Minimum wages and the China Syndrome: Causal evidence from US local labor markets

Exposure to Chinese import competition led to significant manufacturing job losses in the United States. Local labor markets, however, differ significantly in how they fared with respect to manufacturing employment. An important question is whether labor market institutions have an impact on the dynamic response of manufacturing employment to rising import penetration. We contribute to this debate by showing that minimum wages amplified the negative effect of Chinese import penetration on manufacturing employment in US local labor markets between 2000 and 2007. We develop a rigorous double-edged identification strategy. First, we construct shift-share instrumental variables to address the endogeneity of import penetration. Second, we use a border identification strategy to distinguish the effects of minimum wage policies from the effects of other local labor market characteristics that are unrelated to policy. Specifically, we rely on comparing commuting zones that are contiguous to each other but located in different states with different minimum wage policies. The approach essentially considers what happens to the response of manufacturing employment to import penetration when one crosses a policy border

Gravity in International Finance: Evidence From Fees on Equity Transactions

We shed light on the impact of institutional quality and information barriers on trade in financial services using a novel panel data set on revenue earned on domestic and crossborder equity securities underwriting transactions. Our data set covers 91,51

Is there a link between overactive bladder and the metabolic syndrome in women? : A systematic review of observational studies

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.To conduct a systematic review to determine whether there is an association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) or overactive bladder (OAB) in women. We systematically reviewed English language observational studies on the effect of MetS (or component factors) on the presence of OAB or LUTS in women. We searched PubMed, Web of Science and The Cochrane Library with no date restrictions, checked reference lists and undertook citation searches in PubMed and Google Scholar. Studies were assessed for risk of bias. Because of heterogeneity, results were not pooled, but are reported narrativelyPeer reviewe

Clinical outcomes of Single-Visit oral Prophylaxis: A practice-based randomised controlled trial

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Quantification of Seasonal Long Physical Load in Soccer Players With Different Starting Status From the English Premier League: Implications for Maintaining Squad Physical Fitness.

PURPOSE: To quantify the accumulative training and match load during an annual season in English Premier League soccer players classified as starters (n=8, started ≥60% of games), fringe players (n=7, started 30-60% of games) and non-starters (n=4, started 25.2 km/h (11.2 ± 4.2, v 2.9 ± 1.2 km; ES=2.3) than non-starters. Additionally, starters also completed more sprinting (P<0.01. ES=2.0) than fringe players who accumulated 4.5 ± 1.8 km. Such differences in total high-intensity physical work done were reflective of differences in actual game time between playing groups as opposed to differences in high-intensity loading patterns during training sessions. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike total seasonal volume of training (i.e. total distance and duration), seasonal high-intensity loading patterns are dependent on players' match starting status thereby having potential implications for training programme design

Effectiveness and reach of a directed-population approach to improving dental health and reducing inequalities: a cross sectional study

Background Childsmile School adopts a directed-population approach to target fluoride varnish applications to 20% of the primary one (P1) population in priority schools selected on the basis of the proportion of enrolled children considered to be at increased-risk of developing dental caries. The study sought to compare the effectiveness of four different methods for identifying individuals most in need when a directed-population approach is taken. &lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Methods The 2008 Basic National Dental Inspection Programme (BNDIP) cross-sectional P1 Scottish epidemiological survey dataset was used to model four methods and test three definitions of increased-risk. Effectiveness was determined by the positive predictive value (PPV) and explored in relation to 1-sensitivity and 1-specificity. &lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Results Complete data was available on 43470 children (87% of the survey). At the Scotland level, at least half (50%) of the children targeted were at increased-risk irrespective of the method used to target or the definition of increased-risk. There was no one method across all definitions of &lt;i&gt;increased-risk&lt;/i&gt; that maximised PPV. Instead, PPV was highest when the targeting method complimented the definition of &lt;i&gt;increased-risk&lt;/i&gt;. There was a higher percentage of children at &lt;i&gt;increased-risk&lt;/i&gt; who were not targeted (1-sensitivity) when caries experience (rather than deprivation) was used to define &lt;i&gt;increased-risk&lt;/i&gt;, irrespective of the method used for targeting. Over all three definitions of &lt;i&gt;increased-risk&lt;/i&gt;, there was no one method that minimised (1-sensitivity) although this was lowest when the method and definition of &lt;i&gt;increased-risk&lt;/i&gt; were complimentary. The false positive rate (1-specificity) for all methods and all definitions of &lt;i&gt;increased-risk&lt;/i&gt; was consistently low (&#60;20%), again being lowest when the method and definition of &lt;i&gt;increased-risk&lt;/i&gt; were complimentary. &lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Conclusion Developing a method to reach all (or even the vast majority) of individuals at &lt;i&gt;increased-risk&lt;/i&gt; defined by either caries experience or deprivation is difficult using a directed-population approach at a group level. There is a need for a wider debate between politicians and public health experts to decide how best to reach those most at need of intervention to improve health and reduce inequalities. &lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt

