Costs, payments and incentives in family planning programs

A variety of monetary policies regarding contraception exists around the world. These range from high user charges in some countries, to free contraceptives in many, to incentives and disincentives in others. This paper examines these policies, focuses on charges and payments as they existed in early 1988, looks at the consistency of monetary policies within countries, and considers the ethical issues raised by each kind of incentive.Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Adolescent Health,Reproductive Health,Economic Theory&Research,Pharmaceuticals&Pharmacoeconomics

Intra- and Intermolecular C−H Activation by Bis(phenolate)pyridineiridium(III) Complexes

A bis(phenolate)pyridine pincer ligand (henceforth abbreviated as ONO) has been employed to support a variety of iridium complexes in oxidation states I, III, and IV. Complexes (ONO)IrL_2Me (L = PPh_3, PEt_3) react with I_2 to cleave the Ir–C bond and liberate MeI, apparently via a mechanism beginning with electron transfer to generate an intermediate Ir(IV) complex, which can be isolated and characterized for the case L = PEt_3. The PPh_3 complex is transformed in benzene at 65 °C to the corresponding phenyl complex, with loss of methane, and subsequently to a species resulting from metalation of a PPh_3 ligand. Labeling and kinetics studies indicate that PPh_3 is the initial site of C–H activation, even though the first observed product is that resulting from intermolecular benzene activation. C–H activation of acetonitrile has also been observed

Kelly Betting Can Be Too Conservative

Kelly betting is a prescription for optimal resource allocation among a set of gambles which are typically repeated in an independent and identically distributed manner. In this setting, there is a large body of literature which includes arguments that the theory often leads to bets which are "too aggressive" with respect to various risk metrics. To remedy this problem, many papers include prescriptions for scaling down the bet size. Such schemes are referred to as Fractional Kelly Betting. In this paper, we take the opposite tack. That is, we show that in many cases, the theoretical Kelly-based results may lead to bets which are "too conservative" rather than too aggressive. To make this argument, we consider a random vector X with its assumed probability distribution and draw m samples to obtain an empirically-derived counterpart Xhat. Subsequently, we derive and compare the resulting Kelly bets for both X and Xhat with consideration of sample size m as part of the analysis. This leads to identification of many cases which have the following salient feature: The resulting bet size using the true theoretical distribution for X is much smaller than that for Xhat. If instead the bet is based on empirical data, "golden" opportunities are identified which are essentially rejected when the purely theoretical model is used. To formalize these ideas, we provide a result which we call the Restricted Betting Theorem. An extreme case of the theorem is obtained when X has unbounded support. In this situation, using X, the Kelly theory can lead to no betting at all.Comment: Accepted in 2016 IEEE 55th Conference on Decision and Control (CDC

The Reliability, Validity, and Utility of Self-Assessment

Despite widespread use of self-assessment, teachers have doubts about the value and accuracy of the technique. This article reviews research evidence on student self-assessment, finding that (1) self-assessment produces consistent results across items, tasks, and short time periods; (2) self-assessment provides information about student achievement that corresponds only in part to the information generated by teacher assessments; (3) self-assessment contributes to higher student achievement and improved behavior. The central finding of this review is that (4) the strengths of self-assessment can be enhanced through training students how to assess their work and each of the weaknesses of the approach (including inflation of grades) can be reduced through teacher action. Accessed 50,962 times on https://pareonline.net from November 17, 2006 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right

Clathrate formation and dissociation in vapor/water/ice/hydrate systems in SBA-15, sol-gel and CPG porous media, as probed by NMR relaxation, novel protocol NMR cryoporometry, neutron scattering and ab initio quantum-mechanical molecular dynamics simulation

The Gibbs-Thomson effect modifies the pressure and temperature at which clathrates occur, hence altering the depth at which they occur in the seabed. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements as a function of temperature are being conducted for water/ice/ hydrate systems in a range of pore geometries, including templated SBA-15 silicas, controlled pore glasses and sol-gel silicas. Rotator-phase plastic ice is shown to be present in confined geometry, and bulk tetrahydrofuran hydrate is also shown to probably have a rotator phase. A novel NMR cryoporometry protocol, which probes both melting and freezing events while avoiding the usual problem of supercooling for the freezing event, has been developed. This enables a detailed probing of the system for a given pore size and geometry and the exploration of differences between hydrate formation and dissociation processes inside pores. These process differences have an important effect on the environment, as they impact on the ability of a marine hydrate system to re-form once warmed above a critical temperature. Ab initio quantum-mechanical molecular dynamics calculations are also being employed to probe the dynamics of liquids in pores at nanometric dimensions

