The Value of Fixed-Reimbursement Healthcare Insurance- Evidence from Cancer Patients in Ontario, Canada

Critical illness insurance (CII) is a fixed-reimbursement scheme conditioned on the event of a loss, not the size of the loss. We investigate demand for CII. Consumers will be willing to purchase CII depending on their degree of risk aversion to the cost of treating illness, their forgone income, and desire for being compensated for utility loss when sick. Using a theoretical model based on Eeckhoudt (2003), we run simulations using Canadian data for CII policy reimbursement dollar values of purchases, family income, cancer expenditure, and net wealth. We then evaluate how well these models predict actual CII purchases.health insurance, healthcare insurance, fixed-reimbursement insurance, state-utility transfer, expected utility, cancer

EFFECTS OF AN INQUIRY-BASED SCIENCE PROGRAM ON CRITICAL THINKING, SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS, CREATIVITY, AND SCIENCE FAIR ACHIEVEMENT OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

This study investigated the impact of an inquiry-based science program on the critical thinking skills, science process skills, creativity, and science fair achievement of middle school students. Although research indicates the connection between inquiry and achievement, there is limited empirical research relating specific inquiry-based programs to critical thinking, creativity, and science fair achievement in middle school classrooms. The research took place in a small, suburban middle school in the northeast from November 2010 to May 2011. A sample of convenience was comprised of seventh and eighth grade students. The study was quasi-experimental in nature, with a pretest-posttest comparison group design using intact classrooms of students. Five instruments were administered related to the elements of science process skills, critical thinking, creative thinking, and science fair achievement. The scores of those students in the inquiry-based science program were compared to those students in the traditional science classroom to determine the impact of each method of delivering instruction. In the multivariate analysis of variance, the inquiry instruction group scored significantly higher for science process skills as measured by the Earthworm Test (p \u3c .001) and Cognitive Integrity, an area of critical thinking measured by the CM3 (p \u3c .025). In multiple regression analysis, program type contributed significantly to the prediction of science fair achievement scores above and beyond the predictor variables of science process skills, critical thinking, and creativity (p \u3c .001). Science fair scores were significantly higher (p \u3c .001) for the treatment as compared to that of the direct instruction group. Overall, science process skills (p \u3c .025) and program type (p \u3c .001) contributed significantly to the prediction of science fair achievement

Is Brazil really a catholic country? What opinions about abortion, sex between individuals who are not married to each other, and homosexuality say about the meaning of catholicism in three Brazilian cities

The idea of being a Catholic country is quite widespread throughout the nation. What does it mean to be Catholic in Brazil? Do Catholics follow the Catholic Doctrine? The objective of this paper is to investigate the relationship between religion and religious involvement (measured by religious affiliation and service attendance) and opinions about abortion, sex between individuals who are not married to each other, and homosexuality in São Paulo, Porto Alegre, and Recife. Data come from the survey “Spirit and Power: A 10-Country Survey of Pentecostals,” carried out in 2006. Results suggest that Brazilian Catholics are a very heterogeneous group with respect to opinions about abortion and sex between individuals who are not married to each other. In addition, service attendance among Catholics and those opinions are strongly correlated, except for the case of homosexuality, a topic which Catholics tend to have the same opinions about, irrespective of their religious involvement. Committed Protestants are, by far and away, the most conservative group.Brazil

Multi-color reflectance imaging of middle ear pathology in vivo

Otoscopic examination using white-light illumination has remained virtually unchanged for well over a century. However, the limited contrast of white-light otoscopy constrains the ability to make accurate assessment of middle ear pathology and is subject to significant observer variability. Here, we employ a modified otoscope with multi-color imaging capabilities for superior characterization of the middle ear constituents in vivo and for enhanced diagnosis of acute otitis media and cholesteatoma. In this pilot study, five patients undergoing surgery for tympanostomy tube placement and congenital cholesteatoma excision were imaged using the custom-designed multi-color video-rate reflectance imaging system. We show that the multi-color imaging approach offers an increase in image contrast, thereby enabling clear visualization of the middle ear constituents, especially of the tympanic membrane vascularity. Differential absorption at the multiple wavelengths provides a measure of biochemical and morphological information, and the rapid acquisition and analysis of these images aids in objective evaluation of the middle ear pathology. Our pilot study shows the potential of using label-free narrow-band reflectance imaging to differentiate middle ear pathological conditions from normal middle ear. This technique can aid in obtaining objective and reproducible diagnoses as well as provide assistance in guiding excisional procedures.Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (CICATS)Johns Hopkins University. Whiting School of Engineering (Startup Funds

