Optimal Monetary Policy Response to Distortionary Tax Changes

We analyze the trade-offs faced by a monetary policy authority when a value added tax rate is increased. In the short run, such an increase acts as a cost push shock from the perspective of a central bank that is concerned with stabilizing the welfare relevant output gap. We develop a New Keynesian monetary model with real wage rigidity and consider the effects that obtain under a simple interest rate rule, on the one hand, and those that obtain under an optimal monetary policy from a timeless perspective (in the terminology of Woodford, 2003). The implications for the dynamic response of the economy differ in the presence of real wage rigidity. While under a rule inflation is higher for about eight quarters, the optimal policy involves an adjustment that is about half as long, and is followed by a slight deflation. The reason is that this policy can be shown to include a commitment to target a certain price-level, which helps contain inflation expectations. We treat the tax shock as permanent, so that the central bank does not fully revert the price level to its orginal level.Nominal and real rigidities, distortionary taxation, optimal monetary policy

Influence of an electric field on grain growth and sintering in strontium titanate

Within the last five years considerable efforts were done in investigating electric field assisted sintering (flash sintering). However the experiments are hard to control: shrinkage occurs within seconds and the local temperature is undefined due to joule heating. Therefore the present study removes these two parameters by investigating grain growth under electric field in the no-current-case for strontium titanate. The impact of an electric field on grain growth in strontium titanate is investigated between 1350°C and 1550°C for fields of up to 50V/mm. To prevent joule heating by a current flowing through the material insulating Al2O3 plates separate the electrodes from the samples. The seeded polycrystal technique is used, which allows evaluating the grain boundary mobility without an influence of the grain boundary energy. The growth direction of the single crystalline seeds is perpendicular to the electric field; hence electrostatic forces do not influence the growth. Below 1425°C the influence of the electric field is weak. However above 1425°C the field results in an increase of the grain boundary mobility at the negative electrode. The range of this increase is in the order of ~1mm. It is shown that abnormal grain growth can be triggered by the electric field. Based on the experimental findings a model is established based on a shift of charged defects. The enhancement of the grain boundary mobility on the negative electrode is explained by an accumulation of oxygen vacancies. This accumulation induces a reduction of the material. A reduction of strontium titanate by atmosphere also results in an increase of the grain boundary mobility, which accords well with the observed behavior under electric field

The Adequacy of Prenatal Care in Rural Kansas Related to Distance Traveled

Introduction. Prenatal care is essential for optimizing the health of a woman and her baby. Multiple factors have created barriers in the access to prenatal care in rural Kansas. Over 120 rural hospitals in the United States have closed since 2010, 5 in Kansas. Seventy-seven of the 105 Kansas counties do not have maternity care services. This study investigated differences in prenatal care received by women in rural Kansas counties related to distance traveled. Differences in timing of initiation of care, number of visits, and services received were compared between two cohorts: those who drove < 19 miles and those who drove ≥ 20 miles for prenatal care. Methods.A survey was distributed to women who had delivered a child in the last three years in rural Kansas at participating clinics. Measures of adequacy of prenatal care were determined with questions regarding timing of first prenatal visit, number of prenatal visits, and services received at visits. An index was created using these variables and compared between the two cohorts using two-tailed t-tests for continuous data and chi square analysis for categorical data. Results.Women who traveled ≥ 20 miles for prenatal care received statistically significant less services, and had less prenatal care visits in the second trimester and overall in their pregnancy compared to women who traveled < 19 miles for prenatal care. Rurality did not impact adequacy of prenatal care. Conclusions.Women traveling ≥ 20 miles to receive prenatal care had significantly fewer prenatal visits during their second trimester and overall in pregnancy and self-reported less prenatal care services. These results indicated the importance of lessening barriers to prenatal care in rural Kansas, such as transportation and financial barriers.

