The influence of privatization on occupational wages

This paper uses individual worker and municipal information to examine privatization's influence on the wages of thirteen occupations. Findings reveal that the group of relatively low-skill content occupations comprising bus drivers and construction laborers receive a wage premium in the absence of privatization, and privatization is associated with an erosion of this premium. In contrast, the group of relatively high-skill content occupations comprising physicians and lawyers receive a non-trivial public sector discount in the absence of privatization and only the wage differential of physicians erodes with increased privatization. However, physician's public sector discount does not erode when estimating privatization's influence on this occupation's weekly earnings.privatization, occupational wage, wage differential

The Reality of Computer-Mediated Communication: An Examination of an Online Dating Service

This was an exploratory study to investigate how online users portrayed themselves when using online personals in order to introduce themselves to a prospective partner in hopes of friendship, dating, or possible marriage. The primary method of examining the applicants was by the use of the online resumes that they placed on Yahoo. This study used 72 resumes from heterosexual applicants, male and female, between the ages 18 and 67, evenly proportioned across 5 year age groups, to examine the close-ended answers and open-ended statements that applicants provided. The main perspectives used in analyzing the resumes included Erving Goffman’s Presentation of Self and John Searle’s Construction of Social Reality. Most applicants were willing to divulge most of information requested except when the topic came to income, and women were less likely to divulge this information than men. Men did not divulge some information when the topic was on preferences regarding their prospective partner, which seemed to make the men appear less decisive than the women. Applicants appeared to present a better image of themselves than reality, since there were a few obvious discrepancies in their presentations which allowed them to present a more desirable image to others. The applicants were acting out a scene which was then presented to the audience, which included the online viewers of the resumes. All of this conforms to the Presentation of Self concept. The information is from a very localized arena of the stage though. As put by Searle, applicants hold a reality inside their minds that is separate from the reality held by the rest of the public. That reality which is shared becomes the reality of the group. That which is not shared is only real in the mind of the one primary actor. So this study only looks at the reality which the person portrays outwardly through their resumes. This study observed that many people were very careful not to let inconsistencies appear while others were not so careful. Lastly, this study attempted to examine whether there appeared to be a change in the applicant’s methods due to the type of medium which was used. This change is from Marshal McLuhan’s Technological Determinism Theory. This theory states that when people create the technology, technology then recreates the people. There does appear to be a change happening in the users of this medium, but is the change really due to the medium or is there another variable which is responsible? Another possibility is that the change was already happening and the medium is just an avenue to help it convert. These changes appear to be gender crossing, but this study did not arrive at firm conclusions regarding issues such as these and they are open to further investigation in future works

Input price effect on productivity gains in the United States railroad industry

This study examines factor input price effects on productivity in the railroad industry. Past research examining productivity trends in this industry limit their analysis to the effect of non-factor input prices. This study contributes to the literature by considering the effect of input prices on railroad productivity. Such an analysis significant in part because of the importance of fuel prices and wages as drivers of cost in this industry. Findings suggest that price effects are not the main source of changes in productivity. However, among the price effects, the price of material and price of way and structures show larger and significant magnitudes in explaining the sources of changes in productivity compared to other prices. Interestingly, price of labor and price of fuel are the input prices that contribute the least to changes in unit cost

FDI activity and worker compensation: evidence from U.S. non-manufacturing industries

This study examines worker compensation effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) activity in US non-manufacturing industry sectors. A clustered standard error correction is used when estimating wage and non-wage compensation equations, with special attention given to FDI’s effect by worker educational attainment and union status. Wage findings reveal that FDI activity is associated with a wage premium for highly educated non-union workers and with union rent erosion for all educational-gender groups excluding females with low educational attainment. Non-wage compensation analysis reveals FDI activity is generally associated with significantly higher probabilities of workers receiving employer financed non-wage compensation for union and non-union workers regardless of their level of educational attainment

Airline Deregulation and Industry Wage Levels

This study uses data from 1977 and 1984 March Current Population Surveys to explore changes in airline wage premiums after deregulation. The findings show that for 1977 and 1984 high levels of work force unionization and industry concentration contributed to the above average national wage position in airlines. However, in 1984, unlike the situation in 1977, airline employees received wage rates similar to their counterparts in highly unionized and concentrated industries. The wage findings are indicative of the increasingly competitive airline industry, the lack of industrywide labor contracts in this industry, and the less lenient view of the federal government toward airline strikes.

