WorldWideScience

Sample records for in-state tuition rates

  1. Tuition Reciprocity in the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, Gregory; Wright, Dianne Brown; Kennedy, Angelica

    2008-01-01

    Reciprocity agreements are contracts between two or more parties whereby students pay reduced tuition rates. The rate of reduction is determined by the parameters set forth in each individual state's agreement but may range from a modest reduction in fees to a waiver of full non-resident tuition. In addition to providing tuition relief,…

  2. Variability in United States Allopathic Medical School Tuition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gil, Joseph A; Park, Sarah H; Daniels, Alan H

    2015-11-01

    Over the course of the last generation, the cost of medical school attendance and medical student debt has increased drastically. Medical student debt has been reported as high as $350,000, and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) reports that medical school tuition continues to increase annually. The increasing cost of medical education and associated financial burden is now beginning to deter potential applicants from pursuing a career in medicine. In this study we aimed to assess medical school tuition across the US. We hypothesized that the cost of medical school attendance is variable across all regions of the US, and as a result, the financial burden on medical students is inconsistent. All 123 allopathic medical schools accredited by the AAMC were assessed in this investigation. In-state and out-of-state tuitions for the year 2016 were obtained from U.S. News and World Report. Additionally, medical school size was collected. Regions were defined according to the US Census Bureau definition, with the US being divided into 4 regions: Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. There was no difference in average medical school size among the 4 regions (P > .05). Average in-state tuition was $38,291.56 ± $9801.38 (95% confidence interval [CI], $34,658.07-$41,513.46) in the Midwest, $45,923.04 ± $9178.87 (95% CI, $42,566.28-$49,216.78) in the Northeast, $32,287.78 ± $12,277.53 (95% CI, $28,581.90-$35,378.68) in the South, and $37,745.40 ± $11,414.37 (95% CI, $30,063.28-$40,458.99) in the West. In-state tuition in the South was significantly lower than in the Northeast, West, and Midwest (P tuition in the Northeast was significantly higher than in the South, West, and Midwest (P tuition is $54,104.04 ± $8227.65 (95% CI, $51,207.6-$57,000.39) in the Midwest, $53,180.10 ± $3963.71 (95% CI, $51,761.71-$54,598.50) in the Northeast, $48,191.86 ± $12,578.13 (95% CI, $44,595.84-$51,787.89) in the South, and $52,920.47 ± $7400.83 (95% CI, $49

  3. The First State Dream Act: In-State Resident Tuition and Immigration in Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flores, Stella M.

    2010-01-01

    In 2001, Texas became the first state to pass an in-state resident tuition policy that benefits undocumented immigrant students, a majority of whom are of Latino/a origin. This analysis estimates the effect of the Texas in-state resident tuition policy on students likely to be undocumented. Using a differences-in-differences strategy and two…

  4. In-State-Tuition for Unauthorized Residents: Teaching a Person to Fish

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dryden, Joe; Martinez, Cristina

    2014-01-01

    Illegal immigration has become one of the most important issues we face as a nation, and as greater attention is focused on the sociological and economic impact of illegal immigration, policies related to in-state-tuition for unauthorized residents are in a state of flux. Since 2005, the number of states offering in-state-tuition for unauthorized…

  5. 2013-14 Tuition and Fee Rates: A National Comparison

    Science.gov (United States)

    Webster, Marc

    2014-01-01

    This is the forty-third report prepared in Washington providing tuition and fee data for flagship institutions, comprehensive institutions, and community colleges. Tuition and fee rates for academic year 2013-14 were collected by staff from the Connecticut Office of Higher Education, who developed an online tool to collect these data from the 50…

  6. Nonresident Tuition and Fees at SUNY. Rates, Policies, and Consequences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbey, Craig W.; Armour-Garb, Allison

    2010-01-01

    To inform the discussion of out-of-state tuition, SUNY officials asked the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government to conduct a study that addresses three questions. First, how do SUNY's undergraduate nonresident tuition and fees compare to those charged by comparable higher education institutions? Second, what is known about the effects of…

  7. Using the IPEDS Peer Analysis System to Compare Tuition Discount Rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duggan, Michael; Mathews, Rebecca

    2005-01-01

    Tuition discounting began in the 1970s as the practice of using university funds to augment federal, state, and private aid and scholarships. When the 1980s saw a decrease in the number of high school seniors, universities began to compete in the arena of price for the first time, sparking what has been called an "arms race" of tuition discounting…

  8. The Tuition Debate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, Arnold R.

    1990-01-01

    The trend of tuition increases is excessive in terms of both economic standards and the special mission and characteristics of higher education. It is clouding the current state of higher education. Although there are sound reasons for tuition increases, the current approach to setting tuition should be altered and moderated. (MSE)

  9. Price Elasticity of Per-Credit-Hour Tuition Charges and the Effects on Four-Year Graduation Rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeMoranville, Carol W.; O'Donnell, Paula Bogott

    2001-01-01

    Examined whether changing tuition rates to a sliding scale based on the number of credit hours taken will increase 4-year graduation rates. Found that a sliding tuition rate scale does not increase 4-year graduation rates. (EV)

  10. The Changing Landscape of Tuition and Enrollment in American Public Higher Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steven W. Hemelt

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The costs of public higher education have risen dramatically in recent years, causing anger among students and concern among policymakers worried about falling college completion rates. In this paper, we explore how public tuition costs affect postsecondary enrollment choices. We examine changes over time in the enrollment decisions of students in states where tuition and fees at public four-year institutions increased rapidly, compared with changes for observationally similar students in states with more modest tuition increases. Using student-level data on twelfth graders in 1992 and 2004 linked to institution-level data, we find a relative decline in the likelihood of attending an in-state public four-year institution among high school graduates from states where public tuition costs increased substantially over this period. Students in states where public tuition increased the most were considerably more likely to enroll in a public two-year college than their counterparts in states that adopted more modest increases. We explore heterogeneity in this pattern of substitution between institutions of varying selectivity and control and for students in policy-relevant socio-demographic subgroups, including those in different parts of the twelfth-grade achievement distribution. Generally, large tuition increases at public four-year colleges have weakened the propensity of high school graduates to enroll in such institutions in their state, and increased their likelihood of enrollment in less prestigious in-state public colleges, out-of-state public institutions, or private universities. These effects are most pronounced among students from families of low socioeconomic status, and nonelite students who perform below the 90th percentile on twelfth-grade math tests.

  11. State Dream Acts: The Effect of In-State Resident Tuition Policies and Undocumented Latino Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flores, Stella M.

    2010-01-01

    This study examines the effect of in-state resident tuition legislation across the United States on the college enrollment odds of individuals likely to be undocumented Latino immigrants. The study employs a differences-indifferences strategy using data from the Current Population Survey's Merged Outgoing Rotation Groups. Foreign-born noncitizen…

  12. State Tuition, Fees, and Financial Assistance Policies: For Public Colleges and Universities, 2010-11

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, Allison C.; Carnahan, Julie; L'Orange, Hans P.

    2011-01-01

    This report, "State Tuition, Fees, and Financial Assistance Policies for Public Colleges and Universities: 2010-11", examines the philosophies, policies, and procedures that influence decision-making regarding public college and university tuition, student fees, and student financial aid programs. This report also provides information…

  13. Student Tuition Charges: Comparisons, Options, and Implications and An Appendix to Student Tuition Charges: Comparisons, Options, and Implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diaz, Porfirio R.

    National and state comparisons of tuition and fee charges, as well as various policy options presented to the New Mexico Commission on Higher Education, are provided. An introduction to tuition and fee calculation is followed by definitions of tuition, required student fees, and student residency status. A study of tuition and fees at New Mexico…

  14. A Model of College Tuition Maximization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bosshardt, Donald I.; Lichtenstein, Larry; Zaporowski, Mark P.

    2009-01-01

    This paper develops a series of models for optimal tuition pricing for private colleges and universities. The university is assumed to be a profit maximizing, price discriminating monopolist. The enrollment decision of student's is stochastic in nature. The university offers an effective tuition rate, comprised of stipulated tuition less financial…

  15. Undocumented Immigrants and State Higher Education Policy: The Politics of In-State Tuition Eligibility in Texas and Arizona

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dougherty, Kevin J.; Nienhusser, H. Kenny; Vega, Blanca E.

    2010-01-01

    Every year about 65,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools. A major obstacle to their attending college is not being eligible for in-state tuition. Today, nine states permit it while four prohibit it. Even if the federal DREAM Act passes, state policy decisions will continue to strongly shape college opportunities for…

  16. Financial Condition and Tuition in Private Nonprofit Baccalaureate Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peruso, Dominick F., Jr.

    2012-01-01

    The rate of tuition inflation at U.S. colleges and universities is alarming and threatens both access and choice. Private nonprofit baccalaureate colleges often possess the highest tuition rates but routinely face financial challenges. This study was designed to better understand the relationship between tuition and financial condition for the…

  17. The Impacts of Tuition Rate Changes on College Undergraduate Headcounts and Credit Hours Over Time--A Case Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chressanthis, George A.

    1986-01-01

    Using 1964-1983 enrollment data for a small Michigan state college, this paper charts tuition rate change impacts on college undergraduate headcounts and credit hours over time. Results indicate that student behavior follows the law of demand, varies with class standing, corroborates human capital investment models, and invalidates uniform tuition…

  18. Tracking the Discount: Tuition Discount Rates, Net Tuition Revenue, and Efforts to Inform Institutional Practices. Professional File. Article 133, Fall 2013

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Natalie Pullaro; Redd, Kenneth E.

    2013-01-01

    This article uses findings from the 2012 Tuition Discounting Study (TDS) conducted by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) to provide a framework for institutional researchers to develop and adapt their own custom tuition discounting definitions and formulas. Under tuition discounting, colleges and…

  19. Examining Admission Policy Change at a Private, Tuition-Dependent, Baccalaureate Institution in an Urban Setting: A Qualitative Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gage, Christopher B.

    2017-01-01

    Higher education in America is resilient; in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges, higher education manages to weather the storm of change, pressure, doubt, and criticism. Consider the following challenges: shifting demographics, escalating tuition, decreased state funding, retention and graduation rates, flat tuition revenue,…

  20. The Effect of Tuition Fees on Student Enrollment and Location Choice: Interregional Migration, Border Effects and Gender Differences

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alecke, Bjoern; Burgard, Claudia; Mitze, Timo

    This paper investigates the effects of tuition fees on the university enrollment and location decision of high school graduates in Germany. After a Federal Constitutional Court decision in 2005, 7 out of 16 German federal states introduced tuition fees for higher education. In the empirical...... analysis, we use the variation over time and across regions in this institutional change in order to isolate the causal effect of tuition fees on student enrollment and migration. Controlling for a range of regional- and university-specific effects, our results from Difference-in-Differences estimations...... show that there is generally no effect of tuition fees on internal enrollment rates. However, we find a redirecting effect on first-year students' migratory behavior as indicated by a significant drop in the gross in-migration rates in fee-charging states. Further, our results point at a stronger...

  1. Tuition and Fees and Tax Revolt Provisions: Exploring State Fiscal Policy Impacts Using Fixed-Effects Vector Decomposition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serna, Gabriel Ramom

    2012-01-01

    It is arguably the case that one of the most pressing issues in higher education finance is the increasing price of obtaining a college education, and, more specifically, rising tuition and fees. Because state support to public higher education and tuition and fees at publicly supported colleges and universities have been shown to share an inverse…

  2. The Effect of Tuition Fees on Student Enrollment and Location Choice – Interregional Migration, Border Effects and Gender Differences

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alecke, Björn; Burgard, Claudia; Mitze, Timo

    This paper investigates the effects of tuition fees on the university enrollment and location decision of high school graduates in Germany. After a Federal Constitutional Court decision in 2005, 7 out of 16 German federal states introduced tuition fees for higher education. In the empirical...... analysis, we use the variation over time and across regions in this institutional change in order to isolate the causal effect of tuition fees on student enrollment and migration. Controlling for a range of regional- and university-specific effects, our results from Difference-in-Differences estimations...... show that there is generally no effect of tuition fees on internal enrollment rates. However, we find a redirecting effect on first-year students‘ migratory behavior as indicated by a signicant drop in the gross in-migration rates in fee-charging states. Further, our results point at a stronger...

  3. The Effect of Tuition Increases on Business Student Decisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godek, John; Murray, Kyle B.; Karns, Gary

    2015-01-01

    Tuition increases have become all too common as states have cut spending to public institutions and private schools face declining enrollments. As such, understanding the effects of various methods of framing tuition increases is an important, but infrequently researched topic. The authors examine different ways to frame tuition increases…

  4. Tuition and Fees in Public Higher Education in the West, 2012-2013. Detailed Tuition and Fees Tables

    Science.gov (United States)

    Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, 2012

    2012-01-01

    This annual report updates the tuition and fee prices published by all of the public higher education institutions in the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) member states. It is the product of an annual survey administered to the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) offices in each state, with a couple of…

  5. Adam Smith, Religion, and Tuition Tax Credits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexander, Kern

    1983-01-01

    Examines tuition tax credit programs in framework of Adam Smith's ideas on the economic impact of established churches. Finds that tuition tax credits would amount to state expenditures to relieve the financial burden of parochial school parents and would allow churches to invest commercially to maintain their charitable functions. (JW)

  6. Tuition May Outpace the Rate of Inflation for 10th Year in a Row.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evangelauf, Jean

    1990-01-01

    Early announcements show many colleges are raising tuition 5 to 11 percent, squeezed by pressures to keep costs down and spend more to improve educational quality. A federal investigation of possible tuition price-fixing at 56 institutions has also increased anxiety among administrators. (MSE)

  7. Determining a Relationship between Higher Education Financial Position and Tuition Discount Rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Browning, Julianna

    2013-01-01

    Institutions have increased the practice of tuition discounting, that is, the strategic use of price discrimination. During the past 30 years, both the average percent discount given to students and the proportion of students receiving tuition breaks have increased. As this practice has increased, there are financial determinants and implications…

  8. Pricing and University Autonomy: Tuition Deregulation in Texas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeongeun Kim

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates changes in tuition policies in the wake of tuition deregulation in Texas, which in 2003 transferred tuition-setting authority from the state legislature to institutions. We find that price increases accelerated, particularly at the most selective institutions. Institutions also began differentiating price by undergraduate program, raising relative prices for the most costly and lucrative majors, including engineering, business, nursing, and architecture. Price increases were particularly large for institutions with the highest initial costs and for programs with a high earnings premium within institutions, though lower for institutions with more low-income students. These distinctions suggest that public postsecondary institutions respond to microeconomic incentives when given greater autonomy to set price, and take some measures to alleviate impacts on low-income students. The Texas experience suggests that decentralized price-setting generates greater price differentiation within the public higher education system, both across and within institutions.

  9. Developing a Model of Tuition Fee Calculation for Universities of Medical Sciences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seyed Amir Mohsen Ziaee

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: The aim of our study was to introduce and evaluate a practicable model for tuition fee calculation of each medical field in universities of medical sciences in Iran.Methods: Fifty experts in 11 panels were interviewed to identify variables that affect tuition fee calculation. This led to key points including total budgets, expenses of the universities, different fields’ attractiveness, universities’ attractiveness, and education quality. Tuition fees were calculated for different levels of education, such as post-diploma, Bachelor, Master, and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D degrees, Medical specialty, and Fellowship. After tuition fee calculation, the model was tested during 2013-2015. Since then, a questionnaire including 20 questions was prepared. All Universities’ financial and educational managers were asked to respond to the questions regarding the model’s reliability and effectiveness.Results: According to the results, fields’ attractiveness, universities’ attractiveness, zone distinction and education quality were selected as effective variables for tuition fee calculation. In this model, tuition fees per student were calculated for the year 2013, and, therefore, the inflation rate of the same year was used. Testing of the model showed that there is a 92% of satisfaction. This model is used by medical science universities in Iran.Conclusion: Education quality, zone coefficient, fields’ attractiveness, universities’ attractiveness, inflation rate, and portion of each level of education were the most important variables affecting tuition fee calculation.Keywords: TUITION FEES, FIELD’S ATTRACTIVENESS, UNIVERSITIES’ ATTRACTIVENESS, ZONE DISTINCTION, EDUCATION QUALITY

  10. Tuition Fees and the Time to Graduation: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruckmeier, Kerstin; Fischer, Georg-Benedikt; Wigger, Berthold U.

    2015-01-01

    We used the recent introduction of general tuition fees at public universities in several of the German federal states as a natural experiment to identify whether tuition fees reduce the time to graduation and the extent to which they do so. We employed a difference-in-differences approach with the states that introduced fees as the treatment…

  11. Colleges Undermine Their Value when They Put Tuition "On Sale"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blumenstyk, Goldie

    2009-01-01

    Drexel University is offering laid-off workers a 50-percent discount on tuition at its new graduate campus in California. Davis & Elkins College reduced its price by nearly $15,000 for residents from its home county and six surrounding ones to match the tuition of the state's flagship West Virginia University. And Southern Illinois University at…

  12. Student Response to Tuition Increase by Academic Majors: Empirical Grounds for a Cost-Related Tuition Policy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, Jung Cheol; Milton, Sande

    2008-01-01

    This study explored the responses of students in different academic majors to tuition increase, with a particular focus on the relationship between tuition increase, and future earnings and college expenditures. We analyzed effects of tuition increase on enrollment in six academic majors--Engineering, Physics, Biology, Mathematics, Business, and…

  13. Tuition Elasticity of the Demand for Higher Education among Current Students: A Pricing Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bryan, Glenn A.; Whipple, Thomas W.

    1995-01-01

    A pricing model is offered, based on retention of current students, that colleges can use to determine appropriate tuition. A computer-based model that quantifies the relationship between tuition elasticity and projected net return to the college was developed and applied to determine an appropriate tuition rate for a small, private liberal arts…

  14. Tax justice of the reform of higher education: tuition fees or tax relief?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavel Semerád

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals with the current reform of higher education which is now being discussed in the Czech Republic. The Government and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports propose a tuition fee for students at universities but there is still no clear concept of it. University leaders and students are against the tuition fee because of their fear of getting into debt during their study. The aim of this paper is to show an alternative way of funding higher education without tuition fee loans and from the point of view of tax justice. According to the concept of horizontal justice (Mankiw, 1999 taxpayers should pay taxes at the same rate, but it does not work this way. The result of research is that changes in Act 586/1992 Coll., on income tax and in Act 117/1995 Coll., on state social welfare are required. Abolition of tax relief is proposed where discrimination against other taxpayers and groups of students could occur. By abolition of tax relief for a student and tax relief for a dependent child the amounts of 4,020 CZK and 13,404 CZK respectively could be saved. Changes in legislation could be politically more acceptable than the tuition fee. The solution could also lead to simplification for taxpayers. The target should be equal access to higher education for all students.

  15. WHAT ARE THEY BUYING IN PRIVATE TUITION? MICRO-LEVEL PERSPECTIVE ON THE PRACTICE OF PRIVATE TUITION BY GRADE 9 STUDENTS IN KALE TOWNSHIP, MYANMAR

    OpenAIRE

    Kam Tung Tuang Suante

    2017-01-01

    Private tuition is the practice of academic teaching and learning from outside of the school with a fee but a few of studies acknowledged what private tuition provides to the receivers beyond the teaching of academic subjects. This study explored the intensity and nature of private tuition through 1119 Grade 9 students’ survey reports and 18 interviewees’ responses. The study revealed the common practice of private tuition in Myanmar and 69.5% of the participants are in private boarding tuiti...

  16. The Effect of Tuition Reimbursement on Turnover: A Case Study Analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Colleen N. Flaherty

    2007-01-01

    Tuition reimbursement programs provide financial assistance for direct costs of education and are a type of general skills training program commonly offered by employers in the United States. Standard human capital theory argues that investment in firm-specific skills reduces turnover, while investment in general skills training could result in increased turnover. However, firms cite increased retention as a motivation for offering tuition reimbursement programs. This rationale for offering t...

  17. A Study of the Tuition of Middle Schools in Prwear Tokyo Prefecture

    OpenAIRE

    Karasuda, Naoya

    2002-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to clarifying the tuition in middle schools at the prewar Tokyo prefecture. The tuition differed between the public schools and the private schools. In the 1890s, most expenses required for management of middle schools was provided with tuition in both private amd public schools. At this time, the tuition of public schools was higher than the private schools. After 1900 tuition of public schools became cheaper than private schools. As expenses of public schools, i...

  18. Taxes, Tuition Fees and Education for Pleasure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Malchow-Møller, Nikolaj; Nielsen, Søren Bo; Skaksen, Jan Rose

    2011-01-01

    are unconstrained, the optimal tax/fee system involves regressive income taxes and high tuition fees. A progressive labor income tax system may, on the other hand, be a second-best response to politically constrained, low tuition fees. Finally, the existence of individuals with different abilities will also move...... the optimal income tax system toward progressivity.......The fact that education provides both a productive and a consumptive (nonproductive) return has important and, in some cases, dramatic implications for optimal taxes and tuition fees. Using a simple model, we show that when the consumption share in education is endogenous and tuition fees...

  19. The Incidence of the Tuition-Free High School Program in Japan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hori, Masahiro; Shimizutani, Satoshi

    2018-01-01

    This paper examines the effect of a tuition-free high school program launched in FY2010 in Japan on the high school enrollment rate and household spending. We have some interesting findings. First, the program contributed to improvement in the high school enrollment rate for poorer households. Second, the program stimulated household spending…

  20. TOUCH POINTS IN UNIVERSITY TUITION - CRITICAL REFLECTIONS ON PBL TUITION PRACTICE AT THE ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN DESIGN PROGRAMMES AT AALBORG UNIVERSITY, DENMARK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anne Kirkegaard Bejder

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This is a discussion paper that is based on the didactics reflections of three junior academics at the Architecture and Urban Design (A&UD programme at Aalborg University. The discussion is moored in two narratives representing two typical student tuition situations. Unfolding two touch points where PBL and architectural and engineering teaching converge, this paper discusses how ‘the problem’ and ‘supervision’ at the A&UD programme are hybrid tuition focus points, where principles of PBL and more traditional tuition styles within architecture and engineering come into contact and cause didactic friction. This friction necessitates teachers and supervisors to critically reflect upon their teaching and supervision styles, and upon how ‘the problem’ is put into play in their tuition of students. The paper argues that teachers and supervisors have a heightened obligation and responsibility to monitor, assess, reflect and adjust the integration of the different teaching approaches in their hybrid tuition practices at A&UD.

  1. Worldwide Tuition Increases Send Students into the Streets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woodard, Colin

    2000-01-01

    Examines the global trend towards increased tuition and fees in public institutions of higher education. Despite histories of free or very low tuition and student protests, most observers see higher tuition and fees (and financial aid programs for needy students) as invitable. Notes increased demand, enrollment surges, and collapsing systems of…

  2. Preparing the next generation of health care providers: A description and comparison of nurse practitioner and medical student tuition in 2015.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riley, Lydia; Litsch, Tyler; Cook, Michelle L

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was twofold: to describe the average cost of nurse practitioner (NP) tuition based on degree program, program type, and geography; and to compare the cost of NP tuition to medical school tuition. A listing of all NP degree granting universities was obtained from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing during the fall of 2014, and tuition data were obtained from university websites. Medical school tuition data were obtained online during the fall of 2014 from the American Association of Medical Colleges. Average 1-year tuition rates were calculated for NP programs and medical schools and compared across private and public institutions. Average 1-year resident tuition for public university NP programs ranges between $8671 and $11,077 based on type of program. The cost of 1-year NP program tuition at the master's and the doctoral level is much lower than the cost of 1-year medical school tuition at both private and public universities. NPs can perform many of the same services as physicians in the primary care setting with comparable outcomes, yet the cost of educating NPs is much lower. NPs are a cost-effective solution to the healthcare workforce shortage. ©2015 American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

  3. 29 CFR 1949.1 - Policy regarding tuition fees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 9 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Policy regarding tuition fees. 1949.1 Section 1949.1 Labor... Institute § 1949.1 Policy regarding tuition fees. (a) The OSHA Training Institute shall charge tuition fees for all private sector students attending Institute courses. (b) The following private sector students...

  4. Returns to Investment in Ontario University Education, 1960-1990, and Implications for Tuition Fee Policy. Discussion Series, Issue 5.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stager, David A. A.

    This analysis of Ontario's returns to investment and implications for tuition fee policy updates a 1989 publication titled "Focus on Fees." The paper examines: data on public and private return on investment (ROI) from university education, pattern of ROI rates over time, and impact of tuition fee levels on estimated ROI for various…

  5. Tuition Fees, as User Prices, and Private Incentives

    OpenAIRE

    Economides, George; Philippopoulos, Apostolis; Sakkas, Stelios

    2016-01-01

    This paper studies the aggregate and distributional implications of introducing tuition fees for public education services into a tax system with income and consumption taxes. The setup is a neoclassical growth model where agents differ in capital holdings. We show that the introduction of tuition fees (a) improves individual incentives to work and/or save and (b) can be both efficient and equitable. The focus is on the role of tuition fees as an extra price and how this affects private incen...

  6. Investigating the status of supplementary tuition in the teaching and learning of mathematics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Mogari

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available The study seeks to investigate the status of supplementary tuition in the teaching and learning of mathematics and mathematical literacy. The study followed a descriptive survey design involving the use of learner and teacher questionnaires. A convenient sample of mathematics and mathematical literacy teachers together with a stratified sample of their Grade 11 learners were drawn from a purposive sample of highperforming high schools in the East London district of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The results show that supplementary tuition is popular, especially among girls, and it is in three forms (i.e. private tuition, vacation school and problem-solving classes: Problemsolving classes dominated by working on past/model examination papers is the most preferred; in some instances supplementary tuition is offered for a fee; it is not only confined to poor performing learners; and participation in supplementary tuition is influenced by a variety of factors.

  7. Challenges of Tuition fee’s decision: Private Universities case in Kosovo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Besa Shahini

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available This study assesses Challenges that Private Universities in Kosovo face when employing tuition fee strategies. Data are collected on May - June 2012 through in-depth interview and questioners with supervisors and students of three Private Universities in Kosovo. As of low purchasing power of students and overall economic crises in Kosovo, students are very sensitive to pricing strategies employed and according to fee they evaluate before and after -enrollment assessment. Students’ academic expectations are much higher relative to their low tuition requirements. In transition economies, employing tuition strategies that satisfy both Universities and students is a challenge for higher educational institutions.

  8. Liquidation of wastes as tuition topic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kolar, K.; Hysplerova, L.; Holy, I.

    1999-01-01

    Authors deal in this paper with tuition project aimed on the liquidation of wastes. Structure of project includes next thematic complex: classification of inorganic and organic wastes; characterization of wastes and proposition for their liquidation (detoxication) or recyclation; chemical (physical) nature of neutralize of inorganic and organic wastes; general method of neutralize of wastes; analytical methods necessary for control of course of neutralize (detoxication) of wastes. This tuition project allows for students to know manipulation with wastes and methods of their liquidation from ecologic point of view

  9. Credit supply and the rise in college tuition: evidence from the expansion in federal student aid programs

    OpenAIRE

    Lucca, David O.; Nadauld, Taylor D.; Shen, Karen

    2015-01-01

    When students fund their education through loans, changes in student borrowing and tuition are interlinked. Higher tuition costs raise loan demand, but loan supply also affects equilibrium tuition costs - for example, by relaxing students' funding constraints. To resolve this simultaneity problem, we exploit detailed student-level financial data and changes in federal student aid programs to identify the impact of increased student loan funding on tuition. We find that institutions more expos...

  10. Anatomy of a Tuition Freeze: The Case of Ontario

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rexe, Deanna

    2015-01-01

    Using two conceptual frameworks from political science--Kingdon's (2003) multiple streams model and the advocacy coalition framework (Sabatier & Jenkins-Smith, 1993)--this case study examines the detailed history of a major tuition policy change in Ontario in 2004: a tuition freeze. The paper explores the social, political, and economic…

  11. The Impact of "Tuition-Paying" Policy on Retention and Graduation Rates at the University of Ghana

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atuahene, Francis

    2013-01-01

    African universities over the past decade have developed new modes of financial mobilization in search for fiscal solutions to the declining public support for higher education. The creation of the "tuition-paying" ("dual track" or "fee-paying") admission track policy, a variant of cost sharing, is one of such…

  12. Assessing Tuition- and Debt-Free Higher Education. NASFAA Task Force Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, 2017

    2017-01-01

    The Assessing Tuition- and Debt-Free Higher Education Task Force was convened in July 2016. Charged by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators's (NASFAA's) Board of Directors with evaluating the existing landscape of state and local promise programs with a focus on scaling such models to the national level, the task force…

  13. The More, the Better? Intensity of Involvement in Private Tuition and Examination Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smyth, Emer

    2008-01-01

    Private tuition, or "shadow education", has become a prominent feature in many countries internationally. A number of studies have found that such tuition is associated with improved examination performance and enhanced access to tertiary education. However, these studies have generally not taken into account important attitudinal…

  14. Tuition and Living Accommodation Costs at Canadian Universities, 1978-79 and 1979-80.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dulac, Claude

    Tuition and living accommodation costs for students at most Canadian universities are summarized in this publication from Statistics Canada. Extensive data tables include information on accommodation costs for university-operated residences and housing and tuition fees. The range of tuition fees at the undergraduate level reflects a fee structure…

  15. Losing Sleep over Tuition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fogg, Piper

    2009-01-01

    With two children already in college and three more in the wings, the Nwanguma family knows about sacrifice. The annual tuition bill for Prince George's Community College typically comes to between $3,500 and $4,000 for the oldest son, Chuka. To afford it, Chuma Nwanguma, a Nigerian immigrant, often works overtime in addition to his regular night…

  16. Low Tuition, Progressive Taxation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mingle, James R.

    1992-01-01

    The strategy for financing public higher education of using high tuition and student aid assumes, erroneously, that targeting subsidies directly to the needy makes a more equitable system, that the public will support the high-aid end of the equation, and that current and future students can repay debt. (MSE)

  17. The impact of tuition fees amount on mental health over time in British students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richardson, T; Elliott, P; Roberts, R

    2015-09-01

    Previous studies have shown a relationship between debt and mental health problems in students. This study aimed to examine the effect of differences in tuition fees amount on changes in mental health over time. A prospective cohort study followed 390 first-year British students who differed on their tuition fees level at 4 time points across their first 2 years at university. Participants completed measures of global mental health, depression, anxiety, stress, alcohol-related problems at up to four time points in their first two years at university. Mixed-factorial ANOVAs were used to assess the impact of tuition fees amount on changes in scores over time. There was no difference based on fees at Time 1 for anxiety, stress, depression and global mental health. At Time 2, those charged £0-2.9k or £3-4k improved while those charged £8-9k stayed the same. However, this trend reversed by Times 3 and 4. Undergraduates mental health is partially affected by the level of tuition fees; however, the recent increase in tuition fees does not appear to have had a lasting impact at present. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. 38 CFR 21.9640 - Rates of payment of educational assistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... semester by the public institution of higher learning having the highest rate of regularly-charged fees in... States dollars using the foreign exchange conversion rate as published by the Federal Reserve effective... by the public institution of higher learning having the highest rate of regularly-charged tuition per...

  19. Perceptions of Parents on the Practice of Private Tuition in Public Learning Institutions in Kenya

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mwebi, Robert B.; Maithya, Redempta

    2016-01-01

    The practice of private tuition outside normal class hours is a phenomenon which has prevailed in Kenyan basic learning institutions despite the repeated ban by the government. The purpose of the study was to establish parental perceptions on extra tuition in public schools in Kenya. Descriptive survey design was used for the study. A total of 40…

  20. Prevalence for Private Tuition among Parents, Teachers and Pupils in Public Primary Schools in Machakos County

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirigwi, Lucy Wambui; Maithya, Redempta

    2016-01-01

    Private tuition refers to tutoring offered outside mainstream teaching. The study sought to establish the difference in prevalence for private tuition among parents, teachers and pupils in public primary schools in Machakos County. The study employed descriptive survey design. The target populations were all teachers, parents and pupils of public…

  1. Buying Your Way into College? Private Tuition and the Transition to Higher Education in Ireland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smyth, Emer

    2009-01-01

    A number of countries, including Ireland, have experienced a recent growth in the prevalence of "shadow education", that is, paid private tuition outside the schooling system. Previous international studies have indicated that such tuition can enhance academic performance and facilitate access to tertiary education. However, such studies…

  2. Factors affecting students’ attitude towards introduction of tuition fees for higher education in the Czech Republic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martina Zámková

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction of tuition fees has been much discussed in the Czech Republic over the recent years. Unfortunately, the current system of non-discriminate higher-education funding is no longer supportable, that is, provided that we do not want all universities to be evenly “mediocre”. A well configured tuition-fee system with low payments, suitably complemented by student loans covering not only the tuition fees but also the subsistence costs could be an acceptable vision of the future higher education. The obligation to pay for the study should also prevent from enrolment those applicants that only enter a university to avoid having to cater for themselves in real life. A survey was conducted to find out the views of Czech university students on the introduction of tuition fees and the possible methods of their payment. A subsequent analysis was made to see whether the introduction of tuition fees would aggravate students’ financial situation, whether they would be more motivated to complete the studies in due time, and whether they would be more concerned with the quality of teaching. The survey also analysed the relationship between a respondent’s view on the introduction of tuition fees and the current methods of financing the studies (accommodation, transport, meals, textbooks, …, the household income, and the gender. It also takes into account the attitude of respondents on the system of student loans proposed. In order to interpret the results correspondence and dependence analysis were used.

  3. Elasticity of Demand for Tuition Fees at an Institution of Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langelett, George; Chang, Kuo-Liang; Ola' Akinfenwa, Samson; Jorgensen, Nicholas; Bhattarai, Kopila

    2015-01-01

    Using a conjoint survey of 161 students at South Dakota State University (SDSU), we mapped a probability-of-enrolment curve for SDSU students, consistent with demand theory. A quasi-demand curve was created from the conditional-logit model. This study shows that along with the price of tuition fees, distance from home, availability of majors, and…

  4. College Financial Aid and the Employee Tuition Benefit Programs of the Fortune 500 Companies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Neill, Joseph P.

    Ways are discussed that internal changes in pricing, tuition collection, and cash-flow management might be sources of financial aid for college students ineligible for state and federal assistance programs. The experiences described are the result of two FIPSE (Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education) projects, one dealing with…

  5. Global Tuition Pricing: An In-Depth Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cupp, Jason W.

    2012-01-01

    This study was conducted to determine if there is a relationship between select pricing schemes used throughout the world and positive social outcomes. The rising costs of college tuition and escalating student debt has raised the concern about how students should pay for financing their education and whether the current system is the most…

  6. ATTITUDES TOWARDS TUITION FEES PAYMENT IN TERTIARY EDUCATION: A SURVEY OF SUNYANI POLYTECHNIC MARKETING STUDENTS IN SUNYANI GHANA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samuel Asuamah Yeboah

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper aims at contributing to knowledge in the area of educational finance by assessing student’s attitude towards tuition fees payment. The research is based on quantitative research design and a survey of the marketing students in Sunyani polytechnic that were selected using convenience sample method for a sample of 149. Data were analysed using percentages and one-ANOVA using the SPSS. The findings indicate that student’s knowledge on tuition fees and user fees are low. Respondents did not know that they do not pay tuition fees which are constitutional provision. Respondents consider it appropriate to contribute to the financing of their education but are not will to pay tuition. Parents of students should fund the education of their wards. Students face inadequate funding in their education and that result in worrying which affect their concentration while studying. Respondents are not willing to pay tuition fees and also the current user fees are high. Sources of funding students education are remittance from parents/friends/relative and scholarship. Those who are beneficiaries of the loan spend the amount mostly on course of study and on living expenses. This study should be replicated in other departments in the school and in other tertiary school to assess if these findings will be replicated. Since parents are the major financiers of education future study should target them to assess their attitude towards tuition fee payment.

  7. What goes around, comes around: a history of medical tuition*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duffin, Jacalyn

    2001-01-01

    IN THIS ARTICLE THE ACTUAL AND RELATIVE COSTS OF TUITION AT 3 Ontario medical schools are traced over the past 150 years. In addition, the factors that led to Ontario's nearly 4-decade experiment in private medical education (and to its eventual demise) are presented. In relative terms, tuition was stable for over a century, then declined (after 1960) as government support rose. Access to medical training for students from middle-income families may also have improved steadily until the late 1980s. Because there is no shortage of people wanting to become doctors, there seems to be no limit to the price that could be set for a medical education. The recent hikes in tuition have outstripped inflation and may be reducing accessibility to restrictive levels, similar to those that prevailed in the 19th century. The author invites readers to question current trends. PMID:11202668

  8. What goes around, comes around: a history of medical tuition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duffin, J

    2001-01-09

    In this article the actual and relative costs of tuition at 3 Ontario medical schools are traced over the past 150 years. In addition, the factors that led to Ontario's nearly 4-decade experiment in private medical education (and to its eventual demise) are presented. In relative terms, tuition was stable for over a century, then declined (after 1960) as government support rose. Access to medical training for students from middle-income families may also have improved steadily until the late 1980s. Because there is no shortage of people wanting to become doctors, there seems to be no limit to the price that could be set for a medical education. The recent hikes in tuition have outstripped inflation and may be reducing accessibility to restrictive levels, similar to those that prevailed in the 19th century. The author invites readers to question current trends.

  9. Tuition fees and sunk-cost effects

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ketel, N.; Linde, J.; Oosterbeek, H.; van der Klaauw, B.

    2016-01-01

    This article reports on a field experiment testing for sunk-cost effects in an education setting. Students signing up for extra-curricular tutorial sessions randomly received a discount on the tuition fee. The sunk-cost effect predicts that students who pay more will attend more tutorial sessions,

  10. Misplaying the Angles: A Closer Look at the Illinois Tuition Tax Credit Law.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pathak, Arohi; Wessely, Mike; Mincberg, Elliot

    In 1999, Illinois enacted its tuition tax credit law, which offers tax credits to taxpayers whose own children are attending school, as opposed to tax credits to businesses and/or individuals who contribute to tuition scholarship programs. Recent data suggest that the Illinois tax credit program is benefiting middle- and upper-class families more…

  11. The Heterogeneous Non-Resident Student Body: Measuring the Effect of Out-of-State Students' Home-State Wealth on Tuition and Fee Price Variations

    Science.gov (United States)

    González Canché, Manuel S.

    2017-01-01

    More than 40 years of research has found a positive relationship between increases in the proportion of non-resident students enrolling in an institution and increases in the tuition prices this institution charges to these same students. Notably, this line of research has consistently treated this non-resident student body as if they constitute a…

  12. Mother Tongue Tuition in Sweden - Curriculum Analysis and Classroom Experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anne REATH WARREN

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available The model of Mother Tongue Tuition (MTT which has developed in Sweden since the 1970’s offers speakers of languages other than Swedish the opportunity to request tuition in their mother tongue, from kindergarten through to year 12. It is unique among the major immigrant-receiving countries of the world yet little is known about MTT and its syllabus outside of its Nordic context. This article examines the syllabus for MTT from two perspectives; firstly using the framework of Constructive Alignment, secondly from the perspective of what is hidden. The intended syllabus is revealed as well-aligned, but the hidden curriculum impedes successful enactment in many contexts. Examples from case studies in a larger on-going research project offer an alternate approach to syllabus implementation when the negative effects of the hidden curriculum are challenged. While highly context-specific, this model may represent a step in the right direction for implementation of the syllabus.

  13. Analyzing the Market for Shadow Education in Pakistan: Does Private Tuition Affect the Learning Gap between Private and Public Schools?

    OpenAIRE

    Bisma Haseeb Khan; Sahar Amjad Shaikh

    2013-01-01

    Over the past decade, Pakistan has seen the rapid growth of a third sector in education: shadow education. According to the Annual Survey of Education Report (2013), 34 percent of private school students and 17 percent of public school students undertake private tuition in Punjab. Anecdotal evidence suggests that private tuition has a positive impact on learning outcomes. Keeping this in view, it is possible that private tuition, rather than a difference inschooling quality, is driving the ob...

  14. What's Happened to College Tuition and Why.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greenberg, Marvin W.

    1988-01-01

    Attention focused on increasing college tuition and federal concerns about college cost containment may be obscuring other issues in the rising cost of college education, including accumulated 1970s deficits, faculty salaries, changes in the enrollment mix, the needs for automation and accountability, and instructional facility and equipment…

  15. The International Market for MBA Qualifications: The Relationship between Tuition Fees and Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elliott, Caroline; Soo, Kwok Tong

    2013-01-01

    This paper explores the relationship between tuition fees charged by MBA programmes and the number of applications to these programmes, using a panel dataset comprising universities from countries across the world. Using Three-Stage-Least-Squares methods for simultaneous equations, we find a two-way relationship between tuition fees and…

  16. A Polychoric Correlation to Identify the Principle Component in Classifying Single Tuition Fee Capabilities on the Students Socio-Economic Database

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yustanti, W.; Anistyasari, Y.

    2018-01-01

    The government has issued the regulation number 55 of 2013 about the enactment of a single tuition fee based on the socio-economic conditions of each student. All public universities are required to implement this policy. Therefore, each university needs to create a formulation that can be used to categorize a student into which cost group. The results of the data collection found that the parameters used to determine the classification of tuition fees between one universities with another are different. In this research, taken a sampling of student data at one public university which is using 43 predictor variables and 8 categories of single tuition. The sample data used are socioeconomic data of students of 2016 and 2017 classes received through public university entrance selections. The results of this study reveal that from 43 variables, there are 16 variables which are the most significant in influencing single tuition category with goodness-of-fit index is 0.866. This value means that the proposed model can indicate student’s ability to pay the tuition fee.

  17. The Issue of Private Tuition: An Analysis of the Practice in Mauritius and Selected South-east Asian Countries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foondun, A. Raffick

    2002-11-01

    Private tuition is an issue of growing concern and is practised in both developed and developing countries. Although it has certain positive effects, it imposes a considerable financial burden on parents and often gives rise to abuses. The present study, which focuses on the primary level, addresses a number of questions, such as the extent of the practice, its implications, the various forms that it takes, attitudes towards it, why children take private tuition, why teachers provide it, and policies to deal with the issue. The discussion ends with a plea for more research on private tuition in order to provide a basis for policies to address the problem.

  18. Role of Tuition Centers in the Performance and Achievement of Students: A Case of Hyderabad District, Sindh, Pakistan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahito, Zafarullah; Khawaja, Mumtaz; Siddiqui, Abida; Shaheen, Anjum; Saeed, Humera

    2017-01-01

    This research is designed to explore the importance of tuition centers in the perception of students. It tries to find out the role, supporting methods, environment and good characteristics of tuition centers, their owners and management to support the student to learn effectively and bring good grades in their board examinations. A qualitative…

  19. Internationalisation as Marketisation? Tuition Fees for International Students in Finland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kauko, Jaakko; Medvedeva, Anna

    2016-01-01

    Having been on the agenda in Finnish policy-making for a decade, tuition fees for students outside the European Union and the European Economic Area became reality in the beginning of 2016. Drawing on institutional theory the current article tracks this development through the analysis of documents and interviews on different levels. The…

  20. The Waldorf Tuition and Grant Reduction Experiment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamm, William E.

    1995-01-01

    Counter to national trends at private colleges, Waldorf College (Iowa) found it could increase enrollment by reducing tuition and institution-based student aid. The context for implementing this policy, short- and long-term results of the decisions, lessons learned, and some more-recent initiatives are reviewed. (MSE)

  1. Comparative Study of Parental Involvement and Private Tuition regarding Educational Attainment of Students

    OpenAIRE

    Malik Amer Atta; Shabnam Razzaq Khan; Shehla Sheikh; Fahmida Akbar

    2014-01-01

    This research work was focused on the “comparative study of parental involvement and private tuition regarding educational attainments of students at secondary school level”. A sample of 80 students of 10th class from ten different secondary schools was taken. To analyze the results t-test was used. In this comparison it was conducted that parental involvement turn out significant effect on student educational attainments as compared to private tuition. On the bases of results researcher has ...

  2. Tuition reduction is the key factor determining tax burden of graduate students under the Tax Cuts and Job Act.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawston, Patricia M; Parker, Michael T

    2017-01-01

    Background : The proposed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R.1) has stirred significant public debate on the future of American economics.  While supporters of the plan have championed it as a necessity for economic revitalization, detractors have pointed out areas of serious concern, particularly for low- and middle-income Americans.  One particularly alarming facet of the plan is the radical change to education finance programs and taxation of students in higher education.  Methods :  By analyzing actual income and tuition of a public and a private university student, as well as the 'average' graduate student, we investigated the effect of both the House and Senate versions of H.R. 1 on taxation of students of various family structures.  Results :  Our findings indicate that taxable tuition would be the greatest contributor to graduate student tax burden across all four categories of filing status.  However, when tuition reduction is upheld or a student is on sustaining fees rather than full tuition, graduate students would realize decreases in taxation. Conclusions :  Overall, we conclude that removal of tuition reduction would result in enormous tax burdens for graduate students and their families and that these effects are dependent not only on the status of the student in their degree program but also on their tuition and stipend, and therefore the institution they attend.

  3. Effects of Private Tuition on the Academic Achievement of Secondary School Students in Subject of Mathematics in Kohat Division, Pakistan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qaiser Suleman

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Research reveals that private or home tuition after school time plays a crucial role in strengthening and improving student’s academic achievement. The purpose of the study was to explore the effects of private tuition on the academic achievement of students in subject of mathematics at secondary school level. All the students at secondary school level in Kohat Division (Pakistan constituted the population of the study. The study was delimited to the students of Government High School Ahmadi Banda Karak only. Fifty students of class 09 were selected as sample of the study. Sample students were divided into two groups i.e. control group and experimental group by equating them on the basis of their previous knowledge in subject of mathematics as determined through a pre-test. Each group was composed of 25 students. Students of the experimental group were engaged in tuition for two hours after school time. The study was experimental in nature therefore, “The pre-test-post-test Equivalent Groups Design” was used for the collection of data. Statistical tools i.e. the mean, standard deviation and differences of means were computed for each group. Significance of difference between the mean scores of both the experimental and control groups on the variable of pre-test and post test scores was tested at 0.05 levels by applying t-test. After statistical analysis of the data, the researchers concluded that there is significant positive effect of private tuition on the academic achievement of students in subject of mathematics at secondary school level. Based on the findings, it was recommended that parents should arrange private tuition for their children to move up their achievement level in subject of mathematics.

  4. Demand for private tuition classes under the free education policy. Evidence based on Sri Lanka

    OpenAIRE

    Pallegedara, Asankha

    2011-01-01

    Private tuition classes are growing phenomenon in Sri Lanka especially among students who prepare for competitive national school qualifying examinations. It is one of major education issues under the free education policy in Sri Lanka. It can tarnish the real purpose of free education policy. In this paper, we examine the demand for private tuition classes in Sri Lanka by using two waves of Household Income and Expenditure Surveys (HIES) conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics (...

  5. Didactic friction – challenges and reflections n interlinking PBL and discipline-specific tuition practices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bejder, Anne Kirkegaard; Larsen, Gunvor Riber; Wind, Simon

    2017-01-01

    This is a discussion paper that is based on the didactics reflections of three junior academics at the Architecture and Urban Design (A&UD) programme at Aalborg University. The discussion is moored in two narratives representing two typical student tuition situations. Unfolding two touch points...... didactic friction. This friction necessitates teachers and supervisors to critically reflect upon their teaching and supervision styles, and upon how ‘the problem’ is put into play in their tuition of students. The paper argues that teachers and supervisors have a heightened obligation and responsibility...

  6. Segregating Schools: The Foreseeable Consequences of Tuition Tax Credits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yale Law Journal, 1979

    1979-01-01

    Argues that the effect of a proposed tuition tax credit is school segregation, creating serious constitutional objections under the due process clause. A voucher system would avoid these constitutional objections. Available from the Yale Law Journal, 401A Yale Station, New Haven, CT 06520. (Author/IRT)

  7. Singing in Primary Schools: Case Studies of Good Practice in Whole Class Vocal Tuition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamont, Alexandra; Daubney, Alison; Spruce, Gary

    2012-01-01

    Within the context of British initiatives in music education such as the Wider Opportunities programme in England and the recommendations of the Music Manifesto emphasising the importance of singing in primary schools, the current paper explores examples of good practice in whole-class vocal tuition. The research included seven different primary…

  8. Tuition reimbursement for special education students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zirkel, P A

    1997-01-01

    The spring 1996 issue of The Future of Children on special education reviewed the legislative and litigation history of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This Revisiting article examines the impact of the two U.S. Supreme Court cases setting forth school districts' responsibility to reimburse parents of students with disabilities for private school tuition under certain circumstances. An extensive examination of published cases reveals that the number of cases litigated has increased but that the courts are no more likely to decide in favor of parents than they were before the Supreme Court rulings.

  9. A Study of Teacher Stereotypes: How Do Tuition-Free Teacher Candidates and General Undergraduates Think about Middle School and University Teachers in China?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zuo, Youxia; Zhao, Yufang; Peng, Chunhua; Chen, Youguo

    2017-01-01

    A tuition-free teacher candidate is an undergraduate who receives tuition-free teacher education and must work as a teacher in a middle school after their graduation. Tuition-free candidates are of the focus of many researchers; however, no study reports how tuition-free teacher candidates think about teachers. The present study explored stereotypes about middle school and university teachers held by teacher candidates. Specifically, we looked for the differences between the stereotypes held by the teacher candidates and general undergraduates. This study attempted to provide a potential tool to predict the actual willingness of teacher candidates to work as middle school teachers. University and middle school teachers were evaluated using descriptive phrases or words on a five-point Likert scale by 116 tuition-free teacher candidates and 155 general undergraduates. Exploratory factor analyses revealed a three-factor stereotype model including occupational cognition, occupational personality, and occupational emotion. Compared with general undergraduates, teacher candidates held more positive occupational personality and emotions toward middle school teachers; they held more negative occupational emotions toward university teachers. Further, the undergraduates' willingness to be middle school teachers positively correlated with positive occupational emotions and negatively correlated with negative occupational personality and emotions toward middle school teachers. This supported previous studies that individuals' professional willingness were influenced by their stereotypes about professions. PMID:28469587

  10. A Study of Teacher Stereotypes: How Do Tuition-Free Teacher Candidates and General Undergraduates Think about Middle School and University Teachers in China?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zuo, Youxia; Zhao, Yufang; Peng, Chunhua; Chen, Youguo

    2017-01-01

    A tuition-free teacher candidate is an undergraduate who receives tuition-free teacher education and must work as a teacher in a middle school after their graduation. Tuition-free candidates are of the focus of many researchers; however, no study reports how tuition-free teacher candidates think about teachers. The present study explored stereotypes about middle school and university teachers held by teacher candidates. Specifically, we looked for the differences between the stereotypes held by the teacher candidates and general undergraduates. This study attempted to provide a potential tool to predict the actual willingness of teacher candidates to work as middle school teachers. University and middle school teachers were evaluated using descriptive phrases or words on a five-point Likert scale by 116 tuition-free teacher candidates and 155 general undergraduates. Exploratory factor analyses revealed a three-factor stereotype model including occupational cognition, occupational personality, and occupational emotion. Compared with general undergraduates, teacher candidates held more positive occupational personality and emotions toward middle school teachers; they held more negative occupational emotions toward university teachers. Further, the undergraduates' willingness to be middle school teachers positively correlated with positive occupational emotions and negatively correlated with negative occupational personality and emotions toward middle school teachers. This supported previous studies that individuals' professional willingness were influenced by their stereotypes about professions.

