AGE DIFFERENCES AND MACROECONOMIC EFFECTS ON FOOD STAMP PROGRAM PARTICIPATION

Low income populations are more severely affected by economic downturns than their high income counterparts because they are at high risk of unemployment and face reduced earnings in recessions. The use of food stamp benefits and other types of welfare are one mechanism that families can use to buffer the economic shock brought about by income losses due to unemployment during a recession. As a result, during unfavorable economic conditions, low income households disproportionately rely on public assistance including food stamps. What is less understood are the differential effects of macroeconomic conditions on the participation propensities of different population subgroups. Of particular importance are differential effects by age. Depending on their age, poor workers are likely to experience different patterns of unemployment so that their welfare participation patterns also differ. For example, once older workers lose their jobs, their probability of re-employment is lower than that of their younger counterparts. The reduced expectations of re-employment coupled with fewer opportunities to invest in re-training are discouraging to older unemployed persons, often implying that job losses for older workers are permanent, and eventually lead to long term reliance on welfare programs. In contrast, younger poor workers have comparatively higher chances of re-employment and exit from welfare. Whether the age differences in welfare participation will remain unchanged during economic recessions as well is still unanswered. Understanding variations in FSP participation propensities across age groups and their dependency on macroeconomic conditions is essential to predict future demand for food stamp benefits and, by extension, other welfare programs. The continuing growth in FSP demand may point to unexpectedly large fiscal burdens for future taxpayers. Moreover, understanding differential effects of macroeconomic conditions on participation propensities for different groups will allow policy makers to better identify and eventually reach genuine needy families. Therefore, this study aims to investigate FSP participation patterns with a special emphasis on the differential impact of macroeconomic factors across several demographic groups with a particular focus on age cohort effects. Specifically, transitions into and out of FSP will be explicitly addressed using longitudinal data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) 2004 panel. To measure the impact of economic conditions, we match SIPP data with economic measures such as the unemployment rate and wages at the state level available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Using the data, monthly movements on and off of FSP of individuals is followed and categorized into entry sample and continuation sample. A household not participating in FSP in one month, and thus being part of the entry sample, can choose between entering or not entering FSP in the subsequent month. Similarly, a household enrolled in one month (and thus part of the continuation sample) can choose between either continuing to stay on FSP or exiting FSP in the next month. This gives rise to two types of transition models. The first model, referred to as the entry model, tackles the decision between entry versus non-entry into FSP, conditional on non-participation in the previous months. The second model, referred to as continuation model, addresses the decision between exiting from versus continuing FSP, conditional upon participation in the preceding month. Two transition models are estimated using probit technique while controlling for individual specific effects. This study finds several important results. First, there are significant age differences in entry into and exit from the FSP. The propensity of entry into the FSP among younger people is higher than among older people while young cohorts are more prone to exiting FSP than the oldest cohort of retired or retirement-bound people. The implication for the elderly is that once receiving FSP benefits, they are very likely to continue the FSP. Their observed low FSP participation rates can thus primarily be attributed to FSP entry barriers. Second, rising unemployment boosts FSP entry propensities and lengthens FSP spells. Changes in wage levels, however, affect neither entry nor exit propensities. Third, the effect of unemployment on FSP continuation propensities varies by age. The youngest cohort responds to increasing unemployment by drastically prolonging their FSP spells whereas the older extend their FSP spells more gradually. For the oldest cohort, FSP exit probabilities are even found to rise in association with rising unemployment, a phenomenon that can be explained by retirement and special transfer programs for the elderly.Food Stamp Program, Age, Macroeconomy, Transition, Agricultural and Food Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, I38, J64,

The EQIP GIS, Web-based Decision Program

Working together, NRCS and Purdue University staff developed a GIS, web-based EQIP decision program. Landowners and NRCS personnel enter required EQIP information via a mapping service. Other subroutines store the information for use by NRCS in ranking and funding EQIP applications that receive the highest scores subject to budget constraints.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Web-Based Learning: A Bridge to Meet the Needs of Canadian Nurses for Doctoral Education

Canada does not have enough nurses with doctoral degrees. Such nurses fill important roles as researchers, educators, leaders, and clinicians. While a growing number of Canadian universities offer doctorate degrees in nursing, most institutions have only traditional on-campus programs, posing barriers for nurses who reside in places geographically distant from those institutions or who require more flexibility in their education. We describe our experiences as the inaugural cohort of the doctoral program by distributed learning at the University of Victoria School of Nursing. Since 2011, we have used a variety of electronic modalities and participated in several very short on-site intensives. Our experience indicates that distributive learning modalities improve access and deliver academically rigorous programs.   Au Canada, il existe présentement une pénurie de personnel infirmier détenant un doctorat. De tels infirmiers assument d’importantes fonctions à titre de chercheurs, d’éducateurs, d’administrateurs et de cliniciens. Tandis qu’un nombre croissant d’universités canadiennes offrent des programmes de doctorat en sciences infirmières, la plupart des établissements n’offrent ces programmes que de manière traditionnelle, c’est-à-dire que les étudiants doivent se rendre à l’université pour assister aux cours afin de recevoir l’enseignement. Ce type de programmes constitue un obstacle pour les étudiants des régions éloignées qui ont besoin de plus de flexibilité pour y accéder. Le présent article décrit notre expérience à titre de première cohorte du programme de doctorat en sciences infirmières de l’École des sciences infirmières de l’Université de Victoria, offert selon ce modèle d’apprentissage échelonné. Depuis 2011, sur le site géographique de l’université, à Victoria, nous avons utilisé une variété de moyens pédagogiques alliant technologie et courts stages intensifs. Notre expérience démontre que les modèles d’apprentissage échelonné améliorent l’accès aux programmes académiques de haute qualité et en rehaussent la qualité académique

