Jobs, working hours, and remuneration packages for migrants and urban residents

In this chapter we look at the working conditions and remuneration of migrants versus incumbent urban residents in China in the 2008 wave of the RUMiCI project. We find that the average hourly compensation for an urban worker is more than double that of migrants. Inequality of non-wage compensation is higher than that of hourly wages, mainly because urban workers are much more likely to benefit from various insurance schemes than migrants. Nearly three-quarters of the hourly compensation differences can be explained by observable characteristics. Returns to education and experience are lower for the migrants. They also have less education and accumulate less experience, perchance due to the temporary nature of the migration. We find strong differences between cities. For example, total compensation in Wuxi, Hefei, Ningbo and Chengdu is roughly the same for migrants as for the equivalent urban city dweller with the same characteristics. This equal treatment is also reflected in non-wage remuneration components. Yet in Chongqing and several other cities, a migrant is paid less than half the equivalent urban city dweller. This suggests that some cities ‘compete’ for migrants whilst others do not, and it also suggests that there are many city dwellers who would be better off if they move to other cities.Australian Research Council, AusAID, IZA, Ford Foundatio

Robust Inference for Univariate Proportional Hazards Frailty Regression Models

We consider a class of semiparametric regression models which are one-parameter extensions of the Cox [J. Roy. Statist. Soc. Ser. B 34 (1972) 187-220] model for right-censored univariate failure times. These models assume that the hazard given the covariates and a random frailty unique to each individual has the proportional hazards form multiplied by the frailty. The frailty is assumed to have mean 1 within a known one-parameter family of distributions. Inference is based on a nonparametric likelihood. The behavior of the likelihood maximizer is studied under general conditions where the fitted model may be misspecified. The joint estimator of the regression and frailty parameters as well as the baseline hazard is shown to be uniformly consistent for the pseudo-value maximizing the asymptotic limit of the likelihood. Appropriately standardized, the estimator converges weakly to a Gaussian process. When the model is correctly specified, the procedure is semiparametric efficient, achieving the semiparametric information bound for all parameter components. It is also proved that the bootstrap gives valid inferences for all parameters, even under misspecification. We demonstrate analytically the importance of the robust inference in several examples. In a randomized clinical trial, a valid test of the treatment effect is possible when other prognostic factors and the frailty distribution are both misspecified. Under certain conditions on the covariates, the ratios of the regression parameters are still identifiable. The practical utility of the procedure is illustrated on a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma dataset.Comment: Published by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org) in the Annals of Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aos/) at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/00905360400000053

The Influence Of Packaging Attributes On Consumer’s Purchase Decision Of Packaged Food

Peranan bungkusan telah berubah dengan pertukaran format penjualan secara layan diri; bungkusan memainkan peranan penting dalam komunikasi pemasaran pada waktu penjualan. The role of packaging has changed with the move to self-service retail formats, packaging performs an important role in marketing communications at the point of sales

Parental Migration and Child Development in China

In recent years, China has witnessed a massive wave of rural-to-urban migration, which frequently results in family separations. This study uses panel data from a longitudinal study of rural children inwestern China to analyze the impact of migration by fathers on the development of children left behind in rural villages. Child development indicators include both measures of academic attainment, such as enrollment, years held back, and test scores in math and language; as well as measures of non-cognitive skills, specifically children’s internalizing and externalizing behavior which reflects their psychosocial development. To identify the effect of changes in parental migration on changes in child outcomes, we instrument changes in migration status with labor market shocks to village-specific migration destinations. Results suggest that fathers’ migration reduces enrolment by sons, has significant positive effects on the academic outcomes of daughters, but has negative effects on the psychosocial well-being of both boys and girls

Generating Optimal Control Simulations of Musculoskeletal Movement using OpenSim and MATLAB

Computer modeling, simulation and optimization are powerful tools that have seen increased use in biomechanics research. Dynamic optimizations can be categorized as either data-tracking or predictive problems. The data-tracking approach has been used extensively to address human movement problems of clinical relevance. The predictive approach also holds great promise, but has seen limited use in clinical applications. Enhanced software tools would facilitate the application of predictive musculoskeletal simulations to clinically-relevant research. The open-source software OpenSim provides tools for generating tracking simulations but not predictive simulations. However, OpenSim includes an extensive application programming interface that permits extending its capabilities with scripting languages such as MATLAB. In the work presented here, we combine the computational tools provided by MATLAB with the musculoskeletal modeling capabilities of OpenSim to create a framework for generating predictive simulations of musculoskeletal movement based on direct collocation optimal control techniques. In many cases, the direct collocation approach can be used to solve optimal control problems considerably faster than traditional shooting methods. Cyclical and discrete movement problems were solved using a simple 1 degree of freedom musculoskeletal model and a model of the human lower limb, respectively. The problems could be solved in reasonable amounts of time (several seconds to 1–2 hours) using the open-source IPOPT solver. The problems could also be solved using the fmincon solver that is included with MATLAB, but the computation times were excessively long for all but the smallest of problems. The performance advantage for IPOPT was derived primarily by exploiting sparsity in the constraints Jacobian. The framework presented here provides a powerful and flexible approach for generating optimal control simulations of musculoskeletal movement using OpenSim and MATLAB. This should allow researchers to more readily use predictive simulation as a tool to address clinical conditions that limit human mobility

Dynamic Acoustic Transparency Control System

A dynamic acoustic transparency control mechanism for audio devices such as headphones or earbuds is described. The acoustic transparency level for the device is adjusted based on ambient sound detected using an external microphone. In some configurations, an automatic gain control (AGC) block is utilized in the signal path to automatically boost ambient sound to a designed level. In some configurations, a sound pressure level (SPL) is determined based on sound received at the external microphone and a lookup table is utilized to determine a gain based on the received SPL. In some configurations, the applied gain is determined based on an audiogram associated with the user, obtained with user permission. The acoustic transparency system as described herein is implemented in a low-latency signal path and is well-integrated with feedback noise cancelling system to alleviate occlusion effects. The described techniques can enable users to maintain an awareness of their surroundings while wearing headphones or earbuds

Elimination of Subterranean Termite Colonies With Hexaflumuron in an Improved Bait Matrix, Preferred Textured Cellulose (PTC)

An improved, cellulosic bait matrix (Preferred Textured Cellulose, PTC) containing 0.5% hexaflumuron was tested against field colonies of the subterranean termites Coptotermes gestroi and Schedorhinotermes sp. in Malaysia. Of the eight colonies of C. gestroi detected, six were estimated for population size using dyed blank bait before treatment. Then, the colonies were treated with hexaflumuron-PTC baits. Bait consumption and days to colony elimination were estimated. All of the eight colonies were eliminated between 42-77 days (mean = 60 days) with estimated bait consumption of 22.93-167.00 g (mean = 60.17 g) which is equivalent to 114-835 mg of hexaflumuron. A Schedorhinotermes sp. colony appeared in one of the sites within two months after the elimination of C. gestroi. The Schedorhinotermes colony was baited with hexaflumuron-PTC bait and eliminated after 59 days with an estimated 48.85 g of bait consumed. While the effect of PTC bait on Coptotermes sp. showed no difference from that of Laminated Textured Cellulose (LTC) matrices, the PTC matrices showed increased palatability to other termite species such as Schedorhinotermes and Microtermes pakistanicus