  11. Fixing the Net Tuition Revenue Dilemma: The Dickinson College Story

    Science.gov (United States)

    Massa, Robert J.; Parker, Annette S.

    2007-01-01

    This chapter describes how Dickinson College, guided by a strategic plan, addressed its net tuition revenue problem through effective decision support, marketing and branding approaches, and pricing and financial aid strategies. The college's strategic plan guides allocation of resources toward fulfilling the college's purpose of providing an…

  12. The tuition fee ‘shock’: Analysing the response of first-year students to a spatially discontinuous policy change in Germany

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mitze, Timo Friedel; Burgard, Claudia; Alecke, Björn

    2015-01-01

    students. Second, changes in migration behaviour are sensitive to geographical distance. Finally, comparing different types of higher education institutions, we find that the migration effect is larger for universities compared to technical colleges and colleges of arts or music....... variation in tuition fee regimes as a result of a Federal Constitutional Court decision. Our empirical results show that the introduction of tuition fees had a particular impact on student migration. We observe three effects: first, male students show a stronger migration response compared to female...

  13. Florida's Prepaid College Tuition Program: Marketing a Pre-Need Service.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gauff, Joseph F., Jr.

    1994-01-01

    A discussion of Florida's college tuition prepayment program describes the plan and its options and examines its marketing implications as a preneed service. It is concluded that the program makes saving for college easy, economical, and completely safe but requires rethinking of conventional marketing strategies and mix. (MSE)

  14. Tuition reduction is the key factor determining tax burden of graduate students under the Tax Cuts and Job Act [version 2; referees: 2 approved

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patricia M. Lawston

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Background: The proposed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R.1 has stirred significant public debate on the future of American economics.  While supporters of the plan have championed it as a necessity for economic revitalization, detractors have pointed out areas of serious concern, particularly for low- and middle-income Americans.  One particularly alarming facet of the plan is the radical change to education finance programs and taxation of students in higher education.  Methods:  By analyzing actual income and tuition of a public and a private university student, as well as the ‘average’ graduate student, we investigated the effect of both the House and Senate versions of H.R. 1 on taxation of students of various family structures.  Results:  Our findings indicate that taxable tuition would be the greatest contributor to graduate student tax burden across all four categories of filing status.  However, when tuition reduction is upheld or a student is on sustaining fees rather than full tuition, graduate students would realize decreases in taxation. Conclusions:  Overall, we conclude that removal of tuition reduction would result in enormous tax burdens for graduate students and their families and that these effects are dependent not only on the status of the student in their degree program but also on their tuition and stipend, and therefore the institution they attend.

  15. Description and comparison of pharmacy technician training programs in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Douglas C; Draime, Juanita A; Anderson, Timothy S

    2016-01-01

    To describe pharmacy technician training programs in the United States and to compare pharmacy technician program characteristics between programs with and without a pharmacist on faculty and between programs with different accreditation status. Descriptive, cross-sectional study. Not applicable. United States pharmacy technician programs. Not applicable. Student class size, faculty credentials, coursework components, program length, tuition rates, and admission criteria. Currently, there are more than 698 pharmacy technician programs across 1114 campuses, with complete data available for 216 programs. Programs varied widely in terms of class sizes, faculty credentials, and admission criteria. Programs with pharmacists on faculty were significantly less expensive than were those without pharmacists (P = 0.009). Accreditation had no impact on tuition prices. This is the first study of its kind to describe and characterize pharmacy technician training programs. There is relatively little control of technician training by the profession of pharmacy. The quality of these programs in terms of student outcomes is unknown, and it should be explored. Rigorous debate and discussion is needed regarding the future of pharmacy technician roles and the training required for those roles. Copyright © 2016 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Video-based instructions for surgical hand disinfection as a replacement for conventional tuition? A randomised, blind comparative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, Uwe; Constantinescu, Mihai A; Woermann, Ulrich; Schmitz, Felix; Schnabel, Kai

    2016-01-01

    Various different learning methods are available for planning tuition regarding the introduction to surgical hand disinfection. These learning methods should help to organise and deal with this topic. The use of a video film is an alternative to conventional tuition due to the real presentation possibilities of practical demonstration. This study examines by way of comparison which form of communication is more effective for learning and applying surgical hand disinfection for medical students in their first year of studies: video-based instruction or conventional tuition. A total of 50 first-year medical students were randomly allocated either to the "Conventional Instruction" (CI) study group or to the "Video-based Instruction" (VI) study group. The conventional instruction was carried out by an experienced nurse preceptor/nurse educator for the operating theatre who taught the preparatory measures and the actual procedure in a two-minute lesson. The second group watched a two-minute video sequence with identical content. Afterwards, both groups demonstrated practically the knowledge they had acquired at an individual practical test station. The quality (a) of the preparation and (b) of the procedure as well as (c) the quality of the results was assessed by 6 blind experts using a check list. The acceptability of the respective teaching method was also asked about using a questionnaire. The group performance did not differ either in the preparation (t=-78, pvideo-based instruction achieved a significantly better result. In response to the question as to which of the two learning methods they would prefer, the significant majority (60.4%) of students stated video instruction. In this study, the use of the video-based instruction emerged as the more effective teaching method for learning surgical hand disinfection for medical students and is preferable to conventional instruction. The video instruction is associated with a higher learning effectiveness, efficiency

  17. The Evolution of Student Activism and Its Influence on Tuition Fees in South Korean Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, Jung Cheol; Kim, Hoon-Ho; Choi, Hong-Sam

    2014-01-01

    This article briefly overviews the student movement working for political democratisation during the authoritarian governments in South Korea. The article focuses on how student activism has changed as a reflection of political developments from the dictatorship through to the civilian democratic governments. Further, it analyses how tuition-fee…

  18. Are tuition-free primary education policies associated with lower infant and neonatal mortality in low- and middle-income countries?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quamruzzaman, Amm; Mendoza Rodríguez, José M; Heymann, Jody; Kaufman, Jay S; Nandi, Arijit

    2014-11-01

    Robust evidence from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) suggests that maternal education is associated with better child health outcomes. However, whether or not policies aimed at increasing access to education, including tuition-free education policies, contribute to lower infant and neonatal mortality has not been empirically tested. We joined country-level data on national education policies for 37 LMICs to information on live births to young mothers aged 15-21 years, who were surveyed as part of the population-based Demographic and Health Surveys. We used propensity scores to match births to mothers who were exposed to a tuition-free primary education policy with births to mothers who were not, based on individual-level, household, and country-level characteristics, including GDP per capita, urbanization, and health expenditures per capita. Multilevel logistic regression models, fitted using generalized estimating equations, were used to estimate the effect of exposure to tuition-free primary education policies on the risk of infant and neonatal mortality. We also tested whether this effect was modified by household socioeconomic status. The propensity score matched samples for analyses of infant and neonatal mortality comprised 24,396 and 36,030 births, respectively, from 23 countries. Multilevel regression analyses showed that, on average, exposure to a tuition-free education policy was associated with 15 (95% CI=-32, 1) fewer infant and 5 (95% CI=-13, 4) fewer neonatal deaths per 1000 live births. We found no strong evidence of heterogeneity of this effect by socioeconomic level. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  19. The student and the ovum: The lack of autonomy and informed consent in trading genes for tuition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Papadimos Alexa T

    2004-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Rising tuition costs have forced university students to become creative in finding ways to fund their education. Some female university students have decided that ova donation may be an acceptable alternative in which to pay for their tuition. This alternative presents itself because of the insufficient number of ova available for assisted reproduction and emerging stem cell technologies. Young female university students are encouraged by Internet sources and respectable electronic and print media to donate their ova in the cause of assisted reproduction for monetary compensation. While university students generally exhibit autonomy, the constraining influence of their financial predicament compromises the elements of informed consent (voluntariness, competence, capacity, understanding, and disclosure as to their making an autonomous decision in regard to egg donation. Thus, any moral possibility of giving informed consent is negated. Informed consent can only occur through autonomy. A female university student in need of financial resources to pay for her education cannot make an autonomous choice to trade her genes for tuition. Donated ova are not only needed for assisted reproduction, but for stem cell technologies. While the long-term health of women who donate their ova is of concern (a potential risk of cancer after long term use of ovulation induction, of equal concern is the possibility of a growth in the trade of ova targeting third world and Eastern European women where the precedence for autonomy and informed consent is not well established.

  20. The Impact of Tuition Fees and Support on University Participation in the UK. CEE DP 126

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dearden, Lorraine; Fitzsimons, Emla; Wyness, Gill

    2011-01-01

    Understanding how policy can affect university education is important for understanding how governments can promote human capital accumulation. This paper exploits historic changes to university funding policies in the UK to estimate the impact of tuition fees and maintenance grants on university participation. Previous work on this, which largely…

  1. Improving Quality: How Leaders Advance Student Engagement at Private, Tuition-Driven Institutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sluis, Kimberly A.

    2017-01-01

    Students and families, lawmakers, and the general public have become increasingly concerned about the quality of U.S. higher education. Given the competitive higher education landscape, private, tuition-driven colleges and universities are particularly vulnerable to concerns about quality. This study investigates how faculty and administrative…

  2. The Price of Higher Education: How Rational Is British Tuition Fee Policy?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Brian

    2010-01-01

    This article examines the introduction of variable tuition fees for university students in the UK--an initiative that has become totemic in British higher education policy. The article seeks to identify the origin of this policy, using the work of Michael Oakeshott (1962) as a framework for discussing the rationality of new Labour. The rhetoric of…

  3. In My Own Time: Tuition Fees, Class Time and Student Effort in Non-Formal (Or Continuing) Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolli, Thomas; Johnes, Geraint

    2015-01-01

    We develop and empirically test a model which examines the impact of changes in class time and tuition fees on student effort in the form of private study. The data come from the European Union's Adult Education Survey, conducted over the period 2005-2008. We find, in line with theoretical predictions, that the time students devote to private…

  4. Students' Voices: A Report of the Student View of Dyslexia Study Skills Tuition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirwan, Bernadette; Leather, Carol

    2011-01-01

    This article reports research using case studies of 22 university students receiving study skills development funded by the Disabled Student's Allowance at an independent dyslexia consultancy. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. The students identify the primary benefits of the tuition as: developing an understanding of dyslexia…

  5. Tuition Pricing and Aid Strategies: A Practical Approach. AIR 1994 Annual Forum Paper.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fine, Paul L.

    This paper examines the applicability of net tuition revenue models for a highly selective, elite priced, private research university in the southern U.S. Pricing and aid strategies for this university seem to be driven by intuitive assumptions about the economy, market forces, needs-blind admissions, student satisfaction, net price…

  6. Much Ado about €500: Do Tuition Fees Keep German Students from Entering University? Evidence from a Natural Experiment Using DiD Matching Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baier, Tina; Helbig, Marcel

    2014-01-01

    This paper estimates the effect of tuition fees on enrolment behaviour among prospective students in Germany. According to the rational choice theory (RCT), we argue that due to the higher costs brought on by such fees tuition fees should have a negative effect on student's enrolment. This should be even more pronounced among prospective students…

  7. Assessing Tuition and Student Aid Strategies: Using Price-Response Measures to Simulate Pricing Alternatives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    St. John, Edward P.

    1994-01-01

    A study used price-response measures from recent national studies to assess college and university pricing (tuition and student aid) alternatives in diverse institutional settings. It is concluded that such analyses are feasible. Analysis indicated limits to "Robin Hood" pricing patterns are predominant in private colleges. Consideration…

  8. Video-based instructions for surgical hand disinfection as a replacement for conventional tuition? A randomised, blind comparative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weber, Uwe

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Various different learning methods are available for planning tuition regarding the introduction to surgical hand disinfection. These learning methods should help to organise and deal with this topic. The use of a video film is an alternative to conventional tuition due to the real presentation possibilities of practical demonstration. Objective: This study examines by way of comparison which form of communication is more effective for learning and applying surgical hand disinfection for medical students in their first year of studies: video-based instruction or conventional tuition. Methodology: A total of 50 first-year medical students were randomly allocated either to the “Conventional Instruction” (CI study group or to the “Video-based Instruction” (VI study group. The conventional instruction was carried out by an experienced nurse preceptor/nurse educator for the operating theatre who taught the preparatory measures and the actual procedure in a two-minute lesson. The second group watched a two-minute video sequence with identical content. Afterwards, both groups demonstrated practically the knowledge they had acquired at an individual practical test station. The quality (a of the preparation and (b of the procedure as well as (c the quality of the results was assessed by 6 blind experts using a check list. The acceptability of the respective teaching method was also asked about using a questionnaire.Results: The group performance did not differ either in the preparation (=-78, <0.44 or in the quality (=-99, <0.34. With respect to performance, it was possible to demonstrate a strong treatment effect. In the practical (=-3.33, <0.002, =0.943 and in the total score (=-2.65, <0.011, =0.751, the group with video-based instruction achieved a significantly better result. In response to the question as to which of the two learning methods they would prefer, the significant majority (60.4% of students stated video instruction

  9. Who Gets the Credit? Who Pays the Consequences? The Illinois Tuition Tax Credit. Special Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pathak, Arohi; Keenan, Nancy

    In 1999, Illinois enacted a tuition tax credit program. Tax credit supporters suggest tax credits help low-income students. However, opponents argue that they disproportionately benefit higher-income families whose children are already attending private schools and may decrease already limited resources available to public schools. New data from…

  10. Administrators' Pay Rises Less than Inflation Rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blum, Debra E.

    1990-01-01

    For the second time in three years, raises for administrators have fallen behind the inflation rate, says a survey conducted by the College and University Personnel Association. At public institutions increases have remained stable. At private institutions, which rely on tuition to finance their payroll, raises tended to vary more. (MLW)

  11. The Crowd in Mind and Crowded Minds: An Experimental Investigation of Crowding Effects on Students' Views Regarding Tuition Fees in Germany

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hellmann, Jens H.; Jucks, Regina

    2017-01-01

    In higher education, just amounts of tuition fees are often a topic of heated debate among different groups such as students, university teachers, administrative staff, and policymakers. We investigated whether unpleasant situations that students often experience at university due to social crowding can affect students' views on the justified…

  12. Tuition Tax Credits and Vouchers: Political Finance Alternatives Rather than Rational Alternatives to Education Finance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Robert G.

    This paper describes the use of tuition tax credits and vouchers as political alternatives of choice and competition in a progressive society. School and public administration theorists identify two distinct finance models: the rational and the political. The first part of this paper examines and describes these two models. The next part…

  13. Determinants of Participation and Expenditure Patterns of Private Tuition Received by Primary School Students in Penang, Malaysia: An Exploratory Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jelani, Juliana; Tan, Andrew K. G.

    2012-01-01

    In this exploratory study, the censored Tobit model is applied on primary data collected amongst parents of primary school students in Penang, Malaysia to examine the determinants of participation and expenditures on private tuition (PT). Results of the marginal effects indicate that socio-demographic characteristics--ethnicity, household income,…

  14. The Fiscal Impact of Tax-Credit Scholarships in Montana. School Choice Issues in the State

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gottlob, Brian

    2009-01-01

    Many states have enacted or are considering proposals to give tax credits for contributions that provide tuition scholarships for students in K-12 schools to attend the private or public schools of their choice. This study seeks to inform the public and policymakers about the implications for Montana if the state were to enact such a program. The…

  15. Exploring the Impact of the Increased Tuition Fees on Academic Staffs’ Experiences in Post-92 Universities: A Small-Scale Qualitative Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth A. Bates

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The introduction of the new tuition fee regime in the UK academic session 2012–2013 has resulted in concerns in the Higher Education (HE community that students’ expectations may become unmanageable. Previous research has explored the expectations and experiences of undergraduate psychology students; the current study extended this by considering whether the increased tuition fees have changed the experiences of academic staff in HE. To achieve this, five semi-structured interviews with psychology staff in two post-92 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs were undertaken. Results suggested staff perceptions have undergone minimal change in their day-to-day experiences. However, perceptions of the wider HE issues, such as meeting targets and fulfilling requirements of the role, appear to be enhanced following the contextual changes of HE. Finally, the results reported here suggest generally good staff satisfaction, regardless of these changing times within the sector. Future research and the need for more widespread, large scale studies are discussed.

  16. Do State-Based Policies Have an Impact on Teen Birth Rates and Teen Abortion Rates in the United States?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chevrette, Marianne; Abenhaim, Haim Arie

    2015-10-01

    The United States has one of the highest teen birth rates among developed countries. Interstate birth rates and abortion rates vary widely, as do policies on abortion and sex education. The objective of our study is to assess whether US state-level policies regarding abortion and sexual education are associated with different teen birth and teen abortion rates. We carried out a state-level (N = 51 [50 states plus the District of Columbia]) retrospective observational cross-sectional study, using data imported from the National Vital Statistics System. State policies were obtained from the Guttmacher Institute. We used descriptive statistics and regression analysis to study the association of different state policies with teen birth and teen abortion rates. The state-level mean birth rates, when stratifying between policies protective and nonprotective of teen births, were not statistically different-for sex education policies, 39.8 of 1000 vs 45.1 of 1000 (P = .2187); for mandatory parents' consent to abortion 45 of 1000, vs 38 of 1000 when the minor could consent (P = .0721); and for deterrents to abortion, 45.4 of 1000 vs 37.4 of 1000 (P = .0448). Political affiliation (35.1 of 1000 vs 49.6 of 1000, P births. Lower teen abortion rates were, however, associated with restrictive abortion policies, specifically lower in states with financial barriers, deterrents to abortion, and requirement for parental consent. While teen birth rates do not appear to be influenced by state-level sex education policies, state-level policies that restrict abortion appear to be associated with lower state teen abortion rates. Copyright © 2015 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. "If I Play My Sax My Parents Are Nice to Me": Opportunity and Motivation in Musical Instrument and Singing Tuition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Driscoll, Jennifer

    2009-01-01

    Little consideration has been given to the factors which motivate children to take up music tuition, or their reasons for giving up. In part, this is a reflection of the limited extent to which children have been consulted directly in relation to issues exclusively affecting them. This study considered opportunity and motivation for young people…

  18. Financing Community Colleges: A Longitudinal Study of 11 States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kenton, Carol Piper; Huba, Mary E.; Schuh, John H.; Shelley II, Mack C.

    2005-01-01

    This study examined the financing patterns of 212 community colleges in 11 midwestern states during the decade of the 1990s using the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Support from state appropriations declined between 1990 and 2000, and reliance on tuition and fees increased between 1990 and 1995, although both trends were…

  19. Lung Cancer Rates by State

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... the Biggest Cancer Killer in Both Men and Women” Stay Informed Rates by State for Other Kinds of Cancer All Cancers Combined Breast Cervical Colorectal (Colon) HPV-Associated Ovarian Prostate Skin Uterine Cancer Home Lung Cancer Rates by State Language: English (US) ...

  20. Slight Decline in Use of Private School Tuition Vouchers in 2010-2011: Loss of Schools Results in Fewer Students. Research Brief. Volume 99, Number 2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dickman, Anneliese; Schmidt, Jeffrey

    2011-01-01

    For the first time since its 1998 expansion to include religious schools, enrollment in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) did not grow in the 2010-2011 school year. Currently, 20,996 private school students receive taxpayer-funded tuition vouchers (of $6,442 per pupil), a decrease of 66 students over last year. Chart 1 shows program…

  1. The Language of the Internet – The Use of Concessive Conjunctions in Blogs by Companies Providing Private Tuition

    OpenAIRE

    Jindřiška Kraťkova

    2017-01-01

    Concessions are said to be a key aspect of English semantics because concessive constructions create a place for contrast, i.e. contradicting relations. Several studies have been carried out on this topic (i.e. on the positioning of conjunctions, linguistic interference, etc.). The aim of this paper is to focus on the frequency of use of the most common concessive conjunctions in Internet discussions with native speakers who give private tuition. The focus is primarily on the main, most commo...

  2. Higher USA State Resident Neuroticism Is Associated With Lower State Volunteering Rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCann, Stewart J H

    2017-12-01

    Highly neurotic persons have dispositional characteristics that tend to precipitate social anxiety that discourages formal volunteering. With the 50 American states as analytical units, Study 1 found that state resident neuroticism correlated highly ( r = -.55) with state volunteering rates and accounted for another 26.8% of the volunteering rate variance with selected state demographics controlled. Study 2 replicated Study 1 during another period and extended the association to college student, senior, secular, and religious volunteering rates. Study 3 showed state resident percentages engaged in other social behaviors involving more familiarity and fewer demands than formal volunteering related to state volunteering rates but not to neuroticism. In Study 4, state resident neuroticism largely accounted statistically for relations between state volunteering rates and state population density, collectivism, social capital, Republican preference, and well-being. This research is the first to show that state resident neuroticism is a potent predictor of state volunteering rates.

  3. Breast Cancer Rates by State

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Associated Lung Ovarian Prostate Skin Uterine Cancer Home Breast Cancer Rates by State Language: English (US) Español (Spanish) ... from breast cancer each year. Rates of Getting Breast Cancer by State The number of people who get ...

  4. The Language of the Internet – The Use of Concessive Conjunctions in Blogs by Companies Providing Private Tuition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jindřiška Kraťkova

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Concessions are said to be a key aspect of English semantics because concessive constructions create a place for contrast, i.e. contradicting relations. Several studies have been carried out on this topic (i.e. on the positioning of conjunctions, linguistic interference, etc.. The aim of this paper is to focus on the frequency of use of the most common concessive conjunctions in Internet discussions with native speakers who give private tuition. The focus is primarily on the main, most commonly used concessive conjunctions in tutoring blogs.

  5. State variation in rates of cesarean and VBAC delivery: 1989 and 1993.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clarke, S C; Taffel, S M

    1996-01-01

    There is wide variation among states in rates of cesarean and vaginal births after cesarean (VBAC) deliveries. In general, states in the South have the highest cesarean rates, states in the West have the lowest, and states in the Northeast and Midwest are intermediate. Louisiana had the highest overall rate in 1993 (27.7 per 100 births) while Alaska had the lowest rate (15.2). The majority of states had declines in their cesarean rate between 1989 and 1993. Patterns in primary cesarean rates are similar to those of the overall rate-states in the South generally have the highest rates while states in the West have the lowest rates. Primary cesarean rates ranged between a high of 19.6 in Louisiana to a low of 10.6 in Wisconsin. In general, states with low cesarean rates have among the highest rates of VBAC delivery. Alaska had the highest VBAC rate (40.0), which was almost quadruple the rate of Louisiana (11.2), the state with the lowest rate. Most states had substantial increases in VBAC rates between 1989 and 1993. When examining cesarean rates by maternal age and birth order, states with the highest overall rates also have among the highest age/birth order-specific rates. Cesarean rates were lowest for mothers under 25 years of age having a second or higher order birth in Alaska, 10.4, and highest for mothers 35 years of age or over having a first birth in Mississippi, 51.3. Standardized cesarean rates which were adjusted for differences between states in maternal age and birth order distributions did not diminish the variation among areas.

  6. On rate-state and Coulomb failure models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomberg, J.; Beeler, N.; Blanpied, M.

    2000-01-01

    We examine the predictions of Coulomb failure stress and rate-state frictional models. We study the change in failure time (clock advance) Δt due to stress step perturbations (i.e., coseismic static stress increases) added to "background" stressing at a constant rate (i.e., tectonic loading) at time t0. The predictability of Δt implies a predictable change in seismicity rate r(t)/r0, testable using earthquake catalogs, where r0 is the constant rate resulting from tectonic stressing. Models of r(t)/r0, consistent with general properties of aftershock sequences, must predict an Omori law seismicity decay rate, a sequence duration that is less than a few percent of the mainshock cycle time and a return directly to the background rate. A Coulomb model requires that a fault remains locked during loading, that failure occur instantaneously, and that Δt is independent of t0. These characteristics imply an instantaneous infinite seismicity rate increase of zero duration. Numerical calculations of r(t)/r0 for different state evolution laws show that aftershocks occur on faults extremely close to failure at the mainshock origin time, that these faults must be "Coulomb-like," and that the slip evolution law can be precluded. Real aftershock population characteristics also may constrain rate-state constitutive parameters; a may be lower than laboratory values, the stiffness may be high, and/or normal stress may be lower than lithostatic. We also compare Coulomb and rate-state models theoretically. Rate-state model fault behavior becomes more Coulomb-like as constitutive parameter a decreases relative to parameter b. This is because the slip initially decelerates, representing an initial healing of fault contacts. The deceleration is more pronounced for smaller a, more closely simulating a locked fault. Even when the rate-state Δt has Coulomb characteristics, its magnitude may differ by some constant dependent on b. In this case, a rate-state model behaves like a modified

  7. The Implications of State Fiscal Policies for Community Colleges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dowd, Alicia C.; Shieh, Linda Taing

    2014-01-01

    A variety of policies and practices, including those developed by local boards and administrations, as well as those mandated by state and federal governments, affect budgets and finances at community colleges. Examples include tuition policies, fee structures, performance-based funding, and personnel policies. This chapter explores some of the…

  8. Administrative trends in U.S. dental schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Martin M; Rodriguez, Angel; Chen, Rebecca Y; Fu, Earl; Liao, Shu-Yi; Karimbux, Nadeem Y

    2014-11-01

    The aims of this study were to analyze the administrative trends in U.S. dental schools at the beginning and end of a thirteen-year period and to identify the predictive factors for those changes. Administrative trends were measured by the difference in the number of major administrative positions for 1997 and 2010 reported in American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and American Dental Association (ADA) publications. Secondary measures (program length, student enrollment, and tuition) were also gathered. The mean numbers of administrative positions per school significantly increased over the study period, while the mean number of clinical science departments per school significantly decreased. The change in the number of directors was positively correlated with the change in student enrollment, but inversely correlated with the change in number of vice/associate/assistant deans. The change in the number of clinical science departments was positively correlated with changes in student enrollment and out-of-state tuition, but inversely correlated with the change in in-state tuition. The number of all departments per U.S. dental school significantly decreased in this period. The schools that had consolidation of clinical science departments were less likely to have increases in student enrollment and out-of-state tuition, but more likely to have increases in in-state tuition.

  9. Variations in teenage birth rates, 1991-98: national and state trends.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ventura, S J; Curtin, S C; Mathews, T J

    2000-04-24

    This report presents national birth rates for teenagers for 1991-98 and the percent change, 1991-98. State-specific teenage birth rates by age, race, and Hispanic origin for 1991 and 1998 and the percent change, 1991 to 1998, are also presented. Tabular and graphical descriptions of the trends in teenage birth rates for the Nation and each State, by age group, race, and Hispanic origin of the mother, are discussed. Birth rates for teenagers 15-19 years declined nationally between 1991 and 1998 for all age and race and Hispanic origin populations, with the steepest declines recorded for black teenagers. State-specific rates fell significantly in all States for ages 15-19 years; declines ranged from 10 to 38 percent. In general, rates by State fell more for younger than for older teenagers, ranging by State from 10 to 46 percent for ages 15-17 years. Statistically significant reductions for older teenagers ranged from 3 to 39 percent. Reductions by State were largest for black teenagers 15-19 years, with rates falling 30 percent or more in 15 States. Among the factors accounting for these declines are decreased sexual activity, increases in condom use, and the adoption of the implant and injectable contraceptives.

  10. Financing Early Childhood Education Programs: State, Federal, and Local Issues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hustedt, Jason T.; Barnett, W. Steven

    2011-01-01

    The landscape of financing early childhood education in the U.S. is complex. Programs run the gamut from tuition-supported private centers to public programs supported by federal, state, or local funds. Different funding streams are poorly coordinated. The federal government funds several major targeted programs that are available only to specific…

  11. THE PRIVATE COST OF NATIONAL CERTIFICATE IN EDUCATION (NCE: Through National Teachers Institute Distance learning Programme in Ekiti State, Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthew BORODE

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The study is set out to examine the private cost of National Certificate in Education, through the distance learning mode as organized by the National Teachers Institute (NTI Ekiti State branch in Nigeria. This was to open the eyes of the prospective students to know what on the average he has to spend and also to provide data for the state chapters of the institute on how to ease the burden of the students undergoing the course. The study made use of cross-sectional data retrieval format to collect the necessary information needed for the three circles contact period. The data was analyzed using arithmetic mean and percentages. It was found out that tuition fees accounted for the percentages of students’ expenditure, followed by examination fees, and mid-day meal. Library, sports and development levy are not relevant for this type of student. The federal Government of Nigeria could subsidize the tuition fees for the prospective grade II teachers so as to ease their problem because majority of them are unemployed.

  12. Cost and Price Increases in Higher Education: Evidence of a Cost Disease on Higher Education Costs and Tuition Prices and the Implications for Higher Education Policy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trombella, Jerry

    2011-01-01

    As concern over rapidly rising college costs and tuition sticker prices have increased, a variety of research has been conducted to determine potential causes. Most of this research has focused on factors unique to higher education. In contrast, cost disease theory attempts to create a comparative context to explain cost increases in higher…

  13. Vital Signs: Trends in State Suicide Rates - United States, 1999-2016 and Circumstances Contributing to Suicide - 27 States, 2015.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stone, Deborah M; Simon, Thomas R; Fowler, Katherine A; Kegler, Scott R; Yuan, Keming; Holland, Kristin M; Ivey-Stephenson, Asha Z; Crosby, Alex E

    2018-06-08

    Suicide rates in the United States have risen nearly 30% since 1999, and mental health conditions are one of several factors contributing to suicide. Examining state-level trends in suicide and the multiple circumstances contributing to it can inform comprehensive state suicide prevention planning. Trends in age-adjusted suicide rates among persons aged ≥10 years, by state and sex, across six consecutive 3-year periods (1999-2016), were assessed using data from the National Vital Statistics System for 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data from the National Violent Death Reporting System, covering 27 states in 2015, were used to examine contributing circumstances among decedents with and without known mental health conditions. During 1999-2016, suicide rates increased significantly in 44 states, with 25 states experiencing increases >30%. Rates increased significantly among males and females in 34 and 43 states, respectively. Fifty-four percent of decedents in 27 states in 2015 did not have a known mental health condition. Among decedents with available information, several circumstances were significantly more likely among those without known mental health conditions than among those with mental health conditions, including relationship problems/loss (45.1% versus 39.6%), life stressors (50.5% versus 47.2%), and recent/impending crises (32.9% versus 26.0%), but these circumstances were common across groups. Suicide rates increased significantly across most states during 1999-2016. Various circumstances contributed to suicides among persons with and without known mental health conditions. States can use a comprehensive evidence-based public health approach to prevent suicide risk before it occurs, identify and support persons at risk, prevent reattempts, and help friends and family members in the aftermath of a suicide.

  14. Terrestrial gamma dose rate in Pahang state Malaysia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gabdo, H.T.; Federal College of Education, Yola; Ramli, A.T.; Sanusi, M.S.; Saleh, M.A.; Garba, N.N.; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

    2014-01-01

    Environmental terrestrial gamma radiations (TGR) were measured in Pahang state Malaysia between January and April 2013. The TGR dose rates ranged from 26 to 750 nGy h -1 . The measurements were done based on geology and soil types of the area. The mean TGR dose rate was found to be 176 ± 5 nGy h -1 . Few areas of relatively enhanced activity were located in Raub, Temerloh, Bentong and Rompin districts. These areas have external gamma dose rates of between 500 and 750 nGy h -1 . An Isodose map of the state was produced using ArcGIS9 software version 9.3. To evaluate the radiological hazard due to terrestrial gamma dose, the annual effective dose equivalent and the mean population weighted dose rate were calculated and found to be 0.22 mSv year -1 and 168 nGy h -1 respectively. (author)

  15. 2004-05 Performance Year Ratings Impacting Fiscal Year 2005-06. South Carolina State University. Sector: Four-Year Colleges and Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    This series of documents contains performance scoring information for 2004-2005 for individual institutions of higher education in South Carolina. This information is used in establishing 2005-2006 fiscal year allocations. Data includes: (1) Degrees Awarded; (2) Enrollment; (3) Average SAT score; (4) Faculty; (5) Tuition; and (6) Financial…

  16. Lowering the Cost Barrier to Higher Education for Undocumented Students: A Promising University-Level Intervention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thangasamy, Andrew; Horan, Deborah

    2016-01-01

    Undocumented students, many of Hispanic origin, face among the strictest cost barriers to higher education in the United States. Lack of legal status excludes them from most state and all federal financial aid programs. Furthermore, most states require them to pay out-of-state tuition rates at publicly supported institutions. In a new direction,…

  17. Pump--probe measurements of state-to-state rotational energy transfer rates in N2 (v=1)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sitz, G.O.; Farrow, R.L.

    1990-01-01

    We report direct measurements of the state-to-state rotational energy transfer rates for N 2 (υ=1) at 298 K. Stimulated Raman pumping of Q-branch (υ=1 left-arrow 0) transitions is used to prepare a selected rotational state of N 2 in the υ=1 state. After allowing an appropriate time interval for collisions to occur, 2+2 resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization is used (through the a 1 Π g left-arrow X 1 Σ + g transition) to detect the relative population of the pumped level and other levels to which rotational energy transfer has occurred. We have performed a series of measurements in which a single even rotational level (J i =0--14) is excited and the time-dependent level populations are recorded at three or more delay times. This data set is then globally fit to determine the best set of state-to-state rate constants. The fitting procedure does not place any constraints (such as an exponential gap law) on the J or energy dependence of the rates. We compare our measurements and best-fit rates with results predicted from phenomenological rate models and from a semiclassical scattering calculation of Koszykowski et al. [J. Phys. Chem. 91, 41 (1987)]. Excellent agreement is obtained with two of the models and with the scattering calculation. We also test the validity of the energy-corrected sudden (ECS) scaling theory for N 2 by using our experimental transfer rates as basis rates (J=L→0), finding that the ECS scaling expressions accurately predict the remaining rates

  18. Re-conceptualizing mother tongue tuition of Estonian abroad as a transnational phenomenon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maarja Siiner

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The governmental initiative called the Compatriots Programme, which supports language tuition in Estonian schools and societies abroad, reveals an increased interest in developing intergenerational language transmission in the growing Estonian diaspora. This transnational language political activity signals a new era in language policy, where nation states are increasingly decentralized by migration. The evaluation of the program furthermore reveals that organizing such schools requires a willingness to take language political agency, typically conducted by well-educated and well-integrated resourceful transnational multilingual parents. The present article outlines the results of an ethnographic study of the process of establishing the Estonian School in Copenhagen. This step has demanded a change in the mindset still prevailing in Estonia that language political activities, such as planning language acquisition, are solely the responsibility of the state. Since the prevailing language ideology in Denmark is not favorable towards multilingualism in migrant languages, intergenerational language transmission furthermore presupposes a feeling of ownership of the language and high language self-esteem. "Hargmaise keelepoliitika sünd. Eesti keeleõppe korraldamise võimalikkusest välismaal Taani näitel" Hargmaisus, kasvav väljarändajate arv ja sellega ka eesti keele rääkijate hulk välismaal on jätnud oma jälje eesti keelepoliitikale. Kui varem uuriti peamiselt seda, kuidas eesti keel muukeelses kontekstis muutub, siis viimasel kümnendil on riik asunud aktiivselt toetama eesti keele jätkuvat kasutamist välismaal, rahastades rahvuskaaslaste programmi abil haridusprogramme. Kuid millised faktorid määravad selle, kas uus eestlaste põlvkond oskab ja tahab eesti keelt rääkida? Artikkel hindab etnograafilises ja sotsiolingvistilises võtmes Kopenhaagenis kolm aastat tegutsenud Eesti Kooli ja Lasteklubi näitel, millised on keelekasutust

  19. Undocumented Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fields, Cheryl

    2005-01-01

    This article reports on the plight of undocumented immigrant students in the United States. Fights have been waged in various state legislatures over the past few years concerning whether undocumented immigrant students should be able to benefit from in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities. But a story in The Wall Street Journal…

  20. NCHS - Births and General Fertility Rates: United States

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — This dataset includes crude birth rates and general fertility rates in the United States since 1909. The number of states in the reporting area differ historically....

  1. The Concept of State Capacity: Comparative International Ratings against State Legitimacy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vladimir Gennadievich Ivanov

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In the given article, the author analyzes the concept of state capacity, widely popular among political scientists and international relations specialists. The author proves that the evaluations of the level of state capacity of the developing and postcommunist countries based on popular comparative ratings are generally biased because of methodological defects and discrepancy of the whole theory as well as politicization and indoctrination of the given ratings. The negative evaluations of the quality of the government and state capacity of a country could be used to discredit and delegitimize the political regime as well as substantiation of mass protests and color revolutions and a tool of information war. The author concludes that numerous comparative international ratings are often used as a tool of political influence.

  2. Premature death rates diverge in the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    An NCI press release on a study that shows premature death rates have declined in the United States among Hispanics, blacks, and Asian/Pacific Islanders but increased among whites and American Indian/Alaska Natives.

  3. An Analysis of Student Fees: The Roles of States and Institutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelchen, Robert

    2016-01-01

    Student fees make up 20% of the total cost of tuition and fees at the typical four-year public, yet little research has been conducted to examine institutional-level and state-level factors that may affect student fee charges. I use panel data to find that institutional selectivity and athletics spending do not influence student fee levels.…

  4. States with low non-fatal injury rates have high fatality rates and vice-versa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mendeloff, John; Burns, Rachel

    2013-05-01

    State-level injury rates or fatality rates are sometimes used in studies of the impact of various safety programs or other state policies. How much does the metric used affect the view of relative occupational risks among U.S. states? This paper uses a measure of severe injuries (fatalities) and of less severe injuries (non-fatal injuries with days away from work, restricted work, or job transfer-DART) to examine that issue. We looked at the correlation between the average DART injury rate (from the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses) and an adjusted average fatality rate (from the BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries) in the construction sector for states for 2003-2005 and for 2006-2008. The RAND Human Subjects Protection Committee determined that this study was exempt from review. The correlations between the fatal and non-fatal injury rates were between -0.30 and -0.70 for all construction and for the subsector of special trade contractors. The negative correlation was much smaller between the rate of fatal falls from heights and the rate of non-fatal falls from heights. Adjusting for differences in the industry composition of the construction sector across states had minor effects on these results. Although some have suggested that fatal and non-fatal injury rates should not necessarily be positively correlated, no one has suggested that the correlation is negative, which is what we find. We know that reported non-fatal rates are influenced by workers' compensation benefits and other factors. Fatality rates appear to be a more valid measure of risk. Efforts to explain the variations that we find should be undertaken. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Effects of rising tuition fees on medical school class composition and financial outlook.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwong, Jeff C; Dhalla, Irfan A; Streiner, David L; Baddour, Ralph E; Waddell, Andrea E; Johnson, Ian L

    2002-04-16

    Since 1997, tuition has more than doubled at Ontario medical schools but has remained relatively stable in other Canadian provinces. We sought to determine whether the increasing tuition fees in Ontario affected the demographic characteristics and financial outlook of medical students in that province as compared with those of medical students in the rest of Canada. As part of a larger Internet survey of all students at Canadian medical schools outside Quebec, conducted in January and February 2001, we compared the respondents from Ontario schools with those from the other schools (control group). Respondents were asked about their age, sex, self-reported family income (as a direct indicator of socioeconomic status), the first 3 digits of their postal code at graduation from high school (as an indirect indicator of socioeconomic status), and importance of financial considerations in choosing a specialty and location of practice. We used logistic regression models to see if temporal changes (1997 v. 2000) among Ontario medical students differed from those among medical students elsewhere in Canada apart from Quebec. Responses were obtained from 2994 (68.5%) of 4368 medical students. Across the medical schools, there was an increase in self-reported family income between 1997 and 2000 (p = 0.03). In Ontario, the proportion of respondents with a family income of less than $40,000 declined from 22.6% to 15.0%. However, compared with the control respondents, the overall rise in family income among Ontario students was not statistically significant. First-year Ontario students reported higher levels of expected debt at graduation than did graduating students (median $80,000 v. $57,000) (p financial situation was "very" or "extremely" stressful and to cite financial considerations as having a major influence on specialty choice or practice location. These differences were not observed in the control group. At Canadian medical schools, there are fewer students from low

  6. The Correlation of Sovereign Rating and Bonds’ Interest Rate in EU Member States

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emilian-Constantin MIRICESCU

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The importance of borrowing is fundamental for central public administration and it consists in sources of f nancing budget def cit and ref nanc-ing government debt. In the last years, a lot of countries had diff culties regarding the payment of public loans at their maturity due to the burden of government debt to GDP ratio. In this situa-tion, investors lose their conf dence not only in the country that is facing problems, but also in other states that pay their debt at maturity. For this reason, they are careful at any change that affects sovereign rating. From our investigation we found that sover-eign rating has a negative inf uence on bonds’ interest rate. As such, decision makers from central public administration should focus on improving sovereign ratings in order to decrease interest rates.

  7. Dampak Biaya Kuliah Tunggal Terhadap Kualitas Layanan Pendidikan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sumarno Sumarno

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to determine the differences in the number of single tuition fees and non-single tuition; the proportion of resources and the allocation of funds before and after the single tuition policy; and the quality of educational services by single tuition and non-single tuition college students. The data was collected from students and leaders at the University of Riau through questionnaires, documentation, and interviews. Data were analyzed descriptively and different test. The results show that the amount of a single tuition fee is not much different from the non-single tuition fee. The proportion of funding sources from the public increased after a single tuition policy, but the proportion of allocations for operational costs decreased. Single tuition college students rated the quality of educational services lower than the non-single tuition of students with significant differences. Single tuition does not significantly affect the quality of education services.

  8. Higher education: free tuition vs. quotas vs. targeted vouchers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduardo de Carvalho Andrade

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper compares theoretically three alternative university systems: the current one adopted in Brazil, in which students who perform better in the entering exam obtain the right to attend the public university without paying the full tuition; a system of affirmative action quotas in public universities, to benefit low income students; and a targeted vouchers system that can be used either to pay private or public university tuiton. The comparison indicates that the last system leads to: (i a higher quality of the labor force; (ii a more efficient allocation of resources; and (iii a greater social mobility.Este trabalho compara, do ponto de vista teórico, três sistemas universitários alternativos: o atual adotado pelo Brasil, no qual os alunos das universidades públicas, que são praticamente gratuitas, são escolhidos através de um processo seletivo; um sistema de quotas nas universidades públicas para beneficiar estudantes de baixa renda; e um sistema de vouchers direcionados para estudantes de baixa renda que podem ser utilizados nas universidades privadas ou públicas. A comparação destes três sistemas indica que o último é o mais eficiente, pois gera: (i maior qualidade da mão de obra; (ii alocação mais eficiente dos recursos; e (iii maior mobilidade social.

  9. Trends in College Pricing, 2016. Trends in Higher Education Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Jennifer; Baum, Sandy; Pender, Matea; Welch, Meredith

    2016-01-01

    In 2016-17, published tuition and fee prices rose slightly less than the year before. The rapid price growth observed during the Great Recession has abated, as typically happens when the economy recovers, but the rate of increase in tuition and fees continues to exceed inflation. More notable, however, is the pattern of the net prices students…

  10. Repository of Resources for Undocumented Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rincon, Alejandra

    2012-01-01

    Undocumented immigrants face tremendous difficulties when seeking a higher education. The imposition of out-of-state tuition fees effectively keeps them out of college in most of the United States. In 14 states, in-state tuition laws allow these students to pay lower fees and, in a few cases, access state financial aid. However, even in these 14…

  11. Effect of excited states on thermonuclear reaction rates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sargood, D.G.

    1983-01-01

    Values of the ratio of the thermonuclear reaction rate of a reaction, with target nuclei in a thermal distribution of energy states, to the reaction rate with all target nuclei in their ground states are tabulated for neutron, proton and α-particle induced reactions on the naturally occurring nuclei from 20 Ne to 70 Zn, at temperatures of 1, 2, 3.5 and 5x10 9 K. The ratios are determined from reaction rates based on statistical model cross sections

  12. The Association between State Policy Environments and Self-Rated Health Disparities for Sexual Minorities in the United States

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gilbert Gonzales

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available A large body of research has documented disparities in health and access to care for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB people in the United States. Less research has examined how the level of legal protection afforded to LGB people (the state policy environment affects health disparities for sexual minorities. This study used data on 14,687 sexual minority adults and 490,071 heterosexual adults from the 2014–2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to document differences in health. Unadjusted state-specific prevalence estimates and multivariable logistic regression models were used to compare poor/fair self-rated health by gender, sexual minority status, and state policy environments (comprehensive versus limited protections for LGB people. We found disparities in self-rated health between sexual minority adults and heterosexual adults in most states. On average, sexual minority men in states with limited protections and sexual minority women in states with either comprehensive or limited protections were more likely to report poor/fair self-rated health compared to their heterosexual counterparts. This study adds new findings on the association between state policy environments and self-rated health for sexual minorities and suggests differences in this relationship by gender. The associations and impacts of state-specific policies affecting LGB populations may vary by gender, as well as other intersectional identities.

  13. Analisis Arus Kas Terkait Kebijakan Uang Kuliah Tunggal di Perguruan Tinggi Negeri Badan Hukum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Surtiati Surtiati

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The aims of the research were to analyze cash flow and compare tuition income in a State University with Legal Entity of “XYZ” for its first year TPB students (the First Common Year and of the first year until the fourth year before and after implementation of the single tuition fee system and formulate the management policies for the tuition income after the single tuition fee system. Analysis of cash flows consisted of cash ratio, quick ratio and current ratio. Paired t-test was used to analyze differences between single tuition fee income and non single tuition fee income. Based on the cash flow analysis, it is found that the University of “XYZ” has a liquid financial condition. The significant difference is, moreover, detected from the paired t-test analysis between single and non single tuition fee of total income from the first year student tuition. However, there is no difference detected when the analysis was conducted for total income from all four year tuitions. Management policies tuition income after the single tuition fee system payment delays should be minimized so that tuition fee funds can be completely collected. The allocation of fees to the faculty/department was originally based on the BPMP, and BPMK uses a tariff system so that cost per subject does not necessarily correspond with the needs. This is not in accordance with the single tuition fee system that is based on the unit cost. This means that the cost of the course is based on real needs, not based on the rates set.Keywords: cash flow analysis, state university with legal entity, single tuition feeABSTRAKPenelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis arus kas, mengkaji perbedaan penerimaan SPP S1 Reguler satu tahun pertama bagi mahasiswa TPB dan tahun pertama sampai tahun ke empat sebelum dan sesudah kebijakan UKT di PTN Badan Hukum “XYZ. Selanjutnmya, merumuskan kebijakan pengelolaan SPP S1 reguler sesudah UKT. Analisis arus kas terdiri dari rasio kas, rasio cepat

  14. Chemical reaction rates and non-equilibrium pressure of reacting gas mixtures in the state-to-state approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kustova, Elena V.; Kremer, Gilberto M.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • State-to-state approach for coupled vibrational relaxation and chemical reactions. • Self-consistent model for rates of non-equilibrium reactions and energy transitions. • In viscous flows mass action law is violated. • Cross coupling between reaction rates and non-equilibrium pressure in viscous flow. • Results allow implementing the state-to-state approach for viscous flow simulations. - Abstract: Viscous gas flows with vibrational relaxation and chemical reactions in the state-to-state approach are analyzed. A modified Chapman–Enskog method is used for the determination of chemical reaction and vibrational transition rates and non-equilibrium pressure. Constitutive equations depend on the thermodynamic forces: velocity divergence and chemical reaction/transition affinity. As an application, N 2 flow with vibrational relaxation across a shock wave is investigated. Two distinct processes occur behind the shock: for small values of the distance the affinity is large and vibrational relaxation is in its initial stage; for large distances the affinity is small and the chemical reaction is in its final stage. The affinity contributes more to the transition rate than the velocity divergence and the effect of these two contributions are more important for small distances from the shock front. For the non-equilibrium pressure, the term associated with the bulk viscosity increases by a small amount the hydrostatic pressure

  15. Chemical reaction rates and non-equilibrium pressure of reacting gas mixtures in the state-to-state approach

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kustova, Elena V., E-mail: e.kustova@spbu.ru [Department of Mathematics and Mechanics, Saint Petersburg State University, 198504 Universitetskiy pr. 28, Saint Petersburg (Russian Federation); Kremer, Gilberto M., E-mail: kremer@fisica.ufpr.br [Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Caixa Postal 19044, 81531-980 Curitiba (Brazil)

    2014-12-05

    Highlights: • State-to-state approach for coupled vibrational relaxation and chemical reactions. • Self-consistent model for rates of non-equilibrium reactions and energy transitions. • In viscous flows mass action law is violated. • Cross coupling between reaction rates and non-equilibrium pressure in viscous flow. • Results allow implementing the state-to-state approach for viscous flow simulations. - Abstract: Viscous gas flows with vibrational relaxation and chemical reactions in the state-to-state approach are analyzed. A modified Chapman–Enskog method is used for the determination of chemical reaction and vibrational transition rates and non-equilibrium pressure. Constitutive equations depend on the thermodynamic forces: velocity divergence and chemical reaction/transition affinity. As an application, N{sub 2} flow with vibrational relaxation across a shock wave is investigated. Two distinct processes occur behind the shock: for small values of the distance the affinity is large and vibrational relaxation is in its initial stage; for large distances the affinity is small and the chemical reaction is in its final stage. The affinity contributes more to the transition rate than the velocity divergence and the effect of these two contributions are more important for small distances from the shock front. For the non-equilibrium pressure, the term associated with the bulk viscosity increases by a small amount the hydrostatic pressure.

  16. Social Protest and the Future of Higher Education in Puerto Rico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez, Victor M.

    2011-01-01

    In 2010, in thirty states across the nation, students and faculty members protested for access to public education and against tuition and fee hikes. A common theme of the protests was the fear that rising tuition would effectively privatize public higher education, making it inaccessible to a broad segment of the nation's youth. These protests…

  17. The Influence of the Student Mobility Rate on the Graduation Rate in the State of New Jersey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, Lavetta S.

    2016-01-01

    This study examined the influence of the student mobility rate on the high school graduation rate of schools in the state of New Jersey. Variables found to have an influence on the graduation rate in the extant literature were evaluated and reported. The analysis included multiple and hierarchical regression models for school variables (i.e.,…

  18. Attitude towards working in rural areas: a cross-sectional survey of rural-oriented tuition-waived medical students in Shaanxi, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jinlin; Zhang, Kun; Mao, Ying

    2018-05-02

    Attracting and recruiting health workers to work in rural areas is still a great challenge in China. The rural-oriented tuition-waived medical education (RTME) programme has been initiated and implemented in China since 2010. This study aimed to examine the attitudes of rural-oriented tuition-waived medical students (RTMSs) in Shaanxi towards working in rural areas and the related influencing factors. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2015 among 232 RTMSs in two medical universities from the first group of students enrolled in the RTME programme in Shaanxi. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used for the data analyses. Of the 230 valid responses, 92.6% expressed their intentions of breaking the contract for working in rural township hospitals for 6 years after their graduation under the RTME programme. After the contract expired, only 1.3% intended to remain in the rural areas, 66.5% had no intention of remaining, and 32.2% were unsure. The factors related to a positive attitude among the RTMSs towards working in rural areas (no intention of breaking the contract) included being female, having a mother educated at the level of primary school or below, having a good understanding of the policy, having a good cognition of the value of rural medical work, and being satisfied with the policy. The factors related to a positive attitude of the RTMSs towards remaining in rural areas included being female, having a rural origin, having no regular family monthly income, having a father whose occupation was farmer, having a mother educated at the level of postsecondary or above, having the RTMSs be the final arbiter of the policy choice, having a good understanding of the policy, having a good cognition of the value of rural medical work, and being satisfied with the educational scheme. Related policy makers and health workforce managers may benefit from the findings of this study. Appropriate strategies should be implemented to stimulate the RTMSs

  19. State-related differences in heart rate variability in bipolar disorder

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Faurholt-Jepsen, Maria; Brage, Søren; Kessing, Lars Vedel

    2017-01-01

    Heart rate variability (HRV) is a validated measure of sympato-vagal balance in the autonomic nervous system. HRV appears decreased in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) compared with healthy individuals, but the extent of state-related alterations has been sparingly investigated. The present...... bipolar disorder and could...