Optimal Splitters for Database Partitioning with Size Bounds

Partitioning is an important step in several database algorithms, including sorting, aggregation, and joins. Partitioning is also fundamental for dividing work into equal-sized (or balanced) parallel subtasks. In this paper, we aim to find, materialize and maintain a set of partitioning elements (splitters) for a data set. Unlike traditional partitioning elements, our splitters define both inequality and equality partitions, which allows us to bound the size of the inequality partitions. We provide an algorithm for determining an optimal set of splitters from a sorted data set and show that it has time complexity O(k lg_2 N), where k is the number of splitters requested and N is the size of the data set. We show how the algorithm can be extended to pairs of tables, so that joins can be partitioned into work units that have balanced cost. We demonstrate experimentally (a) that finding the optimal set of splitters can be done efficiently, and (b) that using the precomputed splitters can improve the time to sort a data set by up to 76%, with particular benefits in the presence of a few heavy hitters

Getting to know you: Accuracy and error in judgments of character

Character judgments play an important role in our everyday lives. However, decades of empirical research on trait attribution suggest that the cognitive processes that generate these judgments are prone to a number of biases and cognitive distortions. This gives rise to a skeptical worry about the epistemic foundations of everyday characterological beliefs that has deeply disturbing and alienating consequences. In this paper, I argue that this skeptical worry is misplaced: under the appropriate informational conditions, our everyday character-trait judgments are in fact quite trustworthy. I then propose a mindreading-based model of the socio-cognitive processes underlying trait attribution that explains both why these judgments are initially unreliable, and how they eventually become more accurate

Non-isotropy in the CMB power spectrum in single field inflation

Contaldi et al. [1] have suggested that an initial period of kinetic energy domination in single field inflation may explain the lack of CMB power at large angular scales. We note that in this situation it is natural that there also be a spatial gradient in the initial value of the inflaton field, and that this can provide a spatial asymmetry in the observed CMB power spectrum, manifest at low multipoles. We investigate the nature of this asymmetry and comment on its relation to possible anomalies at low multipoles.Comment: 25 pages, 12 figures. In this revised version, we include the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect, which was missing from the original. This modifies some results in the low multipoles. The comparison with experiment is slightly better but the change is not statistically significan

The Role of External Diagnosis in School Improvement in an Ontario School District

External diagnosis is recommended when schools lack the capacity to assess their needs. This qualitative study of one Ontario district compared 33 elementary schools that conducted external diagnosis with 47 schools that used internal diagnosis. External diagnosis created pressure for change, helped schools develop a plan that included previously neglected needs, promoted consistency within and between schools, contributed to the improvement culture of the school, and encouraged shared instructional leadership. It also depressed teacher efficacy and commitment to school improvement. Positive effects of external diagnosis were facilitated and negative effects mitigated by principals who adopted shared instructional leadership strategies.L'on recommande une analyse externe quand les écoles n'ont pas la capacité d'évaluer leurs besoins. Cette étude qualitative d'un district en Ontario porte sur une comparaison entre 33 écoles élémentaires qui ont entrepris un diagnostic externe et 47 écoles qui ont eu recours à un diagnostic interne. Les diagnostics externes ont créé une pression pour le changement, aidé les écoles à développer un projet qui incluait des besoins auparavant négligés, favorisé la cohérence à l'intérieur des écoles et entre elles, contribué à la culture d'amélioration de l'école et encouragé le partage du leadership de l'enseignement. Ils ont également diminué l'efficacité des enseignants et leur engagement face à l'amélioration de l'école. Les effets positifs des diagnostics externes ont été facilités et les effets négatifs mitigés par les directeurs qui ont adopté des stratégies de partage du leadership de l'enseignement.&nbsp

Alignment of Scores on Large-Scale Assessments and Report-Card Grades

We examined how much agreement there was between scores from large-scale mandated assessments and report-card grades for 14,776 students in grades 3, 6, and 9 of a district in which conditions were conducive to alignment of assessments. We found significant mean differences between internal and external assessments: effect sizes were .29 to .63 in grades 3-6 and .10 to.30 in grade 9. Spearman correlations were in the .32-.59 range. Chance-adjusted agreement was low. Report-card grades were consistently higher than external assessments for grades 3 and 6 students and consistently lower for grade 9 students.Les auteurs ont étudié la concordance entre les notes obtenues sur des évaluations prescrites à grande échelle et celles sur les bulletins pour 14 776 élèves en 3e, 6e et 9e année dans un district présentant des conditions favorables à une comparaison des évaluations. Les auteurs ont trouvé des différences moyennes significatives entre les évaluations internes et les évaluations externes : les valeurs de l’effet étaient de 0,29 à 0,63 en 3e et 6e année et de 0,10 à 0,30 en 9e année. Les corrélations de Spearman se situaient entre 0,32 et 0,59. Le taux de concordance dûe au hasard était bas. Les notes des bulletins étaient plus élevées de façon uniforme que les notes des évaluations externes pour les élèves en 3e et en 6e, alors que pour les élèves en 9e, ces notes étaient plus basses de façon constante