The Determinants of Shirking: Analysis and Evidence on Job Loser Unemployment

The unemployment rate captures the search behavior of job losers, as well as new entrants or reentrants to the labor force. The behavior of these unemployed groups can display significant differences. This paper extends the Shapiro-Stiglitz model to include an analysis of equilibrium job loss from shirking and empirically tests for the relationship between labor market conditions and job loss. This process identifies empirical differences between job losers and other unemployed members of the labor force. The equilibrium level of job loser unemployment is shown to fluctuate given the degree to which firms monitor shirking over the business cycle. While this extension does not change the core results of the efficiency wage model, it does provide some additional insights. For example, in equilibrium, everyone shirks some. Consequently, on-the-job leisure is a form of employee benefit that is regulated by the extent to which the firm monitors, reprimands, and fires shirkers. Across the business cycle the firm's shadow price of turnover changes, and hence the equilibrium level of job losers.Unemployment rate, unemployment

Vulnerability of the agricultural sector to climate change: The development of a pantropical Climate Risk Vulnerability Assessment to inform sub-national decision making

As climate change continues to exert increasing pressure upon the livelihoods and agricultural sector of many developing and developed nations, a need exists to understand and prioritise at the sub national scale which areas and communities are most vulnerable. The purpose of this study is to develop a robust, rigorous and replicable methodology that is flexible to data limitations and spatially prioritizes the vulnerability of agriculture and rural livelihoods to climate change. We have applied the methodology in Vietnam, Uganda and Nicaragua, three contrasting developing countries that are particularly threatened by climate change. We conceptualize vulnerability to climate change following the widely adopted combination of sensitivity, exposure and adaptive capacity. We used Ecocrop and Maxent ecological models under a high emission climate scenario to assess the sensitivity of the main food security and cash crops to climate change. Using a participatory approach, we identified exposure to natural hazards and the main indicators of adaptive capacity, which were modelled and analysed using geographic information systems. We finally combined the components of vulnerability using equal-weighting to produce a crop specific vulnerability index and a final accumulative score. We have mapped the hotspots of climate change vulnerability and identified the underlying driving indicators. For example, in Vietnam we found the Mekong delta to be one of the vulnerable regions due to a decline in the climatic suitability of rice and maize, combined with high exposure to flooding, sea level rise and drought. However, the region is marked by a relatively high adaptive capacity due to developed infrastructure and comparatively high levels of education. The approach and information derived from the study informs public climate change policies and actions, as vulnerability assessments are the bases of any National Adaptation Plans (NAP), National Determined Contributions (NDC) and for accessing climate finance

Provincial Memories

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Composite powder particles

A liquid coating composition including a coating vehicle and composite powder particles disposed within the coating vehicle. Each composite powder particle may include a magnesium component, a zinc component, and an indium component

Anti-Corrosive Powder Particles

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) seeks partners for a new approach in protecting embedded steel surfaces from corrosion. Corrosion of reinforced steel in concrete structures is a significant problem for NASA structures at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) because of the close proximity of the structures to salt spray from the nearby Atlantic Ocean. In an effort to minimize the damage to such structures, coatings were developed that could be applied as liquids to the external surfaces of a substrate in which the metal structures were embedded. The Metallic Pigment Powder Particle technology was developed by NASA at KSC. This technology combines the metallic materials into a uniform particle. The resultant powder can be sprayed simultaneously with a liquid binder onto the surface of concrete structures with a uniform distribution of the metallic pigment for optimum cathodic protection of the underlying steel in the concrete. Metallic Pigment Powder Particle technology improves upon the performance of an earlier NASA technology Liquid Galvanic Coating (U.S. Patent No. 6,627,065)

For I Know the Plans I Have for You: God Locus of Control, Spiritual Change, and Death Anxiety in Primary Brain Tumor Patients

Background/Purpose. Primary brain tumor (PBT) patients risk experiencing death anxiety given the high mortality rate of their diagnosis. In line with Terror Management Theory (TMT), many diagnosed with cancer utilize religion as a method of coping with the disease. However, previous literature on the relation between death anxiety and religion in cancer patients indicates mixed findings of either a negative relationship or no association. To the authors’ knowledge, no study has analyzed these two constructs together in PBT patients. The current study sought to address this gap by investigating the relationship between religiosity and death anxiety in an understudied population. Methods. Adult PBT patients (N = 56, Mage = 49.38, 51.8% female, 71.4% Caucasian, Mmonths since diagnosis = 55.34) completed measures of religiosity and death anxiety at their routine medical appointment at an academic medical center, including: The God Locus of Health Control Scale (GLHCS), Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Death and Dying Distress Scale (DADDS), and the Death Distress Scale (DDS). Descriptives and Pearson correlations were utilized. Results. The results revealed that while the GLHCS was not significantly related to either measure of death anxiety, the Spiritual Change subscale of the PTGI was positively correlated to both the DADDS (r = .56, p \u3c .001) and the DDS (r = .41, p = .01). Conclusions and Implications. Results suggest that certain proxies of religiosity may be more closely associated with death anxiety than others. Although there was no evidence in our sample that PBT patient’s God locus of control was related to death anxiety, those who reported higher levels of death anxiety endorsed greater spiritual change (i.e., I have a stronger religious faith). Considering TMT, perhaps feelings of death anxiety prompt one to strengthen their religious beliefs. Future longitudinal analyses addressing the direction and course of these relationships are warranted. Acknowledgement of Funding: The current study was funded on behalf of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Learning Objective. Participants will learn about the relationship between religiosity and death anxiety in oncology patients. Further, participants will consider how these findings may or may not differ for PBT patients and across various measures of religiosity.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1049/thumbnail.jp