  20. Resolving the Nonresident Student Problem: Two Federal Proposals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palley, David B.

    1976-01-01

    Explains and describes the interstate barriers resulting from state tuition, financial aid, and admissions policies and analyzes courses open to states following a 1973 Supreme Court case and 18-year-old adulthood. The author recommends federal legislation to protect national interests in travel and in quality, low-tuition education. (Editor/JT)

  1. Teen Birth Rates for Urban and Rural Areas in the United States, 2007-2015.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamilton, Brady E; Rossen, Lauren M; Branum, Amy M

    2016-11-01

    Data from the National Vital Statistics System •Birth rates for teenagers aged 15-19 declined in urban and rural counties from 2007 through 2015, with the largest declines in large urban counties and the smallest declines in rural counties. •From 2007 through 2015, the teen birth rate was lowest in large urban counties and highest in rural counties. •Declines in teen birth rates in all urban counties between 2007 and 2015 were largest in Arizona, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Colorado, with 17 states experiencing a decline of 50% or more. •Declines in teen birth rates in all rural counties between 2007 and 2015 were largest (50% or more) in Colorado and Connecticut. •In 2015, teen birth rates were highest in rural counties and lowest in large urban counties for non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic females. Teen birth rates have demonstrated an unprecedented decline in the United States since 2007 (1). Declines occurred in all states and among all major racial and Hispanic-origin groups, yet disparities by both geography and demographic characteristics persist (2,3). Although teen birth rates and related declines have been described by state, patterns by urban-rural location have not yet been examined. This report describes trends in teen birth rates in urban (metropolitan) and rural (nonmetropolitan) areas in the United States overall and by state from 2007 through 2015 and by race and Hispanic origin for 2015. All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

  2. Ancestral state reconstruction, rate heterogeneity, and the evolution of reptile viviparity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, Benedict; Lee, Michael S Y

    2015-05-01

    Virtually all models for reconstructing ancestral states for discrete characters make the crucial assumption that the trait of interest evolves at a uniform rate across the entire tree. However, this assumption is unlikely to hold in many situations, particularly as ancestral state reconstructions are being performed on increasingly large phylogenies. Here, we show how failure to account for such variable evolutionary rates can cause highly anomalous (and likely incorrect) results, while three methods that accommodate rate variability yield the opposite, more plausible, and more robust reconstructions. The random local clock method, implemented in BEAST, estimates the position and magnitude of rate changes on the tree; split BiSSE estimates separate rate parameters for pre-specified clades; and the hidden rates model partitions each character state into a number of rate categories. Simulations show the inadequacy of traditional models when characters evolve with both asymmetry (different rates of change between states within a character) and heterotachy (different rates of character evolution across different clades). The importance of accounting for rate heterogeneity in ancestral state reconstruction is highlighted empirically with a new analysis of the evolution of viviparity in squamate reptiles, which reveal a predominance of forward (oviparous-viviparous) transitions and very few reversals. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  3. Introduction to State Estimation of High-Rate System Dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Jonathan; Laflamme, Simon; Dodson, Jacob; Joyce, Bryan

    2018-01-13

    Engineering systems experiencing high-rate dynamic events, including airbags, debris detection, and active blast protection systems, could benefit from real-time observability for enhanced performance. However, the task of high-rate state estimation is challenging, in particular for real-time applications where the rate of the observer's convergence needs to be in the microsecond range. This paper identifies the challenges of state estimation of high-rate systems and discusses the fundamental characteristics of high-rate systems. A survey of applications and methods for estimators that have the potential to produce accurate estimations for a complex system experiencing highly dynamic events is presented. It is argued that adaptive observers are important to this research. In particular, adaptive data-driven observers are advantageous due to their adaptability and lack of dependence on the system model.

  4. Effect of severity of illness on cesarean delivery rates in Washington State.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hitti, Jane; Walker, Suzan; Benedetti, Thomas J

    2017-10-01

    Hospitals and providers are increasingly held accountable for their cesarean delivery rates. In the perinatal quality improvement arena, there is vigorous debate about whether all hospitals can be held to the same benchmark for an acceptable cesarean rate regardless of patient acuity. However, the causes of variation in hospital cesarean delivery rates are not well understood. We sought to evaluate the association and temporal trends between severity of illness at admission and the primary term singleton vertex cesarean delivery rate among hospitals in Washington State. We hypothesized that hospitals with higher patient acuity would have higher cesarean delivery rates and that this pattern would persist over time. In this cross-sectional analysis, we analyzed aggregate hospital-level data for all nonmilitary hospitals in Washington State with ≥100 deliveries/y during federal fiscal years 2010 through 2014 (287,031 deliveries). Data were obtained from the Washington State Comprehensive Hospital Abstract Reporting System, which includes inpatient demographic, diagnosis, procedure, and discharge information derived from hospital billing systems. Age, admission diagnoses and procedure codes were converted to patient-level admission severity-of-illness scores using the All Patient Refined Diagnosis Related Groups classification system. This system is widely used throughout the United States to adjust hospital data for severity of illness. Mean admission hospital-level severity-of-illness scores were calculated for each fiscal year among the term singleton vertex population with no history of cesarean delivery. We used linear regression to evaluate the association between hospital admission severity of illness and the primary term singleton vertex cesarean delivery rate, calculated Pearson correlation coefficients, and compared regression line slopes and 95% confidence intervals for each fiscal year. Hospitals were diverse with respect to delivery volume, level of care

  5. Widespread increase of tree mortality rates in the western United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillip J. van Mantgem; Nathan L. Stephenson; John C. Byrne; Lori D. Daniels; Jerry F. Franklin; Peter Z. Fule; Mark E. Harmon; Andrew J. Larson; Jeremy M. Smith; Alan H. Taylor; Thomas T. Veblen

    2009-01-01

    Persistent changes in tree mortality rates can alter forest structure, composition, and ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration. Our analyses of longitudinal data from unmanaged old forests in the western United States showed that background (noncatastrophic) mortality rates have increased rapidly in recent decades, with doubling periods ranging from 17 to 29...

  6. Emerging Open Online Distance Education Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schroeder, Raymond

    2012-01-01

    A revolution of sorts is underway in providing open access to rich resources, actual courses, and even entire degrees online. This revolution is fueled by the combination of a bubble in tuition rates, lingering effects of the recession, monumental student debt exceeding one trillion dollars in the United States, development of increasingly…

  7. State estimation for networked control systems using fixed data rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Qing-Quan; Jin, Fang

    2017-07-01

    This paper investigates state estimation for linear time-invariant systems where sensors and controllers are geographically separated and connected via a bandwidth-limited and errorless communication channel with the fixed data rate. All plant states are quantised, coded and converted together into a codeword in our quantisation and coding scheme. We present necessary and sufficient conditions on the fixed data rate for observability of such systems, and further develop the data-rate theorem. It is shown in our results that there exists a quantisation and coding scheme to ensure observability of the system if the fixed data rate is larger than the lower bound given, which is less conservative than the one in the literature. Furthermore, we also examine the role that the disturbances have on the state estimation problem in the case with data-rate limitations. Illustrative examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  8. Recruiting Nonresident Students and the Privatization of Public Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Michael S.; Smith, Marybeth

    2016-01-01

    As state appropriations for higher education decrease, public universities rely increasingly on student tuition to meet their operating expenses. Many public universities depend on tuition paid by out-of-state students. Institutions maximize revenue-enhancing opportunities resulting from a supportive public policy and cultural environment.…

  9. The Association of State Rate Review Authority with Health Insurance Premiums.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ticse, Caroline

    2015-10-01

    Key findings. (1) Adjusted premiums in the individual market in states with prior approval authority combined with loss ratio requirements were lower in 2010-2013 than premiums in states with no rate review authority or file-and-use regulations only. (2) Adjusted premiums declined modestly in prior approval states while premiums increased in states with no rate review authority or with file-and-use regulations only. (3) The findings suggest that states with prior approval authority and loss ratio requirements constrained increases in health insurance premiums.

  10. Factors associated to depression and anxiety in medical students: a multicenter study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernanda Brenneisen Mayer

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background To evaluate personal and institutional factors related to depression and anxiety prevalence of students from 22 Brazilian medical schools. Methods The authors performed a multicenter study (August 2011 to August 2012, examining personal factors (age, sex, housing, tuition scholarship and institutional factors (year of the medical training, school legal status, location and support service in association with scores of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI and State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI. Results Of 1,650 randomly selected students, 1,350 (81.8 % completed the study. The depressive symptoms prevalence was 41 % (BDI > 9, state-anxiety 81.7 % and trait-anxiety in 85.6 % (STAI > 33. There was a positive relationship between levels of state (r = 0,591, p < 0.001 and trait (r = 0,718, p < 0.001 anxiety and depression scores. All three symptoms were positively associated with female sex and students from medical schools located in capital cities of both sexes. Tuition scholarship students had higher state-anxiety but not trait-anxiety or depression scores. Medical students with higher levels of depression and anxiety symptoms disagree more than their peers with the statements “I have adequate access to psychological support” and “There is a good support system for students who get stressed”. Conclusions The factors associated with the increase of medical students’ depression and anxiety symptoms were female sex, school location and tuition scholarship. It is interesting that tuition scholarship students showed state-anxiety, but not depression and trait-anxiety symptoms.

  11. Explaining variations in state foster care maintenance rates and the implications for implementing new evidence-based programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldhaber-Fiebert, Jeremy D.; Babiarz, Kimberly S.; Garfield, Rachel L.; Wulczyn, Fred; Landsverk, John; Horwitz, Sarah M.

    2013-01-01

    Background U.S. Child Welfare systems are involved in the lives of millions of children, and total spending exceeds $26 billion annually. Out-of-home foster care is a critical and expensive Child Welfare service, a major component of which is the maintenance rate paid to support housing and caring for a foster child. Maintenance rates vary widely across states and over time, but reasons for this variation are not well understood. As evidence-based programs are disseminated to state Child Welfare systems, it is important to understand what may be the important drivers in the uptake of these practices including state spending on core system areas. Data and methods We assembled a unique, longitudinal, state-level panel dataset (1990–2008) for all 50 states with annual data on foster care maintenance rates and measures of child population in need, poverty, employment, urbanicity, proportion minority, political party control of the state legislature and governorship, federal funding, and lawsuits involving state foster care systems. All monetary values were expressed in per-capita terms and inflation adjusted to 2008 dollars. We used longitudinal panel regressions with robust standard errors and state and year fixed effects to estimate the relationship between state foster care maintenance rates and the other factors in our dataset, lagging all factors by one year to mitigate the possibility that maintenance rates influenced their predictors. Exploratory analyses related maintenance rates to Child Welfare outcomes. Findings State foster care maintenance rates have increased in nominal terms, but in many states, have not kept pace with inflation, leading to lower real rates in 2008 compared to those in 1991 for 54% of states for 2 year-olds, 58% for 9 year-olds, and 65% for 16 year-olds. In multivariate analyses including socioeconomic, demographic, and political factors, monthly foster care maintenance rates declined $15 for each 1% increase in state unemployment and

  12. Are chargemaster rates for imaging studies lower in States that cap noneconomic damages (tort reform)?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stein, Seth I; Barry, Jeffrey R; Jha, Saurabh

    2014-08-01

    To determine whether chargemaster (a list of prices for common services and procedures set by individual hospitals) rates for diagnostic imaging were lower in states that cap awards for noneconomic damages (NED) than states with unlimited awards for medical negligence. We analyzed 2011 chargemaster data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, pertaining to 6 ambulatory patient classifications specific to imaging. The dataset includes outpatient imaging facilities and hospitals in 49 states and the District of Columbia. The association between caps on NED and chargemaster rates for imaging in a sample of 15,218 data points was analyzed using linear regression and two-sample t tests assuming unequal variances. In states that cap NED, the chargemaster rates were higher for the following modalities: Level II Echocardiogram without Contrast (mean charges: $2,015.60 versus $1,884.81, P = .0018); Level II Cardiac Imaging ($4,670.25 versus $4,398.58, P = .002); MRI & Magnetic Resonance Angiography without Contrast ($2,654.31 versus $2,526.74, P = .002); and Level III Diagnostic and Screening Ultrasound ($1,073.31 versus $1,027.32, P = .037). High charge-to-payment ratios were associated with states with the highest charges. There was a positive correlation between number of outpatient centers in the state and the average chargemaster rates for the state (mean chargemaster rate = 1727 + 0.79*Number of Outpatient Centers; R-squared = 0.23, P = .0004). Chargemaster rates for select imaging services are not lower in states that have capped NED. Copyright © 2014 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. General Theory of Decoy-State Quantum Cryptography with Dark Count Rate Fluctuation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiang, Gao; Shi-Hai, Sun; Lin-Mei, Liang

    2009-01-01

    The existing theory of decoy-state quantum cryptography assumes that the dark count rate is a constant, but in practice there exists fluctuation. We develop a new scheme of the decoy state, achieve a more practical key generation rate in the presence of fluctuation of the dark count rate, and compare the result with the result of the decoy-state without fluctuation. It is found that the key generation rate and maximal secure distance will be decreased under the influence of the fluctuation of the dark count rate

  14. State-level high school completion rates: Concepts, measures, and trends.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John Robert Warren

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available Since the mid 1970s the national rate at which incoming 9th graders have completed high school has fallen slowly but steadily; this is also true in 41 states. In 2002, about three in every four students who might have completed high school actually did so; in some states this figure is substantially lower. In this paper I review state-level measures of high school completion rates and describe and validate a new measure that reports these rates for 1975 through 2002. Existing measures based on the Current Population Survey are conceptually imperfect and statistically unreliable. Measures based on Common Core Data (CCD dropout information are unavailable for many states and have different conceptual weaknesses. Existing measures based on CCD enrollment and completion data are systematically biased by migration, changes in cohort size, and/or grade retention. The new CCD-based measure described here is considerably less biased, performs differently in empirical analyses, and gives a different picture of the dropout situation across states and over time.

  15. States with stronger health insurance rate review authority experienced lower premiums in the individual market in 2010-13.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karaca-Mandic, Pinar; Fulton, Brent D; Hollingshead, Ann; Scheffler, Richard M

    2015-08-01

    States have varying degrees of review authority over health insurance carriers' rates, including prior approval authority over proposed rates and requirements for loss ratios, the proportion of premium revenues spent on medical claims. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires carriers in certain categories of health insurance to provide public justification for rate increases of 10 percent or more. We collected data on how states changed their rate review authority and requirements during 2010-13, the years immediately after enactment of the ACA, and we combined these data with carrier filings. We found that adjusted premiums in the individual market in states that had prior-approval authority combined with loss ratio requirements were lower in 2010-13 ($3,489) than premiums in states with no rate review authority or that had only file-and-use regulations, which gave the states no authority to block rate increases ($3,617). Adjusted premiums declined modestly in prior-approval states with loss ratio requirements, from $3,526 in 2010 to $3,452 in 2013, while premiums increased from $3,422 to $3,683 in states with no rate review authority or file-and-use regulations only. Our findings suggest that states with prior approval authority and loss ratio requirements constrained health insurance premium increases. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  16. Epidemiologic Surveillance of Teenage Birth Rates in the United States, 2006-2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amin, Raid; Decesare, Julie Zemaitis; Hans, Jennifer; Roussos-Ross, Kay

    2017-06-01

    To investigate the geographic variation in the average teenage birth rates by county in the contiguous United States. Data from the National Center for Health Statistics were used in this retrospective cohort to count the total number of live births to females aged 15-19 years by county between 2006 and 2012. Software for disease surveillance and spatial cluster analysis was used to identify clusters of high or low teenage births in counties or areas of greater than 100,000 teenage females. The analysis was then adjusted for percentage of poverty and high school diploma achievement. The unadjusted analysis identified the top 10 clusters of teenage births. The cluster with the highest rate was a city and the surrounding 40 counties, demonstrating an average teen birth rate of 67 per 1,000 females in the age range, 87% higher than the rate in the contiguous United States. Adjustments for poverty rates and high school diploma achievement shifted the top clusters to other areas. Despite an overall national decline in the teenage birth rate, clusters of elevated teenage birth rates remain. These clusters are not random and remain higher than expected when adjusted for poverty and education. This data set provides a framework to focus targeted interventions to reduce teenage birth rates in this high-risk population.

  17. Suicide Rates and State Laws Regulating Access and Exposure to Handguns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anestis, Michael D; Anestis, Joye C

    2015-10-01

    Using previous research, we examined the impact of 4 handgun laws (waiting periods, universal background checks, gun locks, and open carrying regulations) on suicide rates. We used publicly available databases to collect information on statewide laws, suicide rates, and demographic characteristics for 2013. Each law was associated with significantly lower firearm suicide rates and the proportion of suicides resulting from firearms. In addition, each law, except for that which required a waiting period, was associated with a lower overall suicide rate. Follow-up analyses showed a significant indirect effect on overall suicide rates through the proportion of suicides by firearms, indicating that the reduced overall suicide rate was attributable to fewer suicide attempts, fewer handguns in the home, suicide attempts using less lethal means, or a combination of these factors. States that implemented any of these laws saw a decreased suicide rate in subsequent years, whereas the only state that repealed 1 of these laws saw an increased suicide rate. Our results were supportive of a potentially vital role in suicide prevention for state legislation that limits access and exposure to handguns.

  18. Policy Considerations for Enhancing Student Access and Persistence in a World in Which Tuition Keeps Rising

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehrenberg, Ronald G.

    2007-01-01

    The United States no longer leads the world in college completion rates. Inequality in college access rates by income have barely narrowed over the last 25 to 30 years and inequality in college completion rates have narrowed even less. The groups in the population that are growing the most rapidly are those that have historically been…

  19. Average Rate of Heat-Related Hospitalizations in 23 States, 2001-2010

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This map shows the 2001–2010 average rate of hospitalizations classified as “heat-related” by medical professionals in 23 states that participate in CDC’s...

  20. State-level minimum wage and heart disease death rates in the United States, 1980-2015: A novel application of marginal structural modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Dyke, Miriam E; Komro, Kelli A; Shah, Monica P; Livingston, Melvin D; Kramer, Michael R

    2018-07-01

    Despite substantial declines since the 1960's, heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States (US) and geographic disparities in heart disease mortality have grown. State-level socioeconomic factors might be important contributors to geographic differences in heart disease mortality. This study examined the association between state-level minimum wage increases above the federal minimum wage and heart disease death rates from 1980 to 2015 among 'working age' individuals aged 35-64 years in the US. Annual, inflation-adjusted state and federal minimum wage data were extracted from legal databases and annual state-level heart disease death rates were obtained from CDC Wonder. Although most minimum wage and health studies to date use conventional regression models, we employed marginal structural models to account for possible time-varying confounding. Quasi-experimental, marginal structural models accounting for state, year, and state × year fixed effects estimated the association between increases in the state-level minimum wage above the federal minimum wage and heart disease death rates. In models of 'working age' adults (35-64 years old), a $1 increase in the state-level minimum wage above the federal minimum wage was on average associated with ~6 fewer heart disease deaths per 100,000 (95% CI: -10.4, -1.99), or a state-level heart disease death rate that was 3.5% lower per year. In contrast, for older adults (65+ years old) a $1 increase was on average associated with a 1.1% lower state-level heart disease death rate per year (b = -28.9 per 100,000, 95% CI: -71.1, 13.3). State-level economic policies are important targets for population health research. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Assessing positive emotional states in dogs using heart rate and heart rate variability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zupan, Manja; Buskas, Julia; Altimiras, Jordi; Keeling, Linda J

    2016-03-01

    Since most animal species have been recognized as sentient beings, emotional state may be a good indicator of welfare in animals. The goal of this study was to manipulate the environment of nine beagle research dogs to highlight physiological responses indicative of different emotional experiences. Stimuli were selected to be a more or a less positive food (meatball or food pellet) or social reward (familiar person or less familiar person). That all the stimuli were positive and of different reward value was confirmed in a runway motivation test. Dogs were tested individually while standing facing a display theatre where the different stimuli could be shown by lifting a shutter. The dogs approached and remained voluntarily in the test system. They were tested in four sessions (of 20s each) for each of the four stimuli. A test session consisted of four presentation phases (1st exposure to stimulus, post exposure, 2nd exposure, and access to reward). Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) responses were recorded during testing in the experimental room and also when lying resting in a quiet familiar room. A new method of 'stitching' short periods of HRV data together was used in the analysis. When testing different stimuli, no significant differences were observed in HR and LF:HF ratio (relative power in low frequency (LF) and the high-frequency (HF) range), implying that the sympathetic tone was activated similarly for all the stimuli and may suggest that dogs were in a state of positive arousal. A decrease of HF was associated with the meatball stimulus compared to the food pellet and the reward phase (interacting with the person or eating the food) was associated with a decrease in HF and RMSSD (root mean square of successive differences of inter-beat intervals) compared to the preceding phase (looking at the person or food). This suggests that parasympathetic deactivation is associated with a more positive emotional state in the dog. A similar reduction

  2. Neighborhood Deprivation and Self-Rated Health in Lagos State, Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rasheed Kola Ojikutu

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available This study examines the effect of neighborhood deprivation on the perception of the individuals about their own health in Lagos State, Nigeria. Respondents were required to rate their own health as "excellent, very good, good, fair, poor and very poor". The questionnaire contained questions on various aspect of the respondents neighborhood and their perception about them. It was found that most neighborhoods in Lagos State are deprived of basic essentials of life such as electricity, water, good roads and security. Over 43% of the respondents claimed to have visited a hospital two or more times and 43.7% had lost at least two neighbors in the past one year. Over half (57.8% of the respondents rated their own health as good, 36.6% ranked their own health as fair while only 5.6% claimed to have poor health. A fitted regression model ( r2 = 0.644 showed that variables such as number of dependants, income, occupation, type of residential accommodation, ownership of house, number of rooms occupied, mode and convenience of transportation, accessibility to water, electricity and good roads and security jointly determine the perception of an individual about his own health status.Key Words: Neighborhood, Deprivation, Self Rated Health, Security, ResidenceDOI = 10.3126/dsaj.v2i0.1364Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol.2 pp.193-210

  3. The Relationship Between Gun Ownership and Firearm Homicide Rates in the United States, 1981–2010

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, Craig S.

    2013-01-01

    Objectives. We examined the relationship between levels of household firearm ownership, as measured directly and by a proxy—the percentage of suicides committed with a firearm—and age-adjusted firearm homicide rates at the state level. Methods. We conducted a negative binomial regression analysis of panel data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting Systems database on gun ownership and firearm homicide rates across all 50 states during 1981 to 2010. We determined fixed effects for year, accounted for clustering within states with generalized estimating equations, and controlled for potential state-level confounders. Results. Gun ownership was a significant predictor of firearm homicide rates (incidence rate ratio = 1.009; 95% confidence interval = 1.004, 1.014). This model indicated that for each percentage point increase in gun ownership, the firearm homicide rate increased by 0.9%. Conclusions. We observed a robust correlation between higher levels of gun ownership and higher firearm homicide rates. Although we could not determine causation, we found that states with higher rates of gun ownership had disproportionately large numbers of deaths from firearm-related homicides. PMID:24028252

  4. Shadow Education in Malaysia: Identifying the Determinants of Spending and Amount of Time Attending Private Supplementary Tutoring of Upper Secondary School Students

    OpenAIRE

    Chang Da Wan; Benedict Weerasena

    2017-01-01

    This paper examines the determinants of spending and the amount of time attending private supplementary tutoring, or commonly known as private tuition, in Malaysia. Based on 343 self-reported questionnaires with upper secondary students across three states in Malaysia and using multiple regression analysis, we identified ethnicity, father’s level of education and past academic performance as significant determinants of spending and amount of time attending private tuition. However, interestin...

  5. Dielectronic recombination rate coefficients to the excited states of CI from CII

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dubau, J.; Kato, T.; Safronova, U.I.

    1998-01-01

    The dielectronic recombination rate coefficients to the excited states for n=2-6 are calculated including 1s 2 2l 1 2l 2 2l 3 nl (n=2-6, l≤(n-1)) states. The values for the excited states higher than n=6 are extrapolated and the total dielectronic recombination rate coefficients are derived. The rate coefficients to the excited states are fitted to an analytical formula and the fit parameters are given. (author)

  6. Widespread increase of tree mortality rates in the Western United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Mantgem, P.J.; Stephenson, N.L.; Byrne, J.C.; Daniels, L.D.; Franklin, J.F.; Fule, P.Z.; Harmon, M.E.; Larson, A.J.; Smith, Joseph M.; Taylor, A.H.; Veblen, T.T.

    2009-01-01

    Persistent changes in tree mortality rates can alter forest structure, composition, and ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration. Our analyses of longitudinal data from unmanaged old forests in the western United States showed that background (noncatastrophic) mortality rates have increased rapidly in recent decades, with doubling periods ranging from 17 to 29 years among regions. Increases were also pervasive across elevations, tree sizes, dominant genera, and past fire histories. Forest density and basal area declined slightly, which suggests that increasing mortality was not caused by endogenous increases in competition. Because mortality increased in small trees, the overall increase in mortality rates cannot be attributed solely to aging of large trees. Regional warming and consequent increases in water deficits are likely contributors to the increases in tree mortality rates.

  7. Red states, blue states, and divorce: understanding the impact of conservative Protestantism on regional variation in divorce rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glass, Jennifer; Levchak, Philip

    2014-01-01

    Why do states with larger proportions of religious conservatives have higher divorce rates than states with lower proportions of religious conservatives? This project examines whether earlier transitions to marriage and parenthood among conservative Protestants (known risk factors for divorce) contribute to this paradox while attending to other plausible explanations. County-level demographic information from all 50 states is combined from a variety of public data sources and merged with individual records from the National Surveys of Family Growth to estimate both aggregated county and multilevel individual models of divorce. Results show that individual religious conservatism is positively related to individual divorce risk, solely through the earlier transitions to adulthood and lower incomes of conservative Protestants. However, the proportion of conservative Protestants in a county is also independently and positively associated with both the divorce rate in that county and an individual's likelihood of divorcing. The earlier family formation and lower levels of educational attainment and income in counties with a higher proportion of conservative Protestants can explain a substantial portion of this association. Little support is found for alternative explanations of the association between religious conservatism and divorce rates, including the relative popularity of marriage versus cohabitation across counties.

  8. Teacher Education Graduates in Ukraine: Current State of Play

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mospan, Natalia

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents an analysis of labour market outcomes for Ukrainian graduates with higher education in teaching, based on the survey 2015. Besides, the study investigates the issues of the source of tuition fee, transition period and employment sectors in the labour market. The evidence presented in this article indicates that teacher…

  9. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training Rates in the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Monique L.; Cox, Margueritte; Al-Khatib, Sana M.; Nichol, Graham; Thomas, Kevin L.; Chan, Paul S.; Saha-Chaudhuri, Paramita; Fosbol, Emil L.; Eigel, Brian; Clendenen, Bill; Peterson, Eric D.

    2014-01-01

    Context Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) improves the likelihood of surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), yet treatment rates differ by a community’s racial and income composition. Objective To determine if CPR training differs by the race and income of communities across the United States (U.S.). Design, Setting, and Participants We analyzed county-level CPR training rates from 2010–2011 using CPR training data from the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, and the Health and Safety Institute. We utilized multivariable logistic regression models to examine the association of annual adult CPR training rates with a county’s proportion of black residents and median household income (categorized as tertiles), as well as other demographic, geographic, and healthcare characteristics. Main Outcome Measure CPR training rate. Results From 07/01/2010–06/30/2011, 13.1 million persons in 3143 U.S. counties received CPR training. The median county training rate ranged from 0.00%–1.29% (median=0.51%) in the lower tertile, 1.29%–4.07% (median=2.39%) in the middle tertile, and >4.07% (median=6.81%) in the upper tertile. Counties that were most likely to have CPR training rates in the lower tertile included those with a higher proportion of rural (odds ratio [OR] 1.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10, 1.15 per 5 percentage point [PP] change), black (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.06, 1.13 per 5 PP change), and Hispanic residents (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02, 1.11 per 5 PP change); those with a lower median household income (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.04, 1.34 per $10,000 decrease); those with a higher median age (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.04, 1.53 per 10 year change); and those located in the South. Conclusions Counties with a higher proportion of rural, black, Hispanic, and lower income residents had lower CPR training rates. Differences in CPR training by race and income may contribute to recognized disparities in bystander CPR treatment and OHCA survival, and

  10. Structure/property relations of aluminum under varying rates and stress states

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tucker, Matthew T [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Horstemeyer, Mark F [MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV; Whittington, Wilburn R [MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV; Solanki, Kiran N [MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV.

    2010-11-19

    In this work we analyze the plasticity, damage, and fracture characteristics of three different processed aluminum alloys (rolled 5083-H13, cast A356-T6, and extruded 6061-T6) under varying stress states (tension, compression, and torsion) and strain rates (0.001/, 1/s., and 1000/s). The stress state difference had more of a flow stress effect than the applied strain rates for those given in this study (0.001/sec up to 1000/sec). The stress state and strain rate also had a profound effect on the damage evolution of each aluminum alloy. Tension and torsional straining gave much greater damage nucleation rates than compression. Although the damage of all three alloys was found to be void nucleation dominated, the A356-T6 and 5083-H131 aluminum alloys incurred void damage via micron scale particles where the 6061-T6 aluminum alloy incurred void damage from two scales, micron-scale particles and nanoscale precipitates. Having two length scales of particles that participated in the damage evolution made the 6061-T6 incur a strain rate sensitive damage rate that was different than the other two aluminum alloys. Under tension, as the strain rate increased, the 6061-T6 aluminum alloy's void nucleation rate decreased, but the A356-T6 and 5083-H131 aluminum alloys void nucleation rate increased.

  11. Dielectronic recombination rate coefficients to the excited states of CI from CII

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dubau, J. [Observatoire of Paris, 92 MEUDON (France); Kato, T.; Safronova, U.I.

    1998-01-01

    The dielectronic recombination rate coefficients to the excited states for n=2-6 are calculated including 1s{sup 2}2l{sub 1}2l{sub 2}2l{sub 3}nl (n=2-6, l{<=}(n-1)) states. The values for the excited states higher than n=6 are extrapolated and the total dielectronic recombination rate coefficients are derived. The rate coefficients to the excited states are fitted to an analytical formula and the fit parameters are given. (author)

  12. Estimates of Annual Soil Loss Rates in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grasiela de Oliveira Rodrigues Medeiros

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Soil is a natural resource that has been affected by human pressures beyond its renewal capacity. For this reason, large agricultural areas that were productive have been abandoned due to soil degradation, mainly caused by the erosion process. The objective of this study was to apply the Universal Soil Loss Equation to generate more recent estimates of soil loss rates for the state of São Paulo using a database with information from medium resolution (30 m. The results showed that many areas of the state have high (critical levels of soil degradation due to the predominance of consolidated human activities, especially in growing sugarcane and pasture use. The average estimated rate of soil loss is 30 Mg ha-1 yr-1 and 59 % of the area of the state (except for water bodies and urban areas had estimated rates above 12 Mg ha-1 yr-1, considered as the average tolerance limit in the literature. The average rates of soil loss in areas with annual agricultural crops, semi-perennial agricultural crops (sugarcane, and permanent agricultural crops were 118, 78, and 38 Mg ha-1 yr-1 respectively. The state of São Paulo requires attention to conservation of soil resources, since most soils led to estimates beyond the tolerance limit.

  13. Dielectronic recombination rate coefficients to excited states of Be-like oxygen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Murakami, Izumi; Safronova, Ulyana I.; Kato, Takako

    2001-05-01

    We have calculated energy levels, radiative transition probabilities, and autoionization rates for Be-like oxygen (O{sup 4+}) including ls{sup 2}2lnl' (n=2 - 8, l {<=} n - 1) and 1s{sup 2}3l'nl (n=3 - 6, l {<=} n - l) states by multi-configurational Hartree-Fock method (Cowan code) and perturbation theory Z-expansion method (MZ code). The state selective dielectronic recombination rate coefficients to excited states of Be-like O ions are obtained. Configuration mixing plays an important role for the principal quantum number n distribution of the dielectronic recombination rate coefficients for 2snl (n {<=} 5) levels at low electron temperature. The orbital angular momentum quantum number l distribution of the rate coefficients shows a peak at l = 4. The total dielectronic recombination rate coefficient is derived as a function of electron temperature. (author)

  14. State ownership, agency conflict and effective tax rates: Evidence from China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sun Jianfu

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Agency conflict between minority and controlling shareholders in state owned firms has to be considered in order to examine the variability on effective tax rates. In China, state ownership helps the government to achieve its social objectives by optimizing corporate income tax. We provide a significant result to prove that state owned firms paid higher corporate income taxes than private firms. Our results also indicate that corporate effective tax rates are positively associated with firm sized and inventory intensity. However, we have no strong evidence to support the association with leverage, return on assets and capital intensity.

  15. Exchange rate predictability and state-of-the-art models

    OpenAIRE

    Yeșin, Pınar

    2016-01-01

    This paper empirically evaluates the predictive performance of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) exchange rate assessments with respect to future exchange rate movements. The assessments of real trade-weighted exchange rates were conducted from 2006 to 2011, and were based on three state-of-the-art exchange rate models with a medium-term focus which were developed by the IMF. The empirical analysis using 26 advanced and emerging market economy currencies reveals that the "diagnosis" of ...

  16. Rates and Outcomes of Parathyroidectomy for Secondary Hyperparathyroidism in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Sun Moon; Long, Jin; Montez-Rath, Maria E; Leonard, Mary B; Norton, Jeffrey A; Chertow, Glenn M

    2016-07-07

    Secondary hyperparathyroidism is common among patients with ESRD. Although medical therapy for secondary hyperparathyroidism has changed dramatically over the last decade, rates of parathyroidectomy for secondary hyperparathyroidism across the United States population are unknown. We examined temporal trends in rates of parathyroidectomy, in-hospital mortality, length of hospital stay, and costs of hospitalization. Using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a representative national database on hospital stay regardless of age and payer in the United States, we identified parathyroidectomies for secondary hyperparathyroidism from 2002 to 2011. Data from the US Renal Data System reports were used to calculate the rate of parathyroidectomy. We identified 32,971 parathyroidectomies for secondary hyperparathyroidism between 2002 and 2011. The overall rate of parathyroidectomy was approximately 5.4/1000 patients (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 5.0/1000 to 6.0/1000). The rate decreased from 2003 (7.9/1000 patients; 95% CI, 6.2/1000 to 9.6/1000), reached a nadir in 2005 (3.3/1000 patients; 95% CI, 2.6/1000 to 4.0/1000), increased again through 2006 (5.4/1000 patients; 95% CI, 4.4/1000 to 6.4/1000), and remained stable since that time. Rates of in-hospital mortality decreased from 1.7% (95% CI, 0.8% to 2.6%) in 2002 to 0.8% (95% CI, 0.1% to 1.6%) in 2011 (P for trend secondary hyperparathyroidism have not declined in recent years. Copyright © 2016 by the American Society of Nephrology.

  17. Tuition Assistance Programs for Foster Youth Pursuing Postsecondary Education. 50-State Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parker, Emily; Sarubbi, Molly

    2017-01-01

    Many students have concerns about the affordability of college, which may interfere with their potential success. However, foster care alumni have unique needs when making the transition into postsecondary enrollment. Compared to completion rates for the general population, postsecondary education outcomes for youth with foster care experience lag…

  18. Basic Student Charges at Postsecondary Institutions: Academic Year 1994-95. Tuition and Required Fees and Room and Board Charges at 4-Year, 2-Year, and Public Less-Than-2-Year Institutions. Statistical Analysis Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barbett, Samuel F.; And Others

    This document lists the typical tuition and required fees and room and board charges assessed to college students in 1994-95 based on a national "Institutional Characteristics" survey which is part of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. The data were collected from over 5,000 of the 5,775 4-year, 2-year, and public…

  19. Teen Birth Rates for Age Group 15-19 in the United States by County

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — This data set contains mean teen birth rates by year for each county and state in the United States. Hierarchical Bayesian space-time models were used to generate...

  20. RATING OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING COMPETENCIES POSSESSED BY ENTREPRENEURS IN DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

    OpenAIRE

    Ezenwafor, J. I.; Onokpaunu, Michel O.; Nna-Emmanuel, Sarah W.

    2017-01-01

    The need for wide utilization of social media marketing for entrepreneurial development in Delta State necessitated this study which sought to determine how competent practicing entrepreneurs are for their use in Delta State. One research question guided the study. A survey research design was adopted. The population consisted of 200 entrepreneurs in Delta North Senatorial District of Delta State. A validated 22 item on a 5-point rating scale questionnaire was used for data collection. Mean a...

  1. NCLB Implementation Report: State Approaches for Calculating High School Graduation Rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swanson, Christopher B.

    This review investigated the state accountability Workbooks provisionally approved and publicly reported by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) as of June 2003. These documents were obtained from the DOE Web site. This report examines state definitions of high school graduation rates and strategies for constructing graduation rate indicators. A…

  2. Success rate and entanglement measure in Grover's search algorithm for certain kinds of four qubit states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chamoli, Arti; Bhandari, C.M.

    2005-01-01

    Entanglement plays a crucial role in the efficacy of quantum algorithms. Whereas the role of entanglement is quite obvious and conspicuous in teleportation and superdense coding, it is not so distinct in other situations such as in search algorithm. The starting state in Grover's search algorithm is supposedly a uniform superposition state (not entangled) with a success probability around unity. An operational entanglement measure has been defined and investigated analytically for two qubit states [O. Biham, M.A. Neilsen, T. Osborne, Phys. Rev. A 65 (2002) 062312, Y. Shimoni, D. Shapira, O. Biham, Phys. Rev. A 69 (2004) 062303] seeking a relationship with the success rate of search algorithm. This Letter examines the success rate of search algorithm for various four-qubit states. Analytic expressions for the same have been worked out which can provide the success rate and entanglement measure for certain kinds of four qubit input states

  3. Dielectronic recombination rate coefficients to the excited states of CIII from CIV

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Safronova, U.; Kato, Takako; Ohira, Mituhiko

    1996-07-01

    Energy levels, radiative transition probabilities and autoionization rates for CIII including 1s{sup 2}2pnl` (n=2/6, l`{<=}(n-1)) and 1s{sup 2}3lnl` (n=3/6, l`{<=}(n-1)) states were calculated by using multi-configurational Hartree-Fock (Cowan code) method. Autoionizing levels above the 1s{sup 2}2s and 1s{sup 2}2p thresholds were considered and their contributions were computed. Branching ratios on the autoionization rate to the first threshold and intensity factor were calculated for satellite lines of CIII ion. The dielectronic recombination rate coefficients to the excited states for n=2-6 were calculated. The values for the excited states higher than n=6 were extrapolated and the total dielectronic recombination rate coefficients were also derived. The rate coefficients to the excited states were fitted to an analytical formula and the fitting parameters are given. (author)

  4. State infant mortality: an ecologic study to determine modifiable risks and adjusted infant mortality rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paul, David A; Mackley, Amy; Locke, Robert G; Stefano, John L; Kroelinger, Charlan

    2009-05-01

    To determine factors contributing to state infant mortality rates (IMR) and develop an adjusted IMR in the United States for 2001 and 2002. Ecologic study of factors contributing to state IMR. State IMR for 2001 and 2002 were obtained from the United States linked death and birth certificate data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Factors investigated using multivariable linear regression included state racial demographics, ethnicity, state population, median income, education, teen birth rate, proportion of obesity, smoking during pregnancy, diabetes, hypertension, cesarean delivery, prenatal care, health insurance, self-report of mental illness, and number of in-vitro fertilization procedures. Final risk adjusted IMR's were standardized and states were compared with the United States adjusted rates. Models for IMR in individual states in 2001 (r2 = 0.66, P < 0.01) and 2002 (r2 = 0.81, P < 0.01) were tested. African-American race, teen birth rate, and smoking during pregnancy remained independently associated with state infant mortality rates for 2001 and 2002. Ninety five percent confidence intervals (CI) were calculated around the regression lines to model the expected IMR. After adjustment, some states maintained a consistent IMR; for instance, Vermont and New Hampshire remained low, while Delaware and Louisiana remained high. However, other states such as Mississippi, which have traditionally high infant mortality rates, remained within the expected 95% CI for IMR after adjustment indicating confounding affected the initial unadjusted rates. Non-modifiable demographic variables, including the percentage of non-Hispanic African-American and Hispanic populations of the state are major factors contributing to individual variation in state IMR. Race and ethnicity may confound or modify the IMR in states that shifted inside or outside the 95% CI following adjustment. Other factors including smoking during pregnancy and teen birth rate, which are

  5. On rising medical student debt: in for a penny, in for a pound.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kassebaum, D G; Szenas, P L; Schuchert, M K

    1996-10-01

    women students, greater racial-ethnic diversity, and the admission of more older students age were negligible or small. The average parental income, adjusted to constant dollars, actually increased between 1985 and 1995. For public schools, the aggregate amounts of student aid have climbed at a steeper rate than schools' tuition-fee revenues during the past decade. For public schools, tuition-fee revenues rose 66.7% between 1985 and 1995, while the amount of loans to students at public schools increased 92.7%. For private schools, tuition-fee revenues went up 36.5%, and the amount of loans to students rose 57.9% during the same period. Federal Stafford Loans represented the major financing source, increasing from 71.5% of public schools' tuition-fee revenue in 1985 to 92.2% in 1995, and from 23% of private schools' tuition-fee revenue in 1985 to 38% in 1995. Over the decade, scholarship support kept pace with tuition-fee increases at public schools, but lagged behind the increases at private schools. The recent escalation of student debt has coincided with the lifting of the federal loan borrowing limits under the Higher Education Act. In parallel, entering medical students have declared their intentions to rely more heavily on loans as a means of financing. These findings, although based on national data and trends, provide a framework for exploration of the factors affecting educational costs and financing at individual medical schools. The importance of doing so is mounting, as students may be throwing caution to the winds in the more favorable climate for borrowing, ignoring indicators of changing practice opportunities and incomes ahead.

  6. A Generic Service-Oriented Cost Model for Student Admissions Registration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pena, Philip Edward

    2017-01-01

    State support of community colleges has been reduced in recent years and is not expected to recover to previous levels, even though costs continue to rise. While many colleges have increased tuition in response to this situation, students cannot afford endless increases in tuition. While predicting the future is difficult, it is likely that…

  7. Resting-state qEEG predicts rate of second language learning in adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prat, Chantel S; Yamasaki, Brianna L; Kluender, Reina A; Stocco, Andrea

    2016-01-01

    Understanding the neurobiological basis of individual differences in second language acquisition (SLA) is important for research on bilingualism, learning, and neural plasticity. The current study used quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) to predict SLA in college-aged individuals. Baseline, eyes-closed resting-state qEEG was used to predict language learning rate during eight weeks of French exposure using an immersive, virtual scenario software. Individual qEEG indices predicted up to 60% of the variability in SLA, whereas behavioral indices of fluid intelligence, executive functioning, and working-memory capacity were not correlated with learning rate. Specifically, power in beta and low-gamma frequency ranges over right temporoparietal regions were strongly positively correlated with SLA. These results highlight the utility of resting-state EEG for studying the neurobiological basis of SLA in a relatively construct-free, paradigm-independent manner. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  8. The High Cost of South Carolina's Low Graduation Rate. School Choice Issues in the State

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gottlob, Brian J.

    2007-01-01

    Research has documented a crisis in South Carolina's high school graduation rate. While state officials report a graduation rate above 70 percent, researchers from South Carolina and elsewhere place the rate just above 50 percent, with rates among minority students lower than 50 percent. South Carolina's graduation rate is the worst of all 50…

  9. Birth and fertility rates for states by Hispanic origin subgroups: United States, 1990 and 2000.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutton, Paul D; Mathews, T J

    2006-05-01

    This report presents U.S. and State-level data on births, birth rates, and fertility rates for Hispanic origin subgroups for 1990 and 2000. Data for non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks are provided for comparison. Data are presented in detailed tables, graphs, and maps. Between 1990 and 2000, the total U.S. Hispanic population increased 58 percent, from 22,353,999 to 35,305,818. Over the same period of time, births to Hispanic mothers increased 37 percent, from 595,073 to 815,868. The smaller increases in births compared with the population resulted in a falling birth rate among Hispanic mothers (26.7 in 1990 to 23.1 births per 1,000 total population in 2000). Birth and fertility rates for Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban mothers all fell between 1990 and 2000. Among the Hispanic subgroups, fertility rates in 2000 ranged from 105.1 births per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years for Mexican women to 49.3 for Cuban women. Differences in fertility exist not only between Hispanic subgroups but also within groups among States. For example, total fertility rates for Puerto Rican mothers, which estimates the number of children a group of 1,000 women will have in their lifetime, ranged in 2000 from 1,616.5 in New York to 2,403.0 in Pennsylvania.

  10. Quality Rating and Improvement System State Evaluations and Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferguson, Daniel

    2016-01-01

    A quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) is a method used by states and local jurisdictions to assess the level of quality of child care and early education programs, improve quality, and convey quality ratings to parents and other consumers. A typical QRIS incorporates the following components: quality standards for participating providers;…

  11. 45 CFR 284.20 - What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each State?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... child poverty rate in each State? 284.20 Section 284.20 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public... TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.20 What information will we use to determine the child poverty rate in each State? (a) General. We will determine the child poverty rate in...

  12. An Application of Durkheim's Theory of Suicide to Prison Suicide Rates in the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tartaro, Christine; Lester, David

    2005-01-01

    E. Durkheim (1897) suggested that the societal rate of suicide might be explained by societal factors, such as marriage, divorce, and birth rates. The current study examined male prison suicide rates and suicide rates for men in the total population in the United States and found that variables based on Durkheim's theory of suicide explained…

  13. The Fiscal Impact of a Corporate & Individual Tax Credit Scholarship Program on the State of Indiana. School Choice Issues in the State

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stuit, David

    2009-01-01

    Indiana legislators are currently debating the merits of a proposal to adopt a statewide tuition scholarship tax credit program. The proposed program would make available $5 million in tax credits that businesses and individuals could claim by making donations to non-profit Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). SGO donations would be matched…

  14. Managed care market share and cesarean section rates in the United States: is there a link?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hueston, W J; Sutton, A

    2000-11-01

    After peaking during the early 1980s, cesarean section rates in the United States have been falling for the last decade. At the same time, managed care enrollment has increased dramatically. This study examines whether managed care penetration in local markets is associated with lower cesarean section rates in those geographic area. A cross-sectional comparison of cesarean section rates and health maintenance organization (HMO) market penetration in 61 selected metropolitan areas in the United States was conducted. National birth certificate data for 1996 were used to calculate crude and race-adjusted cesarean section rates for residents in each area. No relationship between overall cesarean section rates in the metropolitan areas and managed care penetration was observed. Subanalyses of racial groups demonstrated the existence of a weak association between managed care penetration and cesarean section rates for white women (21.2% for the highest quartile of HMO penetration, compared with 19.1% for the lowest quartile; P = .03), but not for African-Americans or other minorities. Managed care penetration in a market may have an association with cesarean section rates for white women, but the strength of this relationship is small. Even if managed care delivery systems reduce cesarean section rates in their own populations, this change is likely to have only a small impact on overall cesarean rates. HMO penetration is unlikely to influence national cesarean section rates, nor does it appear to explain state variations in these rates.

  15. Executive Summary: 30th Report on Physician Assistant Educational Programs in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Lindsey M

    2015-09-01

    The purpose of this executive summary was to provide an overview of key findings from By the Numbers: 30th Report on Physician Assistant Educational Programs in the United States. The 2014 Program Survey is a Web-based survey and is administered annually to all member physician assistant (PA) program directors. This executive summary will focus on 4 of the 7 sections of the survey instrument: general, financial, program personnel, and students. The typical PA program's sponsoring institution is private and in a nonacademic health center. Most PA programs (93.0%) offer a master's degree as the primary or highest credential. The average total program budget was $2,221,751 (SD=$2,426,852). The average total resident tuition was $64,961, and the average total nonresident tuition was $75,964. Overall, 181 programs reported 1843 program faculty. Of those, 1467 were identified as core faculty and 376 were identified as adjunct faculty. A typical first-year PA student is 26 years old (SD=2.51), female (70.3%, n=5898), non-Hispanic (89.3%, n=3631), White (79.9%, n=3712), and has an overall undergraduate and science grade point average (GPA) of 3.52 (SD=0.14) and 3.47 (SD=0.16), respectively. In 2014, there were approximately 7556 graduates from 164 responding programs. By gaining a better understanding of the characteristics of PA programs and their faculty and students, policy makers can be better informed. Physician assistant educators and stakeholders are encouraged to use this information to advance and advocate for the profession.

  16. Home energy rating system business plan feasibility study in Washington state

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lineham, T.

    1995-03-01

    In the Fall of 1993, the Washington State Energy Office funded the Washington Home Energy Rating System project to investigate the benefits of a Washington state HERS. WSEO established a HERS and EEM Advisory Group. Composed of mortgage lenders/brokers, realtors, builders, utility staff, remodelers, and other state agency representatives, the Advisory Group met for the first time on November 17, 1993. The Advisory Group established several subcommittees to identify issues and options. During its March 1994 meeting, the Advisory Group formed a consensus directing WSEO to develop a HERS business plan for consideration. The Advisory Group also established a business plan subcommittee to help draft the plan. Under the guidance of the business plan subcommittee, WSEO conducted research on how customers value energy efficiency in the housing market. This plan represents WSEO`s effort to comply with the Advisory Group`s request. Why is a HERS Business Plan necessary? Strictly speaking this plan is more of a feasibility plan than a business plan since it is designed to help determine the feasibility of a new business venture: a statewide home energy rating system. To make this determination decision makers or possible investors require strategic information about the proposed enterprise. Ideally, the plan should anticipate the significant questions parties may want to know. Among other things, this document should establish decision points for action.

  17. Tutor Trust Secondary: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buchanan, Emily; Morrison, Jo; Walker, Matthew; Aston, Helen; Cook, Rose

    2015-01-01

    The Tutor Trust is a Manchester-based charity that aims to provide affordable small group and one-to-one tuition, predominantly to disadvantaged pupils in schools in challenging communities. The tutors are university students and recent graduates, enabling tuition to be provided at a competitive rate on a not-for-profit basis. This three-year…

  18. Analysis of physical properties controlling steady-state infiltration rates on tropical savannah soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mbagwu, J.S.C.