Control of breathing and respiratory gas exchange in high-altitude ducks native to the Andes

We examined the control of breathing and respiratory gas exchange in six species of high-altitude duck that independently colonized the high Andes. We compared ducks from high-altitude populations in Peru (Lake Titicaca at ∼3800 m above sea level; Chancay River at ∼3000–4100 m) with closely related populations or species from low altitude. Hypoxic ventilatory responses were measured shortly after capture at the native altitude. In general, ducks responded to acute hypoxia with robust increases in total ventilation and pulmonary O2 extraction. O2 consumption rates were maintained or increased slightly in acute hypoxia, despite ∼1–2°C reductions in body temperature in most species. Two high-altitude taxa – yellow-billed pintail and torrent duck – exhibited higher total ventilation than their low-altitude counterparts, and yellow-billed pintail exhibited greater increases in pulmonary O2 extraction in severe hypoxia. In contrast, three other high-altitude taxa – Andean ruddy duck, Andean cinnamon teal and speckled teal – had similar or slightly reduced total ventilation and pulmonary O2 extraction compared with low-altitude relatives. Arterial O2 saturation (SaO2) was elevated in yellow-billed pintails at moderate levels of hypoxia, but there were no differences in SaO2 in other high-altitude taxa compared with their close relatives. This finding suggests that improvements in SaO2 in hypoxia can require increases in both breathing and haemoglobin–O2 affinity, because the yellow-billed pintail was the only high-altitude duck with concurrent increases in both traits compared with its low-altitude relative. Overall, our results suggest that distinct physiological strategies for coping with hypoxia can exist across different high-altitude lineages, even among those inhabiting very similar high-altitude habitats

Can incontinence be cured? A systematic review of cure rates

Background Incontinence constitutes a major health problem affecting millions of people worldwide. The present study aims to assess cure rates from treating urinary (UI) or fecal incontinence (FI) and the number of people who may remain dependent on containment strategies. Methods Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), CINAHL, and PEDro were searched from January 2005 to June 2015. Supplementary searches included conference abstracts and trials registers (2013–2015). Included studies had patients ≥ 18 years with UI or FI, reported treatment cure or success rates, had ≥ 50 patients treated with any intervention recognized in international guideline algorithms, a follow-up ≥ 3 months, and were published from 2005 onwards. Title and abstract screening, full paper screening, data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment were performed independently by two reviewers. Disagreements were resolved through discussion or referral to a third reviewer where necessary. A narrative summary of included studies is presented. Results Most evidence was found for UI: Surgical interventions for stress UI showed a median cure rate of 82.3% (interquartile range (IQR), 72–89.5%); people with urgency UI were mostly treated using medications (median cure rate for antimuscarinics = 49%; IQR, 35.6–58%). Pelvic floor muscle training and bulking agents showed lower cure rates for UI. Sacral neuromodulation for FI had a median cure rate of 38.6% (IQR, 35.6–40.6%). Conclusions Many individuals were not cured and hence may continue to rely on containment. No studies were found assessing success of containment strategies. There was a lack of data in the disabled and in those with neurological diseases, in the elderly and those with cognitive impairment. Surgical interventions were effective for stress UI. Other interventions for UI and FI showed lower cure rates. Many individuals are likely to be reliant on containment strategies