Endoscopic Treatment of a Gastric Dieulafoy’s Lesion

Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is associated with significant mortality and a prompt search and treatment of the etiology is important. Upper GI endoscopy is the gold standard for diagnosis and treatment after initial resuscitation of the patient. In a majority of cases, the cause will be easily identified during endoscopy. Dieulafoy’s lesion, a caliber persistent artery in the submucosa, is a rare but important cause of intermittent painless massive GI bleeding. Due to its intermittent nature, it can easily be missed and often requires multiple endoscopic evaluations. We present a case of one such patient with subsequent endoscopic findings and successful treatment along with a review of the literature.Keywords: Endoscopy; Hematemesis; Dieulafoy’s lesion; Stomac

Addressing social disconnection among frequent users of community hospital emergency departments: A statewide implementation evaluation

We conducted a qualitative exploration and implementation evaluation of a Massachusetts policy initiative, the Community Hospital Acceleration, Revitalization, and Transformation (CHART) investment program, to examine how CHART innovations aimed at reducing unnecessary emergency department (ED) visits also addressed patients’ social disconnection problems according to a social connection framework (structural, functional, quality or multilevel). We performed interviews with 236 stakeholders (hospital managers, CHART providers, staff, and community partners) one-year post CHART implementation. Interviews were analyzed using a directed content analysis approach. Data were then mapped to levels of the social connection framework. Our results support that social disconnection, described as “loneliness” and “social isolation” by stakeholders, met the definition of a structural social connection problem according to our framework. These structural problems led patients to the ED for reasons not always related to their physical health. CHART innovations involving home visit programs, elder services interventions, work flow changes in the ED, and regular telephone follow-ups provided functional level emotional and tangible support to meet these structural problems. We did not find substantive support for mapping interview data to the quality and multi-level dimensions of the framework. Innovations to address high ED use, according to stakeholders, provided functional level emotional and tangible support to address structural level problems of social disconnection. Future work should examine the sustainability of innovations in a value-based healthcare climate, and the effectiveness of these programs on reducing ED utilization. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Policy & Measurement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework. (http://bit.ly/ExperienceFramework) Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens

A spatially explicit assessment of climate change vulnerability in the agricultural sector of the Union of the Comoros

Situated between Mozambique and Madagascar, the Union of the Comoros is one of the world’s poorest countries. Heavy dependence on agriculture, complicated by high population density and a lack of governance has led to mismanagement of natural resources and land degradation. Additionally, the country faces several environmental risks, including drought, soil erosion, and flooding. With two cropping seasons and a favorable microclimate for agriculture, there is real potential to increase production of banana (Musa acuminata), cassava (Manihot esculenta) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). To improve food security and create income opportunities for the rural poor, these value chains are the focus of projects funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). This study analyses potential impacts of projected climate change on the selected value chains and utilizes modelling approaches and GIS tools to make preliminary recommendations on how to manage the climate risks and increase the resilience of small-scale farmers

Une évaluation spatialement explicite de la vulnérabilité du secteur agricole au changement climatique dans l'Union des Comores

Localisé entre le Mozambique et Madagascar, l’Union des Comores est un des pays les plus pauvres du monde. Sa très forte dépendance au secteur agricole couplée avec une densité de population élevée et d’un manque de gouvernance a conduit le pays vers une mauvaise gestion des ressources naturelles et d’une dégradation importante des terres. De plus, le pays fait face à de nombreux risques environnementaux tels que la sécheresse, l’érosion du sol et les inondations. Caractérisé par deux saisons de culture et d’un microclimat favorable à l’agriculture, il existe un réel potentiel d’augmentation de la production agricole et notamment de la culture de la banane (Musa acuminata), du manioc (Manihot esculenta) et de la tomate (Lycopersicon esculentum). Dans le but d’améliorer la sécurité alimentaire et de générer des opportunités de revenus pour les populations rurales pauvres, l’analyse des chaines de valeurs de ces trois cultures est positionnée au coeur des projets du Fond International de Développement Agricole (IFAD). Cette étude vise à caractériser les potentiels impacts liés au changement climatique sur ces chaines de valeurs et utilise une approche de modélisation spatiale associée aux outils de SIG dans le but proposer des recommandations préliminaires sur comment gérer les risques climatiques et accroitre la résilience des petits agriculteurs