Valuing Domestic Work

This report is based on a three-year collaboration with Domestic Workers United (DWU) and the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA). BCRW was proud to host the first National Domestic Workers Alliance congress at Barnard College in 2008 and subsequently the first East Coast Regional Congress in 2009. Together BCRW, DWU, and NDWA developed this publication in order to further knowledge about the processes by which domestic work has been devalued historically and how we can all work together to make domestic work safe, fair, and protected

The Role of Vitamin D Deficiency in Early Childhood Caries

Purpose: This is a pilot study to determine if there is a relationship between vitamin D deficiency and the development of early childhood caries (ECC). Methods: Serum 25(OH) vitamin D, parathyroid hormone and calcium were measured from children with ECC, who presented for dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia. Samples were obtained from caries free controls examined during a well-child medical check. Parents from both sample sizes filled out a questionnaire consisting of 22 questions regarding the child and parent’s medical and dental history as well as socioeconomic background. Results: ECC patients were found to have deficient serum levels of 25(OH) vitamin D and calcium compared to caries free controls. Conclusions: This study observed a difference in 25(OH) vitamin D levels between the two groups. Due to limited sample size and confounding variables contributing to ECC, a definitive relationship between vitamin D deficiency and ECC cannot be made at this time

Valuing Ecosystem Services from Private Forests

Non-market valuation, ecosystem services, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Temporal and spatial evolution of a waxing then waning catastrophic density current revealed by chemical mapping

We reconstruct the behavior of a catastrophic sustained radial pyroclastic density current as it waxed then waned during its brief lifespan. By subdividing the deposit into 8 time slices using a chemical tracer, we show that the sustained current initially was topographically restricted, but that its leading edge advanced in all directions, encroaching upon and gradually ascending hills. During peak flow the current reached its maximum extent and overtopped all topographic highs. After this, and while the current direction from source was maintained, the leading edge gradually retreated sourceward. High-resolution analysis of the depositional architecture reveals how the flow dynamics evolved and runout distance of the sustained density current rapidly increased then decreased, reflecting the dominant influence of changing mass flux, as demonstrated in numerical models but not previously distinguished in a natural deposit

Reaching across the Atlantic to Support Resilient Self-Defence for Georgia

The Eastern Partnership and closer integration with European Union (EU) Member States has had an undeniable impact on democratization and economic progress for Georgia. Brussels has demonstrated its commitment to support Georgia's security and territorial integrity through the EU's third-party mediation role during the 2008 Russia-Georgia war and its ongoing unarmed civilian border monitoring mission. However, the EU contends with disparities between and contestations from its Member States regarding collective defence and security decisions. Therefore, support from other actors is also critical for establishing resilient defence capacity in Georgia. Georgia’s participation with NATO and bilateral agreement with the United States offer valuable means through which Georgia can meet its security and defence objectives. This article discusses these partnerships in order to show that they provide a unique contribution that is necessary for establishing resilience in Georgia's security and defence capacity alongside the democratic, political, and economic objectives of the EU-Georgia partnership

A Rigorous Evaluation of Family Finding in North Carolina

Child Trends evaluated Family Finding services in nine North Carolina counties through a rigorous impact evaluation and an accompanying process study. The impact evaluation involved random assignment of eligible children to a treatment or control group. The treatment group received Family Finding services in addition to traditional child welfare services, whereas the control group received traditional child welfare services only. Eligible children were in foster care; were 10 or older at the time of referral; did not have a goal of reunification; and lacked an identified permanent placement. The accompanying process study examined program outputs, outcomes, and linkages between the project components and other contextual factors

Workload Leverage and the Effect on Audit Quality

Practitioners and regulators suggests audit quality is negatively associated with auditor workloads (PCAOB 2015). We examine the association between office-level workload leverage and an office’s audit quality from 2004-2015 for all accelerated filers. The increase in workloads during busy season can instigate cognitive fatigue (Cohen 1980) if not appropriately mitigated by adequately preparing audit professional’s expectations (Glass and Singer 1972). Our findings indicate that increased busy-season workloads are associated with lower audit quality for accelerated clients of Non-Big 4 audit firms, whereas Big 4 auditors with higher workload leverage provide lower audit quality for non-accelerated filers. These results provide support for cognitive fatigue for all audit firm sizes; however, different sized audit firms experience cognitive fatigue at different points during busy season. Our findings contribute to the literature examining workload leverage and auditor burnout by providing empirical evidence of office workload influencing the audit process differently for different office sizes