    1993-10-01

    A knowledge of physical properties influencing the steady-state infiltration rates (ic) of soils is needed for the hydrologic modelling of the infiltration process. In this study evidence is provided to show that effective porosity (Pe) (i.e. the proportion of macro pore spaces with equivalent radius of > 15 μm) and dry bulk density are the most important soil physical properties controlling the steady-state infiltration rates on a tropical savannah with varying land use histories. At a macro porosity value of ≤ 5.0% the steady-state infiltration rate is zero. Total porosity and the proportion of water-retaining pores explained only a small fraction of the variation in this property. Steady-state infiltration rates can also be estimated from either the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) by the equation, i c = 31.1 + 1.06 (Ks), (R 2 = 0.8104, p ≤ 0.001) or the soil water transmissivity (A) by the equation, i c = 30.0 + 29.9(A), (R 2 = 0.8228, ρ ≤ 0.001). The Philip two-parameter model under predicted steady-state infiltration rates generally. Considering the ease of determination and reliability it is suggested that effective porosity be used to estimate the steady-state infiltration rates of these other soils with similar characteristics. The model is, i c 388.7(Pe) - 10.8(R 2 = 0.7265, p ≤ 0.001) where i c is in (cm/hr) and Pe in (cm 3 /cm 3 ). (author). 20 refs, 3 figs, 4 tabs

  19. KIDS COUNT Data Book, 2016: State Trends in Child Well-Being

    Science.gov (United States)

    Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2016

    2016-01-01

    The Annie E. Casey Foundation's "2016 KIDS COUNT Data Book" finds today's youth--Generation Z--are healthier and completing high school on time despite mounting economic inequality and increasingly unaffordable college tuition. Aided by smart policies and investments in prevention, a record number of teens are making positive choices.…

  20. Terrestrial gamma radiation dose rates and radiological mapping of Terengganu state, Malaysia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garba, N.N.

    2015-01-01

    Measurement of terrestrial gamma radiation dose (TGRD) rates in Terengganu state, Malaysia was carried out from 145 different locations using NaI[Tl] micro roentgen survey meter. The measured TGRD rates ranged from 35 to 340 nGy h -1 with mean value of 150 nGy h -1 . The annual effective dose to population was found to be 0.92 mSv y -1 . The data obtained were used in constructing the gamma isodose map using ArcGis 9.3 which shows the distribution of TGRD rates across the state. (author)

  1. State Anxiety and Nonlinear Dynamics of Heart Rate Variability in Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dimitriev, Dimitriy A; Saperova, Elena V; Dimitriev, Aleksey D

    2016-01-01

    Clinical and experimental research studies have demonstrated that the emotional experience of anxiety impairs heart rate variability (HRV) in humans. The present study investigated whether changes in state anxiety (SA) can also modulate nonlinear dynamics of heart rate. A group of 96 students volunteered to participate in the study. For each student, two 5-minute recordings of beat intervals (RR) were performed: one during a rest period and one just before a university examination, which was assumed to be a real-life stressor. Nonlinear analysis of HRV was performed. The Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to assess the level of SA. Before adjusting for heart rate, a Wilcoxon matched pairs test showed significant decreases in Poincaré plot measures, entropy, largest Lyapunov exponent (LLE), and pointwise correlation dimension (PD2), and an increase in the short-term fractal-like scaling exponent of detrended fluctuation analysis (α1) during the exam session, compared with the rest period. A Pearson analysis indicated significant negative correlations between the dynamics of SA and Poincaré plot axes ratio (SD1/SD2), and between changes in SA and changes in entropy measures. A strong negative correlation was found between the dynamics of SA and LLE. A significant positive correlation was found between the dynamics of SA and α1. The decreases in Poincaré plot measures (SD1, complex correlation measure), entropy measures, and LLE were still significant after adjusting for heart rate. Corrected α1 was increased during the exam session. As before, the dynamics of adjusted LLE was significantly correlated with the dynamics of SA. The qualitative increase in SA during academic examination was related to the decrease in the complexity and size of the Poincaré plot through a reduction of both the interbeat interval and its variation.

  2. State Anxiety and Nonlinear Dynamics of Heart Rate Variability in Students.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dimitriy A Dimitriev

    Full Text Available Clinical and experimental research studies have demonstrated that the emotional experience of anxiety impairs heart rate variability (HRV in humans. The present study investigated whether changes in state anxiety (SA can also modulate nonlinear dynamics of heart rate.A group of 96 students volunteered to participate in the study. For each student, two 5-minute recordings of beat intervals (RR were performed: one during a rest period and one just before a university examination, which was assumed to be a real-life stressor. Nonlinear analysis of HRV was performed. The Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to assess the level of SA.Before adjusting for heart rate, a Wilcoxon matched pairs test showed significant decreases in Poincaré plot measures, entropy, largest Lyapunov exponent (LLE, and pointwise correlation dimension (PD2, and an increase in the short-term fractal-like scaling exponent of detrended fluctuation analysis (α1 during the exam session, compared with the rest period. A Pearson analysis indicated significant negative correlations between the dynamics of SA and Poincaré plot axes ratio (SD1/SD2, and between changes in SA and changes in entropy measures. A strong negative correlation was found between the dynamics of SA and LLE. A significant positive correlation was found between the dynamics of SA and α1. The decreases in Poincaré plot measures (SD1, complex correlation measure, entropy measures, and LLE were still significant after adjusting for heart rate. Corrected α1 was increased during the exam session. As before, the dynamics of adjusted LLE was significantly correlated with the dynamics of SA.The qualitative increase in SA during academic examination was related to the decrease in the complexity and size of the Poincaré plot through a reduction of both the interbeat interval and its variation.

  3. Formation probabilities and relaxation rates of muon states in germanium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clawson, C.W.; Haller, E.E.; Crowe, K.M.; Rosenblum, S.S.; Brewer, J.H.; British Columbia Univ., Vancouver

    1981-01-01

    We report the first results of a study of the muonium states in ultra-pure germanium crystals grown under a variety of conditions at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Among the variations studied are: 1) Hydrogen, deuterium, or nitrogen atmosphere during growth; 2) Dislocation-free vs. dislocated crystals; 3) Grown from quartz, graphite, and pyrolytic graphite coated quartz crucibles; 4) n-type vs. p-type. We report a significant difference in the muonium relaxation rate between the dislocated and non-dislocated crystals. (orig.)

  4. Lifetime measurements and dipole transition rates for superdeformed states in 190Hg

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amro, H.

    1999-01-01

    The Doppler-shift attenuation method was used to measure life-times of superdeformed (SD) states for both the yrast and the first excited superdeformed band of 190 Hg. Intrinsic quadruple moments Q 0 were extracted. For the first time, the dipole transition rates have been extracted for the inter-band transitions which connect the excited SD band to the yrast states in the second minimum. The results support the interpretation of the excited SD band as a rotational band built on an octupole vibration

  5. Tutor Trust Primary: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buchanan, Emily; Worth, Jack; Aston, Helen

    2015-01-01

    The Tutor Trust is a Manchester-based charity that aims to provide affordable small group and one to one tuition to schools. The Trust recruits university students and recent graduates, which enables it to provide tuition at a competitive rate. It predominantly aims to support schools in challenging communities and pupils who are looked-after or…

  6. Identifying transition rates of ionic channels via observations at a single state

    CERN Document Server

    Deng Ying Chun; Qian Min Ping; Feng Jian Feng

    2003-01-01

    We consider how to determine all transition rates of an ion channel when it can be described by a birth-death chain or a Markov chain on a star-graph with continuous time. It is found that all transition rates are uniquely determined by the distribution of its lifetime and death-time histograms at a single state. An algorithm to calculate the transition rates exactly, based on the statistics of the lifetime and death-time of the Markov chain at the state, is provided. Examples to illustrate how an ion channel activity is fully determined by the observation of a single state of the ion channel are included.

  7. Identifying transition rates of ionic channels via observations at a single state

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deng Yingchun; Peng Shenglun; Qian Minping; Feng Jianfeng

    2003-01-01

    We consider how to determine all transition rates of an ion channel when it can be described by a birth-death chain or a Markov chain on a star-graph with continuous time. It is found that all transition rates are uniquely determined by the distribution of its lifetime and death-time histograms at a single state. An algorithm to calculate the transition rates exactly, based on the statistics of the lifetime and death-time of the Markov chain at the state, is provided. Examples to illustrate how an ion channel activity is fully determined by the observation of a single state of the ion channel are included

  8. Identifying transition rates of ionic channels via observations at a single state

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deng Yingchun [School of Mathematics, Peking University, Beijing (China); Peng Shenglun [School of Mathematics, Peking University, Beijing (China); Qian Minping [School of Mathematics, Peking University, Beijing (China); Feng Jianfeng [COGS, Sussex University, Brighton (United Kingdom)

    2003-02-07

    We consider how to determine all transition rates of an ion channel when it can be described by a birth-death chain or a Markov chain on a star-graph with continuous time. It is found that all transition rates are uniquely determined by the distribution of its lifetime and death-time histograms at a single state. An algorithm to calculate the transition rates exactly, based on the statistics of the lifetime and death-time of the Markov chain at the state, is provided. Examples to illustrate how an ion channel activity is fully determined by the observation of a single state of the ion channel are included.

  9. Rates of cardiopulmonary resuscitation training in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Monique L; Cox, Margueritte; Al-Khatib, Sana M; Nichol, Graham; Thomas, Kevin L; Chan, Paul S; Saha-Chaudhuri, Paramita; Fosbol, Emil L; Eigel, Brian; Clendenen, Bill; Peterson, Eric D

    2014-02-01

    Prompt bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) improves the likelihood of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Large regional variations in survival after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest have been noted. To determine whether regional variations in county-level rates of CPR training exist across the United States and the factors associated with low rates in US counties. We used a cross-sectional ecologic study design to analyze county-level rates of CPR training in all US counties from July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011. We used CPR training data from the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, and the Health & Safety Institute. Using multivariable logistic regression models, we examined the association of annual rates of adult CPR training of citizens by these 3 organizations (categorized as tertiles) with a county's geographic, population, and health care characteristics. Completion of CPR training. Rate of CPR training measured as CPR course completion cards distributed and CPR training products sold by the American Heart Association, persons trained in CPR by the American Red Cross, and product sales data from the Health & Safety Institute. RESULTS During the study period, 13.1 million persons in 3143 US counties received CPR training. Rates of county training ranged from 0.00% to less than 1.29% (median, 0.51%) in the lower tertile, 1.29% to 4.07% (median, 2.39%) in the middle tertile, and greater than 4.07% or greater (median, 6.81%) in the upper tertile. Counties with rates of CPR training in the lower tertile were more likely to have a higher proportion of rural areas (adjusted odds ratio, 1.12 [95% CI, 1.10-1.15] per 5-percentage point [PP] change), higher proportions of black (1.09 [1.06-1.13] per 5-PP change) and Hispanic (1.06 [1.02-1.11] per 5-PP change) residents, a lower median household income (1.18 [1.04-1.34] per $10 000 decrease), and a higher median age (1.28 [1.04-1.58] per 10-year change). Counties in the South

  10. U.S. Dental School Deans’ Perceptions of the Rising Cost of Dental Education and Borrowing Pressures on Dental Students: Report of Survey Results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McAllister, Dora Elías; Garrison, Gwen E; Feldman, Cecile A; Anderson, Eugene L; Cook, Bryan J; Valachovic, Richard W

    2015-06-01

    This report presents findings from a survey of U.S. dental school deans designed to capture their perceptions regarding the rising cost of dental education and its impact on borrowing by dental students to finance their education. The survey included questions about factors influencing the cost of dental education, concerns about dental student borrowing, and financial awareness resources for students. The survey was distributed to the deans of all 63 U.S. dental schools in January 2013; 42 deans responded, for a 67% response rate. The results indicate that, according to the responding deans, new clinical technologies, technology costs, and central university taxes are the main factors that contribute to the increasing cost of dental education. Coupled with reduced state appropriations at public dental schools and declines in private giving at all dental schools, dental school deans face a perplexing set of financial management challenges. Tuition and fees are a primary source of revenue for all dental schools; however, many deans do not have total control over the cost of attending their schools since tuition and fees are often tied to mandates and policies from the parent university and the state legislature. The findings of this study indicate that U.S. dental school deans are aware of and concerned about the impact of increases in tuition and fees on dental student debt and that they are using a variety of strategies to address the growth in dental student borrowing.

  11. Dielectronic recombination rate coefficients to the excited states of CII from CIII

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kato, Takako; Safronova, U.; Ohira, Mituhiko.

    1996-02-01

    Energy levels, radiative transition probabilities and autoionization rates for CII including 1s 2 2l2l'nl'' (n=2-6, l'≤(n-1)) states were calculated by using multi-configurational Hartree-Fock (Cowan code) method. Autoionizing levels above three thresholds: 1s 2 2s 2 ( 1 S), 1s 2 2s2p( 3 P), 1s 2 2s2p( 1 P) were considered. Branching ratios related to the first threshold and the intensity factor were calculated for satellite lines of CII ion. The dielectronic recombination rate coefficients to the excited states for n=2-6 are calculated with these atomic data. The rate coefficients are fitted to an analytical formula and the fit parameters are given. The values for higher excited states than n=6 are extrapolated and the total dielectronic recombination rate coefficients are derived. The effective recombination rate coefficient for different electron densities are also derived. (author)

  12. Unsupervised heart-rate estimation in wearables with Liquid states and a probabilistic readout.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, Anup; Pradhapan, Paruthi; Groenendaal, Willemijn; Adiraju, Prathyusha; Rajan, Raj Thilak; Catthoor, Francky; Schaafsma, Siebren; Krichmar, Jeffrey L; Dutt, Nikil; Van Hoof, Chris

    2018-03-01

    Heart-rate estimation is a fundamental feature of modern wearable devices. In this paper we propose a machine learning technique to estimate heart-rate from electrocardiogram (ECG) data collected using wearable devices. The novelty of our approach lies in (1) encoding spatio-temporal properties of ECG signals directly into spike train and using this to excite recurrently connected spiking neurons in a Liquid State Machine computation model; (2) a novel learning algorithm; and (3) an intelligently designed unsupervised readout based on Fuzzy c-Means clustering of spike responses from a subset of neurons (Liquid states), selected using particle swarm optimization. Our approach differs from existing works by learning directly from ECG signals (allowing personalization), without requiring costly data annotations. Additionally, our approach can be easily implemented on state-of-the-art spiking-based neuromorphic systems, offering high accuracy, yet significantly low energy footprint, leading to an extended battery-life of wearable devices. We validated our approach with CARLsim, a GPU accelerated spiking neural network simulator modeling Izhikevich spiking neurons with Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP) and homeostatic scaling. A range of subjects is considered from in-house clinical trials and public ECG databases. Results show high accuracy and low energy footprint in heart-rate estimation across subjects with and without cardiac irregularities, signifying the strong potential of this approach to be integrated in future wearable devices. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Strain gradient effects on steady state crack growth in rate-sensitive materials

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Kim Lau; Niordson, Christian Frithiof; Hutchinson, John W.

    2012-01-01

    , a characteristic velocity, at which the toughness becomes independent of the rate-sensitivity, has been observed. It is the aim to bring forward a similar characteristic velocity for the current strain gradient visco-plastic model, as-well as to signify its use in future visco-plastic material modeling.......Steady state crack propagation produce substantial plastic strain gradients near the tip, which are accompanied by a high density of geometrically necessary dislocations and additional local strain hardening. Here, the objective is to study these gradient effects on Mode I toughness...... of a homogeneous rate-sensitive metal, using a higher order plasticity theory. Throughout, emphasis is on the toughness rate-sensitivity, as a recent numerical study of a conventional material (no gradient effects) has indicated a significant influence of both strain rate hardening and crack tip velocity. Moreover...

  14. SEM in Central Asia: A Look at Professional Needs in the Region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chekmareva, Larissa M.

    2013-01-01

    Private tuition-dependent universities in Central Asia compete for fee-paying students not only within the country and the region, but also internationally--in the CIS, East Asia, Europe, and the United States. In the universities where state financial support is limited or unavailable, steady student enrollment is the key to budget, development,…

  15. Association between unemployment rates and prescription drug utilization in the United States, 2007–2010

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    Background While extensive evidence suggests that the economic recession has had far reaching effects on many economic sectors, little is known regarding its impact on prescription drug utilization. The purpose of this study is to describe the association between state-level unemployment rates and retail sales of seven therapeutic classes (statins, antidepressants, antipsychotics, angiotensin-converting enzyme [ACE] inhibitors, opiates, phosphodiesterase [PDE] inhibitors and oral contraceptives) in the United States. Methods Using a retrospective mixed ecological design, we examined retail prescription sales using IMS Health Xponent™ from September 2007 through July 2010, and we used the Bureau of Labor Statistics to derive population-based rates and mixed-effects modeling with state-level controls to examine the association between unemployment and utilization. Our main outcome measure was state-level utilization per 100,000 people for each class. Results Monthly unemployment levels and rates of use of each class varied substantially across the states. There were no statistically significant associations between use of ACE inhibitors or SSRIs/SNRIs and average unemployment in analyses across states, while for opioids and PDE inhibitors there were small statistically significant direct associations, and for the remaining classes inverse associations. Analyses using each state as its own control collectively exhibited statistically significant positive associations between increases in unemployment and prescription drug utilization for five of seven areas examined. This relationship was greatest for statins (on average, a 4% increase in utilization per 1% increased unemployment) and PDE inhibitors (3% increase in utilization per 1% increased unemployment), and lower for oral contraceptives and atypical antipsychotics. Conclusion We found no evidence of an association between increasing unemployment and decreasing prescription utilization, suggesting that any

  16. The Tuition Crisis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quehl, Gary H.

    1977-01-01

    It is time to drop the "zero sum style" that has public and private institutions divisively arguing over private and public funds, and adopt a posture of mutual support. The president of the Council for the Advancement of Small Colleges (CASC) emphasizes that both independent and state-owned colleges and universities are needed and an educational…

  17. Sedimentation rate at Olho d'agua Lagoon in Pernambuco State, Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valentim, Eliane; Hazin, Clovis A.; Khoury, Helen J.; Lima, Ricardo A.

    1997-01-01

    The study of the dynamic of sediments in coastal estaurine areas has attracted rthe attenition of a great number of scientists, due to its role in determining the impact of human activities on the ecosystem. A knowledge of the rate at which sediments have been accumulating can be a useful parameter in quantifying the amount of polltuants that reach the marine environment. This study had thge objective of determining the sediment accumulation rate at the Olho D'agua Lagoon, located at the Jabotao dos Guararapes District, in the metropolitan region of Recife, the capital of the State of Pernambuco -Brazil. This lagoon was selected by the Brazilian government to benefit from the Habitat II Program, which is sponsored by the United Nations Organization. Sedimentation rates were estimated by measuring the vertical distribution of 210 Pb in sediment cores collected in two different areas of the lagoon. The determination of the 210 Pb content was based upon the measurement of its descendent 210 Po which was deposited in a cooper disk. The results indicated rates of accumulation of 0.6 cm/year and 1.5 cm/year at points near the Olho D'agua and Setubal channels, respectively. These channels are important conveyors of sediments to this estuary. (author). 5 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs

  18. Heart Disease Death Rates Among Blacks and Whites Aged ≥35 Years - United States, 1968-2015.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Dyke, Miriam; Greer, Sophia; Odom, Erika; Schieb, Linda; Vaughan, Adam; Kramer, Michael; Casper, Michele

    2018-03-30

    Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. In 2015, heart disease accounted for approximately 630,000 deaths, representing one in four deaths in the United States. Although heart disease death rates decreased 68% for the total population from 1968 to 2015, marked disparities in decreases exist by race and state. 1968-2015. The National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) data on deaths in the United States were abstracted for heart disease using diagnosis codes from the eighth, ninth, and tenth revisions of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-8, ICD-9, and ICD-10) for 1968-2015. Population estimates were obtained from NVSS files. National and state-specific heart disease death rates for the total population and by race for adults aged ≥35 years were calculated for 1968-2015. National and state-specific black-white heart disease mortality ratios also were calculated. Death rates were age standardized to the 2000 U.S. standard population. Joinpoint regression was used to perform time trend analyses. From 1968 to 2015, heart disease death rates decreased for the total U.S. population among adults aged ≥35 years, from 1,034.5 to 327.2 per 100,000 population, respectively, with variations in the magnitude of decreases by race and state. Rates decreased for the total population an average of 2.4% per year, with greater average decreases among whites (2.4% per year) than blacks (2.2% per year). At the national level, heart disease death rates for blacks and whites were similar at the start of the study period (1968) but began to diverge in the late 1970s, when rates for blacks plateaued while rates for whites continued to decrease. Heart disease death rates among blacks remained higher than among whites for the remainder of the study period. Nationwide, the black-white ratio of heart disease death rates increased from 1.04 in 1968 to 1.21 in 2015, with large increases occurring during the 1970s and 1980s followed by small but steady

  19. Violent crime rates as a proxy for the social determinants of sexually transmissible infection rates: the consistent state-level correlation between violent crime and reported sexually transmissible infections in the United States, 1981-2010.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chesson, Harrell W; Owusu-Edusei, Kwame; Leichliter, Jami S; Aral, Sevgi O

    2013-11-01

    Numerous social determinants of health are associated with violent crime rates and sexually transmissible infection (STI) rates. This report aims to illustrate the potential usefulness of violent crime rates as a proxy for the social determinants of STI rates. For each year from 1981 to 2010, we assessed the strength of the association between the violent crime rate and the gonorrhoea (Neisseria gonorrhoeae) rate (number of total reported cases per 100?000) at the state level. Specifically, for each year, we calculated Pearson correlation coefficients (and P-values) between two variables (the violent crime rate and the natural log of the gonorrhoea rate) for all 50 states and Washington, DC. For comparison, we also examined the correlation between gonorrhoea rates, and rates of poverty and unemployment. We repeated the analysis using overall syphilis rates instead of overall gonorrhoea rates. The correlation between gonorrhoea and violent crime was significant at the P<0.001 level for every year from 1981 to 2010. Syphilis rates were also consistently correlated with violent crime rates. In contrast, the P-value for the correlation coefficient exceeded 0.05 in 9 of the 30 years for the association between gonorrhoea and poverty, and in 17 of the 30 years for that between gonorrhoea and unemployment. Because violent crime is associated with many social determinants of STIs and because it is consistently associated with STI rates, violent crime rates can be a useful proxy for the social determinants of health in statistical analyses of STI rates.

  20. Validation of a tracer technique to determine nonsteady-state ketone body turnover rates in man

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keller, U.; Sonnenberg, G.E.; Stauffacher, W.

    1981-01-01

    The features of a single-compartment model of total ketone bodies were evaluated using primed constant infusions of [3-14C]acetoacetate (AcAc) and of D-[3-14C]beta-hydroxybutyrate (beta OHB) in 12 postabsorptive subjects. The volume of distribution (VD) of AcAc was 0.18 +- 0.01 liter/kg (n = 9), and that of beta OHB was similar, 0.18 +- 0.02 liter/kg (n = 3). The production rate of total ketone bodies was calculated using the combined specific activity of AcAc and of beta OHB. The mean basal total ketone body production rates were similar using either [14C]AcAc (6.5 mumol . kg-1 . min-1) or [14C]beta OHB (6.8 mumol . kg-1 . min-1). To determine the pool fraction that was rapidly mixed during nonsteady state of ketone body inflow, unlabeled AcAc was infused with stepwise increasing and decreasing rates between 5 and 25 mumol . kg-1 . m-1 to mimic nonsteady-state ketone body production rates. The functional pool fraction P was determined as the pool fraction that provided the best match between tracer-determined rates of ketone production and rates of AcAc infusion. P of total ketone bodies was almost equal to 1 using either [14C]AcAc (1.05 +- 0.16) or [14C]beta OHB (1.00 +- 0.06), suggesting rapid mixing of ketone bodies throughout the entire pool. The described pool model may be used to determine total ketone body kinetics during acute perturbations of the steady state

  1. FINANCING ACTIVITIES OF MODERN UNIVERSITIES - APPROACHES, CHALLENGES, PROBLEMS

    OpenAIRE

    BOJINOV B.V.

    2017-01-01

    The article examined the main approaches to the funding of universities and possible mechanisms for their subsequent efficient financial management. The main sources of funding for modern universities, are usually a mix of state funding other targeted grants, tuition fees and revenues from economic activity. The declining targeted budgetary resources for the financing of universities, and linking it to performance (quality, rating realization), forcing universities to seek alternative sources...

  2. State Performance-Based Regulation Using Multiyear Rate Plans for U.S. Electric Utilities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lowry, Mark Newton [Pacific Economics Group Research LLC (United States); Makos, Matt [Pacific Economics Group Research LLC (United States); Deason, Jeff [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Schwartz, Lisa [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2017-07-31

    Electric utilities today must contain costs at a time when many need to modernize aging systems and all face major changes in technologies, customer preferences and competitive pressures.Most U.S. electric utility facilities are investor-owned, subject to rate and service regulation by state public utility commissions. Regulatory systems under which these utilities operate affect their performance and ability to meet these challenges. In this business environment, multiyear rate plans have some advantages over traditional rate regulation.The report focuses on key design issues and provides case studies of the multiyear rate plan approach, applicable to both vertically integrated and restructured states. Mark Newton Lowry and Matt Makos of Pacific Energy Group Research and Jeff Deason of Berkeley Lab authored the report; Lisa Schwartz, Berkeley Lab, was project manager and technical editor.The report is aimed primarily at state utility regulators and stakeholders in the state regulatory process. The multiyear rate approach also provides ideas on how to streamline oversight of public power utilities and rural electric cooperatives for their governing boards.Two key provisions of multiyear rate plans strengthen cost containment incentives and streamline regulation: 1. Reducing frequency of rate cases, typically to every four or five years 2. Using an attrition relief mechanism to escalate rates or revenue between rate cases to address cost pressures such as inflation and growth in number of customers, independently of the utility’s own cost Better utility performance can be achieved under well-designed multiyear rate plans while achieving lower regulatory costs. Benefits can be shared between utilities and their customers. But plans can be complex and involve significant changes in the regulatory system. Designing plans that stimulate utility performance without undue risk and share benefits fairly can be challenging.This report discusses the rationale for multiyear

  3. K-State Problem Identification Rating Scales for College Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robertson, John M.; Benton, Stephen L.; Newton, Fred B.; Downey, Ronald G.; Marsh, Patricia A.; Benton, Sheryl A.; Tseng, Wen-Chih; Shin, Kang-Hyun

    2006-01-01

    The K-State Problem Identification Rating Scales, a new screening instrument for college counseling centers, gathers information about clients' presenting symptoms, functioning levels, and readiness to change. Three studies revealed 7 scales: Mood Difficulties, Learning Problems, Food Concerns, Interpersonal Conflicts, Career Uncertainties,…

  4. Lifetime measurements and dipole transition rates for superdeformed states in {sup 190}Hg.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amro, H.

    1999-03-24

    The Doppler-shift attenuation method was used to measure life-times of superdeformed (SD) states for both the yrast and the first excited superdeformed band of {sup 190}Hg. Intrinsic quadruple moments Q{sub 0} were extracted. For the first time, the dipole transition rates have been extracted for the inter-band transitions which connect the excited SD band to the yrast states in the second minimum. The results support the interpretation of the excited SD band as a rotational band built on an octupole vibration.

  5. Effects of Maternal Age and Age-Specific Preterm Birth Rates on Overall Preterm Birth Rates - United States, 2007 and 2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferré, Cynthia; Callaghan, William; Olson, Christine; Sharma, Andrea; Barfield, Wanda

    2016-11-04

    Reductions in births to teens and preterm birth rates are two recent public health successes in the United States (1,2). From 2007 to 2014, the birth rate for females aged 15-19 years declined 42%, from 41.5 to 24.2 per 1,000 females. The preterm birth rate decreased 8.4%, from 10.41% to 9.54% of live births (1). Rates of preterm births vary by maternal age, being higher among the youngest and oldest mothers. It is unknown how changes in the maternal age distribution in the United States have affected preterm birth rates. CDC used birth data to assess the relative contributions of changes in the maternal age distribution and in age-specific preterm birth rates to the overall decrease in preterm birth rates. The preterm birth rate declined in all age groups. The effects of age distribution changes on the preterm birth rate decrease were different in younger and older mothers. The decrease in the proportion of births to mothers aged ≤19 and 20-24 years and reductions in age-specific preterm rates in all age groups contributed to the overall decline in the preterm birth rate. The increase in births to mothers aged ≥30 years had no effect on the overall preterm birth rate decrease. The decline in preterm births from 2007 to 2014 is related, in part, to teen pregnancy prevention and the changing maternal age distribution. Effective public health strategies for further reducing preterm birth rates need to be tailored to different age groups.

  6. The relationship between gun ownership and stranger and nonstranger firearm homicide rates in the United States, 1981-2010.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siegel, Michael; Negussie, Yamrot; Vanture, Sarah; Pleskunas, Jane; Ross, Craig S; King, Charles

    2014-10-01

    We examined the relationship between gun ownership and stranger versus nonstranger homicide rates. Using data from the Supplemental Homicide Reports of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports for all 50 states for 1981 to 2010, we modeled stranger and nonstranger homicide rates as a function of state-level gun ownership, measured by a proxy, controlling for potential confounders. We used a negative binomial regression model with fixed effects for year, accounting for clustering of observations among states by using generalized estimating equations. We found no robust, statistically significant correlation between gun ownership and stranger firearm homicide rates. However, we found a positive and significant association between gun ownership and nonstranger firearm homicide rates. The incidence rate ratio for nonstranger firearm homicide rate associated with gun ownership was 1.014 (95% confidence interval=1.009, 1.019). Our findings challenge the argument that gun ownership deters violent crime, in particular, homicides.

  7. The death of marriage? The effects of new forms of legal recognition on marriage rates in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dillender, Marcus

    2014-04-01

    Some conservative groups argue that allowing same-sex couples to marry reduces the value of marriage to opposite-sex couples. This article examines how changes in U.S. legal recognition laws occurring between 1995 and 2010 designed to include same-sex couples have altered marriage rates in the United States. Using a difference-in-differences strategy that compares how marriage rates change after legal recognition in U.S. states that alter legal recognition versus states that do not, I find no evidence that allowing same-sex couples to marry reduces the opposite-sex marriage rate. Although the opposite-sex marriage rate is unaffected by same-sex couples marrying, it decreases when domestic partnerships are available to opposite-sex couples.

  8. Parent Ratings of Impulsivity and Inhibition Predict State Testing Scores

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rebecca A. Lundwall

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available One principle of cognitive development is that earlier intervention for educational difficulties tends to improve outcomes such as future educational and career success. One possible way to help students who struggle is to determine if they process information differently. Such determination might lead to clues for interventions. For example, early information processing requires attention before the information can be identified, encoded, and stored. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether parent ratings of inattention, inhibition, and impulsivity, and whether error rate on a reflexive attention task could be used to predict child scores on state standardized tests. Finding such an association could provide assistance to educators in identifying academically struggling children who might require targeted educational interventions. Children (N = 203 were invited to complete a peripheral cueing task (which measures the automatic reorienting of the brain’s attentional resources from one location to another. While the children completed the task, their parents completed a questionnaire. The questionnaire gathered information on broad indicators of child functioning, including observable behaviors of impulsivity, inattention, and inhibition, as well as state academic scores (which the parent retrieved online from their school. We used sequential regression to analyze contributions of error rate and parent-rated behaviors in predicting six academic scores. In one of the six analyses (for science, we found that the improvement was significant from the simplified model (with only family income, child age, and sex as predictors to the full model (adding error rate and three parent-rated behaviors. Two additional analyses (reading and social studies showed near significant improvement from simplified to full models. Parent-rated behaviors were significant predictors in all three of these analyses. In the reading score analysis

  9. Educational inequalities in self-rated health across US states and European countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Präg, Patrick; Subramanian, S V

    2017-07-01

    The US shows a distinct health disadvantage when compared to other high-income nations. A potential lever to reduce this disadvantage is to improve the health situation of lower socioeconomic groups. Our objective is to explore how the considerable within-US variation in health inequalities compares to the health inequalities across other Western countries. Representative survey data from 44 European countries and the US federal states were obtained from the fourth wave of the European Values Study (EVS) and the 2008 wave of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Using binary logistic regression, we analyze different forms of educational inequalities in self-rated health (SRH), adjusted for age and sex. The extent of educational inequalities in SRH varies considerably over European countries and US states; with US states in general showing greater inequality, however, differences between US states and European countries are less clear than commonly assumed. The US has considerable differences in educational inequalities in SRH across geographic locations. To understand the reasons for the US health disadvantage, comparative research has to take into account the vast variation in health inequalities within the US.

  10. What's in Your Financial Package? Student Credit Card Use and Economic Insecurity in College

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrews, Benjamin D.

    2017-01-01

    Since the turn of the 21st century, going to college has become increasingly financially difficult in the United States. Tuition prices continued to rise, state funding for higher education declined, and the mean family income declined or stagnated for all but the top 20 percent of families (Goldrick-Rab 2016). In a period where college has risen…

  11. Assessment of absorbed dose rate from terrestrial gamma radiation in Red Sea State

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdalrahman, H. E. K.

    2012-09-01

    This study is primarily conducted to contribute in the overall strategic objective of producing Sudan radiation map which will include natural radiation levels and the resultant absorbed dose rate in air. The part covered by this study is the Red Sea State. Soil samples were collected from locations lie between latitudes 17.03 ° and the 20.18 ° N and longitudes 36.06 ° E during September 2007. Activity concentrations of the primordial radionuclides, 226 Ra, 232 Th, and 40 K in the samples were measured using gamma-ray spectrometry equipped with Nal (Tl) detector. Absorbed dose rates in air a height of 1 from the ground level and the corresponding annual effective doses were calculated from the measured activities using Dose Rate Conversion Factors (DRCFs). On the average, the activity concentrations were 19.22±13.13 Bq kg -1 ( 232 Th), 17.91±15.44 Bq kg -1 ( 226 Ra) and (507.13±161.67) Bq kg -1 for 40 K. The obtained results were found to be within the global values reported in the UNSCEAR publication for normal background areas with the exception of the samples taken from Arbaat area. The absorbed dose rate in air as calculated using UNSCEAR conversion factor averaged 40.93 n Gy h -1 which corresponds to annual effective dose of 50.23 μSvy -1 . The major contribution to the total absorbed dose rate comes from 40 K, which amounts to 53.36%. Using Geographical Information System (GIS), predication maps for activity concentrations levels of the measured radionuclides in the Red Sea state was prepared to show their respective spatial distributions. Similarly, GIS predictive map was produced for annual effective dose.(Author)

  12. Reduced Disparities in Birth Rates Among Teens Aged 15-19 Years - United States, 2006-2007 and 2013-2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romero, Lisa; Pazol, Karen; Warner, Lee; Cox, Shanna; Kroelinger, Charlan; Besera, Ghenet; Brittain, Anna; Fuller, Taleria R; Koumans, Emilia; Barfield, Wanda

    2016-04-29

    Teen childbearing can have negative health, economic, and social consequences for mothers and their children (1) and costs the United States approximately $9.4 billion annually (2). During 1991-2014, the birth rate among teens aged 15-19 years in the United States declined 61%, from 61.8 to 24.2 births per 1,000, the lowest rate ever recorded (3). Nonetheless, in 2014, the teen birth rate remained approximately twice as high for Hispanic and non-Hispanic black (black) teens compared with non-Hispanic white (white) teens (3), and geographic and socioeconomic disparities remain (3,4), irrespective of race/ethnicity. Social determinants associated with teen childbearing (e.g., low parental educational attainment and limited opportunities for education and employment) are more common in communities with higher proportions of racial and ethnic minorities (4), contributing to the challenge of further reducing disparities in teen births. To examine trends in births for teens aged 15-19 years by race/ethnicity and geography, CDC analyzed National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) data at the national (2006-2014), state (2006-2007 and 2013-2014), and county (2013-2014) levels. To describe socioeconomic indicators previously associated with teen births, CDC analyzed data from the American Community Survey (ACS) (2010-2014). Nationally, from 2006 to 2014, the teen birth rate declined 41% overall with the largest decline occurring among Hispanics (51%), followed by blacks (44%), and whites (35%). The birth rate ratio for Hispanic teens and black teens compared with white teens declined from 2.9 to 2.2 and from 2.3 to 2.0, respectively. From 2006-2007 to 2013-2014, significant declines in teen birth rates and birth rate ratios were noted nationally and in many states. At the county level, teen birth rates for 2013-2014 ranged from 3.1 to 119.0 per 1,000 females aged 15-19 years; ACS data indicated unemployment was higher, and education attainment and family income were lower in

  13. Solid state pump lasers with high power and high repetition rate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oba, Masaki; Kato, Masaaki; Arisawa, Takashi

    1995-01-01

    We built a laser diode pumped solid state green laser (LDPSSGL) rated at high repetition rate. Two laser heads are placed in one cavity with a rotator in between to design to avoid thermal lensing and thermal birefringence effect. Although average green laser power higher than 10 W was obtained at 1 kHz repetition rate with pulse width of 20-30 nsec, the beam quality was so much deteriorated that energy efficiency was as low as 2 %. Learning from this experience that high power oscillator causes a lot of thermal distortion not only in the laser rod but also in the Q-switch device, we proceeded to built a oscillator/amplifier system. A low power oscillator has a slab type crystal in the cavity. As a result spatial distribution of laser power was extremely improved. As we expect that the high repetition rate solid state laser should be CW operated Q-switch type laser from the view point of lifetime of diode lasers, a conventional arc lamp pumped CW Q-switch green YAG laser of which the repetition rate is changeable from 1 kHz to 5 kHz and the pulse width is 250-570 nsec was also tested to obtain pumping characteristics of a dye laser as a function of power, pulse width etc., and dye laser pulse width of 100-130 nsec were obtained. (author)

  14. THE IMPACT OF FISCAL AND BUDGETARY POLICIES ON THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN THE EU MEMBER STATES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ALEXANDRU DRONCA

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available The tax system is one of the main tools by which a State exercises sovereignty through the collection, allocation and redistribution of revenues in a given territory. This paper aims to highlight how the characteristics of tax systems, in the Member States of the European Union, affect the unemployment rate. To achieve this goal, indicators for the 28 Member States of the European Union for the period 2004-2012 where used in the study. Starting with an analysis of panel data models, developed using a range of indicators specific for tax systems (budget revenues, budget expenditures, public investment, direct taxes, indirect taxes and social contributions,as exogenous variables and the unemployment rate, as an endogenous variable. The results show that the fiscal and budgetary policies of EU Member States can play a positive role in reducing unemployment, provided that their application and use will meet certain standards and performance criteria and do not harm business.

  15. Toward an implicit measure of emotions: ratings of abstract images reveal distinct emotional states.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartoszek, Gregory; Cervone, Daniel

    2017-11-01

    Although implicit tests of positive and negative affect exist, implicit measures of distinct emotional states are scarce. Three experiments examined whether a novel implicit emotion-assessment task, the rating of emotion expressed in abstract images, would reveal distinct emotional states. In Experiment 1, participants exposed to a sadness-inducing story inferred more sadness, and less happiness, in abstract images. In Experiment 2, an anger-provoking interaction increased anger ratings. In Experiment 3, compared to neutral images, spider images increased fear ratings in spider-fearful participants but not in controls. In each experiment, the implicit task indicated elevated levels of the target emotion and did not indicate elevated levels of non-target negative emotions; the task thus differentiated among emotional states of the same valence. Correlations also supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the implicit task. Supporting the possibility that heuristic processes underlie the ratings, group differences were stronger among those who responded relatively quickly.

  16. Obtaining a W state from a Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state via stochastic local operations and classical communication with a rate approaching unity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Nengkun; Guo, Cheng; Duan, Runyao

    2014-04-25

    We introduce a notion of the entanglement transformation rate to characterize the asymptotic comparability of two multipartite pure entangled states under stochastic local operations and classical communication (SLOCC). For two well known SLOCC inequivalent three-qubit states |GHZ⟩=(1/2)(|000⟩+|111⟩) and |W⟩=(1/3)(|100⟩+|010⟩+|001⟩), we show that the entanglement transformation rate from |GHZ⟩ to |W⟩ is exactly 1. That means that we can obtain one copy of the W state from one copy of the Greenberg-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state by SLOCC, asymptotically. We then apply similar techniques to obtain a lower bound on the entanglement transformation rates from an N-partite GHZ state to a class of Dicke states, and prove the tightness of this bound for some special cases which naturally generalize the |W⟩ state. A new lower bound on the tensor rank of the matrix permanent is also obtained by evaluating the tensor rank of Dicke states.

  17. Shadow Education in Malaysia: Identifying the Determinants of Spending and Amount of Time Attending Private Supplementary Tutoring of Upper Secondary School Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chang Da Wan

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the determinants of spending and the amount of time attending private supplementary tutoring, or commonly known as private tuition, in Malaysia. Based on 343 self-reported questionnaires with upper secondary students across three states in Malaysia and using multiple regression analysis, we identified ethnicity, father’s level of education and past academic performance as significant determinants of spending and amount of time attending private tuition. However, interestingly, we found that while geographical location and participation in internal tuition in schools were also determinants of spending, these two were not significant in determining the amount of time attending private supplementary tutoring. The identification of determinants of spending and amount of time, and in addition, the differences between these two illustrates the economic and educational dimensions of shadow education. More importantly, the insight also contributes to the formulation of possible interventions that can improve quality and reduce inequality in the mainstream education system.

  18. An analysis of external sources for revenue solicitation for optometric education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banwell, B B

    1992-12-01

    In analyzing the costs of optometric education, it becomes apparent that the cost of operating the educational institution far exceeds the cost of providing the optometric education. A recent survey also indicates that there are rather striking differences in the cost of operating state-sponsored vs. private programs. It is necessary, therefore, to seek alternative sources of funding optometric education rather than relying on annual tuition escalation to cover increasing costs. Such sources include: realistic fees for clinic program services; various forms of state grants, private institution programs, tuition subsidies; foundations; gifts; "industrial partnerships" outside the ophthalmic field; and innovative financing.

  19. A progressive three-phase innovation to medical education in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pfeifer, Cory M

    2018-12-01

    The practice of medicine has changed greatly over the past 100 years, yet the structure of undergraduate medical education has evolved very little. Many schools have modified their curricula to incorporate problem-based learning and organ systems-based curricula, but few schools have adequately addressed rising tuition costs. Undergraduate medical education has become cost-prohibitive for students interested in primary care. In the meanwhile, the concept of a separate dedicated intern year is outdated and mired in waste despite remaining a requirement for several hospital-based and surgical specialties. Described here is an innovative approach to medical education which reduces tuition costs and maximizes efficiency, based on principals already employed by several schools. This integrated curriculum, first suggested by the author in 2010, keeps the current USMLE system in place, exposes medical students to patient care earlier, expands and incorporates the 'intern' year into a four-year medical training program, provides more time for students to decide on a specialty, and allows residency programs to acquire fully-licensed practitioners with greater clinical experience than the status quo. MCAT: Medical college admission test; USMLE: US medical licensing examination.

  20. Nickel-hydrogen battery state of charge during low rate trickle charging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lurie, C.; Foroozan, S.; Brewer, J.; Jackson, L.

    1996-01-01

    The NASA AXAF-I program requires high battery state of charge at launch. Traditional approaches to providing high state of charge, during prelaunch operations, require significant battery cooling. The use of active cooling, in the AXAF-I prelaunch environment, was considered and proved to be difficult to implement and very expensive. Accordingly alternate approaches were considered. An approach utilizing adiabatic charging and low rate trickle charge, was investigated and proved successful.

  1. Nickel-hydrogen battery state of charge during low rate trickle charging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lurie, C.; Foroozan, S.; Brewer, J.; Jackson, L. [TRW Space and Electronics Group, Redondo Beach, CA (United States)

    1996-02-01

    The NASA AXAF-I program requires high battery state of charge at launch. Traditional approaches to providing high state of charge, during prelaunch operations, require significant battery cooling. The use of active cooling, in the AXAF-I prelaunch environment, was considered and proved to be difficult to implement and very expensive. Accordingly alternate approaches were considered. An approach utilizing adiabatic charging and low rate trickle charge, was investigated and proved successful.

  2. Higher Education in Times of Financial Distress: The Minnesota Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Severns, Roger

    2012-01-01

    Like many states, Minnesota has incurred large budget deficits during the past two years. Those deficits have, in turn, led to changes in a number of areas of state government, particularly higher education. Faculty have incurred pay freezes and layoffs, programs have closed, and tuition increased. Campuses within the MnSCU system have been…

  3. Trends in Financing Dental Education, 2004-05 to 2011-12.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bailit, Howard L; Beazoglou, Tryfon

    2017-08-01

    This article examines dental school financial trends from 2004-05 to 2011-12, based on data from the American Dental Association (ADA) annual financial survey completed by all U.S. dental schools. For public schools, revenues from tuition and fees increased 68.6%, and state support declined 17.2% over the examined period. For private schools, revenues from tuition and fees increased 38.9%, and university indirect subsidies declined 77.9% over the same period. The major factors affecting dental school expenditures were the number of students and postdoctoral students, faculty practice, and research. The findings suggest that dental schools are now more dependent financially on tuition and fees than in the past. Schools have been able to pass on increases in operating costs to students and specialty postdoctoral students. Now that growth in dentists' incomes is slowing and student debt is at an all-time high, this financing strategy may not be sustainable in the long run. This article was written as part of the project "Advancing Dental Education in the 21 st Century."

  4. Affluence as a predictor of vaccine refusal and underimmunization in California private kindergartens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McNutt, Louise-Anne; Desemone, Cristina; DeNicola, Erica; El Chebib, Hassan; Nadeau, Jessica A; Bednarczyk, Robert A; Shaw, Jana

    2016-03-29

    Non-medical vaccine exemption rates in California private schools far exceed those of public schools, but little is known about specific factors which may be associated with high exemption rates in private schools. The percent of personal-belief exemptions (PBEs) among California public and private kindergartens were computed for 2000-2001 to 2014-2015 academic years. For the 2014-2015 academic year, a random sample of private schools was selected to investigate associations between kindergarten characteristics (tuition amount, religious affiliation) and vaccine profile (non-medical vaccine exemptions, vaccine coverage). The proportion of private kindergartens reporting 5% or more children with PBEs increased from 9% (2000-2001) to 34% (2013-2014), followed by a small decrease in 2014-2015 (31%). Overall, 93.7% (565/605) of kindergartens sampled in 2014-2015 had data available. Very high PBE levels (>20%) were seen among secular and non-Catholic, Christian kindergartens but not Roman Catholic, Jewish or Islamic kindergartens. However, the majority of schools at all tuition levels had fewer than 5% of children with a PBE. Kindergartens with an annual tuition of $10,000 or more were over twice as likely to have 20% or more children with PBEs than kindergartens with a lower tuition (ptuitions of $10,000 or more were 39% compared to 22% for less expensive kindergartens (pprivate kindergartens had 95% coverage of the MMR (49%) and pertussis-containing vaccines (51%). School-entry vaccination requirements are critical to preventing outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases in the US. Nonmedical exemptions increased between the 2000-2001 and 2014-2015 academic years and appear to be associated with affluence, raising social justice concerns. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Blastomycosis Mortality Rates, United States, 1990–2010

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2015-01-05

    Diana Khuu discusses Blastomycosis Mortality Rates, United States, 1990–2010.  Created: 1/5/2015 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).   Date Released: 1/7/2015.

  6. The influence of geology on terrestrial gamma radiation dose rate in Pahang state, Malaysia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gabdo, H.T.; Ramli, A.T.; Sanusi, M.S.; Garba, N.N.; Saleh, M.A.

    2015-01-01

    Terrestrial gamma radiation dose (TGRD) rate measurements have been made in Pahang state, Malaysia. Significant variations were found between TGRD measurements and the underlying geological formations. In some cases revealing significant elevations of TGRD. The acid-intrusive geological formation has the highest mean TGRD measurement of 367 nGy/h -1 . This is more than six times the world average value of 59 nGy/h -1 , while the quaternary geological formation has the lowest mean gamma radiation dose rate of 99 nGy h -1 . The annual effective dose equivalent outdoor to the population was 0.216 mSv. The lifetime equivalent dose and relative lifetime cancer risks for an individual living in Pahang state were 81 mSv and 4.7 x 10 -3 respectively. These values are more than two times the world average of 34 mSv and 1.95 x 10 -3 respectively. (author)

  7. Trends in College Pricing, 2014. Trends in Higher Education Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baum, Sandy; Ma, Jennifer; Bell, D'Wayne; Elliott, Diane Cardenas

    2014-01-01

    Between 2013-14 and 2014-15, average published tuition and fee prices increased by 2.9% for in-state students in the public four-year sector, by 3.3% for out-of-state students in the public four-year sector and for in-district students at public two-year colleges, and by 3.7% at private nonprofit four-year institutions. These increases are higher…

  8. The Relationship Between Gun Ownership and Stranger and Nonstranger Firearm Homicide Rates in the United States, 1981–2010

    Science.gov (United States)

    Negussie, Yamrot; Vanture, Sarah; Pleskunas, Jane; Ross, Craig S.; King, Charles

    2014-01-01

    Objectives. We examined the relationship between gun ownership and stranger versus nonstranger homicide rates. Methods. Using data from the Supplemental Homicide Reports of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reports for all 50 states for 1981 to 2010, we modeled stranger and nonstranger homicide rates as a function of state-level gun ownership, measured by a proxy, controlling for potential confounders. We used a negative binomial regression model with fixed effects for year, accounting for clustering of observations among states by using generalized estimating equations. Results. We found no robust, statistically significant correlation between gun ownership and stranger firearm homicide rates. However, we found a positive and significant association between gun ownership and nonstranger firearm homicide rates. The incidence rate ratio for nonstranger firearm homicide rate associated with gun ownership was 1.014 (95% confidence interval = 1.009, 1.019). Conclusions. Our findings challenge the argument that gun ownership deters violent crime, in particular, homicides. PMID:25121817

  9. Progress toward Increasing National and State Graduation Rates. Raising Graduation Rates: A Series of Data Briefs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balfanz, Robert; West, Thomas C.

    2006-01-01

    This is the first in a series of briefs examining the progress in raising high school graduation rates over the past decade. During this period, the prevailing belief has been that all students who wanted to or needed to graduate did so. However, it is now recognized that in every state there are too many communities and schools where high school…

  10. 5 CFR 532.205 - The use of Federal, State, and local minimum wage requirements in determining prevailing rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... minimum wage requirements in determining prevailing rates. 532.205 Section 532.205 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PREVAILING RATE SYSTEMS Prevailing Rate Determinations § 532.205 The use of Federal, State, and local minimum wage requirements in determining prevailing...