Coordinated selection of collective action: Wealthy-interest bias and inequality

We extend a collective action problem to study policy and project selection by heterogeneous groups who prefer to work together on a joint initiative but may disagree on which initiative is best. Our framework, adapted from a model of multiple threshold public goods, presents groups with several mutually exclusive projects, any of which require sufficient support from the group to succeed. Individuals strictly prefer to contribute where and how much they believe others expect of them to ensure joint project success. Groups tend to coordinate on the public good preferred by the wealthiest member, demonstrating a wealthy-interest bias even without corruption, politics, and information asymmetries. At the same time, groups divide costs in highly progressive ways, with the wealthy voluntarily funding a disproportionate share, helping offset the inherent inequality from endowment and selection differences. We discuss applications for policy selection, charitable giving, and taxes

Global Data in Astronomy: Challenges and Opportunities

Policy Brief on "Global Data in Astronomy: Challenges and Opportunities", distilled from the corresponding panel that was part of the discussions during S20 Policy Webinar on Astroinformatics for Sustainable Development held on 6-7 July 2023. Astronomy is increasingly becoming a data-driven science. Advances in our understanding of the physical mechanisms at work in the Universe require building ever-more sensitive telescopes to gather observations of the cosmos to test and advance our theoretical models of how the universe works. To confront the observed data with our theoretical models we require data hosting, archiving and storage and high-performance computing resources to run the theoretical calculations and compare our simulated and observed universe. We also require the sophisticated development of highly skilled human resources. Newer large projects are often run through international collaborations and partnerships, driving a need for 'open science' and collaborative structure across national boundaries. While astronomical data are useful scientifically, the data do not come with the same ethical/privacy-related restrictions as medical/biological data. Moreover, the ability to use data for new scientific analysis extends and expands the impact and reach of scientific surveys -- this is a strength that national funding agencies should capitalize on. We discuss the management and analysis of such large volumes of data and the corresponding significant challenges that require policy-level preparations. The policy webinar took place during the G20 presidency in India (2023). A summary based on the seven panels can be found here: arxiv:2401.04623.Comment: 5 pages. The panel videos including keynotes and the white papers are available on the S20 site at: https://s20india.org/science-policy-webinar-astroinformatics-for-sustainable-development

Human Mental Workload: A Survey and a Novel Inclusive Definition

Human mental workload is arguably the most invoked multidimensional construct in Human Factors and Ergonomics, getting momentum also in Neuroscience and Neuroergonomics. Uncertainties exist in its characterization, motivating the design and development of computational models, thus recently and actively receiving support from the discipline of Computer Science. However, its role in human performance prediction is assured. This work is aimed at providing a synthesis of the current state of the art in human mental workload assessment through considerations, definitions, measurement techniques as well as applications, Findings suggest that, despite an increasing number of associated research works, a single, reliable and generally applicable framework for mental workload research does not yet appear fully established. One reason for this gap is the existence of a wide swath of operational definitions, built upon different theoretical assumptions which are rarely examined collectively. A second reason is that the three main classes of measures, which are self-report, task performance, and physiological indices, have been used in isolation or in pairs, but more rarely in conjunction all together. Multiple definitions complement each another and we propose a novel inclusive definition of mental workload to support the next generation of empirical-based research. Similarly, by comprehensively employing physiological, task-performance, and self-report measures, more robust assessments of mental workload can be achieved

Corrigendum: Human mental workload: A survey and a novel inclusive definition

In the published article, the name of Gabriella Hancock was incorrectly written as “Gabriela M. Hancock.” The correct name is “Gabriella Hancock.” In the published article, there was also an error in the author list as published. Gabriella Hancock was listed as the last author, but should have been listed as third author. P. A. Hancock was listed as third author but should be listed as the last author. The corrected author list appears below. Luca Longo1, Christopher D.Wickens, Gabriella Hancock and P. A. Hancock. The authors apologize for this error and state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way. The original article has been updated