Protocol for Northern Ireland Caries Prevention in Practice Trial (NIC-PIP) trial: a randomised controlled trial to measure the effects and costs of a dental caries prevention regime for young children attending primary care dental services

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dental caries is a persistent public health problem with little change in the prevalence in young children over the last 20 years. Once a child contracts the disease it has a significant impact on their quality of life. There is good evidence from Cochrane reviews including trials that fluoride varnish and regular use of fluoride toothpaste can prevent caries.</p> <p>The Northern Ireland Caries Prevention in Practice Trial (NIC-PIP) trial will compare the costs and effects of a caries preventive package (fluoride varnish, toothpaste, toothbrush and standardised dental health education) with dental health education alone in young children.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>A randomised controlled trial on children initially aged 2 and 3 years old who are regular attenders at the primary dental care services in Northern Ireland. Children will be recruited and randomised in dental practices. Children will be randomised to the prevention package of both fluoride varnish (twice per year for three years), fluoride toothpaste (1,450 ppm F) (supplied twice per year), a toothbrush (supplied twice a year) or not; both test and control groups receive standardised dental health education delivered by the dentist twice per year. Randomisation will be conducted by the Belfast Trust Clinical Research Support Centre ([CRSC] a Clinical Trials Unit).</p> <p>1200 participants will be recruited from approximately 40 dental practices. Children will be examined for caries by independent dental examiners at baseline and will be excluded if they have caries. The independent dental examiners will examine the children again at 3 years blinded to study group.</p> <p>The primary end-point is whether the child develops caries (cavitation into dentine) or not over the three years. One secondary outcome is the number of carious surfaces in the primary dentition in children who experience caries. Other secondary outcomes are episodes of pain, extraction of primary teeth, other adverse events and costs which will be obtained from parental questionnaires.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This is a pragmatic trial conducted in general dental practice. It tests a composite caries prevention intervention, which represents an evidence based approach advocated by current guidance from the English Department of Health which is feasible to deliver to all low risk (caries free) children in general dental practice. The trial will provide valuable information to policy makers and clinicians on the costs and effects of caries prevention delivered to young children in general dental practice.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>EudraCT No: 2009 - 010725 - 39</p> <p>ISRCTN: <a href="http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN36180119">ISRCTN36180119</a></p> <p>Ethics Reference No: 09/H1008/93:</p

Identification of DNA methylation changes at cis-regulatory elements during early steps of HSC differentiation using tagmentation-based whole genome bisulfite sequencing

Epigenetic alterations during cellular differentiation are a key molecular mechanism which both instructs and reinforces the process of lineage commitment. Within the haematopoietic system, progressive changes in the DNA methylome of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are essential for the effective production of mature blood cells. Inhibition or loss of function of the cellular DNA methylation machinery has been shown to lead to a severe perturbation in blood production and is also an important driver of malignant transformation. HSCs constitute a very rare cell population in the bone marrow, capable of life-long self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation. The low abundance of HSCs has been a major technological barrier to the global analysis of the CpG methylation status within both HSCs and their immediate progeny, the multipotent progenitors (MPPs). Within this Extra View article, we review the current understanding of how the DNA methylome regulates normal and malignant hematopoiesis. We also discuss the current methodologies that are available for interrogating the DNA methylation status of HSCs and MPPs and describe a new data set that was generated using tagmentation-based whole genome bisulfite sequencing (TWGBS) in order to comprehensively map methylated cytosines using the limited amount of genomic DNA that can be harvested from rare cell populations. Extended analysis of this data set clearly demonstrates the added value of genome-wide sequencing of methylated cytosines and identifies novel important cis-acting regulatory regions that are dynamically remodeled during the first steps of haematopoietic differentiation