  11. How Students Use Federal, State and Institutional Aid to Pay for College: A Primer for State Policymakers. Special Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarubbi, Molly; Pingel, Sarah

    2018-01-01

    Postsecondary education is one of the largest investments that students and their families make, with average yearly cost of attendance--including tuition, fees, room and board--of just under $17,000 to attend a public institution in the 2015-16 academic year. In the context of increasing college costs, aid dollars have failed to keep pace with…

  12. Impact of Pharmacist Immunization Authority on Seasonal Influenza Immunization Rates Across States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drozd, Edward M; Miller, Laura; Johnsrud, Michael

    2017-08-01

    The goal of this study was to investigate the impact on immunization rates of policy changes that allowed pharmacists to administer influenza immunizations across the United States. Influenza immunization rates across states were compared before and after policy changes permitting pharmacists to administer influenza immunizations. The study used Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey data on influenza immunization rates between 2003 and 2013. Logistic regression models were constructed and incorporated adjustments for the complex sample design of the BRFSS to predict the likelihood of a person receiving an influenza immunization based on various patient health, demographic, and access to care factors. Overall, as states moved to allow pharmacists to administer influenza immunizations, the odds that an adult resident received an influenza immunization rose, with the effect increasing over time. The average percentage of people receiving influenza immunizations in states was 35.1%, rising from 32.2% in 2003 to 40.3% in 2013. The policy changes were associated with a long-term increase of 2.2% to 7.6% in the number of adults aged 25 to 59 years receiving an influenza immunization (largest for those aged 35-39 years) and no significant change for those younger or older. These findings suggest that pharmacies and other nontraditional settings may offer accessible venues for patients when implementing other public health initiatives. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. SU-D-209-01: Can Fluoroscopic Air-Kerma Rates Be Reliably Measured with Solid-State Meters?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng, C; Thai, L; Wagner, L; Ozus, B

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: Ionization chambers remain the standard for calibration of air-kerma rate measuring devices. Despite their strong energy-dependent response, solid state radiation detectors are increasingly used, primarily due to their efficiency in making standardized measurements. To test the reliability of these devices in measuring air-kerma rates, we compared ion chambers measurements with solid-state measurements for various mobile fluoroscopes operated at different beam qualities and air-kerma rates. Methods: Six mobile fluoroscopes (GE OEC models 9800 and 9900) were used to generate test beams. Using various field sizes and dose rate controls, copper attenuators and a lead attenuator were placed at the image receptor in varying combinations to generate a range of air-kerma rates. Air-kerma rates at 30 centimeters from the image receptors were measured using two 6-cm"3 ion chambers with electrometers (Radcal, models 1015 and 9015) and two with solid state detectors (Unfors Xi and Raysafe X2). No error messages occurred during measurements. However, about two months later, one solid-state device stopped working and was replaced by the manufacturer. Two out of six mobile fluoroscopic units were retested with the replacement unit. Results: Generally, solid state and ionization chambers agreed favorably well, with two exceptions. Before replacement of the detector, the Xi meter when set in the “RF High” mode deviated from ion chamber readings by factors of 2 and 10 with no message indicating error in measurement. When set in the “RF Low” mode, readings were within −4% to +3%. The replacement Xi detector displayed messages alerting the user when settings were not compatible with air-kerma rates. Conclusion: Air-kerma rates can be measured favorably well using solid-state devices, but users must be aware of the possibility that readings can be grossly in error with no discernible indication for the deviation.

  14. SU-D-209-01: Can Fluoroscopic Air-Kerma Rates Be Reliably Measured with Solid-State Meters?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Feng, C; Thai, L; Wagner, L [The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX (United States); Ozus, B [CHI St Luke’s Health, Baylor St Luke’s Medical Center, Houston, TX (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: Ionization chambers remain the standard for calibration of air-kerma rate measuring devices. Despite their strong energy-dependent response, solid state radiation detectors are increasingly used, primarily due to their efficiency in making standardized measurements. To test the reliability of these devices in measuring air-kerma rates, we compared ion chambers measurements with solid-state measurements for various mobile fluoroscopes operated at different beam qualities and air-kerma rates. Methods: Six mobile fluoroscopes (GE OEC models 9800 and 9900) were used to generate test beams. Using various field sizes and dose rate controls, copper attenuators and a lead attenuator were placed at the image receptor in varying combinations to generate a range of air-kerma rates. Air-kerma rates at 30 centimeters from the image receptors were measured using two 6-cm{sup 3} ion chambers with electrometers (Radcal, models 1015 and 9015) and two with solid state detectors (Unfors Xi and Raysafe X2). No error messages occurred during measurements. However, about two months later, one solid-state device stopped working and was replaced by the manufacturer. Two out of six mobile fluoroscopic units were retested with the replacement unit. Results: Generally, solid state and ionization chambers agreed favorably well, with two exceptions. Before replacement of the detector, the Xi meter when set in the “RF High” mode deviated from ion chamber readings by factors of 2 and 10 with no message indicating error in measurement. When set in the “RF Low” mode, readings were within −4% to +3%. The replacement Xi detector displayed messages alerting the user when settings were not compatible with air-kerma rates. Conclusion: Air-kerma rates can be measured favorably well using solid-state devices, but users must be aware of the possibility that readings can be grossly in error with no discernible indication for the deviation.

  15. A microscopic model of rate and state friction evolution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Tianyi; Rubin, Allan M.

    2017-08-01

    Whether rate- and state-dependent friction evolution is primarily slip dependent or time dependent is not well resolved. Although slide-hold-slide experiments are traditionally interpreted as supporting the aging law, implying time-dependent evolution, recent studies show that this evidence is equivocal. In contrast, the slip law yields extremely good fits to velocity step experiments, although a clear physical picture for slip-dependent friction evolution is lacking. We propose a new microscopic model for rate and state friction evolution in which each asperity has a heterogeneous strength, with individual portions recording the velocity at which they became part of the contact. Assuming an exponential distribution of asperity sizes on the surface, the model produces results essentially similar to the slip law, yielding very good fits to velocity step experiments but not improving much the fits to slide-hold-slide experiments. A numerical kernel for the model is developed, and an analytical expression is obtained for perfect velocity steps, which differs from the slip law expression by a slow-decaying factor. By changing the quantity that determines the intrinsic strength, we use the same model structure to investigate aging-law-like time-dependent evolution. Assuming strength to increase logarithmically with contact age, for two different definitions of age we obtain results for velocity step increases significantly different from the aging law. Interestingly, a solution very close to the aging law is obtained if we apply a third definition of age that we consider to be nonphysical. This suggests that under the current aging law, the state variable is not synonymous with contact age.

  16. Association of State-Mandated Abstinence-only Sexuality Education with Rates of Adolescent HIV Infection and Teenage Pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elliot, L M; Booth, M M; Patterson, G; Althoff, M; Bush, C K; Dery, M A

    2017-01-01

    Abstinence-only sexuality education (AOSE); is required in the public school systems of many states, raising public health concerns and perpetuating health disparities through school systems. This study aimed to determine the correlations between state-mandated AOSE and the rates of adolescent HIV and teen pregnancy. Using publicly available data on all 50 United States' laws and policies on AOSE, states were ranked according to their level of abstinence emphasis on sexuality education (Level 0 - Level 3);. We calculated the relative proportion of Black students in public schools and the proportion of families below the federal poverty line then ranked them by state. We compared the states' ranks to the incidence of adolescent HIV and teen pregnancy in those states to identify associations between variables. The majority of states (~44 percent ); have legally mandated AOSE policies (Level 3); and adolescent HIV and teen pregnancy rates were highest in these Level 3 states. There were significant, positive correlations between HIV incidence rates of 13-19 year olds, HIV rates of 20-24 year olds, teen pregnancy rates, and AOSE level, with the proportion of the population that lives below the federal poverty level, and whether they attended schools that had a greater than 50 percent of an African American population. These data show a clear association between state sexuality education policies and adolescent HIV and teen pregnancy rates not previously demonstrated. Our data further show that states that have higher proportions of at-risk populations, with higher adolescent HIV and teen pregnancy rates, are more likely to also have restrictive AOSE policies. These populations may be more likely to attend public schools where AOSE is taught, increasing their risk for HIV and teen pregnancy. The World Health Organization considers fact-based Comprehensive Sexuality Education a human right, and the authors believe it is past time to end harmful, discriminatory sexuality

  17. Comparison of heart rate variability between resting state and external-cuff-inflation-and-deflation state: a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ji, Lizhen; Liu, Chengyu; Li, Peng; Wang, Xinpei; Yan, Chang; Liu, Changchun

    2015-10-01

    Heart rate variability (HRV) has been widely used in clinical research to provide an insight into the autonomic control of the cardiovascular system. Measurement of HRV is generally performed under a relaxed resting state. The effects of other conditions on HRV measurement, such as running, mountaineering, head-up tilt, etc, have also been investigated. This study aimed to explore whether an inflation-and-deflation process applied to a unilateral upper arm cuff would influence the HRV measurement. Fifty healthy young volunteers aged between 21 and 30 were enrolled in this study. Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals were recorded for each subject over a five minute resting state followed by a five minute external-cuff-inflation-and-deflation state (ECID state). A one minute gap was scheduled between the two measurements. Consecutive RR intervals in the ECG were extracted automatically to form the HRV data for each of the two states. Time domain (SDNN, RMSSD and PNN50), frequency domain (LFn, HFn and LF/HF) and nonlinear (VLI, VAI and SampEn) HRV indices were analyzed and compared between the two states. In addition, the effects of mean artery pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) on the aforementioned HRV indices were assessed for the two states, respectively, by Pearson correlation analysis. The results showed no significant difference in all aforementioned HRV indices between the resting and the ECID states (all p  >  0.05). The corresponding HRV indices had significant positive correlation (all p    0.05) for either state. Besides, none of the indices showed HR-related change (all p  >  0.05) for either state except the index of VLI in the resting state. To conclude, this pilot study suggested that the applied ECID process hardly influenced those commonly used HRV indices. It would thus be applicable to simultaneously measure both blood pressure and HRV indices in clinical practice.

  18. Self-rated mental health and race/ethnicity in the United States: support for the epidemiological paradox

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexis R. Santos-Lozada

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper evaluates racial/ethnic differences in self-rated mental health for adults in the United States, while controlling for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics as well as length of stay in the country. Using data from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey Cancer Control Supplement (NHIS-CCS, binomial logistic regression models are fit to estimate the association between race/ethnicity and poor/fair self-reported mental health among US Adults. The size of the analytical sample was 22,844 persons. Overall prevalence of poor/fair self-rated mental health was 7.72%, with lower prevalence among Hispanics (6.93%. Non-Hispanic blacks had the highest prevalence (10.38%. After controls for socioeconomic characteristics are incorporated in the models, Hispanics were found to have a lower probability of reporting poor/fair self-rated mental health in comparison to non-Hispanic whites (OR = 0.70; 95% CI [0.55–0.90]. No difference was found for other minority groups when compared to the reference group in the final model. Contrary to global self-rated health, Hispanics were found to have a lower probability of reporting poor/fair self-rated mental health in comparison to non-Hispanic whites. No difference was found for non-Hispanic blacks when they were compared to non-Hispanic whites. Self-rated mental health is therefore one case of a self-rating of health in which evidence supporting the epidemiological paradox is found among adults in the United States.

  19. Does unemployment affect child abuse rates? Evidence from New York State.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raissian, Kerri M

    2015-10-01

    This article used child maltreatment reports from New York State from 2000 to 2010 to investigate the relationship between county level unemployment and county level child maltreatment rates. Models showed that a 1 percentage point increase in unemployment rates reduced the child report rate by approximately 4.25%. Report rates for young children (children under the age of 6) and older children (children ages 6 and over) responded similarly to changes in local unemployment, but the relationship between unemployment rates and child maltreatment reports did vary by a county's metropolitan designation. The negative relationship between unemployment and child maltreatment reports was largely contained to metropolitan counties. The relationship between unemployment and child maltreatment reports in non-metropolitan counties was often positive but not statistically significant. These findings were robust to a number of specifications. In alternate models, the county's mandated reporter employment rate was added as a control; the inclusion of this variable did not alter the results. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Effectiveness of media and enforcement campaigns in increasing seat belt usage rates in a state with a secondary seat belt law.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasudevan, Vinod; Nambisan, Shashi S; Singh, Ashok K; Pearl, Traci

    2009-08-01

    In 2005, in terms of seat belt usage rates, Nevada ranked third nationally and first among states with secondary seat belt use enforcement laws in the United States. An effective combination of a media-based education and enforcement campaign helped in this regard. The objective of this article is to document the effectiveness of enforcement and media-based education and outreach campaigns on the seat belt usage rates in Nevada, a state with a secondary seat belt usage law. Observational data on seat belt usage and passenger fatality data are used to evaluate the effectiveness of enforcement campaigns and media-based education and outreach campaigns. Data based on observations of about 40,000 vehicles in each of the years 2003 to 2005 were analyzed. Statistical analyses show that a significant increase in seat belt usage rates among both drivers and passengers for both genders resulted from the accompanying the media and enforcement campaigns. The results from this study indicate that effective and well-planned media/enforcement campaigns can have a significant impact on seat belt usage rates even in a state where the enforcement of seat belt laws can only be as a secondary violation. They validate and expand on findings from other efforts documented in the literature. These results demonstrate that, if coordinated properly, media and enforcement campaigns work very effectively in increasing seat belt usage rates even in states with secondary seat belt laws.

  1. The Impact of Private Schools on Educational Attainment in the State of São Paulo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stern, Jonathan M. B.

    2015-01-01

    This study uses a comprehensive dataset on secondary school students in Brazil to examine the impact of private school enrollment on educational attainment in São Paulo. The results show that private school students (across all levels of tuition) perform better than their public school counterparts on Brazil's high school exit exam, even after…

  2. Why is the teen birth rate in the United States so high and why does it matter?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kearney, Melissa S; Levine, Phillip B

    2012-01-01

    Teens in the United States are far more likely to give birth than in any other industrialized country in the world. U.S. teens are two and a half times as likely to give birth as compared to teens in Canada, around four times as likely as teens in Germany or Norway, and almost 10 times as likely as teens in Switzerland. Among more developed countries, Russia has the next highest teen birth rate after the United States, but an American teenage girl is still around 25 percent more likely to give birth than her counterpart in Russia. Moreover, these statistics incorporate the almost 40 percent fall in the teen birth rate that the United States has experienced over the past two decades. Differences across U.S. states are quite dramatic as well. A teenage girl in Mississippi is four times more likely to give birth than a teenage girl in New Hampshire--and 15 times more likely to give birth as a teen compared to a teenage girl in Switzerland. This paper has two overarching goals: understanding why the teen birth rate is so high in the United States and understanding why it matters. Thus, we begin by examining multiple sources of data to put current rates of teen childbearing into the perspective of cross-country comparisons and recent historical context. We examine teen birth rates alongside pregnancy, abortion, and "shotgun" marriage rates as well as the antecedent behaviors of sexual activity and contraceptive use. We seek insights as to why the rate of teen childbearing is so unusually high in the United States as a whole, and in some U.S. states in particular. We argue that explanations that economists have tended to study are unable to account for any sizable share of the variation in teen childbearing rates across place. We describe some recent empirical work demonstrating that variation in income inequality across U.S. states and developed countries can explain a sizable share of the geographic variation in teen childbearing. To the extent that income inequality

  3. Assessment of terrestrial gamma radiation dose rate (TGRD) of Kelantan State, Malaysia. Relationship between the geological formation and soil type to radiation dose rate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garba, N.N.; Gabdo, H.T.; Federal College of Education, Yola

    2014-01-01

    Terrestrial gamma radiation dose rates (TGRD) of Kelantan State were measured in situ using a portable [NaI(TI)] micro roentgen (μR) survey meter. The TGRD rates ranged between 44 and 500 nGy h -1 with a mean value of 209 ± 8 nGy h -1 . The distribution of these measurements in various districts of the state shows the statistically the influence of geology and soil types on the dose rate values. The data obtained could be used in formulating safety standard and radiological guidelines. (author)

  4. On Estimating Marginal Tax Rates for U.S. States

    OpenAIRE

    Reed, W. Robert; Rogers, Cynthia L; Skidmore, Mark

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents a procedure for generating state-specific time-varying estimates of marginal tax rates (MTRs). Most estimates of MTRs follow a procedure developed by Koester and Kormendi (1989) (K&K). Unfortunately, the time-invariant nature of the K&K estimates precludes their use as explanatory variables in panel data studies with fixed effects. Furthermore, the associated MTR estimates are not explicitly linked to statutory tax parameters. Our approach addresses both shortcomings. Usin...

  5. VALUE OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY ANALYSIS IN DIAGNOSTICS OF THE EMOTIONAL STATE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    І. Chaykovskyi

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The is presented the development of method for evaluation of emotional state of man, what suitable for use at the workplace based on analysis of heart rate (HR variability. 28 healthy volunteers were examined. 3 audiovisual clips were consistently presented on the display of the personal computer for each of them. One clip contained information originating the positive emotions, the second one – negative emotions, the third one – neutral. All possible pairs of the emotional states were analysed with help of one- and multi-dimensional linear discriminant analysis based on HR variability. Showing the emotional video-clips (of both signs causes reliable slowing of HR frequency and also some decreasing of HR variability. In addition, negative emotions cause regularizing and simplification of structural organization of heart rhythm. Accuracy of discrimination for pair “emotional – neutral” video clips was 98 %, for pair “rest – neutral” was 74 %, for pair “positive – negative” was 91 %. Analysis of HR variability enables to determine the emotional state of observed person at the workplace with high reliability.

  6. Heart Disease Death Rates Among Blacks and Whites Aged ≥35 Years — United States, 1968–2015

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Dyke, Miriam; Greer, Sophia; Odom, Erika; Schieb, Linda; Vaughan, Adam; Kramer, Michael; Casper, Michele

    2018-01-01

    Problem/Condition Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. In 2015, heart disease accounted for approximately 630,000 deaths, representing one in four deaths in the United States. Although heart disease death rates decreased 68% for the total population from 1968 to 2015, marked disparities in decreases exist by race and state. Period Covered 1968–2015. Description of System The National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) data on deaths in the United States were abstracted for heart disease using diagnosis codes from the eighth, ninth, and tenth revisions of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-8, ICD-9, and ICD-10) for 1968–2015. Population estimates were obtained from NVSS files. National and state-specific heart disease death rates for the total population and by race for adults aged ≥35 years were calculated for 1968–2015. National and state-specific black-white heart disease mortality ratios also were calculated. Death rates were age standardized to the 2000 U.S. standard population. Joinpoint regression was used to perform time trend analyses. Results From 1968 to 2015, heart disease death rates decreased for the total U.S. population among adults aged ≥35 years, from 1,034.5 to 327.2 per 100,000 population, respectively, with variations in the magnitude of decreases by race and state. Rates decreased for the total population an average of 2.4% per year, with greater average decreases among whites (2.4% per year) than blacks (2.2% per year). At the national level, heart disease death rates for blacks and whites were similar at the start of the study period (1968) but began to diverge in the late 1970s, when rates for blacks plateaued while rates for whites continued to decrease. Heart disease death rates among blacks remained higher than among whites for the remainder of the study period. Nationwide, the black-white ratio of heart disease death rates increased from 1.04 in 1968 to 1.21 in 2015, with large increases

  7. Constitutive law for seismicity rate based on rate and state friction: Dieterich 1994 revisited.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heimisson, E. R.; Segall, P.

    2017-12-01

    Dieterich [1994] derived a constitutive law for seismicity rate based on rate and state friction, which has been applied widely to aftershocks, earthquake triggering, and induced seismicity in various geological settings. Here, this influential work is revisited, and re-derived in a more straightforward manner. By virtue of this new derivation the model is generalized to include changes in effective normal stress associated with background seismicity. Furthermore, the general case when seismicity rate is not constant under constant stressing rate is formulated. The new derivation provides directly practical integral expressions for the cumulative number of events and rate of seismicity for arbitrary stressing history. Arguably, the most prominent limitation of Dieterich's 1994 theory is the assumption that seismic sources do not interact. Here we derive a constitutive relationship that considers source interactions between sub-volumes of the crust, where the stress in each sub-volume is assumed constant. Interactions are considered both under constant stressing rate conditions and for arbitrary stressing history. This theory can be used to model seismicity rate due to stress changes or to estimate stress changes using observed seismicity from triggered earthquake swarms where earthquake interactions and magnitudes are take into account. We identify special conditions under which influence of interactions cancel and the predictions reduces to those of Dieterich 1994. This remarkable result may explain the apparent success of the model when applied to observations of triggered seismicity. This approach has application to understanding and modeling induced and triggered seismicity, and the quantitative interpretation of geodetic and seismic data. It enables simultaneous modeling of geodetic and seismic data in a self-consistent framework. To date physics-based modeling of seismicity with or without geodetic data has been found to give insight into various processes

  8. Trends in pregnancies and pregnancy rates by outcome: estimates for the United States, 1976-96.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ventura, S J; Mosher, W D; Curtin, S C; Abma, J C; Henshaw, S

    2000-01-01

    This report presents national estimates of pregnancies and pregnancy rates according to women's age, race, and Hispanic origin, and by marital status, race, and Hispanic origin. Data are presented for 1976-96. Data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) are used to show information on sexual activity, contraceptive practices, and infertility, as well as women's reports of pregnancy intentions. Tables of pregnancy rates and the factors affecting pregnancy rates are presented and interpreted. Birth data are from the birth-registration system for all births registered in the United States and reported by State health departments to NCHS; abortion data are from The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) and the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and fetal loss data are from pregnancy history information collected in the NSFG. In 1996 an estimated 6.24 million pregnancies resulted in 3.89 million live births, 1.37 million induced abortions, and 0.98 million fetal losses. The pregnancy rate in 1996 was 104.7 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years, 9 percent lower than in 1990 (115.6), and the lowest recorded since 1976 (102.7). Since 1990 rates have dropped 8 percent for live births, 16 percent for induced abortions, and 4 percent for fetal losses. The teenage pregnancy rate has declined considerably in the 1990's, falling 15 percent from its 1991 high of 116.5 per 1,000 women aged 15-19 years to 98.7 in 1996. Among the factors accounting for this decline are decreased sexual activity, increases in condom use, and the adoption of the injectable and implant contraceptives.

  9. Ventilation rate in equilibrium factor measurements with solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gil, L.R.; Leitao, R.M.S.; Marques, A.; Rivera, A.

    1994-08-01

    Ventilation rate values are calculated from track density measurements in solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD), both when ventilation is the main cause of radioactive disequilibrium in radon progeny and when it shares importance with other agents. The method consists in exposing a SSNTD of high intrinsic efficiency (CR-39) in filtered and unfiltered conditions and, in addition, covered with a thin Aluminium foil, to stop alpha particles from 218 Po and 222 Rn. No calibrations are required but, when necessary, independent measurements of the loss rates of radioactivity to aerosol and to walls have to perform. Ventilation rates depend upon geometry detection efficiencies for alpha particles, here obtained by Monte Carlo simulation, taking into account the space distribution of emission positions. This may lead to sizeable corrections in ventilation and equilibrium factor values. Since geometric detection efficiencies depend upon alpha-particle ranges in air, the influences of barometric variables are also discussed. (author). 7 refs

  10. State self-esteem ratings in women with bulimia nervosa and bulimia nervosa in remission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daley, Karen A; Jimerson, David C; Heatherton, Todd F; Metzger, Eran D; Wolfe, Barbara E

    2008-03-01

    Bulimia nervosa (BN) is associated with low self-esteem. This study was designed to assess whether low self-esteem persists in nondepressed individuals who have recovered from BN (BN-R). Study groups included BN (n = 22), BN-R (n = 20), and healthy controls (n = 42). Participants were medication-free, and none met criteria for current major depression. Assessment instruments included the State Self-Esteem Scale (SSES), a self-rating scale designed to measure state-related changes in self-esteem. Consistent with previous reports, SSES scores for BN were lower than for controls (p p p p low self-esteem following recovery from BN. Follow-up studies are needed to assess whether low self-esteem contributes to recurrent dieting and risk for relapse.

  11. Tanning Salon Compliance Rates in States With Legislation to Protect Youth Access to UV Tanning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Melissa S; Buhalog, Brittany; Blumenthal, Laura; Stratman, Erik J

    2018-01-01

    The US Food and Drug Administration has classified tanning beds as carcinogenic. Most states have enacted legislation to prevent or create barriers for minors accessing tanning establishments. Determining tanning salon compliance with legislation would provide an indication of the influence of legislation at preventing exposure to the carcinogen in minors. To investigate compliance rates in the 42 states and the District of Columbia with legislation restricting tanning bed use in minors and to identify differences in compliance based on population, regional location, salon ownership, age group being regulated, and time since the law was enacted. This investigation was a cross-sectional telephone survey conducted between February 1, 2015, and April 30, 2016, by callers posing as minors attempting to schedule a tanning appointment. The setting was tanning salons in the 42 states and the District of Columbia that currently have legislation restricting tanning bed use in minors. Included in the study were 427 tanning salons, 10 randomly selected from each state or territory with tanning legislation. Overall compliance of tanning salons with state tanning legislation and differences in compliance based on community population, regional location, independent vs chain tanning salon, age group being regulated, and time since the law was enacted. Of the 427 tanning salons surveyed, overall noncompliance with state legislation was 37.2% (n = 159). There were more noncompliant tanning salons in rural locations (45.5%; 95% CI, 37.5%-53.7%; P = .009), southern regions of the United States (49.4%; 95% CI, 41.4%-57.4%; P = .001), independently owned salons (43.9%; 95% CI, 37.3%-50.6%; P = .003), states with younger age groups being regulated (53.5%; 95% CI, 45.7%-61.2%; P legislation aimed at limiting tanning bed use among US minors is unsatisfactory, indicating that additional efforts to enforce the laws and education of the harmful effects of UV tanning are

  12. 2004-05 Performance Year Ratings Impacting Fiscal Year 2005-06. Clemson University. Sector: Research Institutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    This series of documents contains performance scoring information for 2004-2005 for individual institutions of higher education in South Carolina. This information is used in establishing 2005-2006 fiscal year allocations. Data includes: (1) Degrees Awarded; (2) Enrollment; (3) Average SAT score; (4) Faculty; (5) Tuition; and (6) Financial…

  13. Psychological trauma and help seeking behaviour amongst resettled Iraqi refugees in attending English tuition classes in Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slewa-Younan, Shameran; Mond, Jonathan M; Bussion, Elise; Melkonian, Maral; Mohammad, Yaser; Dover, Hanan; Smith, Mitchell; Milosevic, Diana; Jorm, Anthony Francis

    2015-01-01

    To examine levels of psychological distress and help seeking behaviour in resettled refugees attending English tuition classes in Australia, and their associations with participants' demographic characteristics. Data was collected by bilingual interviewers between March and November 2013. A volunteer sample of attendees of Adult Migrant English Programs (AMEP) in Western Sydney were recruited. Participants were two hundred and twenty five Iraqi refugees resettled in Western Sydney, who had left Iraq no earlier than 1991, were fluent in Arabic and/or English, and were between the ages of 18 and 70. The chief outcome measures used were the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10) as well as The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ). On the K-10, 39.8% of participants had severe psychological distress, 19.4% moderate distress, and 40.7% had low to mild distress. Ninety-five percent of participants reported having experienced one or more potentially traumatic event (PTE) as defined by the HTQ prior to leaving Iraq, with a mean of 14.28 events (SD = 8.69). Thirty-one percent of participants met the threshold (≥2.5) for clinically significant PTSD symptomatology, with a significantly higher occurrence among participants with lower education attainment (χ (2) (3) = 8.26, p = .04). Of those participants with clinically significant PTSD symptomatology according to the HTQ, only 32.9% reported ever having ever sought help for a mental health problem. The high level of distress found in this sample, combined with low uptake of mental health care, highlights the need for programs targeted to promote help-seeking among Iraqi refugees who have resettled in Australia. Further, the higher level of PTSD symptomatology found amongst those with lower education attainment has mental health promotion and treatment implications. Specifically, in designing service and treatment programs, consideration should be given to the possible impact excessive levels of psychological

  14. Reaction of H2 with O2 in Excited Electronic States: Reaction Pathways and Rate Constants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pelevkin, Alexey V; Loukhovitski, Boris I; Sharipov, Alexander S

    2017-12-21

    Comprehensive quantum chemical analysis with the use of the multireference state-averaged complete active space self-consistent field approach was carried out to study the reactions of H 2 with O 2 in a 1 Δ g , b 1 Σ g + , c 1 Σ u - , and A' 3 Δ u electronically excited states. The energetically favorable reaction pathways and possible intersystem crossings have been revealed. The energy barriers were refined employing the extended multiconfiguration quasi-degenerate second-order perturbation theory. It has been shown that the interaction of O 2 (a 1 Δ g ) and O 2 (A' 3 Δ u ) with H 2 occurs through the H-abstraction process with relatively low activation barriers that resulted in the formation of the HO 2 molecule in A″ and A' electronic states, respectively. Meanwhile, molecular oxygen in singlet sigma states (b 1 Σ g + and c 1 Σ u - ) was proved to be nonreactive with respect to the molecular hydrogen. Appropriate rate constants for revealed reaction and quenching channels have been estimated using variational transition-state theory including corrections for the tunneling effect, possible nonadiabatic transitions, and anharmonicity of vibrations for transition states and reactants. It was demonstrated that the calculated reaction rate constant for the H 2 + O 2 (a 1 Δ g ) process is in reasonable agreement with known experimental data. The Arrhenius approximations for these processes have been proposed for the temperature range T = 300-3000 K.

  15. Direct determination of bulk etching rate for LR-115-II solid state ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    The thickness of the removed layer of the LR-115-II solid state nuclear track detector during etching is measured directly with a rather precise instrument. Dependence of bulk etching rate on temperature of the etching solution is investigated. It has been found that the bulk etching rate is 3.2 m/h at 60°C in 2.5 N NaOH of ...

  16. The inner state differences of preterm birth rates in Brazil: a time series study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Oliveira, Rosana Rosseto; Melo, Emiliana Cristina; Fujimori, Elizabeth; Mathias, Thais Aidar de Freitas

    2016-05-17

    Preterm birth is a serious public health problem, as it is linked to high rates of neonatal and child morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of premature births has increased worldwide, with regional differences. The objective of this study was to analyze the trend of preterm births in the state of Paraná, Brazil, according to Macro-regional and Regional Health Offices (RHOs). This is an ecological time series study using preterm births records from the national live birth registry system of Brazil's National Health Service - Live Birth Information System (Sinasc), for residents of the state of Paraná, Brazil, between 2000 and 2013. The preterm birth rates was calculated on a yearly basis and grouped into three-year periods (2000-2002, 2003-2005, 2006-2008, 2009-2011) and one two-year period (2012-2013), according to gestational age and mother's Regional Health Office of residence. The polynomial regression model was used for trend analysis. The predominance of preterm birth rate increased from 6.8 % in 2000 to 10.5 % in 2013, with an average increase of 0.20 % per year (r(2) = 0.89), and a greater share of moderate preterm births (32 to rate of prematurity and average annual growth during that period (7.55 % and 0.35 %, respectively). The trend analysis of preterm birth rates according to RHO showed a growing trend for almost all RHOs - except for the 7(th) RHO where a declining trend was observed (-0.95 a year); and in the 20(th), 21(st) and 22(nd) RHOs which remained unchanged. In the last three-year of the study period (2011-2013), no RHO showed preterm birth rates below 7.3 % or prevalence of moderate preterm birth below 9.4 %. The results show an increase in preterm births with differences among Macro-regional and RHOs, which indicate the need to improve actions during the prenatal period according to the specificities of each region.

  17. Quantum mechanical calculations of state-to-state cross sections and rate constants for the F + DCl → Cl + DF reaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bulut, Niyazi; Kłos, Jacek; Roncero, Octavio

    2015-06-07

    We present accurate state-to-state quantum wave packet calculations of integral cross sections and rate constants for the title reaction. Calculations are carried out on the best available ground 1(2)A' global adiabatic potential energy surface of Deskevich et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 124, 224303 (2006)]. Converged state-to-state reaction cross sections have been calculated for collision energies up to 0.5 eV and different initial rotational and vibrational excitations, DCl(v = 0, j = 0 - 1; v = 1, j = 0). Also, initial-state resolved rate constants of the title reaction have been calculated in a temperature range of 100-400 K. It is found that the initial rotational excitation of the DCl molecule does not enhance reactivity, in contract to the reaction with the isotopologue HCl in which initial rotational excitation produces an important enhancement. These differences between the isotopologue reactions are analyzed in detail and attributed to the presence of resonances for HCl(v = 0, j), absent in the case of DCl(v = 0, j). For vibrational excited DCl(v = 1, j), however, the reaction cross section increases noticeably, what is also explained by another resonance.

  18. Absolute E0 and E2 transition rates and collective states in 116Sn

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kantele, J.; Julin, R.; Luontama, M.; Passoja, A.; Poikolainen, T.; Baecklin, A.; Jonsson, N.-G.

    1978-08-01

    Absolute E0 and E2 transition rates in 116 Sn have been measured using several newly developed techniques. Many E2 transitions are observed to have a collective character with B(E2) values of up to 60 W.u. The presence of deformed excited states in 116 Sn is discussed in view of the results obtained. (author)

  19. United States private schools have higher rates of exemptions to school immunization requirements than public schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaw, Jana; Tserenpuntsag, Boldtsetseg; McNutt, Louise-Anne; Halsey, Neal

    2014-07-01

    To compare medical, religious, and personal belief immunization exemption rates between private and public schools in US. Exemption rates were calculated using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention School Immunization Assessment Surveys for the 2009-2010 school year excluding states with incomplete survey data. Standardized exemption rates weighted on enrollments in public and private schools were calculated. Differences in exemption rates between public and private schools were tested using Wilcoxon signed rank test. The overall state exemption rate was higher in US private than public schools, 4.25% (SD 4.27) vs 1.91% (1.67), P = .0001 and private schools had higher exemption rates for all types of exemptions; medical 0.58% (0.71) vs 0.34% (0.34) respectively (P = .0004), religious 2.09% (3.14) vs 0.83% (1.05) respectively (P = .0001), and personal belief 6.10% (4.12) vs 2.79% (1.57), respectively (P = .006). Overall exemption rates were significantly higher in states that allowed personal belief exemptions. Exemption rates were significantly higher in US private than in public schools. Children attending private schools may be at higher risk of vaccine-preventable diseases than public school children. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Steady State Investigations of DPF Soot Burn Rates and DPF Modeling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cordtz, Rasmus Lage; Ivarsson, Anders; Schramm, Jesper

    2011-01-01

    and soot mass concentrations are used as model boundary conditions. An in-house developed raw exhaust gas sampling technique is used to measure the soot concentration upstream the DPF which is also needed to find the DPF soot burn rate. The soot concentration is measured basically by filtering the soot...... characteristics are used to fit model constants of soot and filter properties. Measured DPF gas conversions and soot burn rates are used to fit model activation energies of four DPF regeneration reactions using O2 and NO2 as reactants. Modeled DPF pressure drops and soot burn rates are compared to the steady...... state DPF experiments in the temperature range between 260 and 480 °C. The model widely reproduces the experimental results. Especially the exponential soot burn rate versus temperature is accurately reproduced by the model....

  1. Economic Conditions and the Divorce Rate: A Time-Series Analysis of the Postwar United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    South, Scott J.

    1985-01-01

    Challenges the belief that the divorce rate rises during prosperity and falls during economic recessions. Time-series regression analysis of postwar United States reveals small but positive effects of unemployment on divorce rate. Stronger influences on divorce rates are changes in age structure and labor-force participation rate of women.…

  2. Annosus Root Disease Hazard Rating, Detection, and Management Strategies in the Southeastern United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    S. A. Alexander

    1989-01-01

    Annosus root disease (ARD), is the major root disease of pines in the southeastern United States where severely affected trees exhibit growth loss. Assessing the potential damage of ARD is essential for making effective disease control and management decisions. A soil hazard rating system developed to identify potential for tree mortality is described. The Annosus...

  3. Trends in state-level freight accident rates: An enhancement of risk factor development for RADTRAN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saricks, C.; Kvitek, T.

    1991-01-01

    Under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, the Department of Energy's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) is concerned with understanding and managing risk as it applies to the shipment of spent commercial nuclear reactor fuel. Understanding risk in relation to mode and geography may provide opportunities to minimize radiological and non-radiological risks of transportation. To enhance such an understanding, a set of state-or waterway-specific accident, fatality, and injury rates (expressed as rates per shipment kilometer) by transportation mode and highway administrative class was developed, using publicly-available data bases. Adjustments made to accommodate miscoded or incomplete information in accident data are described, as well as the procedures for estimating state-level flow data. Results indicate that the shipping conditions under which spent fuel is likely to be transported should be less subject to accidents than the ''average'' shipment within mode. 10 refs., 3 tabs

  4. Investigation of component failure rates for pulsed versus steady state tokamak operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cadwallader, L.C.

    1992-07-01

    This report presents component failure rate data sources applicable to magnetic fusion systems, and defines multiplicative factors to adjust these data for specific use on magnetic fusion experiment designs. The multipliers address both long pulse and steady state tokamak operation. Thermal fatigue and radiation damage are among the leading reasons for large multiplier values in pulsed operation applications. Field failure rate values for graphite protective tiles are presented, and beryllium tile failure rates in laboratory testing are also given. All of these data can be used for reliability studies, safety analyses, design tradeoff studies, and risk assessments

  5. ANALISIS PENGGUNAAN METODE ACTIVITY BASED COSTING (ABC DALAM MENENTUKAN SUMBANGAN PEMBINAAN PENDIDIKAN (SPP PADA POLITEKNIK HARAPAN BERSAMA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ida Farida

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study to determine the calculation of education and tuition fee by using Activity Based Costing at the Polytechnic Harapan Bersama and compare the education and tuition fee by using Activity Based Costing before and after. Politeknik Harapan Bersama not have a special method to determine the cost of education. At the Polytechnic Joint expectations are two sources of income, namely Login or registration fees and donations Education Support (SPP to be paid each month. To determine the calculation of Education and tuition fee by using Activity Based Costing at the Polytechnic of Harapan Bersama. To determine the ratio of Education and tuition fee by using Activity Based Costing before and after. Data analysis method used is descriptive method. Descriptive analysis of the data is the processing of research data in order to make this data meaningful (meaningful. SPP of tariff calculation using Activity Based Costing known SPP tariff rate is Rp. 370 189; From the results of the SPP tariff calculation using the method of Activity Based Costing, when compared with the SPP tariff band is used by schools today are using the traditional method, for example Rp. 350,000; so that the difference in the amount Ro. 20 189 ;. Rate differences that occur due to charging of overhead on each product. Activity Based Costing has been able allocate cost to each activity.

  6. Why the EU-15 Maintains Higher CIT Rates than the New Member States?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karpowicz Andrzej

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The European Union is not a homogenous area. This lack of homogeneity extends to taxes, which vary across jurisdictions. On average, Western Europe imposes significantly higher taxes on capital than New Member States, which joined the Community in 2004 and 2007. Often this fact is simply taken for granted. However, there are several arguments that can explain this variance. Although several of these arguments are well known and have been researched, they have not been assessed in combination, or used in a comparative analysis of corporate income tax (CIT rates between EU member states. Because of interest in harmonizing CIT throughout the EU, the roots of divergent CIT is of particular and timely value. Therefore, this article we attempts to demonstrate the differences in CIT rates in the EU-15 and New Member States. In so doing the general characteristics of these country grouping is identified, and then discussed in the context of the taxation theory.

  7. Population decay time and distribution of exciton states analyzed by rate equations based on theoretical phononic and electron-collisional rate coefficients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oki, Kensuke; Ma, Bei; Ishitani, Yoshihiro

    2017-11-01

    Population distributions and transition fluxes of the A exciton in bulk GaN are theoretically analyzed using rate equations of states of the principal quantum number n up to 5 and the continuum. These rate equations consist of the terms of radiative, electron-collisional, and phononic processes. The dependence of the rate coefficients on temperature is revealed on the basis of the collisional-radiative model of hydrogen plasma for the electron-collisional processes and theoretical formulation using Fermi's "golden rule" for the phononic processes. The respective effects of the variations in electron, exciton, and lattice temperatures are exhibited. This analysis is a base of the discussion on nonthermal equilibrium states of carrier-exciton-phonon dynamics. It is found that the exciton dissociation is enhanced even below 150 K mainly by the increase in the lattice temperature. When the thermal-equilibrium temperature increases, the population fluxes between the states of n >1 and the continuum become more dominant. Below 20 K, the severe deviation from the Saha-Boltzmann distribution occurs owing to the interband excitation flux being higher than the excitation flux from the 1 S state. The population decay time of the 1 S state at 300 K is more than ten times longer than the recombination lifetime of excitons with kinetic energy but without the upper levels (n >1 and the continuum). This phenomenon is caused by a shift of population distribution to the upper levels. This phonon-exciton-radiation model gives insights into the limitations of conventional analyses such as the ABC model, the Arrhenius plot, the two-level model (n =1 and the continuum), and the neglect of the upper levels.

  8. Does social selection explain the association between state-level racial animus and racial disparities in self-rated health in the United States?

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKetta, Sarah; Hatzenbuehler, Mark L; Pratt, Charissa; Bates, Lisa; Link, Bruce G; Keyes, Katherine M

    2017-08-01

    Racism, whether defined at individual, interpersonal, or structural levels, is associated with poor health among Blacks. This association may arise because exposure to racism causes poor health, but geographic mobility patterns pose an alternative explanation-namely, Black individuals with better health and resources can move away from racist environments. We examine the evidence for selection effects using nationally representative, longitudinal data (1990-2009) from the Panel Study on Income Dynamics (n = 33,852). We conceptualized state-level racial animus as an ecologic measure of racism and operationalized it as the percent of racially-charged Google search terms in each state. Among those who move out of state, Blacks reporting good self-rated health (SRH) are more likely to move to a state with less racial animus than Blacks reporting poor SRH (P = .01), providing evidence for at least some selection into environments with less racial animus. However, among Blacks who moved states, over 80% moved to a state within the same quartile of racial animus, and fewer than 5% resided in states with the lowest level of racial animus. Geographic mobility patterns are therefore likely to explain only a small part of the relationship between racial animus and SRH. These results require replication with alternative measures of racist attitudes and health outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. A changing epidemiology of suicide? The influence of birth cohorts on suicide rates in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Julie A

    2014-08-01

    The increases in suicide among middle-aged baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) in the United States since 1999 suggest a changing epidemiology of suicide. Using data from 1935 to 2010, this paper conducts age-period-cohort analyses to determine the impact of cohorts in shaping temporal patterns of suicide in the United States. The analysis demonstrates that age, period and cohort effects are all important in determining suicide trends. Net of age and period effects, the cohort pattern of suicide rates is U-shaped, with cohorts born between 1915 and 1945 possessing among the very lowest suicide rates. Suicide rates begin to rise with boomers and subsequent cohorts exhibit increasingly higher rates of suicide. The general pattern exists for both men and women but is especially pronounced among males. The average suicide rate over the entire period for males is about 28 per 100,000, 95% CI [27.4, 28.7]. For males born in 1930-34, the suicide rate is estimated to be 17.4 per 100,000, 95% CI [15.9, 18.8]; for males born between 1955 and 1959, the rate is essentially the same as the average for the period while for males born between 1985 and 1989, the suicide rate is estimated to be 37.8 per 100,000, 95% CI [33.1, 43.4]. The results dispute popular claims that boomers exhibit an elevated suicide rate relative to other generations, but boomers do appear to have ushered in new cohort patterns of suicide rates over the life course. These patterns are interpreted within a Durkheimian framework that suggests weakened forms of social integration and regulation among postwar cohorts may be producing increased suicide rates. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. State residence restrictions and forcible rape rates: a multistate quasi-experimental analysis of UCR data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Socia, Kelly M

    2015-04-01

    This study examines whether the presence of state residence restrictions resulted in changes in statewide rates of forcible rape. It builds on the limited geographic coverage of prior studies by including state-level Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data across 19 years for 49 states and the District of Columbia. It uses a quasi-experimental research method based on a longitudinal fixed-effects panel model design, which can help control for relatively static differences between states. Results indicate that when a state residence restriction was present, regardless of how it was measured, rates of UCR forcible rape were higher in the state than when the policy was not present. This suggests that residence restrictions, at least at the state level, are not useful as an overall crime prevention measure, but may be useful for increasing detection or reporting levels of such crimes. However, results also suggest that the size of the increase varied by whether the policy only applied to offenders with child victims or also included those with adult victims. Implications for research and policy are discussed. © The Author(s) 2013.

  11. Quenching rates and fluorescence efficiency in the A 2Σ+ state of OH

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Selzer, P.M.; Wang, C.C.

    1979-01-01

    Using direct lifetime measurements at pressures up to 25 Torr, the quenching rates for the A 2 Σ + (v=0) state of OH due to N 2 , O 2 , H 2 O, and air have been determined. These values are in general agreement with other direct lifetime measurements obtained in the millitorr range and show that the quenching cross sections are pressure independent. The implications of these values on the previous ambient OH measurements are discussed

  12. Water and Wastewater Annual Price Escalation Rates for Selected Cities across the United States

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None, None

    2017-10-27

    Pacific Northwest National Laboratory conducted this study for the Federal Energy Management Program to identify trends in annual water and wastewater price escalation rates across the United States. This study can be used to inform the selection of an appropriate escalation rates for inclusion in LCCA.

  13. A Meta-analysis on Resting State High-frequency Heart Rate Variability in Bulimia Nervosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peschel, Stephanie K V; Feeling, Nicole R; Vögele, Claus; Kaess, Michael; Thayer, Julian F; Koenig, Julian

    2016-09-01

    Autonomic nervous system function is altered in eating disorders. We aimed to quantify differences in resting state vagal activity, indexed by high-frequency heart rate variability comparing patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) and healthy controls. A systematic search of the literature to identify studies eligible for inclusion and meta-analytical methods were applied. Meta-regression was used to identify potential covariates. Eight studies reporting measures of resting high-frequency heart rate variability in individuals with BN (n = 137) and controls (n = 190) were included. Random-effects meta-analysis revealed a sizeable main effect (Z = 2.22, p = .03; Hedge's g = 0.52, 95% CI [0.06;0.98]) indicating higher resting state vagal activity in individuals with BN. Meta-regression showed that body mass index and medication intake are significant covariates. Findings suggest higher vagal activity in BN at rest, particularly in unmedicated samples with lower body mass index. Potential mechanisms underlying these findings and implications for routine clinical care are discussed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

  14. Increased use of lethal methods and annual increase of suicide rates in Korean adolescents: comparison with adolescents in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Subin; Cho, Soo-Churl; Kim, Bung-Nyun; Kim, Jae-Won; Yoo, Hee Jeong; Hong, Jin Pyo

    2014-03-01

    The lethality of the suicide method is a strong risk factor for completed suicide. We examined whether the annual change in the pattern of suicide methods was related to the annual change in suicide rates among adolescents in South Korea and the United States. We analyzed annual data for the 2000-2009 period for South Korea and the 2000-2008 period for the United States to examine time trends in the suicide rates and suicide methods of adolescents aged 10-19 years in two countries. Data on suicide methods were obtained from the World Health Organization (WHO) mortality database. Suicide rates among adolescents in the United States have remained relatively steady since 2000, whereas the suicide among Korean adolescents has increased. Between 2000 and 2009, the most common suicide method among Korean adolescents was jumping for boys and girls, whereas it was hanging for girls and firearms for boys in the United States. Along with the annual increase in suicide rates in South Korea, the incidences of jumping among males and hanging (and recently jumping) among females have increased steadily, whereas suicide by self-poisoning steadily decreased. In the United States, between 2000 and 2008, the proportion of suicides committed by hanging increased, whereas those committed using firearms steadily decreased, particularly among adolescent females. These findings suggest that the increased use of lethal suicide methods is reflected in the increase in suicide rates in Korean adolescents. The most fruitful approach to addressing the rises in jumping suicides among Korean adolescents and hanging suicides among adolescents in the United States may be through population-based initiatives to reduce the physical availability (e.g., limiting access to or fencing off tall structures) and the social acceptability (e.g., effective and responsible regulations for reporting suicide) of these methods. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry © 2013 Association

  15. Reimbursement rates and policies for primary molar pit-and-fissure sealants across state Medicaid programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chi, Donald L; Singh, Jennifer

    2013-11-01

    Little is known about Medicaid policies regarding reimbursement for placement of sealants on primary molars. The authors identified Medicaid programs that reimbursed dentists for placing primary molar sealants and hypothesized that these programs had higher reimbursement rates than did state programs that did not reimburse for primary molar sealants. The authors obtained Medicaid reimbursement data from online fee schedules and determined whether each state Medicaid program reimbursed for primary molar sealants (no or yes). The outcome measure was the reimbursement rate for permanent tooth sealants (calculated in 2012 U.S. dollars). The authors compared mean reimbursement rates by using the t test (α = .05). Seventeen Medicaid programs reimbursed dentists for placing primary molar sealants (34 percent), and the mean reimbursement rate was $27.57 (range, $16.00 [Maine] to $49.68 [Alaska]). All 50 programs reimbursed dentists for placement of sealants on permanent teeth. The mean reimbursement for permanent tooth sealants was significantly higher in programs that reimbursed for primary molar sealants than in programs that did not ($28.51 and $23.67, respectively; P = .03). Most state Medicaid programs do not reimburse dentists for placing sealants on primary molars, but programs that do so have significantly higher reimbursement rates. Medicaid reimbursement rates are related to dentists' participation in Medicaid and children's dental care use. Reimbursement for placement of sealants on primary molars is a proxy for Medicaid program generosity.

  16. Pre-performance Physiological State: Heart Rate Variability as a Predictor of Shooting Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortega, E; Wang, C J K

    2018-03-01

    Heart rate variability (HRV) is commonly used in sport science for monitoring the physiology of athletes but not as an indicator of physiological state from a psychological perspective. Since HRV is established to be an indicator of emotional responding, it could be an objective means of quantifying an athlete's subjective physiological state before competition. A total of 61 sport shooters participated in this study, of which 21 were novice shooters, 19 were intermediate shooters, and 21 were advanced level shooters. HRV, self-efficacy, and use of mental skills were assessed before they completed a standard shooting performance task of 40 shots, as in a competition qualifying round. The results showed that HRV was significantly positively correlated with self-efficacy and performance and was a significant predictor of shooting performance. In addition, advanced shooters were found to have significantly lower average heart rate before shooting and used more self-talk, relaxation, imagery, and automaticity compared to novice and intermediate shooters. HRV was found to be useful in identifying the physiological state of an athlete before competing, and as such, coaches and athletes can adopt practical strategies to improve the pre-performance physiological state as a means to optimize performance.

  17. Regional disparities in the intimate partner sexual violence rate against women in Paraná State, Brazil, 2009-2014: an ecological study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fontes, Kátia Biagio; Jacinto Alarcão, Ana Carolina; Nihei, Oscar Kenji; Pelloso, Sandra Marisa; Andrade, Luciano; Barros Carvalho, Maria Dalva de

    2018-02-20

    Evaluate disparities in a Brazilian state by conducting an analysis to determine whether socioeconomic status was associated with the reported intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) rates against women. A retrospective, ecological study. Data retrieved from the Notifiable Diseases Information System database of the Ministry of Health of Brazil. All cases of IPSV (n=516) against women aged 15-49 years reported in the Notifiable Diseases Information System between 2009 and 2014. The data were evaluated through an exploratory analysis of spatial data. We identified a positive spatial self-correlation in the IPSV rate (0.7105, P≤0.001). Five high-high-type clusters were identified, predominantly in the Metropolitan, West, South Central, Southwest, Southeast and North Central mesoregions, with only one cluster identified in the North Pioneer mesoregion. Our findings also indicated that the associations between the IPSV rate and socioeconomic predictors (women with higher education, civil registry of legal separations, economically active women, demographic density and average female income) were significantly spatially non-stationary; thus, the regression coefficients verified that certain variables in the model were associated with the IPSV rate in some regions of the state. In addition, the geographically weighted regression (GWR) model improved the understanding of the associations between socioeconomic indicators and the IPSV notification rate, showing a better adjustment than the ordinary least square (OLS) model (OLS vs GWR model: R 2 : 0.95 vs 0.99; Akaike information criterion: 4117.90 vs 3550.61; Moran's I: 0.0905 vs -0.0273, respectively). IPSV against women was heterogeneous in the state of Paraná. The GWR model showed a better fit and enabled the analysis of the distribution of each indicator in the state, which demonstrated the utility of this model for the study of IPSV dynamics and the indication of local determinants of IPSV notification rates.