Extreme accumulation of nucleotides in simulated hydrothermal pore systems

We simulate molecular transport in elongated hydrothermal pore systems influenced by a thermal gradient. We find extreme accumulation of molecules in a wide variety of plugged pores. The mechanism is able to provide highly concentrated single nucleotides, suitable for operations of an RNA world at the origin of life. It is driven solely by the thermal gradient across a pore. On the one hand, the fluid is shuttled by thermal convection along the pore, whereas on the other hand, the molecules drift across the pore, driven by thermodiffusion. As a result, millimeter-sized pores accumulate even single nucleotides more than 108-fold into micrometer-sized regions. The enhanced concentration of molecules is found in the bulk water near the closed bottom end of the pore. Because the accumulation depends exponentially on the pore length and temperature difference, it is considerably robust with respect to changes in the cleft geometry and the molecular dimensions. Whereas thin pores can concentrate only long polynucleotides, thicker pores accumulate short and long polynucleotides equally well and allow various molecular compositions. This setting also provides a temperature oscillation, shown previously to exponentially replicate DNA in the protein-assisted PCR. Our results indicate that, for life to evolve, complicated active membrane transport is not required for the initial steps. We find that interlinked mineral pores in a thermal gradient provide a compelling high-concentration starting point for the molecular evolution of life

Implementation of error-processing in the human anterior cingulate cortex : a source analysis of the magnetic equivalent of the error-related negativity

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Documenting and Assessing Learning in Informal and Media-Rich Environments

An extensive review of the literature on learning assessment in informal settings, expert discussion of key issues, and a new model for good assessment practice. Today educational activities take place not only in school but also in after-school programs, community centers, museums, and online communities and forums. The success and expansion of these out-of-school initiatives depends on our ability to document and assess what works and what doesn't in informal learning, but learning outcomes in these settings are often unpredictable. Goals are open-ended; participation is voluntary; and relationships, means, and ends are complex. This report charts the state of the art for learning assessment in informal settings, offering an extensive review of the literature, expert discussion on key topics, a suggested model for comprehensive assessment, and recommendations for good assessment practices. Drawing on analysis of the literature and expert opinion, the proposed model, the Outcomes-by-Levels Model for Documentation and Assessment, identifies at least ten types of valued outcomes, to be assessed in terms of learning at the project, group, and individual levels. The cases described in the literature under review, which range from promoting girls' identification with STEM practices to providing online resources for learning programming and networking, illustrate the usefulness of the assessment model

Brief Note: Characterization of Hydrophobic Stream Bacteria Based on Adhesion to n-Octane

Author Institution: Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State UniversityThe purpose of this study was to characterize stream bacterial communities based on cell surface hydrophobicity. Because hydrophobicity is related to adhesion we hypothesized that more hydrophobic bacteria would be found on solid surfaces than in water. Water, rock, and sediment from two northeastern Ohio streams were sampled and bacteria were plated on modified nutrient agar. Hydrophobicity was determined by measuring adherence to n-octane. No difference was found in the proportion of hydrophobic bacteria among habitats. Two hydrophobic isolates were identified as Sphingomonas paucimobilis and Chryseomonas luteola. A large proportion of hydrophobic bacteria were gram positive and urease positive; none were gelatinase positive. More hydrophobic than hydrophilic bacteria were able to grow using manatose or malatose as the only carbon source. These physiological differences indicate that hydrophobic bacteria may be able to utilize resources not available to hydrophilic bacteria

Integrating the 18 Community Psychology Practice Competencies into Doctoral Education

The establishment of the 18 Community Psychology Practice Competencies created the opportunity for faculty and students at Wichita State University to review the well-established curriculum that had served our doctoral program in community psychology. Further, the development and discussion around the 18 competencies within the field energized us and created curiosity about what our program could be. In a participatory manner involving students, faculty, and alumni, a town hall meeting and a survey were conducted within Wichita State University’s Community Psychology Doctoral Program to assess the current coverage of the 18 competencies and the desired level of coverage of the competencies in the future. With this data, a retreat involving all faculty and students of this program was held, focusing on the strengths of the program and a vision for graduates of the future. This retreat resulted in student and faculty engaged work groups around curriculum and qualifying exams, which were intentional in including the 18 Competencies as guiding principles. The student and faculty Curriculum Work Group conducted a curriculum mapping process that identified which competencies were focused on by particular courses, including which of the 18 competencies were taught in existing courses and what new courses might be offered to address the remaining competencies. The Curriculum Work Group made recommendations that included greater or less emphases on competencies in particular courses, along with adding two classes: Seminar in Social Policy & Advocacy and Seminar in Community Leadership. The Qualifying Exam Work Group focused on student-selected competencies that aligned with career aspirations, substantially changing and, we believe, enhancing our qualifying exams. The 18 Community Psychology Practice Competencies have provided benchmarks for the Community Psychology Doctoral Program at Wichita State University, which has improved our academic quality while allowing greater flexibility for students in the pursuit of their community psychology research and practice careers