Photoelectric measurement of blood flow during hemodialysis

Accurate measurements of blood flow rate during hemodialysis are essential for determinations of hemodialyzer performance. Despite the availability of a variety of electronic blood flow meters, use of such instruments for determination of blood flow in hemodialysis has never been satisfactory, a situation caused by such factors as the need to recalibrate frequently, the necessity of incorporating transducers into the dialyzer blood circuit and the effect which variables such as hematocrit may have on the accuracy of determination. Furthermore, such devices are expensive and often require the periodic services of an electronics specialist to maintain them in an operable condition.An alternative technique for measuring flow rate in the extracorporeal blood tubing consists of timing the passage of an injected air bubble between two points in the tubing. Since the advent of maintenance dialysis, the “racetrack and bubble time” technique [1] has been widely used for routine determinations of blood flow rate. Data derived from research studies in which this method of flow determination was employed have been published widely, in spite of the relative inaccuracies of the method

COVID-19 and Airline Performance in the Asia Pacific region

Health risks associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have severely affected the financial stability of airline companies globally. Recapturing financial stability following this crisis depends heavily on these companies’ ability to attain efficient and productive operations. This study uses several empirical approaches to examine key factors contributing to carriers sustaining high productivity prior to, during and after a major recession. Findings suggest, regardless of economic conditions, that social distancing which requires airline companies in the Asia Pacific region to fly with a significant percentage of unfilled seats weakens the performance of those companies. Furthermore, efficient operations do not guarantee the avoidance of productivity declines, especially during a recession

Skin Rejuvenating Effect of Consciousness Energy Healing Treatment Based Herbomineral Formulation

Currently in today’s world, herbomineral based cosmetic formulations are continuously gaining popularity globally because they have a high safety profile and skin protection effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a Consciousness Energy Healing (The Trivedi Effect®) Treatment based test formulation and medium (DMEM) against different skin health parameters. The test formulation and DMEM were divided into two parts. One part of each received the Consciousness Energy Healing Treatment by James Jeffery Peoples and were termed as the Biofield Energy Treated samples, while the other samples were denoted as the untreated test items. MTT assay showed more than 70% viable cells, indicating that the test formulation was safe and nontoxic in all the tested concentrations in three cell lines. The percent cell proliferation by BrdU assay was increased by 251.30%, 373.36%, and 722.48% at 8.75, 17.5, and 35 µg/mL, respectively in the BT-DMEM + BT-Test formulation group compared to the UT-DMEM + UT-Test formulation group. Collagen synthesis was significantly (p≤0.001) increased by 32.96% in the UT-DMEM + BT-Test formulation group at 2.5 µg/mL with respect to the untreated group. Elastin was significantly (p≤0.001) increased by 69.49% and 17.13% in the UT-DMEM + BT-Test formulation and BT-DMEM + UT-Test formulation groups, respectively at 10 µg/mL compared to the untreated group. The level of hyaluronic acid was increased remarkably by 14.78% in the BT-DMEM + UT-Test formulation group at 1.25 µg/mL compared to the untreated group. Melanin was suppressed significantly by 14.64% and 18.25% in the UT-DMEM + BT-Test formulation and BT-DMEM + UT-Test formulation groups, respectively at 0.13 µg/mL compared to the untreated group. Skin cells protection against UV-B exposure revealed that the percent cell viability was increased by 4.23% in the BT-DMEM + BT-Test formulation group at 2.5 µg/mL compared to the untreated group. The wound healing activity by scratch assay showed significant wound closure and cell migration activity in the test formulation and DMEM group in both HFF-1 and HaCaT cells compared to the untreated group. Altogether, the data suggests that the Biofield Energy Treated DMEM and test formulation showed better responses compared to the untreated group. Overall, the Biofield Energy Treated test formulation could be developed as an effective cosmetic product to protect and treat various skin problems including infection, photosensitivity, cutis rhomboidalis nuchae, erythema, contact dermatitis, behcet's disease, blepharitis, boil, bowen's disease, skin aging, wrinkles and/or change in skin colour, etc. https://www.trivedieffect.com/science/skin-rejuvenating-effect-of-consciousness-energy-healing-treatment-based-herbomineral-formulation http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/journal/paperinfo?journalid=612&doi=10.11648/j.ajpb.20170203.1