  18. Constructing Professional Identities in Shadow Education: Perspectives of Private Supplementary Educators in Hong Kong

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trent, John

    2016-01-01

    Despite its rapid expansion in many countries around the world, private tutoring has attracted only limited attention from policy makers and researchers. This is especially surprising in the case of Asia, where high rates of private tuition have been reported. In particular, comparatively few studies have considered the views of the individual…

  19. Trends in College Pricing, 2015. Trends in Higher Education Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Jennifer; Baum, Sandy; Pender, Matea; Bell, D'Wayne

    2015-01-01

    The increases in tuition and fee prices in 2015-16 were, like the increases in the two preceding years, relatively small by historical standards. However, the very low rate of general inflation makes this year's increases in college prices larger in real terms than those of 2014-15 and 2013-14. Significantly, and perhaps counter to public…

  20. Thermal decay rate of a metastable state with two degrees of ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    I I Gontchar

    2017-06-01

    Jun 1, 2017 ... expected to agree with the long time limit of the escape rate obtained using ..... distribution with zero averages and variances equal to 2. Although in the fission ... Here (t) is the probability that the metastable state has ..... the (kt)−1/2 dependence and has been adjusted to εR at some intermediate points.

  1. Using a Merit-Based Scholarship Program to Increase Rates of College Enrollment in an Urban School District: The Case of the Pittsburgh Promise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozick, Robert; Gonzalez, Gabriella; Engberg, John

    2015-01-01

    The Pittsburgh Promise is a scholarship program that provides $5,000 per year toward college tuition for public high school graduates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who earned a 2.5 GPA and a 90% attendance record. This study used a difference-in-difference design to assess whether the introduction of the Promise scholarship program directly…

  2. Differential Pricing in Undergraduate Education: Effects on Degree Production by Field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stange, Kevin

    2015-01-01

    In the face of declining state support, many universities have introduced differential pricing by undergraduate program as an alternative to across-the-board tuition increases. This practice aligns price more closely with instructional costs and students' ability to pay postgraduation. Exploiting the staggered adoption of these policies…

  3. Maryland Higher Education Commission Data Book 2016. Creating a State of Achievement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maryland Higher Education Commission, 2016

    2016-01-01

    This document presents statistics about higher education in Maryland for 2016. The tables in this document are presented according to the following categories: (1) Students; (2) Retention and Graduation; (3) Degrees; (4) Faculty; (5) Revenues & Expenditures; (6) Tuition and Fees; (7) Financial Aid, and (8) Private Career Schools. [For…

  4. Causes of death and infant mortality rates among full-term births in the United States between 2010 and 2012: An observational study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bairoliya, Neha; Fink, Günther

    2018-03-01

    While the high prevalence of preterm births and its impact on infant mortality in the US have been widely acknowledged, recent data suggest that even full-term births in the US face substantially higher mortality risks compared to European countries with low infant mortality rates. In this paper, we use the most recent birth records in the US to more closely analyze the primary causes underlying mortality rates among full-term births. Linked birth and death records for the period 2010-2012 were used to identify the state- and cause-specific burden of infant mortality among full-term infants (born at 37-42 weeks of gestation). Multivariable logistic models were used to assess the extent to which state-level differences in full-term infant mortality (FTIM) were attributable to observed differences in maternal and birth characteristics. Random effects models were used to assess the relative contribution of state-level variation to FTIM. Hypothetical mortality outcomes were computed under the assumption that all states could achieve the survival rates of the best-performing states. A total of 10,175,481 infants born full-term in the US between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2012, were analyzed. FTIM rate (FTIMR) was 2.2 per 1,000 live births overall, and ranged between 1.29 (Connecticut, 95% CI 1.08, 1.53) and 3.77 (Mississippi, 95% CI 3.39, 4.19) at the state level. Zero states reached the rates reported in the 6 low-mortality European countries analyzed (FTIMR 2.75. Sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) accounted for 43% of FTIM; congenital malformations and perinatal conditions accounted for 31% and 11.3% of FTIM, respectively. The largest mortality differentials between states with good and states with poor FTIMR were found for SUDI, with particularly large risk differentials for deaths due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) (odds ratio [OR] 2.52, 95% CI 1.86, 3.42) and suffocation (OR 4.40, 95% CI 3.71, 5.21). Even though these mortality differences

  5. Application of long-range order to predict unfolding rates of two-state proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harihar, B; Selvaraj, S

    2011-03-01

    Predicting the experimental unfolding rates of two-state proteins and models describing the unfolding rates of these proteins is quite limited because of the complexity present in the unfolding mechanism and the lack of experimental unfolding data compared with folding data. In this work, 25 two-state proteins characterized by Maxwell et al. (Protein Sci 2005;14:602–616) using a consensus set of experimental conditions were taken, and the parameter long-range order (LRO) derived from their three-dimensional structures were related with their experimental unfolding rates ln(k(u)). From the total data set of 30 proteins used by Maxwell et al. (Protein Sci 2005;14:602–616), five slow-unfolding proteins with very low unfolding rates were considered to be outliers and were not included in our data set. Except all beta structural class, LRO of both the all-alpha and mixed-class proteins showed a strong inverse correlation of r = -0.99 and -0.88, respectively, with experimental ln(k(u)). LRO shows a correlation of -0.62 with experimental ln(k(u)) for all-beta proteins. For predicting the unfolding rates, a simple statistical method has been used and linear regression equations were developed for individual structural classes of proteins using LRO, and the results obtained showed a better agreement with experimental results. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  6. Evaluation of the product ratio coherent model in forecasting mortality rates and life expectancy at births by States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shair, Syazreen Niza; Yusof, Aida Yuzi; Asmuni, Nurin Haniah

    2017-05-01

    Coherent mortality forecasting models have recently received increasing attention particularly in their application to sub-populations. The advantage of coherent models over independent models is the ability to forecast a non-divergent mortality for two or more sub-populations. One of the coherent models was recently developed by [1] known as the product-ratio model. This model is an extension version of the functional independent model from [2]. The product-ratio model has been applied in a developed country, Australia [1] and has been extended in a developing nation, Malaysia [3]. While [3] accounted for coherency of mortality rates between gender and ethnic group, the coherency between states in Malaysia has never been explored. This paper will forecast the mortality rates of Malaysian sub-populations according to states using the product ratio coherent model and its independent version— the functional independent model. The forecast accuracies of two different models are evaluated using the out-of-sample error measurements— the mean absolute forecast error (MAFE) for age-specific death rates and the mean forecast error (MFE) for the life expectancy at birth. We employ Malaysian mortality time series data from 1991 to 2014, segregated by age, gender and states.

  7. The Multi-state Latent Factor Intensity Model for Credit Rating Transitions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Koopman, S.J.; Lucas, A.; Monteiro, A.

    2008-01-01

    A new empirical reduced-form model for credit rating transitions is introduced. It is a parametric intensity-based duration model with multiple states and driven by exogenous covariates and latent dynamic factors. The model has a generalized semi-Markov structure designed to accommodate many of the

  8. Interim report on the state-of-the-art of solid-state motor controllers. Part 4. Failure-rate and failure-mode data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jaross, R.A.

    1983-09-01

    An assessment of the reliability of solid-state motor controllers for nuclear power plants is made. Available data on failure-rate and failure-mode data for solid-state motor controllers based on industrial operating experience is meager; the data are augmented by data on other solid-state power electronic devices that are shown to have components similar to those found in solid-state motor controllers. In addition to large nonnuclear solid-state adjustable-speed motor drives, the reliability of nuclear plant inverter systems and high-voltage solid-state dc transmission-line converters is assessed. Licensee Event Report analyses from several sources, the open literature, and personal communications are used to determine the realiability of solid-state devices typical of those expected to be used in nuclear power plants in terms of failures per hour

  9. Unsteady-state human-body exergy consumption rate and its relation to subjective assessment of dynamic thermal environments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schweiker, Marcel; Kolarik, Jakub; Dovjak, Mateja

    2016-01-01

    of the present study confirmed previously indicated trends that lowest human body exergy consumption rate is associated with thermal sensation close to neutrality. Moreover, higher acceptability was in general associated with lower human body exergy consumption rate. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.......Few examples studied applicability of exergy analysis on human thermal comfort. These examples relate the human-body exergy consumption rate with subjectively obtained thermal sensation votes and had been based on steady-state calculation methods. However, humans are rarely exposed to steady...... between the human-body exergy consumption rate and subjective assessment of thermal environment represented by thermal sensation as well as to extend the investigation towards thermal acceptability votes. Comparison of steady-state and unsteady-state model showed that results from both models were...

  10. 2004-05 Performance Year Ratings Impacting Fiscal Year 2005-06. The Citadel. Sector: Four-Year Colleges and Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    This series of documents contains performance scoring information for 2004-2005 for individual institutions of higher education in South Carolina. This information is used in establishing 2005-2006 fiscal year allocations. Data includes: (1) Degrees Awarded; (2) Enrollment; (3) Average SAT score; (4) Faculty; (5) Tuition; and (6) Financial…

  11. 2004-05 Performance Year Ratings Impacting Fiscal Year 2005-06. Lander University. Sector: Four-Year Colleges and Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    This series of documents contains performance scoring information for 2004-2005 for individual institutions of higher education in South Carolina. This information is used in establishing 2005-2006 fiscal year allocations. Data includes: (1) Degrees Awarded; (2) Enrollment; (3) Average SAT score; (4) Faculty; (5) Tuition; and (6) Financial…

  12. 2004-05 Performance Year Ratings Impacting Fiscal Year 2005-06. Winthrop University. Sector: Four-Year Colleges and Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    This series of documents contains performance scoring information for 2004-2005 for individual institutions of higher education in South Carolina. This information is used in establishing 2005-2006 fiscal year allocations. Data includes: (1) Degrees Awarded; (2) Enrollment; (3) Average SAT score; (4) Faculty; (5) Tuition; and (6) Financial…

  13. 2004-05 Performance Year Ratings Impacting Fiscal Year 2005-06. Medical University of South Carolina. Sector: Research Institutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    This series of documents contains performance scoring information for 2004-2005 for individual institutions of higher education in South Carolina. This information is used in establishing 2005-2006 fiscal year allocations. Data includes: (1) Degrees Awarded; (2) Enrollment; (3) Average SAT score; (4) Faculty; (5) Tuition; and (6) Financial…

  14. 2004-05 Performance Year Ratings Impacting Fiscal Year 2005-06. University of South Carolina Columbia. Sector: Research Institutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    This series of documents contains performance scoring information for 2004-2005 for individual institutions of higher education in South Carolina. This information is used in establishing 2005-2006 fiscal year allocations. Data includes: (1) Degrees Awarded; (2) Enrollment; (3) Average SAT score; (4) Faculty; (5) Tuition; and (6) Financial…

  15. University-level nutrition training in West Africa: cost and financing issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sodjinou, Roger; Bosu, William; Fanou, Nadia; Zagre, Noel; Tchibindat, Félicité; Baker, Shawn; Delisle, Helene

    2015-01-01

    There is a serious shortage of skilled nutrition professionals in West Africa. Investing in nutrition training is one of the strategies for strengthening the human resource base in nutrition. However, little is known about how nutrition training in the region is financed and the levels of tuition fees charged. The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive assessment about the levels of tuition fees charged for nutrition training in the West Africa region and to determine to what extent this is of reach to the average student. The data for this study were obtained from 74 nutrition degree programs operating in nine West African countries in 2013 through semi-structured interviews during on-site visits or through self-administered questionnaires. They included the age of the programs, school ownership, tuition fees, financial assistance, and main sources of funding. Tuition fees (in 2013 US$) were expressed per program to enable uniformity and comparability. Simple descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed. Results from 74 nutrition training programs in nine countries showed a wide variation in tuition fees within and between countries. The tuition fees for bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs, respectively, ranged from 372 to 4,325 (mean: 2,353); 162 to 7,678 (mean: 2,232); and 369 to 5,600 (mean: 2,208). The tuition fees were significantly higher (pstudent. Recent master's programs appeared to charge higher fees than older ones. We found a significant negative correlation between tuition fees and the age of the program, after controlling for school ownership (r=-0.33, pstudents from poor background to nutrition training. Governments should institute financing mechanisms such as scholarships, public-private partnerships, credit facilities, and donor funding to facilitate access to tertiary-level nutrition training in the region.

  16. Maryland Higher Education Commission Data Book 2015. Creating a State of Achievement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maryland Higher Education Commission, 2015

    2015-01-01

    This document presents statistics about higher education in Maryland for 2015. The tables in this document are presented according to the following categories: (1) Students; (2) Retention and Graduation; (3) Degrees; (4) Faculty; (5) Revenues & Expenditures; (6) Tuition and Fees; (7) Financial Aid, (8) Private Career Schools, and (9) Distance…

  17. Maryland Higher Education Commission Data Book 2014. Creating a State of Achievement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maryland Higher Education Commission, 2014

    2014-01-01

    This document presents statistics about higher education in Maryland for 2014. The tables in this document are presented according to the following categories: (1) Students; (2) Retention and Graduation; (3) Degrees; (4) Faculty; (5) Revenues & Expenditures; (6) Tuition and Fees; (7) Financial Aid, (8) Private Career Schools, and (9) Distance…

  18. The inner state differences of preterm birth rates in Brazil: a time series study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosana Rosseto de Oliveira

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Preterm birth is a serious public health problem, as it is linked to high rates of neonatal and child morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of premature births has increased worldwide, with regional differences. The objective of this study was to analyze the trend of preterm births in the state of Paraná, Brazil, according to Macro-regional and Regional Health Offices (RHOs. Methods This is an ecological time series study using preterm births records from the national live birth registry system of Brazil’s National Health Service - Live Birth Information System (Sinasc, for residents of the state of Paraná, Brazil, between 2000 and 2013. The preterm birth rates was calculated on a yearly basis and grouped into three-year periods (2000–2002, 2003–2005, 2006–2008, 2009–2011 and one two-year period (2012–2013, according to gestational age and mother’s Regional Health Office of residence. The polynomial regression model was used for trend analysis. Results The predominance of preterm birth rate increased from 6.8 % in 2000 to 10.5 % in 2013, with an average increase of 0.20 % per year (r2 = 0.89, and a greater share of moderate preterm births (32 to <37 weeks, which increased from 5.8 % to 9 %. The same pattern was observed for all Macro-regional Health Offices, with highlight to the Northern Macro-Regional Office, which showed the highest average rate of prematurity and average annual growth during that period (7.55 % and 0.35 %, respectively. The trend analysis of preterm birth rates according to RHO showed a growing trend for almost all RHOs – except for the 7th RHO where a declining trend was observed (−0.95 a year; and in the 20th, 21st and 22nd RHOs which remained unchanged. In the last three-year of the study period (2011–2013, no RHO showed preterm birth rates below 7.3 % or prevalence of moderate preterm birth below 9.4 %. Conclusions The results show an increase in preterm births

  19. Clinical Utilisation and Usefullness of the Rating Scale of Mixed States, ("Gt-Msrs"): a Multicenter Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tavormina, Giuseppe; Franza, Francesco; Stranieri, Giuseppe; Juli, Luigi; Juli, Maria Rosaria

    2017-09-01

    The rating scale "G.T. MSRS" has been designed to improve the clinical effectiveness of the clinician psychiatrists, by enabling them to make an early "general" diagnosis of mixed states. The knowledge of the clinical features of the mixed states and of the symptoms of the "mixity" of mood disorders is crucial: to mis-diagnose or mis-treat patients with these symptoms may increase the suicide risk and make worse the evolution of mood disorders going to the dysphoric state. This study is the second validation study of the "G.T. MSRS" rating scale, in order to demonstrate its usefullness.

  20. Postearthquake relaxation after the 2004 M6 Parkfield, California, earthquake and rate-and-state friction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savage, J.C.; Langbein, J.

    2008-01-01

    An unusually complete set of measurements (including rapid rate GPS over the first 10 days) of postseismic deformation is available at 12 continuous GPS stations located close to the epicenter of the 2004 M6.0 Parkfield earthquake. The principal component modes for the relaxation of the ensemble of those 12 GPS stations were determined. The first mode alone furnishes an adequate approximation to the data. Thus, the relaxation at all stations can be represented by the product of a common temporal function and distinct amplitudes for each component (north or east) of relaxation at each station. The distribution in space of the amplitudes indicates that the relaxation is dominantly strike slip. The temporal function, which spans times from about 5 min to 900 days postearthquake, can be fit by a superposition of three creep terms, each of the form ??l loge(1 + t/??l), with characteristic times ??, = 4.06, 0.11, and 0.0001 days. It seems likely that what is actually involved is a broad spectrum of characteristic times, the individual components of which arise from afterslip on different fault patches. Perfettini and Avouac (2004) have shown that an individual creep term can be explained by the spring-slider model with rate-dependent (no state variable) friction. The observed temporal function can also be explained using a single spring-slider model (i.e., single fault patch) that includes rate-and-state-dependent friction, a single-state variable, and either of the two commonly used (aging and slip) state evolution laws. In the latter fits, the rate-and-state friction parameter b is negative.

  1. Effectiveness of music therapy in state-trait anxiety rate of addicts in drug-free rehabilitation stage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E Soleimani

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Objective: This study was an attempt to investigate the effect of music therapy on addicts’ state-trait anxiety rate in the stage of drug-free rehabilitation. Method: A quasi-experimental research design, along with pretest-posttest and control group was employed for the conduct of this study. The statistical population of the study included the addicts in the rehabilitation stage who had referred to the clean collaborators rehabilitation camp in Ardebil province in November 2014. From this population, the number of 32 addicts in 16-50-year-old age range was selected as the participants of the study by convenience sampling method. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used for data collection. Results: The results of multivariate covariant analysis showed that there is a significant difference between control and experimental groups in state and trait anxiety. In other words, the state and trait anxiety of addicts in the experimental group had been reduced after music therapy. Conclusion: Considering the obtained results, it can be concluded that music therapy alone or along other psychological interventions can be an effective method for reducing addicts’ anxiety in drug-free rehabilitation stage.

  2. State sales tax rates for soft drinks and snacks sold through grocery stores and vending machines, 2007.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chriqui, Jamie F; Eidson, Shelby S; Bates, Hannalori; Kowalczyk, Shelly; Chaloupka, Frank J

    2008-07-01

    Junk food consumption is associated with rising obesity rates in the United States. While a "junk food" specific tax is a potential public health intervention, a majority of states already impose sales taxes on certain junk food and soft drinks. This study reviews the state sales tax variance for soft drinks and selected snack products sold through grocery stores and vending machines as of January 2007. Sales taxes vary by state, intended retail location (grocery store vs. vending machine), and product. Vended snacks and soft drinks are taxed at a higher rate than grocery items and other food products, generally, indicative of a "disfavored" tax status attributed to vended items. Soft drinks, candy, and gum are taxed at higher rates than are other items examined. Similar tax schemes in other countries and the potential implications of these findings relative to the relationship between price and consumption are discussed.

  3. Rate Reduction for State-labelled Markov Chains with Upper Time-bounded CSL Requirements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bharath Siva Kumar Tati

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents algorithms for identifying and reducing a dedicated set of controllable transition rates of a state-labelled continuous-time Markov chain model. The purpose of the reduction is to make states to satisfy a given requirement, specified as a CSL upper time-bounded Until formula. We distinguish two different cases, depending on the type of probability bound. A natural partitioning of the state space allows us to develop possible solutions, leading to simple algorithms for both cases.

  4. Money or Joy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alstadsæter, Annette; Kolm, Anne-Sofie; Larsen, Birthe

    2005-01-01

    This paper examines the effect of taxes on the individuals' choices of educational direction, and thus on the economy.s skill composition. A proportional labour tax induces too many workers with high innate ability to choose an educational type associated with high consumption value and low effor....... This increases the skill mismatch and aggregate unemployment in the economy. The government can correct for this distortion by use of differentiated tuition fees or tax rates.JEL codes: J64, J68, H21, H24Keywords: Unemployment, matching, education, optimal taxation, tuition fees...

  5. Effect of stacking fault energy on steady-state creep rate of face ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Continuum elastic theory was used to establish the relationships between the force of interaction required to constrict dislocation partials, energy of constriction and climb velocity of the constricted thermal jogs, in order to examine the effect of stacking fault energy (SFE) on steady state creep rate of face centered cubic ...

  6. 2004-05 Performance Year Ratings Impacting Fiscal Year 2005-06. Francis Marion University. Sector: Four-Year Colleges and Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    This series of documents contains performance scoring information for 2004-2005 for individual institutions of higher education in South Carolina. This information is used in establishing 2005-2006 fiscal year allocations. Data includes: (1) Degrees Awarded; (2) Enrollment; (3) Average SAT score; (4) Faculty; (5) Tuition; and (6) Financial…

  7. 2004-05 Performance Year Ratings Impacting Fiscal Year 2005-06. College of Charleston. Sector: Four-Year Colleges and Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    This series of documents contains performance scoring information for 2004-2005 for individual institutions of higher education in South Carolina. This information is used in establishing 2005-2006 fiscal year allocations. Data includes: (1) Degrees Awarded; (2) Enrollment; (3) Average SAT score; (4) Faculty; (5) Tuition; and (6) Financial…

  8. 2004-05 Performance Year Ratings Impacting Fiscal Year 2005-06. Coastal Carolina University. Sector: Four-Year Colleges and Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    This series of documents contains performance scoring information for 2004-2005 for individual institutions of higher education in South Carolina. This information is used in establishing 2005-2006 fiscal year allocations. Data includes: (1) Degrees Awarded; (2) Enrollment; (3) Average SAT score; (4) Faculty; (5) Tuition; and (6) Financial…

  9. 38 CFR 3.42 - Compensation at the full-dollar rate for certain Filipino veterans residing in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Compensation at the full-dollar rate for certain Filipino veterans residing in the United States. 3.42 Section 3.42 Pensions... Filipino veterans residing in the United States. (a) Definitions. For purposes of this section: (1) United...

  10. Tracks FAQs: How Do Heart Attack Hospitalization Rates In My Community Compare With Other Counties Or States?

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    In this podcast, CDC Tracking experts discuss how to compare heart attack hospitalization rates in your community with other counties or states. Do you have a question for our Tracking experts? Please e-mail questions to trackingsupport@cdc.gov.

  11. A comparison of medical education in Germany and the United States: from applying to medical school to the beginnings of residency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zavlin, Dmitry; Jubbal, Kevin T; Noé, Jonas G; Gansbacher, Bernd

    2017-01-01

    Both Germany and the United States of America have a long tradition of science and medical excellence reaching back as far as the nineteenth century. The same tribute must be paid to the medical educational system in both countries. Despite significant initial similarities and cross-inspiration, the paths from enrolling in a medical university to graduating as a medical doctor in Germany and the US seem to have become much different. To fill a void in literature, the authors' objective therefore is to delineate both structures of medical education in an up-to-date review and examine their current differences and similarities. Recent medical publications, legal guidelines of governmental or official organizations, articles in media, as well as the authors' personal experiences are used as sources of this report. Tuition loans of over $200,000 are not uncommon for students in the US after graduating from medical schools, which are often private institutions. In Germany, however, the vast majority of medical universities are tax-funded and, for this reason, free of tuition. Significant differences and surprisingly multiple similarities exist between these two systems, despite one depending on government and the other on private organizations. Germany currently employs an integrated medical curriculum that typically begins right after high school and consists of a 2-year long pre-clinical segment teaching basic sciences and a 4-year clinical segment leading medical students to the practical aspects of medicine. On the other hand, the US education is a two-stage process. After successful completion of a Bachelor's degree in college, an American student goes through a 4-year medical program encompassing 2 years of basic science and 2 years of clinical training. In this review, we will address some of these similarities and major differences.

  12. Moving from Marketization to Marketing of Higher Education: The Co-Creation of Value in Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Judson, Kimberly M.; Taylor, Steven A.

    2014-01-01

    Universities in the United States today often proudly proclaim achievements in student satisfaction across their marketing communications. The marketing promise is that a student will be happy and satisfied upon graduation if tuition dollars are paid to a specific university. Such claims are often supported with promises of greater employability…

  13. Improvements to a Neuroscience Graduate Program Derived from an Analysis of Previous Studies of Quality in Graduate Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    1998-05-01

    money. With the cost of tuition having increased by five percent the last two years, ( Gose , 1997) the financing ofa graduate education can be an area...Maher B. (1995). Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States: Continuity and Change. Washington, D.C.: National Research Council. 102 103 Gose , B

  14. Cost-effectiveness of programs to eliminate disparities in elderly vaccination rates in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michaelidis, Constantinos I; Zimmerman, Richard K; Nowalk, Mary Patricia; Smith, Kenneth J

    2014-07-15

    There are disparities in influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates among elderly minority groups and little guidance as to which intervention or combination of interventions to eliminate these disparities is likely to be most cost-effective. Here, we evaluate the cost-effectiveness of four hypothetical vaccination programs designed to eliminate disparities in elderly vaccination rates and differing in the number of interventions. We developed a Markov model in which we assumed a healthcare system perspective, 10-year vaccination program and lifetime time horizon. The cohort was the combined African-American and Hispanic 65 year-old birth cohort in the United States in 2009. We evaluated five different vaccination strategies: no vaccination program and four vaccination programs that varied from "low intensity" to "very high intensity" based on the number of interventions deployed in each program, their cumulative cost and their cumulative impact on elderly minority influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates. The very high intensity vaccination program ($24,479/quality-adjusted life year; QALY) was preferred at willingness-to-pay-thresholds of $50,000 and $100,000/QALY and prevented 37,178 influenza cases, 342 influenza deaths, 1,158 invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) cases and 174 IPD deaths over the birth cohort's lifetime. In one-way sensitivity analyses, the very high intensity program only became cost-prohibitive (>$100,000/QALY) at less likely values for the influenza vaccination rates achieved in year 10 of the high intensity (>73.5%) or very high intensity (eliminate disparities in elderly minority vaccination rates and including four interventions would be cost-effective.

  15. Workplace health and safety regulations: Impact of enforcement and consultation on workers' compensation claims rates in Washington State.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baggs, James; Silverstein, Barbara; Foley, Michael

    2003-05-01

    There has been considerable debate in the public policy arena about the appropriate mix of regulatory enforcement and consultation in achieving desired health and safety behavior across industries. Recently there has been a shift in federal policy toward voluntary approaches and constraining the scope of enforcement programs, although there is little evidence that this might improve health and safety outcomes. To address this, we examined changes in lost time workers compensation claims rates for Washington State employers who had (1) no OSHA State Plan (WISHA) activity, (2) enforcement, (3) consultation, and (4) both types of visits. Compensable claims rates, hours, and WISHA activity were determined for each employer account with a single business location that had payroll hours reported for every quarter from 1997-2000 and more than 10 employees. We used a generalized estimating equations (GEE) approach to Poisson regression to model the association between WISHA activity and claims rate controlling for other external factors. Controlling for previous claims rate and average size, claims rates for employers with WISHA enforcement activity declined 22.5% in fixed site industry SIC codes compared to 7% among employers with no WISHA activity (P 0.10). WISHA consultation activity was not associated with a greater decline in compensable claims rates (-2.3% for fixed sites and +3.5% for non-fixed sites). WISHA activity did not adversely affect worksite survivability through the study period. Enforcement inspections are significantly associated with decreasing compensable workers compensation claims rates especially for fixed site employers. We were unable to identify an association between consultation activities and decreasing claims rates. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  16. Relationship between recycling rate and air pollution: Waste management in the state of Massachusetts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giovanis, Eleftherios

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • This study examines the relationship between recycling rate of solid waste and air pollution. • Fixed effects Stochastic Frontier Analysis model with panel data are employed. • The case study is a waste municipality survey in the state of Massachusetts during 2009–2012. • The findings support that a negative relationship between air pollution and recycling. - Abstract: This study examines the relationship between recycling rate of solid waste and air pollution using data from a waste municipality survey in the state of Massachusetts during the period 2009–2012. Two econometric approaches are applied. The first approach is a fixed effects model, while the second is a Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) with fixed effects model. The advantage of the first approach is the ability of controlling for stable time invariant characteristics of the municipalities, thereby eliminating potentially large sources of bias. The second approach is applied in order to estimate the technical efficiency and rank of each municipality accordingly. The regressions control for various demographic, economic and recycling services, such as income per capita, population density, unemployment, trash services, Pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) program and meteorological data. The findings support that a negative relationship between particulate particles in the air 2.5 μm or less in size (PM 2.5 ) and recycling rate is presented. In addition, the pollution is increased with increases on income per capita up to $23,000–$26,000, while after this point income contributes positively on air quality. Finally, based on the efficiency derived by the Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) model, the municipalities which provide both drop off and curbside services for trash, food and yard waste and the PAYT program present better performance regarding the air quality

  17. Relationship between recycling rate and air pollution: Waste management in the state of Massachusetts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Giovanis, Eleftherios, E-mail: giovanis95@gmail.com

    2015-06-15

    Highlights: • This study examines the relationship between recycling rate of solid waste and air pollution. • Fixed effects Stochastic Frontier Analysis model with panel data are employed. • The case study is a waste municipality survey in the state of Massachusetts during 2009–2012. • The findings support that a negative relationship between air pollution and recycling. - Abstract: This study examines the relationship between recycling rate of solid waste and air pollution using data from a waste municipality survey in the state of Massachusetts during the period 2009–2012. Two econometric approaches are applied. The first approach is a fixed effects model, while the second is a Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) with fixed effects model. The advantage of the first approach is the ability of controlling for stable time invariant characteristics of the municipalities, thereby eliminating potentially large sources of bias. The second approach is applied in order to estimate the technical efficiency and rank of each municipality accordingly. The regressions control for various demographic, economic and recycling services, such as income per capita, population density, unemployment, trash services, Pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) program and meteorological data. The findings support that a negative relationship between particulate particles in the air 2.5 μm or less in size (PM{sub 2.5}) and recycling rate is presented. In addition, the pollution is increased with increases on income per capita up to $23,000–$26,000, while after this point income contributes positively on air quality. Finally, based on the efficiency derived by the Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) model, the municipalities which provide both drop off and curbside services for trash, food and yard waste and the PAYT program present better performance regarding the air quality.

  18. Pilot States Program report: Home energy ratings systems and energy-efficient mortgages

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farhar, B.

    2000-04-04

    This report covers the accomplishments of the home energy ratings systems/energy-efficient mortgages (HERS/EEMs) pilot states from 1993 through 1998, including such indicators as funding, ratings and EEMs achieved, active raters, and training and marketing activities. A brief description of each HERS program's evolution is included, as well as their directors' views of the programs' future prospects. Finally, an analysis is provided of successful HERS program characteristics and factors that appear to contribute to HERS program success.

  19. University-level nutrition training in West Africa: cost and financing issues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roger Sodjinou

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: There is a serious shortage of skilled nutrition professionals in West Africa. Investing in nutrition training is one of the strategies for strengthening the human resource base in nutrition. However, little is known about how nutrition training in the region is financed and the levels of tuition fees charged. The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive assessment about the levels of tuition fees charged for nutrition training in the West Africa region and to determine to what extent this is of reach to the average student. Methodology: The data for this study were obtained from 74 nutrition degree programs operating in nine West African countries in 2013 through semi-structured interviews during on-site visits or through self-administered questionnaires. They included the age of the programs, school ownership, tuition fees, financial assistance, and main sources of funding. Tuition fees (in 2013 US$ were expressed per program to enable uniformity and comparability. Simple descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed. Results: Results from 74 nutrition training programs in nine countries showed a wide variation in tuition fees within and between countries. The tuition fees for bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs, respectively, ranged from 372 to 4,325 (mean: 2,353; 162 to 7,678 (mean: 2,232; and 369 to 5,600 (mean: 2,208. The tuition fees were significantly higher (p<0.05 in private institutions than in public institutions (mean: US$3,079 vs. US$2,029 for bachelor's programs; US$5,118 vs. US$1,820 for master's programs; and US$3,076 vs. US$1,815 for doctoral programs. The difference in the tuition fees between Francophone and Anglophone countries was not statistically significant (mean: US$2,570 vs. US$2,216 for bachelor's programs; US$2,417 vs. US$2,147 for master's programs; US$3,285 vs. US$2,055 for doctoral programs. In most countries, the tuition fees appeared to be out of reach of the average student

  20. Explaining Cross-State Differences in Elderly Suicide Rates and Identifying State-Level Public Policy Responses that Reduce Rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giles-Sims, Jean; Lockhart, Charles

    2006-01-01

    Elderly Americans commit suicide at higher rates than other age groups. We contend that macro- and micro-social variables contribute distinct aspects to explanations of this tragic loss: the former focus on circumstances that affect overall rates, the latter reveal why certain individuals succumb to suicide. Our analysis focuses on the…

  1. The High Cost of Low Graduation Rates in North Carolina. School Choice Issues in the State

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gottlob, Brian J.

    2007-01-01

    North Carolina has a dropout crisis--only two thirds of North Carolina high school students graduate. One reason this crisis has not received the attention it deserves is because the state was reporting badly inflated graduation rates (supposedly as high as 97 percent) until it finally adopted a more realistic reporting method earlier this year.…

  2. Do Generous Unemployment Benefit Programs Reduce Suicide Rates? A State Fixed-Effect Analysis Covering 1968–2008

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cylus, Jonathan; Glymour, M. Maria; Avendano, Mauricio

    2014-01-01

    The recent economic recession has led to increases in suicide, but whether US state unemployment insurance programs ameliorate this association has not been examined. Exploiting US state variations in the generosity of benefit programs between 1968 and 2008, we tested the hypothesis that more generous unemployment benefit programs reduce the impact of economic downturns on suicide. Using state linear fixed-effect models, we found a negative additive interaction between unemployment rates and benefits among the US working-age (20–64 years) population (β = −0.57, 95% confidence interval: −0.86, −0.27; P unemployment rates on suicide is offset by the presence of generous state unemployment benefit programs, though estimated effects are small in magnitude. PMID:24939978

  3. Quantification of protein backbone hydrogen-deuterium exchange rates by solid state NMR spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez del Amo, Juan-Miguel; Fink, Uwe; Reif, Bernd

    2010-01-01

    We present the quantification of backbone amide hydrogen-deuterium exchange rates (HDX) for immobilized proteins. The experiments make use of the deuterium isotope effect on the amide nitrogen chemical shift, as well as on proton dilution by deuteration. We find that backbone amides in the microcrystalline α-spectrin SH3 domain exchange rather slowly with the solvent (with exchange rates negligible within the individual 15 N-T 1 timescales). We observed chemical exchange for 6 residues with HDX exchange rates in the range from 0.2 to 5 s -1 . Backbone amide 15 N longitudinal relaxation times that we determined previously are not significantly affected for most residues, yielding no systematic artifacts upon quantification of backbone dynamics (Chevelkov et al. 2008b). Significant exchange was observed for the backbone amides of R21, S36 and K60, as well as for the sidechain amides of N38, N35 and for W41ε. These residues could not be fit in our previous motional analysis, demonstrating that amide proton chemical exchange needs to be considered in the analysis of protein dynamics in the solid-state, in case D 2 O is employed as a solvent for sample preparation. Due to the intrinsically long 15 N relaxation times in the solid-state, the approach proposed here can expand the range of accessible HDX rates in the intermediate regime that is not accessible so far with exchange quench and MEXICO type experiments.

  4. Estimating the Number of Heterosexual Persons in the United States to Calculate National Rates of HIV Infection.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amy Lansky

    Full Text Available This study estimated the proportions and numbers of heterosexuals in the United States (U.S. to calculate rates of heterosexually acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV infection. Quantifying the burden of disease can inform effective prevention planning and resource allocation.Heterosexuals were defined as males and females who ever had sex with an opposite-sex partner and excluded those with other HIV risks: persons who ever injected drugs and males who ever had sex with another man. We conducted meta-analysis using data from 3 national probability surveys that measured lifetime (ever sexual activity and injection drug use among persons aged 15 years and older to estimate the proportion of heterosexuals in the United States population. We then applied the proportion of heterosexual persons to census data to produce population size estimates. National HIV infection rates among heterosexuals were calculated using surveillance data (cases attributable to heterosexual contact in the numerators and the heterosexual population size estimates in the denominators.Adult and adolescent heterosexuals comprised an estimated 86.7% (95% confidence interval: 84.1%-89.3% of the U.S. population. The estimate for males was 84.1% (CI: 81.2%-86.9% and for females was 89.4% (95% CI: 86.9%-91.8%. The HIV diagnosis rate for 2013 was 5.2 per 100,000 heterosexuals and the rate of persons living with diagnosed HIV infection in 2012 was 104 per 100,000 heterosexuals aged 13 years or older. Rates of HIV infection were >20 times as high among black heterosexuals compared to white heterosexuals, indicating considerable disparity. Rates among heterosexual men demonstrated higher disparities than overall population rates for men.The best available data must be used to guide decision-making for HIV prevention. HIV rates among heterosexuals in the U.S. are important additions to cost effectiveness and other data used to make critical decisions about resources for

  5. Incentives to Exclude: The Political Economy Constraining School Fee Abolition in South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nordstrum, Lee E.

    2012-01-01

    In 2009, the South African Department of Education extended tuition fee abolition to schools serving the poorest 60% of students, increased from 40% in 2007. This policy intends to increase access to and longevity in school for the poorest households by removing fees as a barrier and replacing private revenue with increased state funds. Despite…

  6. Highlights of trends in pregnancies and pregnancy rates by outcome: estimates for the United States, 1976-96.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ventura, S J; Mosher, W D; Curtin, S C; Abma, J C; Henshaw, S

    1999-12-15

    This report presents key findings from a comprehensive report on pregnancies and pregnancy rates for U.S. women. The study incorporates birth, abortion, and fetal loss data to compile national estimates of pregnancy rates according to a variety of characteristics including age, race, Hispanic origin, and marital status. Summary data are presented for 1976-96. Data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) are used to show information on sexual activity and contraceptive practices, as well as women's reports of pregnancy intentions. Tabular and graphic data on pregnancy rates by demographic characteristics are presented and interpreted. Birth data are from the birth registration system for all births registered in the United States and reported by State health departments to NCHS; abortion data are from The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) and the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and fetal loss data are from pregnancy history information collected in the NSFG. In 1996 an estimated 6.24 million pregnancies resulted in 3.89 million live births, 1.37 million induced abortions, and 0.98 million fetal losses. The pregnancy rate in 1996 was 104.7 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years, 9 percent lower than in 1990 (115.6), and the lowest recorded since 1976 (102.7). Since 1990 rates have dropped 8 percent for live births, 16 percent for induced abortions, and 4 percent for fetal losses. The teenage pregnancy rate has declined considerably in the 1990's, falling 15 percent from its 1991 high of 116.5 per 1,000 women aged 15-19 to 98.7 in 1996. Among the factors accounting for this decline are decreased sexual activity, increases in condom use, and the adoption of the injectable and implant contraceptives.

  7. Do generous unemployment benefit programs reduce suicide rates? A state fixed-effect analysis covering 1968-2008.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cylus, Jonathan; Glymour, M Maria; Avendano, Mauricio

    2014-07-01

    The recent economic recession has led to increases in suicide, but whether US state unemployment insurance programs ameliorate this association has not been examined. Exploiting US state variations in the generosity of benefit programs between 1968 and 2008, we tested the hypothesis that more generous unemployment benefit programs reduce the impact of economic downturns on suicide. Using state linear fixed-effect models, we found a negative additive interaction between unemployment rates and benefits among the US working-age (20-64 years) population (β = -0.57, 95% confidence interval: -0.86, -0.27; P unemployment rates on suicide is offset by the presence of generous state unemployment benefit programs, though estimated effects are small in magnitude. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  8. Crowded Out? The Effect of Nonresident Enrollment on Resident Access to Public Research Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curs, Bradley R.; Jaquette, Ozan

    2017-01-01

    Public universities have pursued nonresident enrollment growth as a solution to the stagnation of state funding. Representatives of public universities often argue that nonresident tuition revenue is an important resource in efforts to finance access for resident students, whereas state policymakers are concerned that nonresident enrollment…

  9. The inner state differences of preterm birth rates in Brazil: a time series study

    OpenAIRE

    de Oliveira, Rosana Rosseto; Melo, Emiliana Cristina; Fujimori, Elizabeth; Mathias, Thais Aidar de Freitas

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Background Preterm birth is a serious public health problem, as it is linked to high rates of neonatal and child morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of premature births has increased worldwide, with regional differences. The objective of this study was to analyze the trend of preterm births in the state of Paraná, Brazil, according to Macro-regional and Regional Health Offices (RHOs). Methods This is an ecological time series study using preterm births records from the national l...

  10. Interest of analyses of heart rate variability in the prevention of fatigue states in senior runners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leti, Thomas; Bricout, Véronique A

    2013-01-01

    The use of heart rate variability (HRV) in the management of sport training is a practice which tends to spread, especially in order to prevent the occurrence of fatigue states. To estimate the HRV parameters obtained using a heart rate recording, according to different exercise impacts, and to make the link with the appearance of subjective fatigue. Ten senior runners, aged 51±5 years, were each monitored over a period of 12 weeks in different conditions: (i) after a resting period, (ii) after a day with training, (iii) after a day of competition and (iv) after a rest day. They also completed three questionnaires, to assess fatigue (SFMS), profile of mood states (POMS) and quality of sleep. The HRV indices (heart rate, LF (n.u.), HF (n.u.) and LF/HF) were significantly altered with the competitive impact, shifting toward a sympathetic predominance. After rest and recovery nights, the LF (n.u.) increased significantly with the competitive impact (62.1±15.2 and 66.9±11.6 vs. 76.0±10.7; p<0.05 respectively) whereas the HF (n.u.) decreased significantly (37.9±15.2 and 33.1±11.6 vs. 24.0±10.7; p<0.05 respectively). Positive correlations were found between fatigue and frequency domain indices and between fatigue and training impact. Autonomic nervous system modulation-fatigue relationships were significant, suggesting the potential use of HRV in follow-up and control of training. Furthermore, the addition of questionnaires constitutes complementary tools that allow to achieve a greater relevance and accuracy of the athletes' fitness and results. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Association of arsenic exposure with lung cancer incidence rates in the United States.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joseph J Putila

    Full Text Available Although strong exposure to arsenic has been shown to be carcinogenic, its contribution to lung cancer incidence in the United States is not well characterized. We sought to determine if the low-level exposures to arsenic seen in the U.S. are associated with lung cancer incidence after controlling for possible confounders, and to assess the interaction with smoking behavior.Measurements of arsenic stream sediment and soil concentration obtained from the USGS National Geochemical Survey were combined, respectively, with 2008 BRFSS estimates on smoking prevalence and 2000 U.S. Census county level income to determine the effects of these factors on lung cancer incidence, as estimated from respective state-wide cancer registries and the SEER database. Poisson regression was used to determine the association between each variable and age-adjusted county-level lung cancer incidence. ANOVA was used to assess interaction effects between covariates.Sediment levels of arsenic were significantly associated with an increase in incident cases of lung cancer (P<0.0001. These effects persisted after controlling for smoking and income (P<0.0001. Across the U.S., exposure to arsenic may contribute to up to 5,297 lung cancer cases per year. There was also a significant interaction between arsenic exposure levels and smoking prevalence (P<0.05.Arsenic was significantly associated with lung cancer incidence rates in the U.S. after controlling for smoking and income, indicating that low-level exposure to arsenic is responsible for excess cancer cases in many parts of the U.S. Elevated county smoking prevalence strengthened the association between arsenic exposure and lung cancer incidence rate, an effect previously unseen on a population level.

  12. Financial Crisis Management in Higher Education: Responses by 20 Private Colleges and Universities to the 2007-2009 Financial Crisis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dorantes, Andrew R.; Low, Justin R.

    2016-01-01

    As a result of the Great Recession, higher education in the United States suffered from the most significant financial crisis since the Great Depression (Breneman 2008; Zumeta 2010). This crisis affected all institutions of higher education since it challenged three major revenue sources: net tuition income, endowment income, and gift income…

  13. Navigating the Waves of Social and Political Capriciousness: Inspiring Perspectives from DREAM-Eligible Immigrant Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morales, Amanda; Herrera, Socorro; Murry, Kevin

    2011-01-01

    This article examines the psychological and sociological impacts of the proposed Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act and in-state tuition legislation on DREAM-eligible students in the Midwestern United States. The researchers sought to capture the lived experiences of undocumented immigrant students through their rich…

  14. Reasons for and challenges of recent increases in teen birth rates: a study of family planning service policies and demographic changes at the state level.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Zhou; Gaydos, Laura M

    2010-06-01

    After declining for over a decade, the birth rate in the United States for adolescents aged 15-19 years increased by 3% in 2006 and 1% again in 2007. We examined demographic and policy reasons for this trend at state level. With data merged from multiple sources, descriptive analysis was used to detect state-level trends in birth rate and policy changes from 2000 to 2006, and variations in the distribution of teen birth rates, sex education, and family planning service policies, and demographic features across each state in 2006. Regression analysis was then conducted to estimate the effect of several reproductive health policies and demographic features on teen birth rates at the state level. Instrument variable was used to correct possible bias in the regression analysis. Medicaid family planning waivers were found to reduce teen birth rates across all ages and races. Abstinence-only education programs were found to cause an increase in teen birth rates among white and black teens. The increasing Hispanic population is another driving force for high teen birth rates. Both demographic factors and policy changes contributed to the increase in teen birth rates between 2000 and 2006. Future policy and behavioral interventions should focus on promoting and increasing access to contraceptive use. Family planning policies should be crafted to address the special needs of teens from different cultural backgrounds, especially Hispanics. Copyright 2010 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Are movies with tobacco, alcohol, drugs, sex, and violence rated for youth?: A comparison of rating systems in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thrasher, James F.; Sargent, James D.; Vargas, Rosa; Braun, Sandra; Barrientos-Gutierrez, Tonatiuh; Sevigny, Eric L.; Billings, Deborah L.; Arillo-Santillán, Edna; Navarro, Ashley; Hardin, James

    2014-01-01

    Background This study aimed to determine between-country differences and changes over time in the portrayal of youth risk behaviors in films rated for youth in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and the United States. Methods Content and ratings were analyzed for 362 films that were popular across all four countries from 2002–2009. Country-specific ratings were classified as either youth or adult, and Generalized Estimating Equations were used to determine between-country differences in the presence of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, sexual content, and violence in youth-rated films. Within-country differences in this content over time were also assessed, comparing films released from 2002–2005 with those released from 2006–2009. Results In the US, films rated for youth were less likely to contain all five risk behaviors than in youth-rated films in Argentina, Brazil, and, when the “15 and older” rating was considered a youth rating, in Mexico. All three Latin American countries “downrated” films that received an adult rating in the US. Nevertheless, tobacco and drug use in youth-rated films declined over time in all countries, whereas moderate to extreme alcohol use and violence involving children or youth increased in all countries. Conclusions Tobacco and drug use have declined in popular US films, but these behaviors are still prevalent in films rated for youth across the Americas. The apparent success of advocacy efforts to reduce tobacco and other drugs in films suggests that similar efforts be directed to reduce alcohol portrayals. PMID:24316001

  16. Are movies with tobacco, alcohol, drugs, sex, and violence rated for youth? A comparison of rating systems in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thrasher, James F; Sargent, James D; Vargas, Rosa; Braun, Sandra; Barrientos-Gutierrez, Tonatiuh; Sevigny, Eric L; Billings, Deborah L; Arillo-Santillán, Edna; Navarro, Ashley; Hardin, James

    2014-03-01

    This study aimed to determine between-country differences and changes over time in the portrayal of youth risk behaviors in films rated for youth in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and the United States. Content and ratings were analyzed for 362 films that were popular across all four countries from 2002 to 2009. Country-specific ratings were classified as either youth or adult, and Generalized Estimating Equations were used to determine between-country differences in the presence of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, sexual content, and violence in youth-rated films. Within-country differences in this content over time were also assessed, comparing films released from 2002 to 2005 with those released from 2006 to 2009. In the US, films rated for youth were less likely to contain all five risk behaviors than in youth-rated films in Argentina, Brazil, and, when the "15 and older" rating was considered a youth rating, in Mexico. All three Latin American countries "downrated" films that received an adult rating in the US. Nevertheless, tobacco and drug use in youth-rated films declined over time in all countries, whereas moderate to extreme alcohol use and violence involving children or youth increased in all countries. Tobacco and drug use have declined in popular US films, but these behaviors are still prevalent in films rated for youth across the Americas. The apparent success of advocacy efforts to reduce tobacco and other drugs in films suggests that similar efforts be directed to reduce alcohol portrayals. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. NCHS - Birth Rates for Unmarried Women by Age, Race, and Hispanic Origin: United States

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — This dataset includes birth rates for unmarried women by age group, race, and Hispanic origin in the United States since 1970. National data on births by Hispanics...

  18. BREIT code: Analytical solution of the balance rate equations for charge-state evolutions of heavy-ion beams in matter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Winckler, N., E-mail: n.winckler@gsi.de [GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, 64291 Darmstadt (Germany); Rybalchenko, A. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, 64291 Darmstadt (Germany); Shevelko, V.P. [P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute, 119991 Moscow (Russian Federation); Al-Turany, M. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, 64291 Darmstadt (Germany); CERN, European Organization for Nuclear Research, 1211 Geneve 23 (Switzerland); Kollegger, T. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, 64291 Darmstadt (Germany); Stöhlker, Th. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, 64291 Darmstadt (Germany); Helmholtz-Institute Jena, D-07743 Jena (Germany); Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, D-07743 Jena (Germany)

    2017-02-01

    A detailed description of a recently developed BREIT computer code (Balance Rate Equations of Ion Transportation) for calculating charge-state fractions of ion beams passing through matter is presented. The code is based on the analytical solutions of the differential balance equations for the charge-state fractions as a function of the target thickness and can be used for calculating the ion evolutions in gaseous, solid and plasma targets. The BREIT code is available on-line and requires the charge-changing cross sections and initial conditions in the input file. The eigenvalue decomposition method, applied to obtain the analytical solutions of the rate equations, is described in the paper. Calculations of non-equilibrium and equilibrium charge-state fractions, performed by the BREIT code, are compared with experimental data and results of other codes for ion beams in gaseous and solid targets. Ability and limitations of the BREIT code are discussed in detail.

  19. [Teenage pregnancy rates and socioeconomic characteristics of municipalities in São Paulo State, Southeast Brazil: a spatial analysis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez, Edson Zangiacomi; Roza, Daiane Leite da; Caccia-Bava, Maria do Carmo Gullaci Guimarães; Achcar, Jorge Alberto; Dal-Fabbro, Amaury Lelis

    2011-05-01

    Teenage pregnancy is a common public health problem worldwide. The objective of this ecological study was to investigate the spatial association between teenage pregnancy rates and socioeconomic characteristics of municipalities in São Paulo State, Southeast Brazil. We used a Bayesian model with a spatial distribution following a conditional autoregressive (CAR) form based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm. We used data from the Live Birth Information System (SINASC) and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). Early pregnancy was more frequent in municipalities with lower per capital gross domestic product (GDP), higher poverty rate, smaller population, lower human development index (HDI), and a higher percentage of individuals with State social vulnerability index of 5 or 6 (more vulnerable). The study demonstrates a significant association between teenage pregnancy and socioeconomic indicators.

