Job-worker Mismatch and Cognitive Decline

We use longitudinal test data on various aspects of persons’ cognitive abilities to analyze whether overeducated workers are more vulnerable to cognitive decline, and undereducated workers are less vulnerable. We find that the job-worker mismatch induces cognitive decline with respect to immediate and delayed recall abilities, cognitive flexibility and verbal fluency. Our findings indicate that, to some extent, it is the adjustment of the ability level of the overeducated and undereducated workers that adjusts initial mismatch. This adds to the relevance of preventing overeducation, and shows that being employed above one’s level of education contributes to workers’ cognitive resilience.education, training and the labour market;

The Casas-Alvero conjecture for infinitely many degrees

Over a field of characteristic zero, it is clear that a polynomial of the form (X-a)^d has a non-trivial common factor with each of its d-1 first derivatives. The converse has been conjectured by Casas-Alvero. Up to now there have only been some computational verifications for small degrees d. In this paper the conjecture is proved in the case where the degree of the polynomial is a power of a prime number, or twice such a power. Moreover, for each positive characteristic p, we give an example of a polynomial of degree d which is not a dth power but which has a common factor with each of its first d-1 derivatives. This shows that the assumption of characteristic zero is essential for the converse statement to hold.Comment: 7 pages; v2: corrected some typos and references, and added section on computational aspect

The socioeconomic roots of shame and perceptions of social inadequacy

Introduction. Cumulating reports on the adverse health effects of income inequality hypothesise on underlying processes related to health compromising, negative social comparisons in people with a low socioeconomic status (compared to those who are socioeconomically better-off). As this hypothesis of “internalized inferiority” has not yet been examined explicitly, we set out to examine whether internalized inferiority is indeed more common in low socioeconomic status groups. Method. Dutch SMILE data on 1,477 participants, aged 58-94 in 2008 were used. Income in adulthood (measured several times between 2002 and 2008), education in adulthood (measured several times between 2002 and 2008), education of parents (measured in 2005), and poverty in childhood (measured in 2004) were related to general shame (measured in 2009) and social inadequacy (measured in 2004 and 2008), using logistic regression analyses. Results. Both education and income-related socioeconomic measures from childhood and adulthood had independent associations with social inadequacy. Poverty in childhood was related to reports of general shame. Discussion.In this cohort the socioeconomic status of middle-aged and older men and women, especially its financial component, impacts cognitions and feelings of internalized inferiority. Childhood socioeconomic circumstances, particularly experiences of poverty, contributed independently. Our findings suggest that negative social comparisons and internalized inferiority might be possible key players in the association between low socioeconomic status and poor health

A large Eomys antiquus (Aymard, 1853) (Mammalia, Rodentia) from the early Oligocene sedimentary deposits at Bouldnor Cliff (Isle of Wight, England, UK)

A collection of approx. 150 isolated cheek teeth of the eomyid rodent Eomys antiquus which was obtained from a very thin layer in the HamsteadMember of the Bouldnor Formation at Bouldnor Cliff (Isle ofWight, England, UK) is described. The material is post-Grande Coupure, and earliest Oligocene in age. Comparison is made with and new data are given on teeth of Eomys from localities of a similar age situated elsewhere in Europe: Eomys antiquus from Hoogbutsel (Belgium), andMöhren 13, 19, and 20 (Germany), and Eomys aff. antiquus from Montalbán 1D (Spain), and Kocayarma (Turkish Thrace, Turkey). Teeth from Bouldnor Cliff and Hoogbutsel (Mammal Paleogene zone 21) are morphologically close to those from Möhren 13 (Mammal Paleogene zone 22), but tend to be larger. Size decrease in the course of time is also suggested by the smaller size of the teeth from Montalbán 1D (Mammal Paleogene zone 23). The morphological differences observed between the English, Belgian, and German material at the one side, and the Spanish and Turkish material at the other, confirm that the species from Montalbán 1D and Kocayarma is a different, although closely related form. The taxonomic history of Eomys antiquus is reviewed. The species is the commoner of the two oldest European Eomyidae known. General knowledge on the ecology of the eomyids suggests that at the time of deposition of the Eomys-containing layer in the Hampshire Basin forest was close by

The association of early life socioeconomic conditions with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes: results from the Maastricht study

markdownabstractBackground: Using cross-sectional data from The Maastricht Study, we examined the association of socioeconomic conditions in early life with prediabetes and T2DM in adulthood. We also examined potential mediating pathways via both adulthood socioeconomic conditions and adult BMI and health behaviours. Methods: Of the 3263 participants (aged 40-75 years), 493 had prediabetes and 906 were diagnosed with T2DM. By using logistic regression analyses, the associations and possible mediating pathways were examined. Results: Participants with low early life socioeconomic conditions had a 1.56 times higher odds of prediabetes (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.21-2.02) and a 1.61 times higher odds of T2DM (95% CI = 1.31-1.99). The relation between low early life socioeconomic conditions and prediabetes was independent of current socioeconomic conditions (OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.05-1.80), whereas the relation with T2DM was not independent of current socioeconomic conditions (OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 0.87-1.37). BMI party mediated the association between early life socioeconomic conditions and prediabetes. Conclusions: Socioeconomic inequalities starting in early life were associated with diabetes-related outcomes in adulthood and suggest the usefulness of early life interventions aimed at tackling these inequalities