Long term cognitive outcomes of early term (37-38 weeks) and late preterm (34-36 weeks) births: a systematic review

Background: There is a paucity of evidence regarding long-term outcomes of late preterm (34-36 weeks) and early term (37-38 weeks) delivery.  The objective of this systematic review was to assess long-term cognitive outcomes of children born at these gestations. Methods: Four electronic databases (Medline, Embase, clinicaltrials.gov and PsycINFO) were searched.  Last search was 5 th August 2016.  Studies were included if they reported gestational age, IQ measure and the ages assessed.  The protocol was registered with the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO Record CRD42015015472).  Two independent reviewers assessed the studies.  Data were abstracted and critical appraisal performed of eligible papers. Results: Of 11,905 potential articles, seven studies reporting on 41,344 children were included.  For early term births, four studies (n = 35,711) consistently showed an increase in cognitive scores for infants born at full term (39-41 weeks) compared to those born at early term (37-38 weeks) with increases for each week of term (difference between 37 and 40 weeks of around 3 IQ points), despite differences in age of testing and method of IQ/cognitive testing.  Four studies (n = 5644) reporting childhood cognitive outcomes of late preterm births (34 - 36 weeks) also differed in study design (cohort and case control); age of testing; and method of IQ testing, and found no differences in outcomes between late preterm and term births, although risk of bias was high in included studies. Conclusion:  Children born at 39-41 weeks have higher cognitive outcome scores compared to those born at early term (37-38 weeks).  This should be considered when discussing timing of delivery.  For children born late preterm, the data is scarce and when compared to full term (37-42 weeks) did not show any difference in IQ scores

Nursing now und Cha Cha Cha

Das Pflege- und Hebammennetz "Florence Network" knüpft an die "Nursing now" Kampagne zur Stärkung des Pflegeberufs

Chlamydia pneumoniae Infection of Monocytes in vitro Stimulates Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses Relevant to those in Alzheimer\u27s Disease.

Background: Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder in which infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) has been associated. Cpn is an obligate intracellular respiratory pathogen that may enter the central nervous system (CNS) following infection and trafficking of monocytes through the blood-brain barrier. Following this entry, these cells may secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines that have been identified in the AD brain, which have been thought to contribute to AD neurodegeneration. The objectives of this work were: (i) to determine if Cpn infection influences monocyte gene transcript expression at 48 hours post-infection and (ii) to analyze whether pro-inflammatory cytokines are produced and secreted from these cells over 24 to 120 hours post-infection. Methods: Gene transcription was analyzed by RT-PCR using an innate and adaptive immunity microarray with 84 genes organized into 5 functional categories: inflammatory response, host defense against bacteria, antibacterial humoral response, septic shock, and cytokines, chemokines and their receptors. Statistical analysis of the results was performed using the Student\u27s t-test. P-values ≤ 0.05 were considered to be significant. ELISA was performed on supernatants from uninfected and Cpn-infected THP1 monocytes followed by statistical analysis with ANOVA. Results: When Cpn-infected THP1 human monocytes were compared to control uninfected monocytes at 48 hours post-infection, 17 genes were found to have a significant 4-fold or greater expression, and no gene expression was found to be down-regulated. Furthermore, cytokine secretion (IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8) appears to be maintained for an extended period of infection. Conclusions: Utilizing RT-PCR and ELISA techniques, our data demonstrate that Cpn infection of THP1 human monocytes promotes an innate immune response and suggests a potential role in the initiation of inflammation in sporadic/late-onset Alzheimer\u27s disease

Analysis of Fan Motivation Factors in a Summer Collegiate Baseball Leaague

The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the factors motivating season ticket holders and multi-game pack purchasers to attend summer collegiate baseball games. The Sport Fan Motivation Scale (Wann, Schrader, & Wilson, 1999) was slightly modified in this study to determine fan attendance motives at summer collegiate baseball games. The participants of this study (n = 70) were season ticket holders and multi-game pack purchasers of the St. Cloud Rox baseball organization, a summer collegiate baseball team in the Northwood’s League. Results revealed that sport marketers may want to focus a majority of their attention to entertainment, considering the top three sport motivation factors were entertainment related. In addition, T-tests revealed statistical significance between gender and age in sport fan motives. Implications discussed in this paper may aid sport marketers and other stakeholders in planning and implementing marketing strategies within similar venues to increase attendance and season ticket sales

Current status and advances in esophageal drug delivery technology:influence of physiological, pathophysiological and pharmaceutical factors

Diseases affecting the esophagus are common. However, targeted drug delivery to the esophagus is challenging due to the anatomy and physiology of this organ. Current pharmacological treatment for esophageal diseases predominantly relies on the off-label use of drugs in various dosage forms, including those for systemic drug delivery (e.g. oral tablets, sublingual tablets, and injections) and topical drug delivery (e.g. metered dose inhaler, viscous solution or suspension, and endoscopic injection into the esophagus). In general, systemic therapy has shown the most efficacy but requires the use of high drug doses to achieve effective concentrations in the esophagus, which increases the risk of adverse effects and toxicity. Topical drug delivery has enormous potential in improving the way we treat patients with acute and chronic esophageal diseases, especially those requiring drugs that have low therapeutic index and/or significant adverse effects to non-targeted organs and tissues. This review will address the physiological, pathophysiological, and pharmaceutical considerations influencing topical drug delivery in the esophagus. The main conventional (e.g. liquid formulations, orodispersible tablets, lozenges, pastilles, troches, chewing gum) and innovative (e.g. stent-based, film-based, nanoparticulate-based) drug delivery approaches will be comprehensively discussed, along with the developments to improve their effectiveness for topical esophageal drug delivery. The translational challenges and future clinical advances of this research will also be discussed.</p