  20. Sedimentation rates in Atibaia River basin, São Paulo State, Brazil, using 210Pb as geochronometer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabaris, T P P; Bonotto, D M

    2011-01-01

    The constant initial concentration (CIC) of unsupported/excess (210)Pb model was successfully used to assess (210)Pb data of nine sediment cores from Atibaia River basin, São Paulo State, Brazil. The (210)Pb-based apparent sediment mass accumulation rates ranged from 47.7 to 782.4 mg/cm(2)yr, whereas the average linear sedimentation rates between 0.16 and 1.32 cm/yr, which are compatible with the calculated sediment mass fluxes, i.e. a higher sediment mass accumulation rate yielded a higher linear sedimentation rate. The higher long-term based accumulation rate tended to be found in topographically softer regions. This occurs because the sediments are preferentially transported in topographically steeper regions instead of being deposited. Anthropic activities like deforestation possibly interfered with the natural/normal sedimentation processes, which increased in accordance with modifications on the channel drainage. The radionuclide geochronology as described in this paper allows determination of sedimentation rates that are compatible with values estimated elsewhere. The adoption of an appropriate factor generated from previous laboratory experiments resulted in a successful correction for the (222)Rn-loss from the sediments, bringing the estimate of the parent-supported (in-situ produced) (210)Pb to reliable values required by the CIC model. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. 2004-05 Performance Year Ratings Impacting Fiscal Year 2005-06. University of South Carolina Upstate. Sector: Four-Year Colleges and Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    This series of documents contains performance scoring information for 2004-2005 for individual institutions of higher education in South Carolina. This information is used in establishing 2005-2006 fiscal year allocations. Data includes: (1) Degrees Awarded; (2) Enrollment; (3) Average SAT score; (4) Faculty; (5) Tuition; and (6) Financial…

  2. 2004-05 Performance Year Ratings Impacting Fiscal Year 2005-06. University of South Carolina Aiken. Sector: Four-Year Colleges and Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    This series of documents contains performance scoring information for 2004-2005 for individual institutions of higher education in South Carolina. This information is used in establishing 2005-2006 fiscal year allocations. Data includes: (1) Degrees Awarded; (2) Enrollment; (3) Average SAT score; (4) Faculty; (5) Tuition; and (6) Financial…

  3. 2004-05 Performance Year Ratings Impacting Fiscal Year 2005-06. University of South Carolina Beaufort. Sector: Four-Year Colleges and Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    This series of documents contains performance scoring information for 2004-2005 for individual institutions of higher education in South Carolina. This information is used in establishing 2005-2006 fiscal year allocations. Data includes: (1) Degrees Awarded; (2) Enrollment; (3) Average SAT score; (4) Faculty; (5) Tuition; and (6) Financial…

  4. Female literacy rate is a better predictor of birth rate and infant mortality rate in India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suman Saurabh

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Educated women are known to take informed reproductive and healthcare decisions. These result in population stabilization and better infant care reflected by lower birth rates and infant mortality rates (IMRs, respectively. Materials and Methods: Our objective was to study the relationship of male and female literacy rates with crude birth rates (CBRs and IMRs of the states and union territories (UTs of India. The data were analyzed using linear regression. CBR and IMR were taken as the dependent variables; while the overall literacy rates, male, and female literacy rates were the independent variables. Results: CBRs were inversely related to literacy rates (slope parameter = -0.402, P < 0.001. On multiple linear regression with male and female literacy rates, a significant inverse relationship emerged between female literacy rate and CBR (slope = -0.363, P < 0.001, while male literacy rate was not significantly related to CBR (P = 0.674. IMR of the states were also inversely related to their literacy rates (slope = -1.254, P < 0.001. Multiple linear regression revealed a significant inverse relationship between IMR and female literacy (slope = -0.816, P = 0.031, whereas male literacy rate was not significantly related (P = 0.630. Conclusion: Female literacy is relatively highly important for both population stabilization and better infant health.

  5. Envisioning a Modern Federal-State Partnership in the Reauthorization of the HEA as an Engine to Increase Social Mobility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexander, F. King; Arceneaux, Ashley

    2015-01-01

    Financial aid makes up the bulk of federal higher education spending, but do those dollars make a difference to needy students? A look at Federal Work-Study and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant allocations show that a disproportionate amount of funding goes to private universities with high tuition and low Federal Pell Grant…

  6. Concerns about Debt Hover over a Small College in Iowa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blumenstyk, Goldie

    2009-01-01

    By just about every objective measure, the $88-million in debt that Wartburg College has carried since late 2005 poses a risk. The college's debt load--twice the amount that it takes in annually from tuition and other revenue--has raised red flags with its accreditor, alarmed some faculty members, and left Wartburg with a credit rating just one…

  7. State-Space Dynamic Model for Estimation of Radon Entry Rate, based on Kalman Filtering

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Brabec, Marek; Jílek, K.

    2007-01-01

    Roč. 98, - (2007), s. 285-297 ISSN 0265-931X Grant - others:GA SÚJB JC_11/2006 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : air ventilation rate * radon entry rate * state-space modeling * extended Kalman filter * maximum likelihood estimation * prediction error decomposition Subject RIV: BB - Applied Statistics, Operational Research Impact factor: 0.963, year: 2007

  8. E-Government Attempts in Small Island Developing States: The Rate of Corruption with Virtualization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sari, Arif

    2017-12-01

    In recent years, many Small Island Developing State (SIDS) governments have worked to increase openness and transparency of their transactions as a means to enhance efficiency and reduce corruption in their economies. In order to achieve a cost-effective and efficient strategy to implement a transparent government, Information Communication Technologies offer an opportunity of virtualization by deploying e-government services to promote transparency, accountability and consistency in the public sector and to minimize corruption. This paper explores the potential impact of government virtualization by SIDS and against corruption by comparing the corruption perception index (CPI) rates of 15 SIDS countries. The CPI relates to the degree by which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians by business people and country analysts. In order to reveal the long-term impact of virtual deployment and its consequences on corruption, an in-depth case analysis based on the CPI index rates was conducted on the deployment of the e-government system in Cyprus.

  9. Event rate and reaction time performance in ADHD: Testing predictions from the state regulation deficit hypothesis using an ex-Gaussian model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Metin, Baris; Wiersema, Jan R; Verguts, Tom; Gasthuys, Roos; van Der Meere, Jacob J; Roeyers, Herbert; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund

    2014-12-06

    According to the state regulation deficit (SRD) account, ADHD is associated with a problem using effort to maintain an optimal activation state under demanding task settings such as very fast or very slow event rates. This leads to a prediction of disrupted performance at event rate extremes reflected in higher Gaussian response variability that is a putative marker of activation during motor preparation. In the current study, we tested this hypothesis using ex-Gaussian modeling, which distinguishes Gaussian from non-Gaussian variability. Twenty-five children with ADHD and 29 typically developing controls performed a simple Go/No-Go task under four different event-rate conditions. There was an accentuated quadratic relationship between event rate and Gaussian variability in the ADHD group compared to the controls. The children with ADHD had greater Gaussian variability at very fast and very slow event rates but not at moderate event rates. The results provide evidence for the SRD account of ADHD. However, given that this effect did not explain all group differences (some of which were independent of event rate) other cognitive and/or motivational processes are also likely implicated in ADHD performance deficits.

  10. Application of viscoelastic, viscoplastic, and rate-and-state friction constitutive laws to the deformation of unconsolidated sands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hagin, Paul N.

    Laboratory experiments on dry, unconsolidated sands from the Wilmington field, CA, reveal significant viscous creep strain under a variety of loading conditions. In hydrostatic compression tests between 10 and 50 MPa of pressure, the creep strain exceeds the magnitude of the instantaneous strain and follows a power law function of time. Interestingly, the viscous effects only appear when loading a sample beyond its preconsolidation pressure. Cyclic loading tests (at quasi-static frequencies of 10-6 to 10 -2 Hz) show that the bulk modulus increases by a factor of two with increasing frequency while attenuation remains constant. I attempt to fit these observations using three classes of models: linear viscoelastic, viscoplastic, and rate-and-state friction models. For the linear viscoelastic modeling, I investigated two types of models; spring-dashpot (exponential) and power law models. I find that a combined power law-Maxwell solid creep model adequately fits all of the data. Extrapolating the power law-Maxwell creep model out to 30 years (to simulate the lifetime of a reservoir) predicts that the static bulk modulus is 25% of the dynamic modulus, in good agreement with field observations. Laboratory studies also reveal that a large portion of the deformation is permanent, suggesting that an elastic-plastic model is appropriate. However, because the viscous component of deformation is significant, an elastic-viscoplastic model is necessary. An appropriate model for unconsolidated sands is developed by incorporating Perzyna (power law) viscoplasticity theory into the modified Cambridge clay cap model. Hydrostatic compression tests conducted as a function of volumetric strain rate produced values for the required model parameters. As a result, by using an end cap model combined with power law viscoplasticity theory, changes in porosity in both the elastic and viscoplastic regimes can be predicted as a function of both stress path and strain rate. To test whether rate-and-state

  11. Food Swamps Predict Obesity Rates Better Than Food Deserts in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooksey-Stowers, Kristen; Schwartz, Marlene B; Brownell, Kelly D

    2017-11-14

    This paper investigates the effect of food environments, characterized as food swamps, on adult obesity rates. Food swamps have been described as areas with a high-density of establishments selling high-calorie fast food and junk food, relative to healthier food options. This study examines multiple ways of categorizing food environments as food swamps and food deserts, including alternate versions of the Retail Food Environment Index. We merged food outlet, sociodemographic and obesity data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Environment Atlas, the American Community Survey, and a commercial street reference dataset. We employed an instrumental variables (IV) strategy to correct for the endogeneity of food environments (i.e., that individuals self-select into neighborhoods and may consider food availability in their decision). Our results suggest that the presence of a food swamp is a stronger predictor of obesity rates than the absence of full-service grocery stores. We found, even after controlling for food desert effects, food swamps have a positive, statistically significant effect on adult obesity rates. All three food swamp measures indicated the same positive association, but reflected different magnitudes of the food swamp effect on rates of adult obesity ( p values ranged from 0.00 to 0.16). Our adjustment for reverse causality, using an IV approach, revealed a stronger effect of food swamps than would have been obtained by naïve ordinary least squares (OLS) estimates. The food swamp effect was stronger in counties with greater income inequality ( p food outlets and incentivizing healthy food retailers to locate in underserved neighborhoods warrant consideration as strategies to increase health equity.

  12. From Lean Times to Enrollment Declines: The Governor's Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Michigan. ASHE Annual Meeting Paper.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Widmayer, Patricia

    Conditions in higher education in Michigan and the role of the Governor's Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Michigan are highlighted. The average college tuition rate in Michigan is the highest in the nation, and a critical maintenance and equipment problem exists. The Commission is composed of knowledgeable persons without vested…

  13. Seasonal variations in ectotherm growth rates: Quantifying growth as an intermittent non steady state compensatory process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guarini, J.-M.; Chauvaud, Laurent; Cloern, J.E.; Clavier, J.; Coston-Guarini, J.; Patry, Y.

    2011-01-01

    Generally, growth rates of living organisms are considered to be at steady state, varying only under environmental forcing factors. For example, these rates may be described as a function of light for plants or organic food resources for animals and these could be regulated (or not) by temperature or other conditions. But, what are the consequences for an individual's growth (and also for the population growth) if growth rate variations are themselves dynamic and not steady state? For organisms presenting phases of dormancy or long periods of stress, this is a crucial question. A dynamic perspective for quantifying short-term growth was explored using the daily growth record of the scallop Pecten maximus (L.). This species is a good biological model for ectotherm growth because the shell records growth striae daily. Independently, a generic mathematical function representing the dynamics of mean daily growth rate (MDGR) was implemented to simulate a diverse set of growth patterns. Once the function was calibrated with the striae patterns, the growth rate dynamics appeared as a forced damped oscillation during the growth period having a basic periodicity during two transitory phases (mean duration 43. days) and appearing at both growth start and growth end. This phase is most likely due to the internal dynamics of energy transfer within the organism rather than to external forcing factors. After growth restart, the transitory regime represents successive phases of over-growth and regulation. This pattern corresponds to a typical representation of compensatory growth, which from an evolutionary perspective can be interpreted as an adaptive strategy to coping with a fluctuating environment. ?? 2011 Elsevier B.V.

  14. The large deviation principle and steady-state fluctuation theorem for the entropy production rate of a stochastic process in magnetic fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Yong; Ge, Hao; Xiong, Jie; Xu, Lihu

    2016-01-01

    Fluctuation theorem is one of the major achievements in the field of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics during the past two decades. There exist very few results for steady-state fluctuation theorem of sample entropy production rate in terms of large deviation principle for diffusion processes due to the technical difficulties. Here we give a proof for the steady-state fluctuation theorem of a diffusion process in magnetic fields, with explicit expressions of the free energy function and rate function. The proof is based on the Karhunen-Loève expansion of complex-valued Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process.

  15. Examining the relationship between the prevalence of guns and homicide rates in the USA using a new and improved state-level gun ownership proxy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siegel, Michael; Ross, Craig S; King, Charles

    2014-12-01

    Determining the relationship between gun ownership levels and firearm homicide rates is critical to inform public health policy. Previous research has shown that state-level gun ownership, as measured by a widely used proxy, is positively associated with firearm homicide rates. A newly developed proxy measure that incorporates the hunting license rate in addition to the proportion of firearm suicides correlates more highly with state-level gun ownership. To corroborate previous research, we used this new proxy to estimate the association of state-level gun ownership with total, firearm, and non-firearm homicides. Using state-specific data for the years 1981-2010, we modelled these rates as a function of gun ownership level, controlling for potential confounding factors. We used a negative binomial regression model and accounted for clustering of observations among states. We found that state-level gun ownership as measured by the new proxy, is significantly associated with firearm and total homicides but not with non-firearm homicides. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  16. Genomic Analysis of Hepatitis B Virus Reveals Antigen State and Genotype as Sources of Evolutionary Rate Variation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrison, Abby; Lemey, Philippe; Hurles, Matthew; Moyes, Chris; Horn, Susanne; Pryor, Jan; Malani, Joji; Supuri, Mathias; Masta, Andrew; Teriboriki, Burentau; Toatu, Tebuka; Penny, David; Rambaut, Andrew; Shapiro, Beth

    2011-01-01

    Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genomes are small, semi-double-stranded DNA circular genomes that contain alternating overlapping reading frames and replicate through an RNA intermediary phase. This complex biology has presented a challenge to estimating an evolutionary rate for HBV, leading to difficulties resolving the evolutionary and epidemiological history of the virus. Here, we re-examine rates of HBV evolution using a novel data set of 112 within-host, transmission history (pedigree) and among-host genomes isolated over 20 years from the indigenous peoples of the South Pacific, combined with 313 previously published HBV genomes. We employ Bayesian phylogenetic approaches to examine several potential causes and consequences of evolutionary rate variation in HBV. Our results reveal rate variation both between genotypes and across the genome, as well as strikingly slower rates when genomes are sampled in the Hepatitis B e antigen positive state, compared to the e antigen negative state. This Hepatitis B e antigen rate variation was found to be largely attributable to changes during the course of infection in the preCore and Core genes and their regulatory elements. PMID:21765983

  17. Earthquake Cycle Simulations with Rate-and-State Friction and Linear and Nonlinear Viscoelasticity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allison, K. L.; Dunham, E. M.

    2016-12-01

    We have implemented a parallel code that simultaneously models both rate-and-state friction on a strike-slip fault and off-fault viscoelastic deformation throughout the earthquake cycle in 2D. Because we allow fault slip to evolve with a rate-and-state friction law and do not impose the depth of the brittle-to-ductile transition, we are able to address: the physical processes limiting the depth of large ruptures (with hazard implications); the degree of strain localization with depth; the relative partitioning of fault slip and viscous deformation in the brittle-to-ductile transition zone; and the relative contributions of afterslip and viscous flow to postseismic surface deformation. The method uses a discretization that accommodates variable off-fault material properties, depth-dependent frictional properties, and linear and nonlinear viscoelastic rheologies. All phases of the earthquake cycle are modeled, allowing the model to spontaneously generate earthquakes, and to capture afterslip and postseismic viscous flow. We compare the effects of a linear Maxwell rheology, often used in geodetic models, with those of a nonlinear power law rheology, which laboratory data indicates more accurately represents the lower crust and upper mantle. The viscosity of the Maxwell rheology is set by power law rheological parameters with an assumed a geotherm and strain rate, producing a viscosity that exponentially decays with depth and is constant in time. In contrast, the power law rheology will evolve an effective viscosity that is a function of the temperature profile and the stress state, and therefore varies both spatially and temporally. We will also integrate the energy equation for the thermomechanical problem, capturing frictional heat generation on the fault and off-fault viscous shear heating, and allowing these in turn to alter the effective viscosity.

  18. A model of clearance rate regulation in mussels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fréchette, Marcel

    2012-10-01

    Clearance rate regulation has been modelled as an instantaneous response to food availability, independent of the internal state of the animals. This view is incompatible with latent effects during ontogeny and phenotypic flexibility in clearance rate. Internal-state regulation of clearance rate is required to account for these patterns. Here I develop a model of internal-state based regulation of clearance rate. External factors such as suspended sediments are included in the model. To assess the relative merits of instantaneous regulation and internal-state regulation, I modelled blue mussel clearance rate and growth using a DEB model. In the usual standard feeding module, feeding is governed by a Holling's Type II response to food concentration. In the internal-state feeding module, gill ciliary activity and thus clearance rate are driven by internal reserve level. Factors such as suspended sediments were not included in the simulations. The two feeding modules were compared on the basis of their ability to capture the impact of latent effects, of environmental heterogeneity in food abundance and of physiological flexibility on clearance rate and individual growth. The Holling feeding module was unable to capture the effect of any of these sources of variability. In contrast, the internal-state feeding module did so without any modification or ad hoc calibration. Latent effects, however, appeared transient. With simple annual variability in temperature and food concentration, the relationship between clearance rate and food availability predicted by the internal-state feeding module was quite similar to that observed in Norwegian fjords. I conclude that in contrast with the usual Holling feeding module, internal-state regulation of clearance rate is consistent with well-documented growth and clearance rate patterns.

  19. 45 CFR 284.21 - What will we do if the State's child poverty rate increased five percent or more over the two...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false What will we do if the State's child poverty rate... IN A STATE OR TERRITORY'S CHILD POVERTY RATE IS THE RESULT OF THE TANF PROGRAM § 284.21 What will we do if the State's child poverty rate increased five percent or more over the two-year period? (a) If...

  20. Child Care: States Exercise Flexibility in Setting Reimbursement Rates and Providing Access for Low-Income Children. Report to Congressional Requesters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaul, Marnie S.

    In order to promote low-income parents' job preparation and work efforts, states were given greater flexibility to design programs using federal funds to subsidize child care for low-income families. At Congressional request, this report from the General Accounting Office describes how states set reimbursement rates and calculates the extent to…

  1. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube--and Democracy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samuels, Bob

    2011-01-01

    In fall 2009, this author participated in mass protests in California against tuition increases, furloughs, state budget cuts, and mass layoffs of schoolteachers, faculty members, and other public-sector workers. He states that what was so inspiring about these demonstrations was their formation of a new model of coalition politics. Taking the…

  2. Retainment incentives in three rural practice settings: variations in job satisfaction among staff registered nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stratton, T D; Dunkin, J W; Juhl, N; Geller, J M

    1995-05-01

    Researchers have demonstrated repeatedly the importance of the relationship linking job satisfaction to employee retention. In rural areas of the country, where a persistent maldistribution of nurses continues to hamper health care delivery, the potential benefits of bolstering retention via enhancements in job satisfaction are of utmost utility to administrators and providers alike. Data were gathered from a multistate survey of registered nurses (RNs) practicing in rural hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and community/public health settings (N = 1,647; response rate = 40.3%). The investigators found that the use of tuition reimbursement corresponded significantly with increased levels of job satisfaction among nurses in all three practice environments, as did day care services for nurses in acute care settings. Also, among hospital-based RNs, level of nursing education was found to be a significant factor in the relationship between tuition reimbursement and job satisfaction, with the highest level occurring among diploma-prepared nurses.

  3. Prediction of terrestrial gamma dose rate based on geological formations and soil types in the Johor State, Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saleh, Muneer Aziz; Ramli, Ahmad Termizi; bin Hamzah, Khaidzir; Alajerami, Yasser; Moharib, Mohammed; Saeed, Ismael

    2015-10-01

    This study aims to predict and estimate unmeasured terrestrial gamma dose rate (TGDR) using statistical analysis methods to derive a model from the actual measurement based on geological formation and soil type. The measurements of TGDR were conducted in the state of Johor with a total of 3873 measured points which covered all geological formations, soil types and districts. The measurements were taken 1 m above the soil surface using NaI [Ti] detector. The measured gamma dose rates ranged from 9 nGy h(-1) to 1237 nGy h(-1) with a mean value of 151 nGy h(-1). The data have been normalized to fit a normal distribution. Tests of significance were conducted among all geological formations and soil types, using the unbalanced one way ANOVA. The results indicated strong significant differences due to the different geological formations and soil types present in Johor State. Pearson Correlation was used to measure the relations between gamma dose rate based on geological formation and soil type (D(G,S)) with the gamma dose rate based on geological formation (D(G)) or soil type (D(s)). A very good correlation was found between D(G,S) and D(G) or D(G,S) and D(s). A total of 118 pairs of geological formations and soil types were used to derive the statistical contribution of geological formations and soil types to gamma dose rates. The contribution of the gamma dose rate from geological formation and soil type were found to be 0.594 and 0.399, respectively. The null hypotheses were accepted for 83% of examined data, therefore, the model could be used to predict gamma dose rates based on geological formation and soil type information. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Efficient Computation of Transition State Resonances and Reaction Rates from a Quantum Normal Form

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schubert, Roman; Waalkens, Holger; Wiggins, Stephen

    2006-01-01

    A quantum version of a recent formulation of transition state theory in phase space is presented. The theory developed provides an algorithm to compute quantum reaction rates and the associated Gamov-Siegert resonances with very high accuracy. The algorithm is especially efficient for

  5. Food Swamps Predict Obesity Rates Better Than Food Deserts in the United States

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristen Cooksey-Stowers

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the effect of food environments, characterized as food swamps, on adult obesity rates. Food swamps have been described as areas with a high-density of establishments selling high-calorie fast food and junk food, relative to healthier food options. This study examines multiple ways of categorizing food environments as food swamps and food deserts, including alternate versions of the Retail Food Environment Index. We merged food outlet, sociodemographic and obesity data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA Food Environment Atlas, the American Community Survey, and a commercial street reference dataset. We employed an instrumental variables (IV strategy to correct for the endogeneity of food environments (i.e., that individuals self-select into neighborhoods and may consider food availability in their decision. Our results suggest that the presence of a food swamp is a stronger predictor of obesity rates than the absence of full-service grocery stores. We found, even after controlling for food desert effects, food swamps have a positive, statistically significant effect on adult obesity rates. All three food swamp measures indicated the same positive association, but reflected different magnitudes of the food swamp effect on rates of adult obesity (p values ranged from 0.00 to 0.16. Our adjustment for reverse causality, using an IV approach, revealed a stronger effect of food swamps than would have been obtained by naïve ordinary least squares (OLS estimates. The food swamp effect was stronger in counties with greater income inequality (p < 0.05 and where residents are less mobile (p < 0.01. Based on these findings, local government policies such as zoning laws simultaneously restricting access to unhealthy food outlets and incentivizing healthy food retailers to locate in underserved neighborhoods warrant consideration as strategies to increase health equity.

  6. Food Swamps Predict Obesity Rates Better Than Food Deserts in the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooksey-Stowers, Kristen; Schwartz, Marlene B.; Brownell, Kelly D.

    2017-01-01

    This paper investigates the effect of food environments, characterized as food swamps, on adult obesity rates. Food swamps have been described as areas with a high-density of establishments selling high-calorie fast food and junk food, relative to healthier food options. This study examines multiple ways of categorizing food environments as food swamps and food deserts, including alternate versions of the Retail Food Environment Index. We merged food outlet, sociodemographic and obesity data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Environment Atlas, the American Community Survey, and a commercial street reference dataset. We employed an instrumental variables (IV) strategy to correct for the endogeneity of food environments (i.e., that individuals self-select into neighborhoods and may consider food availability in their decision). Our results suggest that the presence of a food swamp is a stronger predictor of obesity rates than the absence of full-service grocery stores. We found, even after controlling for food desert effects, food swamps have a positive, statistically significant effect on adult obesity rates. All three food swamp measures indicated the same positive association, but reflected different magnitudes of the food swamp effect on rates of adult obesity (p values ranged from 0.00 to 0.16). Our adjustment for reverse causality, using an IV approach, revealed a stronger effect of food swamps than would have been obtained by naïve ordinary least squares (OLS) estimates. The food swamp effect was stronger in counties with greater income inequality (p < 0.05) and where residents are less mobile (p < 0.01). Based on these findings, local government policies such as zoning laws simultaneously restricting access to unhealthy food outlets and incentivizing healthy food retailers to locate in underserved neighborhoods warrant consideration as strategies to increase health equity. PMID:29135909

  7. Costs of a medical education: comparison with graduate education in law and business.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerr, Jason R; Brown, Jeffrey J

    2006-02-01

    The costs of graduate school education are climbing, particularly within the fields of medicine, law, and business. Data on graduate level tuition, educational debt, and starting salaries for medical school, law school, and business school graduates were collected directly from universities and from a wide range of published reports and surveys. Medical school tuition and educational debt levels have risen faster than the rate of inflation over the past decade. Medical school graduates have longer training periods and lower starting salaries than law school and business school graduates, although physician salaries rise after completion of post-graduate education. Faced with an early debt burden and delayed entry into the work force, careful planning is required for medical school graduates to pay off their loans and save for retirement.

  8. Decay rates of resonance states at high level density

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Persson, E.; Technische Univ. Dresden; Gorin, T.; Technische Univ. Dresden; Rotter, I.; Technische Univ. Dresden

    1996-05-01

    The time dependent Schroedinger equation of an open quantum mechanical system is solved by using the stationary bi-orthogonal eigenfunctions of the non-Hermitean time independent Hamilton operator. We calculate the decay rates at low and high level density in two different formalism. The rates are, generally, time dependent and oscillate around an average value due to the non-orthogonality of the wavefunctions. The decay law is studied disregarding the oscillations. In the one-channel case, it is proportional to t -b with b∼3/2 in all cases considered, including the critical region of overlapping where the non-orthogonality of the wavefunctions is large. Starting from the shell model, we get b∼2 for 2 and 4 open decay channels and all coupling strengths to the continuum. When the closed system is described by a random matrix, b∼1+K/2 for K=2 and 4 channels. This law holds in a limited time interval. The distribution of the widths is different in the two models when more than one channel are open. This leads to the different exponents b in the power law. Our calculations are performed with 190 and 130 states, respectively, most of them in the critical region. The theoretical results should be proven experimentally by measuring the time behaviour of de-excitation of a realistic quantum system. (orig.)

  9. Rate-cost tradeoffs in control

    KAUST Repository

    Kostina, Victoria; Hassibi, Babak

    2017-01-01

    function is the mean-square deviation of the system state from the desired state. We study the fundamental tradeoff between the communication rate r bits/sec and the limsup of the expected cost b, and show a lower bound on the rate necessary to attain b

  10. Why Is the Teen Birth Rate in the United States so High and Why Does It Matter? NBER Working Paper No. 17965

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kearney, Melissa Schettini; Levine, Phillip B.

    2012-01-01

    This paper examines two aspects of teen childbearing in the United States. First, it reviews and synthesizes the evidence on the reasons why teen birth rates are so uniquely high in the United States and especially in some states. Second, it considers why and how it matters. We argue that economists' typical explanations are unable to account for…

  11. Getting a piece of the pie? The economic boom of the 1990s and declining teen birth rates in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colen, Cynthia G; Geronimus, Arline T; Phipps, Maureen G

    2006-09-01

    In the United States, the 1990s was a decade of dramatic economic growth as well as a period characterized by substantial declines in teenage childbearing. This study examines whether falling teen fertility rates during the 1990s were responsive to expanding employment opportunities and whether the implementation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Act (PRWORA), increasing rates of incarceration, or restrictive abortion policies may have affected this association. Fixed-effects Poisson regression models were estimated to assess the relationship between age-specific birth rates and state-specific unemployment rates from 1990 to 1999 for Black and White females aged 10-29. Falling unemployment rates in the 1990s were associated with decreased childbearing among African-American women aged 15-24, but were largely unrelated to declines in fertility for Whites. For 18-19 year-old African-Americans, the group for whom teen childbearing is most normative, our model accounted for 85% of the decrease in rates of first births. Young Black women, especially older teens, may have adjusted their reproductive behavior to take advantage of expanded labor market opportunities.

  12. Public Policies, Prices, and Productivity in American Higher Education. Stretching the Higher Education Dollar. Special Report 3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hauptman, Arthur M.

    2013-01-01

    Rapid increases in what colleges charge and what they spend per student have been and remain one of the most controversial aspects of American higher education. Tuition, fees, and other college charges have increased in both the public and private sectors at more than twice the rate of inflation for over a quarter century. Trends over time in what…

  13. submitter BREIT code: Analytical solution of the balance rate equations for charge-state evolutions of heavy-ion beams in matter

    CERN Document Server

    Winckler, N; Shevelko, V P; Al-Turany, M; Kollegger, T; Stöhlker, Th

    2017-01-01

    A detailed description of a recently developed BREIT computer code (Balance Rate Equations of Ion Transportation) for calculating charge-state fractions of ion beams passing through matter is presented. The code is based on the analytical solutions of the differential balance equations for the charge-state fractions as a function of the target thickness and can be used for calculating the ion evolutions in gaseous, solid and plasma targets. The BREIT code is available on-line and requires the charge-changing cross sections and initial conditions in the input file. The eigenvalue decomposition method, applied to obtain the analytical solutions of the rate equations, is described in the paper. Calculations of non-equilibrium and equilibrium charge-state fractions, performed by the BREIT code, are compared with experimental data and results of other codes for ion beams in gaseous and solid targets. Ability and limitations of the BREIT code are discussed in detail.

  14. Thermal and electrodynamical formation mechanisms of overloaded AC states and charging rate influence on their stable dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Romanovskii, V.; Watanabe, K.; Awaji, S.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Overloaded AC states are investigated to understand the mechanisms of there formation. •There exist characteristic time windows defining the existence of stable overloaded AC states. •Limiting values of the electric field, current and temperature are higher than the quench ones. -- Abstract: The macroscopic thermal and electrodynamical phenomena occurring in high-T c superconductors during overloaded AC states are theoretically investigated to understand the basic physical mechanisms, which are characteristic for the stable formation of the operating modes when the peak current exceeds the critical current of a superconductor during AC modes. It is shown that there exist characteristic time windows defining the existence of stable overloaded AC states. They identify the stability boundary of the overloaded AC states. Therefore, there is the maximum allowable value of a peak current of stable overloaded AC regimes at the given charging rate, cooling conditions and properties of a superconductor and a matrix. The results obtained prove that the limiting peak current is higher than the corresponding quench current defining the stability margin of DC states. It monotonically increases with the charging rate. Besides, in the stable overloaded AC states, the peak values of the electric field and temperature may be also noticeably higher than the corresponding quench values. They depend on the peak current and charging rate at the given cooling conditions. As a result, high-T c superconducting tapes can stably work under intensive AC modes without instability onset when the peak of applied currents may significantly exceed not only the critical current but also the corresponding values of DC-quench currents

  15. 34 CFR 692.4 - What definitions apply to the LEAP Program?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... following terms under 34 CFR part 600: Postsecondary vocational institution (§ 600.6). Public or private... by the institution that the student attends or by the State. (2) The tuition and fees normally...

  16. Rate design in a competitive environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wathen, J.M.

    1995-01-01

    Innovative rate designs used by several United States utilities to become more competitive, were presented. Considerations of retail wheeling and other services for increasing competitiveness were debated. The process for designing specialized rate programs was described, along with descriptions of special rate types, including economic development rates, load retention/anti-bypass rates, cogeneration/self-generation rates, distressed industry rates, load management rates and special situation rates. The existence of special provisions in state legislation allowing special rates to be offered was noted. Confidentiality and the need for a review process to ensure fairness of special agreements was discussed. The efficacy of using individual customer contracts to allow full recognition of the special characteristics and needs of individual customers and the effects of such contracts on the industry, were considered

  17. NCHS - Teen Birth Rates for Females by Age Group, Race, and Hispanic Origin: United States

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — This dataset includes teen birth rates for females by age group, race, and Hispanic origin in the United States since 1960. National data on births by Hispanic...

  18. STEADY STATE FLAMMABLE GAS RELEASE RATE CALCULATION AND LOWER FLAMMABILITY LEVEL EVALUATION FOR HANFORD TANK WASTE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    HU TA

    2009-10-26

    Assess the steady-state flammability level at normal and off-normal ventilation conditions. The hydrogen generation rate was calculated for 177 tanks using the rate equation model. Flammability calculations based on hydrogen, ammonia, and methane were performed for 177 tanks for various scenarios.

  19. Modeling of the temporal patterns of fluoxetine prescriptions and suicide rates in the United States.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael S Milane

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available To study the potential association of antidepressant use and suicide at a population level, we analyzed the associations between suicide rates and dispensing of the prototypic SSRI antidepressant fluoxetine in the United States during the period 1960-2002.Sources of data included Centers of Disease Control and US Census Bureau age-adjusted suicide rates since 1960 and numbers of fluoxetine sales in the US, since its introduction in 1988. We conducted statistical analysis of age-adjusted population data and prescription numbers. Suicide rates fluctuated between 12.2 and 13.7 per 100,000 for the entire population from the early 1960s until 1988. Since then, suicide rates have gradually declined, with the lowest value of 10.4 per 100,000 in 2000. This steady decline is significantly associated with increased numbers of fluoxetine prescriptions dispensed from 2,469,000 in 1988 to 33,320,000 in 2002 (r(s = -0.92; p < 0.001. Mathematical modeling of what suicide rates would have been during the 1988-2002 period based on pre-1988 data indicates that since the introduction of fluoxetine in 1988 through 2002 there has been a cumulative decrease in expected suicide mortality of 33,600 individuals (posterior median, 95% Bayesian credible interval 22,400-45,000.The introduction of SSRIs in 1988 has been temporally associated with a substantial reduction in the number of suicides. This effect may have been more apparent in the female population, whom we postulate might have particularly benefited from SSRI treatment. While these types of data cannot lead to conclusions on causality, we suggest here that in the context of untreated depression being the major cause of suicide, antidepressant treatment could have had a contributory role in the reduction of suicide rates in the period 1988-2002.

  20. A Note on Federal Budget Deficits and the Term Structure of Real Interest Rates in the United States

    OpenAIRE

    Cebula, Richard

    1990-01-01

    Using quarterly data and dealing with the ex post real rates on three month U.S. Treasury bills and 20 year U.S. Treasury bonds, this empirical note has estimated an IS-LM based regression by 2SLS. The results indicate that the budget deficit raises the slope of the yield curve. Furthermore, to the extent that private sector capital formation is sensitive to longer term real interest rates in the United States, federal budget deficits lead to crowding out of private investment and hence to sl...

  1. United States stock market performance and acute myocardial infarction rates in 2008-2009 (from the Duke Databank for Cardiovascular Disease).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiuzat, Mona; Shaw, Linda K; Thomas, Laine; Felker, G Michael; O'Connor, Christopher M

    2010-12-01

    We sought to examine the relation between the United States economic decrease in 2008 and cardiovascular events as measured by local acute myocardial infarction (AMI) rates. Mental stress and traumatic events have been shown to be associated with increased risk of MI in patients with ischemic heart disease. This was an observational study of data from the Duke Databank for Cardiovascular Disease and includes patients undergoing angiography for evaluation of ischemic heart disease from January 2006 to July 2009. Patients with AMI occurring within 3 days before catheterization were used to calculate AMI rates. Stock market values were examined to determine the period of severe economic decrease, and time trends in AMI rates were examined over the same period. Time series models were used to assess the relation between United States stock market National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation (NASDAQ) and rates of AMI. Of 11,590 patients included in the study cohort, 2,465 patients had an AMI during this period. Time series analysis showed a significant increase in AMI rates during a period of stock market decrease from October 2008 to April 2009 (p = 0.003), which remained statistically significant when adjusted for seasons (p = 0.02). In conclusion, unadjusted and adjusted analyses of patients in the Duke Databank for Cardiovascular Disease indicated a significant correlation between a period of stock market decrease and increased AMI rates in our local cohort. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Expanding Gerontology Enrollments: Successful Results of an Innovative Outreach Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reynolds, Sandra L.; Haley, William E.; Hyer, Kathryn

    2007-01-01

    As state budget allocations for higher education decrease, "specialty" programs such as gerontology must continually demonstrate their productivity. State and private universities increasingly rely on student credit hours (SCH) or tuition generated, which is making it difficult for many gerontology programs to expand. The School of Aging Studies…

  3. 私立大学学納金の規定要因分析

    OpenAIRE

    浦田, 広朗; Hiroaki, URATA; 麗沢大学; Reitaku University

    1998-01-01

    Tuition and fees of Japanese private universities have increased faster than consumer prices. This means that the costs of higher education have become a heavier burden on the household budget. Despite this fact, there is very little research in Japan on the tuition and fees of private universities. This paper aims to reveal the actual situation and the determinants of tuition and fees of private universities in Japan, through comparison with the tuition and fees of colleges and universities ...

  4. Effect of Mental State on the Rate of Identifying the Relevancy of Documents Retrieved in a Search

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Faezeh Farhoudi

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available The present study investigates the link between various users’ mental state while searching information systems with the outcome of the resulting documents retrieved. Various factors such as user knowledge, search skills, motivation and aims influence the decisions and evaluation of users regarding documents retrieved. MMPI instrument was used to identify users’ mental states. The sample was drawn from female senior students of librarianship, using systematic random sampling. The findings indicated that anxiety and depression have significant inverse relationship to the rate of relevancy identification of the documents retrieved by the users.

  5. Effect of sexed-semen use on Holstein conception rate, calf sex, dystocia, and stillbirth in the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Most artificial-insemination organizations in the United States now market sex-sorted semen. For 10.8 million US Holstein breedings with conventional semen since January 2006 and 122,705 sexed-semen breedings, data were available from all breedings for conception rate, 12 and 9% of breedings for cal...

  6. Trends in Funding Selected Graduate Professional Programs in a Private Urban University: An Exploratory Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedman, William Marshall

    From the 1950's to the 1970's, graduate student tuition funding trends at Saint Louis University were studied for the business administration, education, law, and medicine programs. Administration of a questionnaire to graduate degree recipients resulted in a return of 1,453 usable responses. The most important external source for tuition funding…

  7. Prediction of terrestrial gamma dose rate based on geological formations and soil types in the Johor State, Malaysia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saleh, Muneer Aziz; Ramli, Ahmad Termizi; Hamzah, Khaidzir bin; Alajerami, Yasser; Moharib, Mohammed; Saeed, Ismael

    2015-01-01

    This study aims to predict and estimate unmeasured terrestrial gamma dose rate (TGDR) using statistical analysis methods to derive a model from the actual measurement based on geological formation and soil type. The measurements of TGDR were conducted in the state of Johor with a total of 3873 measured points which covered all geological formations, soil types and districts. The measurements were taken 1 m above the soil surface using NaI [Ti] detector. The measured gamma dose rates ranged from 9 nGy h −1 to 1237 nGy h −1 with a mean value of 151 nGy h −1 . The data have been normalized to fit a normal distribution. Tests of significance were conducted among all geological formations and soil types, using the unbalanced one way ANOVA. The results indicated strong significant differences due to the different geological formations and soil types present in Johor State. Pearson Correlation was used to measure the relations between gamma dose rate based on geological formation and soil type (D G,S ) with the gamma dose rate based on geological formation (D G ) or soil type (D s ). A very good correlation was found between D G,S and D G or D G,S and D s . A total of 118 pairs of geological formations and soil types were used to derive the statistical contribution of geological formations and soil types to gamma dose rates. The contribution of the gamma dose rate from geological formation and soil type were found to be 0.594 and 0.399, respectively. The null hypotheses were accepted for 83% of examined data, therefore, the model could be used to predict gamma dose rates based on geological formation and soil type information. - Highlights: • A very good correlation coefficient was found between D G,S and D G or D G,S and D s . • The contribution of the gamma dose rate from geological formation (GDR) is 0.594. • The contribution of the GDR from soil type was found to be 0.399. • A 83% of examined data were accepted the null hypotheses. • The model

  8. Perturbation of longitudinal relaxation rate in rotating frame (PLRF) analysis for quantification of chemical exchange saturation transfer signal in a transient state.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yi; Zhang, Yaoyu; Zhao, Xuna; Wu, Bing; Gao, Jia-Hong

    2017-11-01

    To develop a novel analytical method for quantification of chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) in the transient state. The proposed method aims to reduce the effects of non-chemical-exchange (non-CE) parameters on the CEST signal, emphasizing the effect of chemical exchange. The difference in the longitudinal relaxation rate in the rotating frame ( ΔR1ρ) was calculated based on perturbation of the Z-value by R1ρ, and a saturation-pulse-amplitude-compensated exchange-dependent relaxation rate (SPACER) was determined with a high-exchange-rate approximation. In both phantom and human subject experiments, MTRasym (representative of the traditional CEST index), ΔR1ρ, and SPACER were measured, evaluated, and compared by altering the non-CE parameters in a transient-state continuous-wave CEST sequence. In line with the theoretical expectation, our experimental data demonstrate that the effects of the non-CE parameters can be more effectively reduced using the proposed indices (  ΔR1ρ and SPACER) than using the traditional CEST index ( MTRasym). The proposed method allows for the chemical exchange weight to be better emphasized in the transient-state CEST signal, which is beneficial, in practice, for quantifying the CEST signal. Magn Reson Med 78:1711-1723, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  9. How fair is access to more prestigious UK universities?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boliver, Vikki

    2013-06-01

    Now that most UK universities have increased their tuition fees to £9,000 a year and are implementing new Access Agreements as required by the Office for Fair Access, it has never been more important to examine the extent of fair access to UK higher education and to more prestigious UK universities in particular. This paper uses Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) data for the period 1996 to 2006 to explore the extent of fair access to prestigious Russell Group universities, where 'fair' is taken to mean equal rates of making applications to and receiving offers of admission from these universities on the part of those who are equally qualified to enter them. The empirical findings show that access to Russell Group universities is far from fair in this sense and that little changed following the introduction of tuition fees in 1998 and their initial increase to £3,000 a year in 2006. Throughout this period, UCAS applicants from lower class backgrounds and from state schools remained much less likely to apply to Russell Group universities than their comparably qualified counterparts from higher class backgrounds and private schools, while Russell Group applicants from state schools and from Black and Asian ethnic backgrounds remained much less likely to receive offers of admission from Russell Group universities in comparison with their equivalently qualified peers from private schools and the White ethnic group. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2013.

  10. Sensitivity tests on the rates of the excited states of positron decays during the rapid proton capture process of the one-zone X-ray burst model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lau, Rita

    2018-02-01

    In this paper, we investigate the sensitivities of positron decays on a one-zone model of type-I X-ray bursts. Most existing studies have multiplied or divided entire beta decay rates (electron captures and beta decay rates) by 10. Instead of using the standard Fuller & Fowler (FFNU) rates, we used the most recently developed weak library rates [1], which include rates from Langanke et al.'s table (the LMP table) (2000) [2], Langanke et al.'s table (the LMSH table) (2003) [3], and Oda et al.'s table (1994) [4] (all shell model rates). We then compared these table rates with the old FFNU rates [5] to study differences within the final abundances. Both positron decays and electron capture rates were included in the tables. We also used pn-QRPA rates [6,7] to study the differences within the final abundances. Many of the positron rates from the nuclei's ground states and initial excited energy states along the rapid proton capture (rp) process have been measured in existing studies. However, because temperature affects the rates of excited states, these studies should have also acknowledged the half-lives of the nuclei's excited states. Thus, instead of multiplying or dividing entire rates by 10, we studied how the half-lives of sensitive nuclei in excited states affected the abundances by dividing the half-lives of the ground states by 10, which allowed us to set the half-lives of the excited states. Interestingly, we found that the peak of the final abundance shifted when we modified the rates from the excited states of the 105Sn positron decay rates. Furthermore, the abundance of 80Zr also changed due to usage of pn-QRPA rates instead of weak library rates (the shell model rates).

  11. Whose health is affected by income inequality? A multilevel interaction analysis of contemporaneous and lagged effects of state income inequality on individual self-rated health in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subramanian, S V; Kawachi, Ichiro

    2006-06-01

    The empirical relationship between income inequality and health has been much debated and discussed. Recent reviews suggest that the current evidence is mixed, with the relationship between state income inequality and health in the United States (US) being perhaps the most robust. In this paper, we examine the multilevel interactions between state income inequality, individual poor self-rated health, and a range of individual demographic and socioeconomic markers in the US. We use the pooled data from the 1995 and 1997 Current Population Surveys, and the data on state income inequality (represented using Gini coefficient) from the 1990, 1980, and 1970 US Censuses. Utilizing a cross-sectional multilevel design of 201,221 adults nested within 50 US states we calibrated two-level binomial hierarchical mixed models (with states specified as a random effect). Our analyses suggest that for a 0.05 change in the state income inequality, the odds ratio (OR) of reporting poor health was 1.30 (95% CI: 1.17-1.45) in a conditional model that included individual age, sex, race, marital status, education, income, and health insurance coverage as well as state median income. With few exceptions, we did not find strong statistical support for differential effects of state income inequality across different population groups. For instance, the relationship between state income inequality and poor health was steeper for whites compared to blacks (OR=1.34; 95% CI: 1.20-1.48) and for individuals with incomes greater than $75,000 compared to less affluent individuals (OR=1.65; 95% CI: 1.26-2.15). Our findings, however, primarily suggests an overall (as opposed to differential) contextual effect of state income inequality on individual self-rated poor health. To the extent that contemporaneous state income inequality differentially affects population sub-groups, our analyses suggest that the adverse impact of inequality is somewhat stronger for the relatively advantaged socioeconomic

  12. Up-Conversion Intersystem Crossing Rates in Organic Emitters for Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence: Impact of the Nature of Singlet vs Triplet Excited States

    KAUST Repository

    Samanta, Pralok Kumar

    2017-02-28

    The rates for up-conversion intersystem crossing (UISC) from the T1 state to the S1 state are calculated for a series of organic emitters with an emphasis on thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials. Both the spin-orbit coupling and the energy difference between the S1 and T1 states (ΔEST) are evaluated, at the density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT levels. The calculated UISC rates and ΔEST values are found to be in good agreement with available experimental data. Our results underline that small ΔEST values and sizable spin-orbit coupling matrix elements have to be simultaneously realized in order to facilitate UISC and ultimately TADF. Importantly, the spatial separation of the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals of the emitter, a widely accepted strategy for the design of TADF molecules, does not necessarily lead to a sufficient reduction in ΔEST; in fact, either a significant charge-transfer (CT) contribution to the T1 state or a minimal energy difference between the local-excitation and charge-transfer triplet states is required to achieve a small ΔEST. Also, having S1 and T1 states of a different nature is found to strongly enhance spin-orbit coupling, which is consistent with the El-Sayed rule for ISC rates. Overall, our results indicate that having either similar energies for the local-excitation and charge-transfer triplet states or the right balance between a substantial CT contribution to T1 and somewhat different natures of the S1 and T1 states, paves the way toward UISC enhancement and thus TADF efficiency improvement.

  13. A Failed Experiment: Georgia's Tax Credit Scholarships for Private Schools. Special Summary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Southern Education Foundation, 2011

    2011-01-01

    Georgia is one of seven states that currently allow tax credits for scholarships to private schools. The law permits individual taxpayers in Georgia to reduce annual state taxes up to $2,500 for joint returns when they divert funds to a student scholarship organization (SSO). Georgia's law providing tax credits for private school tuition grants or…

  14. Effect of vadose zone on the steady-state leakage rates from landfill barrier systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Celik, B.; Rowe, R.K.; Unlue, K.

    2009-01-01

    Leakage rates are evaluated for a landfill barrier system having a compacted clay liner (CCL) underlain by a vadose zone of variable thickness. A numerical unsaturated flow model SEEP/W is used to simulate the moisture flow regime and steady-state leakage rates for the cases of unsaturated zones with different soil types and thicknesses. The results of the simulations demonstrate that harmonic mean hydraulic conductivity of coarse textured vadose zones is 3-4 orders of magnitude less than saturated hydraulic conductivity; whereas, the difference is only one order of magnitude for fine textured vadose zones. For both coarse and fine textured vadose zones, the effective hydraulic conductivity of the barrier system and the leakage rate to an underlying aquifer increases with increasing thickness of the vadose zone and ultimately reaches an asymptotic value for a coarse textured vadose zone thickness of about 10 m and a fine textured vadose zone thickness of about 5 m. Therefore, the fine and coarse textured vadose zones thicker than about 5 m and 10 m, respectively, act as an effective part of the barrier systems examined. Although the thickness of vadose zone affects the effective hydraulic conductivity of the overall barrier system, the results demonstrated that the hydraulic conductivity of the CCL is the dominant factor controlling the steady-state leakage rates through barrier systems having single low permeability clay layers

  15. Microphysically Derived Expressions for Rate-and-State Friction Parameters, a, b, and Dc

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jianye; Niemeijer, A. R.; Spiers, Christopher J.

    2017-12-01

    Rate-and-state friction (RSF) laws are extensively applied in fault mechanics but have a largely empirical basis reflecting only limited understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms. We recently proposed a microphysical model describing the frictional behavior of a granular fault gouge undergoing deformation in terms of granular flow accompanied by thermally activated creep and intergranular sliding at grain contacts. Numerical solutions reproduced typical experimental results well. Here we extend our model to obtain physically meaningful, analytical expressions for the steady state frictional strength and standard RSF parameters, a, b, and Dc. The frictional strength contains two components, namely, grain boundary friction and friction due to intergranular dilatation. The expressions obtained for a and b linearly reflect the rate dependence of these two terms. Dc scales with slip band thickness and varies only slightly with velocity. The values of a, b, and Dc predicted show quantitative agreement with previous experimental results, and inserting their values into classical RSF laws gives simulated friction behavior that is consistent with the predictions of our numerically implemented model for small departures from steady state. For large velocity steps, the model produces mixed RSF behavior that falls between the Slowness and Slip laws, for example, with an intermediate equivalent slip(-weakening) distance d0. Our model possesses the interesting property not only that a and b are velocity dependent but also that Dc and d0 scale differently from classical RSF models, potentially explaining behaviour seen in many hydrothermal friction experiments and having substantial implications for natural fault friction.

  16. Flexible solid-state symmetric supercapacitors based on MnO2 nanofilms with high rate capability and long cyclability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Lingxia; Li, Ruizhi; Guo, Junling; Zhou, Cheng; Zhang, Wenpei; Wang, Chong; Huang, Yu; Li, Yuanyuan; Liu, Jinping

    2013-08-01

    Flexible solid-state symmetric supercapacitor was fabricated using MnO2 nanofilms growing directly on carbon cloth as the electrodes and PVA/H3PO4 gel as the electrolyte/separator. The device can be operated at a stable cell-voltage up to 1.4 V, obviously larger than that of conventional solid-state symmetric supercapacitors (≤1 V). It exhibited excellent rate capability with a scan rate as high as 20 V s-1 and a long cyclability (˜60000 cycles) even under severe mechanical deformation. The charge storage mechanism at different scan rates was also quantitatively analyzed.

