Self-Employment and the Role of Health Insurance

We investigate the effect of health insurance on labor market transitions in and out of self-employment as well as on the likelihood of being self-employed. We consider the role of individual health insurance coverage along with that from a spouse. Next, we examine a series of tax deductions granted to the self-employed through amendments made to the 1986 Tax Reform Act. Using data from the Current Population Survey for 1996-2007, we find significant but small effects of the after-tax health insurance premium on the entry rate, with no effect on exits from self-employment or the likelihood of being self-employed.health insurance, self-employment, CPS, ORG

Adverse events following influenza immunization reported by healthcare personnel using active surveillance based on text messages

Studies have demonstrated that healthcare personnel (HCP) have concerns about the potential side effects of trivalent inactivate influenza vaccine (IIV3).1-3 A recent metaanalysis of reasons HCP refuse IIV3 indicates the strongest predictors of vaccine acceptance are belief that the vaccine is safe and belief the vaccine does not cause the disease it is meant to prevent.

Is movement better? Comparing sedentary and motion-based game controls for older adults

Providing cognitive and physical stimulation for older adults is critical for their well-being. Video games offer the opportunity of engaging seniors, and research has shown a variety of positive effects of motion-based video games for older adults. However, little is known about the suitability of motion-based game controls for older adults and how their use is affected by age-related changes. In this paper, we present a study evaluating sedentary and motion-based game controls with a focus on differences between younger and older adults. Our results show that older adults can apply motion-based game controls efficiently, and that they enjoy motion-based interaction. We present design implications based on our study, and demonstrate how our findings can be applied both to motion-based game design and to general interaction design for older adults. Copyright held by authors

KINECTWheels: wheelchair-accessible motion-based game interaction

The increasing popularity of full-body motion-based video games creates new challenges for game accessibility research. Many games strongly focus on able-bodied persons and require players to move around freely. To address this problem, we introduce KINECTWheels, a toolkit that facilitates the integration of wheelchair-based game input. Our library can help game designers to integrate wheelchair input at the development stage, and it can be configured to trigger keystroke events to make off-the-shelf PC games wheelchair-accessible

The effects of graphical fidelity on player experience

Graphical assets in video games have become increasingly complex over the years, but little is known about their effect on player experience (PX). In this paper, we present results of a controlled study with 48 participants comparing how abstract and stylized graphics influence player experience in casual games. Our results show that high-fidelity graphics result in a more positive impression of the game. However, we also show that many effects are only present in the game with a more challenging mechanic. This shows that casual games can be compelling and enjoyable to play despite simplistic graphics, suggesting that small game developers and researchers need not focus on elaborate visuals to engage players. Copyright © 2013 ACM

Strategies for Expanding e-Journal Preservation

In 2012 the Keepers Registry compared the e-journal holdings from Columbia, Cornell, and Duke to seven preservation agencies and discovered that only 22-27% of titles were preserved. Influenced by the Keepers Registry study, Columbia and Cornell Universities (2CUL) secured funding for a project to specifically evaluate strategies for expanding e-journal preservation. The responsibility for and the initiative to preserve electronic journal content is neither clear nor easy, and knowing the preservation status of an e-journal is not currently a basic step within the NASIG Core Competencies for Electronic Resources Librarians life cycle of electronic resources management. This presentation will highlight the methods and strategies for expanding e-journal preservation developed as part of the Mellon Foundation supported project at 2CUL. A significant focus of the presentation will be on inspiring electronic resources librarians at a breadth of libraries and institutions to integrate these methods and strategies for preservation into the day-to-day workflow of electronic resource management. A wide range of e-journal categories are evaluated within the scope of the project including: content direct from publishers, small and society publishers, open access e-journals, full-text content in databases, and university generated e-journals. Attendees will learn techniques for identifying at risk e-journals, integrating preservation into license negotiation with publishers, tracking the preservation status of e-journals, and developing relationships with existing preservation agencies. The quality of future of scholarship and teaching hinges on the preservation of the scholarly record

Magical Science: Chemistry Magic Tricks Just for Fun! (workshop)

Chemistry magic tricks are simply chemistry demonstrations cleverly performed, and are highly valuable for engaging and motivating students in the study of chemistry. Our agenda has been to adapt common chemistry demonstrations into presentations with clever twists, essentially turning them into magic tricks. This workshop will show how a science demonstration can be turned into a science magic trick simply by adapting the presentation. Science magic tricks provide a unique forum not only for expanding scientific knowledge, but moreover scientific interest. Our hope is that students will be engaged and motivated in the future study of chemistry

Sounding the Nile in Nubian Musical Expression

Nubians are indigenous peoples of the Nile River Valley whose ancient civilization parallels that of ancient Egypt. In 1964, 50,000 Egyptian Nubians were removed from their homeland along the Nile because of President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s initiative, the Aswan High Dam Project. With fertile lands and sacred temples doomed to inundation by the waters of what is now Lake Nassar, Nubians were resettled in government built villages that promised both preservation of culture and modern conveniences. What these riverine people received, in fact, were poorly constructed, unfinished dwellings located in the desert, more than five miles from the Nile. A repertoire of music evoking memory and a longing to return to the Nile homeland emerged during the years surrounding removal. I use the representational figuring of the Nile in these “Songs of Return” as a point of departure to explore my central research question: How do Nubian musicians sound the Nile in song-writing and performance. During fieldwork in Egypt summer 2018, I challenged a central tenet of my thesis: that music asserts presence and prior habitation in a way few other expressive forms can. My subsequent research findings, shared in this presentation, reveal how the Nile and its environment factor into Nubian music, not as subject or object “sounding” through lyrics that speak about the river; rather, through a “sounding” of the river rooted in ways of knowing (epistemological) and ways of being (ontological) that are tied to sensory perception, embodiment, and place