% of DP and higher dose ADA hearts failed to demonstrate any recovery of systolic function. Furthermore, adenosine enhanced metabolic recovery, whereas ADA resulted in greatly depleted ATP and precursor reserves. Postischemic developed pressure closely paralleled the availability of myocardial adenosine, consistent with the hypothesis that myocardial adenosine levels at end ischemia and early reperfusion are important determinants of functional recovery after global ischemia.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29313/1/0000378.pd

Small Big Data: Using multiple data-sets to explore unfolding social and economic change

Bold approaches to data collection and large-scale quantitative advances have long been a preoccupation for social science researchers. In this commentary we further debate over the use of large-scale survey data and official statistics with ‘Big Data’ methodologists, and emphasise the ability of these resources to incorporate the essential social and cultural heredity that is intrinsic to the human sciences. In doing so, we introduce a series of new data-sets that integrate approximately 30 years of survey data on victimisation, fear of crime and disorder and social attitudes with indicators of socio-economic conditions and policy outcomes in Britain. The data-sets that we outline below do not conform to typical conceptions of ‘Big Data’. But, we would contend, they are ‘big’ in terms of the volume, variety and complexity of data which has been collated (and to which additional data can be linked) and ‘big’ also in that they allow us to explore key questions pertaining to how social and economic policy change at the national level alters the attitudes and experiences of citizens. Importantly, they are also ‘small’ in the sense that the task of rendering the data usable, linking it and decoding it, required both manual processing and tacit knowledge of the context of the data and intentions of its creators