  17. Flexible solid-state symmetric supercapacitors based on MnO2 nanofilms with high rate capability and long cyclability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lingxia Wu

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Flexible solid-state symmetric supercapacitor was fabricated using MnO2 nanofilms growing directly on carbon cloth as the electrodes and PVA/H3PO4 gel as the electrolyte/separator. The device can be operated at a stable cell-voltage up to 1.4 V, obviously larger than that of conventional solid-state symmetric supercapacitors (≤1 V. It exhibited excellent rate capability with a scan rate as high as 20 V s−1 and a long cyclability (∼60000 cycles even under severe mechanical deformation. The charge storage mechanism at different scan rates was also quantitatively analyzed.

  18. National- and State-Level High School Graduation Rates for English Learners. Fast Facts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Office of English Language Acquisition, US Department of Education, 2016

    2016-01-01

    The Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) has synthesized key data on English learners (ELs) into two-page PDF sheets, by topic, with graphics, plus key contacts. The topic for this report on English Learners (ELs) are national- and state-level high school graduation rates for English Learners. The following data are presented: (1)…

  19. Variational transition state theory for multidimensional activated rate processes in the presence of anisotropic friction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berezhkovskii, Alexander M.; Frishman, Anatoli M.; Pollak, Eli

    1994-09-01

    Variational transition state theory (VTST) is applied to the study of the activated escape of a particle trapped in a multidimensional potential well and coupled to a heat bath. Special attention is given to the dependence of the rate constant on the friction coefficients in the case of anisotropic friction. It is demonstrated explicitly that both the traditional as well as the nontraditional scenarios for the particle escape are recovered uniformly within the framework of VTST. Effects such as saddle point avoidance and friction dependence of the activation energy are derived from VTST using optimized planar dividing surfaces.

  20. An Ecological Study on the Spatially Varying Relationship between County-Level Suicide Rates and Altitude in the United States

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hoehun Ha

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Suicide is a serious but preventable public health issue. Several previous studies have revealed a positive association between altitude and suicide rates at the county level in the contiguous United States. We assessed the association between suicide rates and altitude using a cross-county ecological study design. Data on suicide rates were obtained from a Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS, maintained by the U.S. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC. Altitude data were collected from the United States Geological Survey (USGS. We employed an ordinary least square (OLS regression to model the association between altitude and suicide rates in 3064 counties in the contiguous U.S. We conducted a geographically weighted regression (GWR to examine the spatially varying relationship between suicide rates and altitude after controlling for several well-established covariates. A significant positive association between altitude and suicide rates (average county rates between 2008 and 2014 was found in the dataset in the OLS model (R2 = 0.483, p < 0.001. Our GWR model fitted the data better, as indicated by an improved R2 (average: 0.62; range: 0.21–0.64 and a lower Akaike Information Criteria (AIC value (13,593.68 vs. 14,432.14 in the OLS model. The GWR model also significantly reduced the spatial autocorrelation, as indicated by Moran’s I test statistic (Moran’s I = 0.171; z = 33.656; p < 0.001 vs. Moran’s I = 0.323; z = 63.526; p < 0.001 in the OLS model. In addition, a stronger positive relationship was detected in areas of the northern regions, northern plain regions, and southeastern regions in the U.S. Our study confirmed a varying overall positive relationship between altitude and suicide. Future research may consider controlling more predictor variables in regression models, such as firearm ownership, religion, and access to mental health services.

  1. Tracks FAQs: How Do Heart Attack Hospitalization Rates In My Community Compare With Other Counties Or States?

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2011-09-01

    In this podcast, CDC Tracking experts discuss how to compare heart attack hospitalization rates in your community with other counties or states. Do you have a question for our Tracking experts? Please e-mail questions to trackingsupport@cdc.gov.  Created: 9/1/2011 by National Center for Environmental Health, Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, Environmental Health Tracking Branch.   Date Released: 9/1/2011.

  2. Steady-State Flammable Gas Release Rate Calculation And Lower Flammability Level Evaluation For Hanford Tank Waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu, T.A.

    2007-01-01

    Assess the steady-state flammability level at normal and off-normal ventilation conditions. The methodology of flammability analysis for Hanford tank waste is developed. The hydrogen generation rate model was applied to calculate the gas generation rate for 177 tanks. Flammability concentrations and the time to reach 25% and 100% of the lower flammability limit, and the minimum ventilation rate to keep from 100 of the LFL are calculated for 177 tanks at various scenarios.

  3. Thermal rate coefficients in collinear versus bent transition state reactions: the N+N{sub 2} case study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lagana, Antonio; Faginas Lago, Noelia; Rampino, Sergio [Dipartimento di Chimica, Universita di Perugia, 06123 Perugia (Italy); Huarte-Larranaga, FermIn [Computer Simulation and Modeling Lab (CoSMoLab), Parc CientIfic de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); GarcIa, Ernesto [Departamento de Quimica Fisica, Universidad del PaIs Vasco, 01006 Vitoria (Spain)], E-mail: lagana05@gmail.com, E-mail: fhuarte@pcb.ub.es, E-mail: e.garcia@ehu.es

    2008-10-15

    Zero total angular momentum exact quantum calculations of the probabilities of the N+N{sub 2} reaction have been performed on the L3 potential energy surface having a bent transition state. This has allowed us to work out J-shifting estimates of the thermal rate coefficient based on the calculation of either detailed (state-to-state) or cumulative (multiconfiguration) probabilities. The results obtained are used to compare the numerical outcomes and the concurrent computational machineries of both quantum and semiclassical approaches as well as to exploit the potentialities of the J-shifting model. The implications of moving the barrier to reaction from the previously proposed collinear geometry of the LEPS to the bent one of L3 are also investigated by comparing the related detailed reactive probabilities.

  4. Maternal depression in the United States: nationally representative rates and risks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ertel, Karen A; Rich-Edwards, Janet W; Koenen, Karestan C

    2011-11-01

    To examine the public health burden of major depressive disorder (MDD) among mothers: its prevalence and sociodemographic patterns; associated functioning, comorbidities, and adversities; and racial/ethnic disparities. This was a cross-sectional analysis of 8916 mothers in the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions, a nationally representative survey of the civilian U.S. population in 2001?2002. Past-year MDD was assessed with a structured interview protocol. Ten percent of mothers experienced depression in the past year. White and Native American women, those with low education or income, and those not married had high rates of depression. Depression was not strongly patterned by number of or age of children. Depressed mothers experienced more adversities (poverty, separation or divorce, unemployment, financial difficulties) and had worse functioning. Half of depressed mothers received services for their depression. Black and Hispanic depressed mothers were more likely to experience multiple adversities and less likely to receive services than white depressed mothers. Maternal depression is a major public health problem in the United States, with an estimated 1 in 10 children experiencing a depressed mother in any given year. Professionals who work with mothers and children should be aware of its prevalence and its detrimental effects.

  5. Geodesy- and geology-based slip-rate models for the Western United States (excluding California) national seismic hazard maps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petersen, Mark D.; Zeng, Yuehua; Haller, Kathleen M.; McCaffrey, Robert; Hammond, William C.; Bird, Peter; Moschetti, Morgan; Shen, Zhengkang; Bormann, Jayne; Thatcher, Wayne

    2014-01-01

    The 2014 National Seismic Hazard Maps for the conterminous United States incorporate additional uncertainty in fault slip-rate parameter that controls the earthquake-activity rates than was applied in previous versions of the hazard maps. This additional uncertainty is accounted for by new geodesy- and geology-based slip-rate models for the Western United States. Models that were considered include an updated geologic model based on expert opinion and four combined inversion models informed by both geologic and geodetic input. The two block models considered indicate significantly higher slip rates than the expert opinion and the two fault-based combined inversion models. For the hazard maps, we apply 20 percent weight with equal weighting for the two fault-based models. Off-fault geodetic-based models were not considered in this version of the maps. Resulting changes to the hazard maps are generally less than 0.05 g (acceleration of gravity). Future research will improve the maps and interpret differences between the new models.

  6. The Price Differential's Impact on Retention, Recruitment, and Quality in a Public University.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Little, Michale W.; O'Toole, Dennis; Wetzel, James

    1997-01-01

    A survey of 467 business students at Virginia Commonwealth University investigated results of the business school's tuition differential pricing strategy, which charges a higher tuition in order to provide students with strong computer and technological instruction and support. Results indicated the additional services created added value for…

  7. Non-Markovian dynamics of quantum systems: decay rate, capture and pure states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kanokov, Z.; Palchikov, Yu.V.; Antonenko, N.V.; Adamian, G.G.; Kanokov, Z.; Adamian, G.G.; Scheid, W.

    2004-01-01

    Full text: With the exact numerical solution of the equation for the reduced density matrix we found a minor role of the time dependence of the friction and diffusion coefficients in the escape rate from a potential well [1]. Since the used friction and diffusion coefficients were self- consistently under certain approximations derived, they preserve the positivity of the density matrix at any time. The mixed diffusion coefficient leads to a decrease of the escape rate. Since the used value of quantum diffusion coefficient in momentum is larger than the one following from a 'classic' treatment, the obtained escape rate is close to the rate calculated with the 'classic' set of diffusion coefficients. If the regime of motion is close to the under damped case or the temperature is small, the quasi-stationary escape rate can increase with friction. This is explained by the larger role of the increasing diffusion in the decay process. The agreement of the escape rate obtained with the analytical expressions in comparison to numerically calculated data depends on the characteristics of the considered system. The agreement is better in the overdamped regime. However, for any regime the deviations are not larger than in the case of the classical Kramers formula. Therefore, the analytical expressions can be applied in a large range of parameters for the potential and diffusion coefficients. We demonstrated that the uncertainty function is related to the linear entropy. The diffusion coefficients supplying the purity of states were elaborated for the non-Markovian dynamics. The obtained dependences of the capture probability on the friction proves that the quantum nature of this process should be taken into consideration when one calculates the capture cross section in nucleus-nucleus collisions

  8. Rethinking the Business Model: Responsibilities of Governing Boards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trusteeship, 2012

    2012-01-01

    Colleges and universities are thinking strategically about their business models. Reductions in state and federal appropriations, endowment volatility, fundraising uncertainties, and limits on tuition increases are creating persistent shortfalls in operating budgets. This all comes when institutions are being called upon to enroll and graduate…

  9. Cooperating Teacher Remuneration: Where Are We? ATE Bonus Publication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Black, Donald

    Forty college and university directors of field experiences (from 40 different states) responded to a survey on their payment practices for cooperating teachers. A wide variety of payment practices exists among the states, ranging from no payment, tuition waivers, to various amounts of money. Most directors indicated that their system of payment…

  10. The Compliance Rates of Hand Hygiene in Intensive Care Unit and Surgical Services at a State Hospital in Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Serap Süzük

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The most efficient and most cost effective method for preventing health care associated infections is hand hygiene. Although hand hygiene is the most effective and simple method, compliance rates are very low among health care workers. It was aimed to evaluate the rates of compliance of healthcare workers in a state hospital. Material and Method: In this study, totally 112 healthcare workers (31 doctors and 81 nurses were evaluated with the 5-indication observation method in a period between January and July 2013. Results: A total of 754 (65.9% out of 1.144 cases were resulted in accurate hand washing and hand-rubbing. When the intensive care unit and surgical clinics were evaluated together, it was found that hand hygiene compliance rates were 51.26% in 199 cases and 66.85% in 591 cases for doctors and nurses, respectively. Conclusion: Consequently, we think that pre-informed observations are important training instruments for hand hygiene compliance.

  11. Performance And Satisfaction Rating Of One State University Website In The Philippines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Randy Joy Magno Ventayen

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The Pangasinan State University information website psu.edu.ph was redesigned last August 2016. Since then the website is the main online source of information from the institution. Last June 2016 the rank of PSU website in region 1 compared to other SUC is ranked 6th with a global rank of around 9 million. Thus this study was conducted to know the satisfaction and performance rating of the institutional website of Pangasinan State University for the SY 2016-2017 after it was redesigned. For the first part of the study it uses the survey as primary means to gather information from the online visitors the researcher uses an online form to gather the data. It uses integrated sheets with pivot analysis for testing and data science analytical software RapidMiner to generate the graphical presentation. On the second part of the study Web analytics tools were used to visualize the performance of the website. The researcher extracted sessions from August 2016 to April 2017 to identify demographics of visitors from the historical data. The researcher also compared other SUC website rankings gathered from historical data for the last 3 months. The result of this study is expected to be good but there is no perfect website that could satisfy everything that a visitor needs. In this study it identifies the needs for improvement and importance of maintenance such as continuous customer feedback for continuous improvement. This study is recommended to be continuous and includes social media performance in the future study. This research fall under as NHERA-2 priority research areas in Education and Education Management.

  12. Analysis of field usage failure rate data for plastic encapsulated solid state devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    1981-01-01

    Survey and questionnaire techniques were used to gather data from users and manufacturers on the failure rates in the field of plastic encapsulated semiconductors. It was found that such solid state devices are being successfully used by commercial companies which impose certain screening and qualification procedures. The reliability of these semiconductors is now adequate to support their consideration in NASA systems, particularly in low cost systems. The cost of performing necessary screening for NASA applications was assessed.

  13. Jump locations of jump-diffusion processes with state-dependent rates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miles, Christopher E; Keener, James P

    2017-01-01

    We propose a general framework for studying statistics of jump-diffusion systems driven by both Brownian noise (diffusion) and a jump process with state-dependent intensity. Of particular natural interest in many physical systems are the jump locations: the system evaluated at the jump times. As an example, this could be the voltage at which a neuron fires, or the so-called ‘threshold voltage’. However, the state-dependence of the jump rate provides direct coupling between the diffusion and jump components, making it difficult to disentangle the two to study individually. In this work, we provide an iterative map formulation of the sequence of distributions of jump locations. The distributions computed by this map can be used to elucidate other interesting quantities about the process, including statistics of the interjump times. Ultimately, the limit of the map reveals that knowledge of the stationary distribution of the full process is sufficient to recover (but not necessarily equal to) the distribution of jump locations. We propose two biophysical examples to illustrate the use of this framework to provide insight about a system. We find that a sharp threshold voltage emerges robustly in a simple stochastic integrate-and-fire neuronal model. The interplay between the two sources of noise is also investigated in a stepping model of molecular motor in intracellular transport pulling a diffusive cargo. (paper)

  14. Quantitative rates of brain glucose metabolism distinguish minimally conscious from vegetative state patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stender, Johan; Kupers, Ron; Rodell, Anders; Thibaut, Aurore; Chatelle, Camille; Bruno, Marie-Aurélie; Gejl, Michael; Bernard, Claire; Hustinx, Roland; Laureys, Steven; Gjedde, Albert

    2015-01-01

    The differentiation of the vegetative or unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS) from the minimally conscious state (MCS) is an important clinical issue. The cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglc) declines when consciousness is lost, and may reveal the residual cognitive function of these patients. However, no quantitative comparisons of cerebral glucose metabolism in VS/UWS and MCS have yet been reported. We calculated the regional and whole-brain CMRglc of 41 patients in the states of VS/UWS (n=14), MCS (n=21) or emergence from MCS (EMCS, n=6), and healthy volunteers (n=29). Global cortical CMRglc in VS/UWS and MCS averaged 42% and 55% of normal, respectively. Differences between VS/UWS and MCS were most pronounced in the frontoparietal cortex, at 42% and 60% of normal. In brainstem and thalamus, metabolism declined equally in the two conditions. In EMCS, metabolic rates were indistinguishable from those of MCS. Ordinal logistic regression predicted that patients are likely to emerge into MCS at CMRglc above 45% of normal. Receiver-operating characteristics showed that patients in MCS and VS/UWS can be differentiated with 82% accuracy, based on cortical metabolism. Together these results reveal a significant correlation between whole-brain energy metabolism and level of consciousness, suggesting that quantitative values of CMRglc reveal consciousness in severely brain-injured patients.

  15. Orthodontic education programs: an international comparison of students' views and experiences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anning, Ross J; Thomson, W Murray; Quick, Andrew N

    2011-02-01

    The purpose of this study was to identify the demographic characteristics of students completing certificate programs in orthodontics, and the curriculum and financial characteristics of orthodontic programs in the English-speaking world. An online survey was used to question orthodontic students studying in the 93 programs worldwide in countries where the first language is English. The questionnaire was built by using the online survey tool www.surveymonkey.com, and the students were predominantly contacted directly via e-mail. Of the 301 respondents (an estimated response rate of 33%), the majority were men, had an average age of 29.8 years, and were mostly from programs in the United States. The mean program durations were 31.0 months in the United States and 37.1 months in the Commonwealth, with mean total patient loads of 84 and 106, respectively. Various treatment modalities were used in both groups. The mean annual tuition fee was considerably higher in the United States. The overall mean debt at graduation was $118,200, and the mean expected income 5 years after graduation was $283,200. Private practice was the most popular career path (90.3%), with fewer than a third of the respondents stating that they would consider an academic career. This study indicates that the demographic characteristics of orthodontic students are similar to those most recently reported, with the proportion of female students continuing to increase. The numbers of transitional dentition patients and total patient case loads are increasing, and students are being exposed to an increasingly wide range of treatment techniques. A continuing increase in tuition fees was reported, along with increased levels of debt at graduation, and fewer students intend to have an academic career. Copyright © 2011 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Effectiveness of OSHA Outreach Training on carpenters' work-related injury rates, Washington State 2000-2008.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schoenfisch, Ashley L; Lipscomb, Hester; Sinyai, Clayton; Adams, Darrin

    2017-01-01

    Despite the size and breadth of OSHA's Outreach Training program for construction, information on its impact on work-related injury rates is limited. In a 9-year dynamic cohort of 17,106 union carpenters in Washington State, the effectiveness of OSHA Outreach Training on workers' compensation claims rate was explored. Injury rates were calculated by training status overall and by carpenters' demographic and work characteristics using Poisson regression. OSHA Outreach Training resulted in a 13% non-significant reduction in injury claims rates overall. The protective effect was more pronounced for carpenters in their apprenticeship years, drywall installers, and with increasing time since training. In line with these observed effects and prior research, it is unrealistic to expect OSHA Outreach Training alone to have large effects on union construction workers' injury rates. Standard construction industry practice should include hazard awareness and protection training, coupled with more efficient approaches to injury control. Am. J. Ind. Med. 60:45-57, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. Aseismic and seismic slip induced by fluid injection from poroelastic and rate-state friction modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Y.; Deng, K.; Harrington, R. M.; Clerc, F.

    2016-12-01

    Solid matrix stress change and pore pressure diffusion caused by fluid injection has been postulated as key factors for inducing earthquakes and aseismic slip on pre-existing faults. In this study, we have developed a numerical model that simulates aseismic and seismic slip in a rate-and-state friction framework with poroelastic stress perturbations from multi-stage hydraulic fracturing scenarios. We apply the physics-based model to the 2013-2015 earthquake sequences near Fox Creek, Alberta, Canada, where three magnitude 4.5 earthquakes were potentially induced by nearby hydraulic fracturing activity. In particular, we use the relocated December 2013 seismicity sequence to approximate the fault orientation, and find the seismicity migration spatiotemporally correlate with the positive Coulomb stress changes calculated from the poroelastic model. When the poroelastic stress changes are introduced to the rate-state friction model, we find that slip on the fault evolves from aseismic to seismic in a manner similar to the onset of seismicity. For a 15-stage hydraulic fracturing that lasted for 10 days, modeled fault slip rate starts to accelerate after 3 days of fracking, and rapidly develops into a seismic event, which also temporally coincides with the onset of induced seismicity. The poroelastic stress perturbation and consequently fault slip rate continue to evolve and remain high for several weeks after hydraulic fracturing has stopped, which may explain the continued seismicity after shut-in. In a comparison numerical experiment, fault slip rate quickly decreases to the interseismic level when stress perturbations are instantaneously returned to zero at shut-in. Furthermore, when stress perturbations are removed just a few hours after the fault slip rate starts to accelerate (that is, hydraulic fracturing is shut down prematurely), only aseismic slip is observed in the model. Our preliminary results thus suggest the design of fracturing duration and flow

  18. Effect of shear rate on aggregate size and structure in the process of aggregation and at steady state

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Bubáková, Petra; Pivokonský, Martin; Filip, Petr

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 235, February (2013), s. 540-549 ISSN 0032-5910 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP105/11/0247 Institutional support: RVO:67985874 Keywords : aggregation * aggregate size * fractal dimension * shear rate * steady state * time evolution Subject RIV: BK - Fluid Dynamics Impact factor: 2.269, year: 2013

  19. Are Facebook user ratings associated with hospital cost, quality and patient satisfaction? A cross-sectional analysis of hospitals in New York State.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Lauren; Li, Yue

    2018-02-01

    Hospital care costs are high while quality varies across hospitals. Patient satisfaction may be associated with better clinical quality, and social media ratings may offer another opportunity to measure patient satisfaction with care. To test if Facebook user ratings of hospitals are associated with existing measures of patient satisfaction, cost and quality. Data were obtained from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Compare, the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System impact files and the Area Health Resource File for 2015. Information from hospitals' Facebook pages was collected in July 2016. Multivariate linear regression was used to test if there is an association between Facebook user ratings (star rating and adjusted number of 'likes') and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) patient satisfaction measures, the 30-day all-cause readmission rate, and the Medicare spending per beneficiary (MSPB) ratio. One hundred and thirty-six acute care hospitals in New York State in 2015. An increase in the Facebook star rating is associated with significant increases in 21/23 HCAHPS measures (p≤0.003). An increase in the adjusted number of 'likes' is associated with very small increases in 3/23 HCAHPS measures (pFacebook user ratings are not associated with the 30-day all-cause readmission rate or the Medicare spending per beneficiary ratio. Results demonstrate an association between HCAHPS patient satisfaction measures and Facebook star ratings. Adjusted number of 'likes' may not be a useful measure of patient satisfaction. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  20. Quantitative Rates of Brain Glucose Metabolism Distinguish Minimally Conscious from Vegetative State Patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stender, Johan; Kupers, Ron; Rodell, Anders

    2015-01-01

    of these patients. However, no quantitative comparisons of cerebral glucose metabolism in VS/UWS and MCS have yet been reported. We calculated the regional and whole-brain CMRglc of 41 patients in the states of VS/UWS (n=14), MCS (n=21) or emergence from MCS (EMCS, n=6), and healthy volunteers (n=29). Global......The differentiation of the vegetative or unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS) from the minimally conscious state (MCS) is an important clinical issue. The cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglc) declines when consciousness is lost, and may reveal the residual cognitive function...... these results reveal a significant correlation between whole-brain energy metabolism and level of consciousness, suggesting that quantitative values of CMRglc reveal consciousness in severely brain-injured patients.Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism advance online publication, 8 October 2014; doi:10...

  1. A national study of socioeconomic status and tuberculosis rates by country of birth, United States, 1996-2005.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olson, Nicole A; Davidow, Amy L; Winston, Carla A; Chen, Michael P; Gazmararian, Julie A; Katz, Dolores J

    2012-05-18

    Tuberculosis (TB) in developed countries has historically been associated with poverty and low socioeconomic status (SES). In the past quarter century, TB in the United States has changed from primarily a disease of native-born to primarily a disease of foreign-born persons, who accounted for more than 60% of newly-diagnosed TB cases in 2010. The purpose of this study was to assess the association of SES with rates of TB in U.S.-born and foreign-born persons in the United States, overall and for the five most common foreign countries of origin. National TB surveillance data for 1996-2005 was linked with ZIP Code-level measures of SES (crowding, unemployment, education, and income) from U.S. Census 2000. ZIP Codes were grouped into quartiles from low SES to high SES and TB rates were calculated for foreign-born and U.S.-born populations in each quartile. TB rates were highest in the quartiles with low SES for both U.S.-born and foreign-born populations. However, while TB rates increased five-fold or more from the two highest to the two lowest SES quartiles among the U.S.-born, they increased only by a factor of 1.3 among the foreign-born. Low SES is only weakly associated with TB among foreign-born persons in the United States. The traditional associations of TB with poverty are not sufficient to explain the epidemiology of TB among foreign-born persons in this country and perhaps in other developed countries. TB outreach and research efforts that focus only on low SES will miss an important segment of the foreign-born population.

  2. The Effects of Gun Ownership Rates and Gun Control Laws on Suicide Rates

    OpenAIRE

    Mark Gius

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of the present study is to determine the effects of gun control laws and gun ownership rates on state-level suicide rates. Using the most recent data on suicide rates, gun control measures, and gun ownership rates, the results of the present study suggest that states that require handgun permits have lower gun-related suicide rates, and states that have higher gun ownership rates have higher gun-related suicide rates. Regarding non-gun suicides, results suggest that stricter gun c...

  3. State-space dynamic model for estimation of radon entry rate, based on Kalman filtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brabec, Marek; Jilek, Karel

    2007-01-01

    To predict the radon concentration in a house environment and to understand the role of all factors affecting its behavior, it is necessary to recognize time variation in both air exchange rate and radon entry rate into a house. This paper describes a new approach to the separation of their effects, which effectively allows continuous estimation of both radon entry rate and air exchange rate from simultaneous tracer gas (carbon monoxide) and radon gas measurement data. It is based on a state-space statistical model which permits quick and efficient calculations. Underlying computations are based on (extended) Kalman filtering, whose practical software implementation is easy. Key property is the model's flexibility, so that it can be easily adjusted to handle various artificial regimens of both radon gas and CO gas level manipulation. After introducing the statistical model formally, its performance will be demonstrated on real data from measurements conducted in our experimental, naturally ventilated and unoccupied room. To verify our method, radon entry rate calculated via proposed statistical model was compared with its known reference value. The results from several days of measurement indicated fairly good agreement (up to 5% between reference value radon entry rate and its value calculated continuously via proposed method, in average). Measured radon concentration moved around the level approximately 600 Bq m -3 , whereas the range of air exchange rate was 0.3-0.8 (h -1 )

  4. Electron impact excitation cross sections and rates from the ground state of atomic calcium

    CERN Document Server

    Samson, A M

    2001-01-01

    New R-matrix calculations are presented for electron excitation of atomic calcium. The target state expansion includes 22 states: 4s sup 2 sup 1 S; 4snl sup 1 sup , sup 3 L, where nl is 3d, 4p, 5s, 5p, 4d and 4f; 3d4p sup 1 sup , sup 3 P,D,F; and 4p sup 2 sup 3 P, sup 1 D, sup 1 S terms. The calculation is in LS coupling, and configuration interaction involving 3p subshell correlation is included. Electron impact excitation cross sections from the 4s sup 2 ground state to the next 10 states are tabulated for low energies, and thermally averaged effective collision strengths are tabulated over a range of electron temperatures from 1000 to 10,000 K. Comparisons are made with previous cross sections calculations for the 4s sup 2 -4s4p sup 3 P deg. transition; excellent agreement is found with experimentally derived rates for 4s sup 2 -4s4p sup 1 P deg

  5. General properties of astrophysical reaction rates in explosive nucleosynthesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rauscher, Thomas

    2013-01-01

    Fundamental differences in the prediction of reaction rates with intermediate and heavy target nuclei compared to the ones with light nuclei are discussed, with special emphasis on stellar modifications of the rates. Ground and excited state contributions to the stellar rates are quantified, deriving a linear weighting of excited state contributions despite of a Boltzmann population of the nuclear states. A Coulomb suppression effect of the excited state contributions is identified, acting against the usual Q-value rule in some reactions. The proper inclusion of experimental data in revised stellar rates is shown, containing revised uncertainties. An application to the s-process shows that the actual uncertainties in the neutron capture rates are larger than would be expected from the experimental errors alone. Sensitivities of reaction rates and cross sections are defined and their application in reaction studies is discussed. The conclusion provides a guide to experiment as well as theory on how to best improve the rates used in astrophysical simulations and how to assess their uncertainties.

  6. MHz repetition rate solid-state driver for high current induction accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brooksby, C; Caporaso, G; Goerz, D; Hanks, R; Hickman, B; Kirbie, H; Lee, B; Saethre, R.

    1999-01-01

    A research team from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Bechtel Nevada Corporation is developing an all solid-state power source for high current induction accelerators. The original power system design, developed for heavy-ion fusion accelerators, is based on the simple idea of using an array of field effect transistors to switch energy from a pre-charged capacitor bank to an induction accelerator cell. Recently, that idea has been expanded to accommodate the greater power needs of a new class of high-current electron accelerators for advanced radiography. For this purpose, we developed a 3-stage induction adder that uses over 4,000 field effect transistors to switch peak voltages of 45 kV at currents up to 4.8 kA with pulse repetition rates of up to 2 MHz. This radically advanced power system can generate a burst of five or more pulses that vary from 200 ns to 2 ampersand micro;s at a duty cycle of up to 25%. Our new source is precise, robust, flexible, and exceeds all previous drivers for induction machines by a factor of 400 in repetition rate and a factor of 1000 in duty cycle

  7. Steady thermal stress and strain rates in a rotating circular cylinder under steady state temperature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pankaj Thakur

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Thermal stress and strain rates in a thick walled rotating cylinder under steady state temperature has been derived by using Seth’s transition theory. For elastic-plastic stage, it is seen that with the increase of temperature, the cylinder having smaller radii ratios requires lesser angular velocity to become fully plastic as compared to cylinder having higher radii ratios The circumferential stress becomes larger and larger with the increase in temperature. With increase in thickness ratio stresses must be decrease. For the creep stage, it is seen that circumferential stresses for incompressible materials maximum at the internal surface as compared to compressible material, which increase with the increase in temperature and measure n.

  8. Privatization of Public Universities: How the Budget System Affects the Decision-Making Strategy of Deans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Volpatti, Mark Christopher

    2013-01-01

    In response to lower funding commitments, many public colleges and universities have elected to incorporate decentralized budgeting systems, one of which is Responsibility Center Management (RCM). As public institutions are becoming more dependent on tuition dollars because state appropriations are declining, deans have an increased responsibility…

  9. Toward a physics-based rate and state friction law for earthquake nucleation processes in fault zones with granular gouge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferdowsi, B.; Rubin, A. M.

    2017-12-01

    Numerical simulations of earthquake nucleation rely on constitutive rate and state evolution laws to model earthquake initiation and propagation processes. The response of different state evolution laws to large velocity increases is an important feature of these constitutive relations that can significantly change the style of earthquake nucleation in numerical models. However, currently there is not a rigorous understanding of the physical origins of the response of bare rock or gouge-filled fault zones to large velocity increases. This in turn hinders our ability to design physics-based friction laws that can appropriately describe those responses. We here argue that most fault zones form a granular gouge after an initial shearing phase and that it is the behavior of the gouge layer that controls the fault friction. We perform numerical experiments of a confined sheared granular gouge under a range of confining stresses and driving velocities relevant to fault zones and apply 1-3 order of magnitude velocity steps to explore dynamical behavior of the system from grain- to macro-scales. We compare our numerical observations with experimental data from biaxial double-direct-shear fault gouge experiments under equivalent loading and driving conditions. Our intention is to first investigate the degree to which these numerical experiments, with Hertzian normal and Coulomb friction laws at the grain-grain contact scale and without any time-dependent plasticity, can reproduce experimental fault gouge behavior. We next compare the behavior observed in numerical experiments with predictions of the Dieterich (Aging) and Ruina (Slip) friction laws. Finally, the numerical observations at the grain and meso-scales will be used for designing a rate and state evolution law that takes into account recent advances in rheology of granular systems, including local and non-local effects, for a wide range of shear rates and slow and fast deformation regimes of the fault gouge.

  10. Is College Pricing Power Pro-Cyclical?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altringer, Levi; Summers, Jeffrey

    2015-01-01

    We define pricing power as a college's ability to increase its net tuition revenue by raising its sticker-price for tuition. The greater is the positive effect of sticker-price increases on net tuition revenue, the greater is the pricing power. We gauge variation in the pricing power of private, non-profit baccalaureate colleges by estimating this…

  11. Cooperative Lamb shift and the cooperative decay rate for an initially detuned phased state

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Friedberg, Richard; Manassah, Jamal T.

    2010-01-01

    The cooperative Lamb shift (CLS) is hard to measure because in samples much larger than a resonant wavelength it is much smaller, for an initially prepared resonantly phased state, than the cooperative decay rate (CDR). We show, however, that if the phasing of the initial state is detuned so that the spatial wave vector is k 1 congruent with k 0 ±O((1/R)) (where k 0 =ω 0 /c is the resonant frequency), the CLS grows to 'giant' magnitudes making it comparable to the CDR. Moreover, for certain controlled values of detuning, the initial CDR becomes small so that the dynamical Lamb shift (DLS) can be measured over a considerable period of time.

  12. The rate of cognitive decline in Parkinson disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aarsland, Dag; Andersen, Kjeld; Larsen, Jan Petter

    2004-01-01

    To measure the rate and predictors of change on the Mini-Mental State Examination in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and to compare that change with the Mini-Mental State Examination changes of patients with Alzheimer disease and nondemented subjects.......To measure the rate and predictors of change on the Mini-Mental State Examination in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and to compare that change with the Mini-Mental State Examination changes of patients with Alzheimer disease and nondemented subjects....

  13. Rate of revisions or conversion after bariatric surgery over 10 years in the state of New York.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altieri, Maria S; Yang, Jie; Nie, Lizhou; Blackstone, Robin; Spaniolas, Konstantinos; Pryor, Aurora

    2018-04-01

    A primary measure of the success of a procedure is the whether or not additional surgery may be necessary. Multi-institutional studies regarding the need for reoperation after bariatric surgery are scarce. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the rate of revisions/conversions (RC) after 3 common bariatric procedures over 10 years in the state of New York. University Hospital, involving a large database in New York State. The Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database was used to identify all patients undergoing laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB), sleeve gastrectomy (SG), and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) between 2004 and 2010. Patients were followed for RC to other bariatric procedures for at least 4 years (up to 2014). Multivariable cox proportional hazard regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for additional surgery after each common bariatric procedure. Multivariable logistic regression was used to check the factors associated with having ≥2 follow-up procedures. There were 40,994 bariatric procedures with 16,444 LAGB, 22,769 RYGB, and 1781 SG. Rate of RC was 26.0% for LAGB, 9.8% for SG, and 4.9% for RYGB. Multiple RC ( = />2) were more common for LAGB (5.7% for LAGB, .5% for RYGB, and .2% for LSG). Band revision/replacements required further procedures compared with patients who underwent conversion to RYGB/SG (939 compared with 48 procedures). Majority of RC were not performed at initial institution (68.2% of LAGB patients, 75.9% for RYGB, 63.7% of SG). Risk factors for multiple procedures included surgery type, as LAGB was more likely to have multiple RC. Reoperation was common for LAGB, but less common for RYGB (4.9%) and SG (9.8%). RC rate are almost twice after SG than after RYGB. LAGB had the highest rate (5.7%) of multiple reoperations. Conversion was the procedure of choice after a failed LAGB. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Women In The United States Experience High Rates Of Coverage 'Churn' In Months Before And After Childbirth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daw, Jamie R; Hatfield, Laura A; Swartz, Katherine; Sommers, Benjamin D

    2017-04-01

    Insurance transitions-sometimes referred to as "churn"-before and after childbirth can adversely affect the continuity and quality of care. Yet little is known about coverage patterns and changes for women giving birth in the United States. Using nationally representative survey data for the period 2005-13, we found high rates of insurance transitions before and after delivery. Half of women who were uninsured nine months before delivery had acquired Medicaid or CHIP coverage by the month of delivery, but 55 percent of women with that coverage at delivery experienced a coverage gap in the ensuing six months. Risk factors associated with insurance loss after delivery include not speaking English at home, being unmarried, having Medicaid or CHIP coverage at delivery, living in the South, and having a family income of 100-185 percent of the poverty level. To minimize the adverse effects of coverage disruptions, states should consider policies that promote the continuity of coverage for childbearing women, particularly those with pregnancy-related Medicaid eligibility. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  15. Modelling hard and soft states of Cygnus X-1 with propagating mass accretion rate fluctuations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rapisarda, S.; Ingram, A.; van der Klis, M.

    2017-12-01

    We present a timing analysis of three Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer observations of the black hole binary Cygnus X-1 with the propagating mass accretion rate fluctuations model PROPFLUC. The model simultaneously predicts power spectra, time lags and coherence of the variability as a function of energy. The observations cover the soft and hard states of the source, and the transition between the two. We find good agreement between model predictions and data in the hard and soft states. Our analysis suggests that in the soft state the fluctuations propagate in an optically thin hot flow extending up to large radii above and below a stable optically thick disc. In the hard state, our results are consistent with a truncated disc geometry, where the hot flow extends radially inside the inner radius of the disc. In the transition from soft to hard state, the characteristics of the rapid variability are too complex to be successfully described with PROPFLUC. The surface density profile of the hot flow predicted by our model and the lack of quasi-periodic oscillations in the soft and hard states suggest that the spin of the black hole is aligned with the inner accretion disc and therefore probably with the rotational axis of the binary system.

  16. Subjective social status and trajectories of self-rated health status: a comparative analysis of Japan and the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, Yoshimitsu; Fujiwara, Takeo; Nakayama, Takeo; Kawachi, Ichiro

    2017-11-28

    Japanese society is more egalitarian than the United States as is reflected by the lower degree of prevalence of social inequalities in health. We examined whether subjective socioeconomic status is associated with different trajectories of self-rated health (SRH), and whether this relationship differs between the United States and Japan. We analyzed the responses of 3968 Americans from the survey Midlife in the United States, 2004-06, and the responses of 989 Japanese from the survey Midlife in Japan, 2008. We conducted a multilevel analysis with three self-ratings of health (10 years ago, current and 10 years in the future) nested within individuals and nested within 10 levels of subjective social status. Age, sex, educational level and subjective financial situation were adjusted. After making statistical adjustments for confounding variables, respondents in Japan continued to report lower average levels of health. However, the rate of expected decline in SRH over the next decade was strongly socially patterned in the United States, whereas it was not in Japan. The Japanese showed no disparity in the anticipated trajectory of SRH over time, whereas the Americans showed a strong social class gradient in future trajectories of SRH. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

  17. Long-run real exchange rate determinants : Evidence from eight new EU member states, 1993–2003

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Candelon, B.; Kool, C.J.M.; Raabe, K.; Veen, van A.P. (Tom)

    2007-01-01

    In this paper, we estimate bilateral equilibrium real exchange rates for a group of eight new EU member states against the euro, using new and sophisticated panel-cointegration techniques. We document a stable significant positive link between productivity levels and the corresponding real exchange

  18. Stabilization of iron and molybdenum amorphous state with interstitials under high rates of cooling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barmin, Yu.V.; Vavilova, V.V.; Verevkin, A.G.; Gertsen, A.T.; Kovneristyj, Yu.K.; Kotyurgin, E.A.; Mirkin, B.V.; Palij, N.A.

    1993-01-01

    Amorphous solidification of iron and molybdenum is investigated in thin films and on surface laser irradiated on air at 10 12 and 10 8 /Ks cooling rates correspondingly. Amorphous solidification occurs during ion plasma spraying in thin films of 50 nm at saturation of carbon and oxygen atoms in the ratio of C:0=2.3, but amorphous state is absent at room temperature. Metastable fcc phase, among bcc, is formed by crystallization

  19. Integrated load distribution and production planning in series-parallel multi-state systems with failure rate depending on load

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nourelfath, Mustapha; Yalaoui, Farouk

    2012-01-01

    A production system containing a set of machines (also called components) arranged according to a series-parallel configuration is addressed. A set of products must be produced in lots on this production system during a specified finite planning horizon. This paper presents a method for integrating load distribution decisions, and tactical production planning considering the costs of capacity change and the costs of unused capacity. The objective is to minimize the sum of capacity change costs, unused capacity costs, setup costs, holding costs, backorder costs, and production costs. The main constraints consist in satisfying the demand for all products over the entire horizon, and in not exceeding available repair resource. The production series-parallel system is modeled as a multi-state system with binary-state components. The proposed model takes into account the dependence of machines' failure rates on their load. Universal generating function technique can be used in the optimization algorithm for evaluating the expected system production rate in each period. We show how the formulated problem can be solved by comparing the results of several multi-product lot-sizing problems with capacity associated costs. The importance of integrating load distribution decisions and production planning is illustrated through numerical examples.

  20. 75 FR 39669 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-12

    ... private education loans and institutional financing incurred by each graduate. In addition, the proposed... rates for students entering the program, cost information (including tuition fees, room and board, and... Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) loan debt from the private education loan debt and institutional...

  1. Rate-cost tradeoffs in control

    KAUST Repository

    Kostina, Victoria

    2017-02-13

    Consider a distributed control problem with a communication channel connecting the observer of a linear stochastic system to the controller. The goal of the controller is minimize a quadratic cost function. The most basic special case of that cost function is the mean-square deviation of the system state from the desired state. We study the fundamental tradeoff between the communication rate r bits/sec and the limsup of the expected cost b, and show a lower bound on the rate necessary to attain b. The bound applies as long as the system noise has a probability density function. If target cost b is not too large, that bound can be closely approached by a simple lattice quantization scheme that only quantizes the innovation, that is, the difference between the controller\\'s belief about the current state and the true state.

  2. Decadal analysis of deceased organ donation in Spain and the United States linking an increased donation rate and the utilization of older donors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halldorson, Jeff; Roberts, John Paul

    2013-09-01

    After the foundation of the National Transplant Organization, Spanish rates of deceased donor donation rapidly outpaced US growth over the decade from 1989 to 1999. An analysis of the following decade, 1999-2009, demonstrated a markedly flattened growth curve for Spanish deceased donor organ procurement, which increased only 2.4% from 33.6 to 34.4 donors per million population (pmp). In comparison, over the same decade in the United States, the rate of deceased donation increased from 20.9 to 26.3 donors pmp (25.8%). An age group comparison demonstrated a much higher donation rate among older donors in Spain. For example, the number of donors older than 70 years increased from 3.8 to 8.8 pmp (a 132% increase), and they now constitute 25.4% of all Spanish organ donors. In contrast, the number of US donors older than 70 years increased from 1.0 to 1.3 pmp, and they constitute only 4.4% of total deceased donors. Over the same decade, the number of younger donors (15-30 years old) decreased from 6.6 to 2.5 pmp (a 62% decrease) in Spain, and this contrasted with a slightly increased US donation rate for the same age subgroup (a 15.5% increase from 5.8 to 6.7 pmp). Although older donors were more rarely used in the United States, growth in donation over the 2 decades (1989-2009) was strongly associated with the utilization of donors aged 65 or older (P < 0.01). United Network for Organ Sharing regions demonstrated significant differences in utilization rates for older donors. In conclusion, strategies aimed toward achieving US donation rates equivalent to the Spanish benchmark should target improved utilization rates for older donors in the United States instead of emulating elements of the Spanish organ procurement system. © 2013 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

  3. A Cost Analysis Study of the Radiography Program at Middlesex Hospital Using Shock's Analysis Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spence, Weymouth

    Federal and state governments want to decrease payments for medical education, and other payers are trying to restrict payouts to direct and necessary patient care services. Teaching hospitals are increasing tuition and fees, reducing education budgets and, in many instances, closing education programs. Hospital administrators are examining the…

  4. COMPARISON OF NATURAL BACKGROUND DOSE RATES FOR RESIDENTS OF THE AMARGOSA VALLEY, NV, TO THOSE IN LEADVILLE, CO, AND THE STATES OF COLORADO AND NEVADA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D. Moeller and L. C. Sun

    2006-01-01

    In the latter half of 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) published a Proposed Rule (40 CFR Part 197) for establishing a dose rate standard for limiting radionuclide releases from the proposed Yucca Mountain high-level radioactive waste repository during the time period from 10 4 to 10 6 years after closure. The proposed standard was based on the difference in the estimated total dose rate from natural background in the Amargosa Valley and the ''average annual background radiation'' for the State of Colorado. As defined by the USEPA, ''natural background radiation consists of external exposures from cosmic and terrestrial sources, and internal exposures from indoor exposures to naturally-occurring radon''. On the basis of its assessments, the USEPA estimated that the difference in the dose rate in the two identified areas was 3.5 mSv y -1 . The purpose of this review was to provide an independent evaluation and review of this estimate. One of the first observations was that, because site-specific dose rate measurements for the Amargosa Valley ''were not available'', the dose rates for various sources of natural background in that area, used by the USEPA in its assessment, were based on modifications of the average values for the State of Nevada. A second observation was that the conversion factor applied in estimating the dose rates due to exposures to indoor radon and its decay products was a factor of 2 higher than the currently accepted value. Further review revealed that site-specific data for many natural background sources in the Amargosa Valley were available. One particularly important observation was that about 91% of the residents of that area live in mobile homes which, due to their construction and design, have indoor radon concentrations comparable to, or less than, those outdoors. For that reason, alone, the USEPA estimate of the average dose rate for residents of the Amargosa Valley, due to indoor radon, was not valid. For purposes

  5. Up-Conversion Intersystem Crossing Rates in Organic Emitters for Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence: Impact of the Nature of Singlet vs Triplet Excited States

    KAUST Repository

    Samanta, Pralok Kumar; Kim, Dongwook; Coropceanu, Veaceslav; Bredas, Jean-Luc

    2017-01-01

    The rates for up-conversion intersystem crossing (UISC) from the T1 state to the S1 state are calculated for a series of organic emitters with an emphasis on thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials. Both the spin-orbit coupling

  6. Relationship between the quality of children's handwriting and the Beery Buktenica developmental test of visuomotor integration after one year of writing tuition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duiser, Ivonne H F; van der Kamp, John; Ledebt, Annick; Savelsbergh, Geert J P

    2014-04-01

    We examined whether the three subtests of the Beery Buktenica developmental test of visuomotor integration predicted quality of handwriting across and within groups of boys and girls classified as proficient, at risk or non-proficient writers according to the Concise Assessment Scale for Children's Handwriting. The Beery Buktenica developmental test of visuomotor integration and the Concise Assessment Scale for Children's Handwriting tests were administered to 240 grade 2 children. Proficient writers scored better on the visuomotor integration subtest than non-proficient writers, while proficient and at risk writers scored better than non-proficient writers on the motor coordination subtest. No differences were found on the visual perception subtest. Girls were more often classified as proficient writers than boys, and they scored better on the motor coordination subtest. Across groups, regression indicated that gender and both the visuomotor integration subtest and the motor coordination subtest were significant predictors for the quality of handwriting (i.e., accounted for 17% of the variance). After one year of writing tuition, the visuomotor integration subtest (and to a lesser extent the motor coordination subtest) but not the visual perception subtest significant relates to quality of children's handwriting as measured with the Concise Assessment Scale for Children's Handwriting. However, the relatively little variance explained also points to other abilities and/or task constraints that underlie quality of handwriting. © 2013 Occupational Therapy Australia.

  7. Internal state variable plasticity-damage modeling of AISI 4140 steel including microstructure-property relations: temperature and strain rate effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nacif el Alaoui, Reda

    Mechanical structure-property relations have been quantified for AISI 4140 steel. under different strain rates and temperatures. The structure-property relations were used. to calibrate a microstructure-based internal state variable plasticity-damage model for. monotonic tension, compression and torsion plasticity, as well as damage evolution. Strong stress state and temperature dependences were observed for the AISI 4140 steel. Tension tests on three different notched Bridgman specimens were undertaken to study. the damage-triaxiality dependence for model validation purposes. Fracture surface. analysis was performed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to quantify the void. nucleation and void sizes in the different specimens. The stress-strain behavior exhibited. a fairly large applied stress state (tension, compression dependence, and torsion), a. moderate temperature dependence, and a relatively small strain rate dependence.

  8. Impact of a prevention bundle on Clostridium difficile infection rates in a hospital in the Southeastern United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Bionca M; Yin, Jingjing; Blomberg, Doug; Fung, Isaac Chun-Hai

    2016-12-01

    We sought to assess the impact of a multicomponent prevention program on hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile infections in a hospital in the Southeastern United States. We collected retrospective data of 140 patients from years 2009-2014 and applied the Poisson regression model for analysis. We did not find any significant associations of increased risk of Clostridium difficile infections for the preintervention group. Further studies are needed to test multifaceted bundles in hospitals with high infection rates. Copyright © 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Molecular model for annihilation rates in positron complexes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Assafrao, Denise [Laboratorio de Atomos e Moleculas Especiais, Departamento de Fisica, ICEx, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, P.O. Box 702, 30123-970 Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Queen' s University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom); Walters, H.R. James [Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Queen' s University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom); Mohallem, Jose R. [Laboratorio de Atomos e Moleculas Especiais, Departamento de Fisica, ICEx, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, P.O. Box 702, 30123-970 Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Queen' s University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom)], E-mail: rachid@fisica.ufmg.br

    2008-02-15

    The molecular approach for positron interaction with atoms is developed further. Potential energy curves for positron motion are obtained. Two procedures accounting for the nonadiabatic effective positron mass are introduced for calculating annihilation rate constants. The first one takes the bound-state energy eigenvalue as an input parameter. The second is a self-contained and self-consistent procedure. The methods are tested with quite different states of the small complexes HPs, e{sup +}He (electronic triplet) and e{sup +}Be (electronic singlet and triplet). For states yielding the positronium cluster, the annihilation rates are quite stable, irrespective of the accuracy in binding energies. For the e{sup +}Be states, annihilation rates are larger and more consistent with qualitative predictions than previously reported ones.

  10. Molecular model for annihilation rates in positron complexes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Assafrao, Denise; Walters, H.R. James; Mohallem, Jose R.

    2008-01-01

    The molecular approach for positron interaction with atoms is developed further. Potential energy curves for positron motion are obtained. Two procedures accounting for the nonadiabatic effective positron mass are introduced for calculating annihilation rate constants. The first one takes the bound-state energy eigenvalue as an input parameter. The second is a self-contained and self-consistent procedure. The methods are tested with quite different states of the small complexes HPs, e + He (electronic triplet) and e + Be (electronic singlet and triplet). For states yielding the positronium cluster, the annihilation rates are quite stable, irrespective of the accuracy in binding energies. For the e + Be states, annihilation rates are larger and more consistent with qualitative predictions than previously reported ones

  11. Trends in pregnancy rates for the United States, 1976-97: an update.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ventura, S J; Mosher, W D; Curtin, S C; Abma, J C; Henshaw, S

    2001-06-06

    This report presents detailed pregnancy rates for 1996 and 1997 to update a recently published comprehensive report on pregnancies and pregnancy rates for U.S. women. Tabular and graphic data on pregnancy rates by age, race, and Hispanic origin, and by marital status are presented and described. In 1997 an estimated 6.19 million pregnancies resulted in 3.88 million live births, 1.33 million induced abortions, and 0.98 million fetal losses. The 1997 pregnancy rate of 103.7 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years is the lowest recorded since 1976 (102.7), the first year for which a consistent series of national pregnancy rates is available. The 1997 rate was 10 percent lower than the peak rate in 1990 (115.6). The teenage pregnancy rate dropped steadily through 1997, falling to a record low of 94.3 pregnancies per 1,000 teenagers 15-19 years, 19 percent below the 1990 level (116.3). Rates for younger teenagers declined more than for older teenagers.

  12. Births to teenagers in the United States, 1940-2000.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ventura, S J; Mathews, T J; Hamilton, B E

    2001-09-25

    This report presents trends in national birth rates for teenagers, with particular focus on the decade of the 1990s. The percent change in rates for 1991-2000 is presented for the United States, and the change for 1991-99 is presented for States. Tabular and graphical descriptions of the trends in teenage birth rates for the Nation and each State, by age group, race, and Hispanic origin, are discussed. Birth rates for teenagers 15-19 years generally declined in the United States since the late 1950s, except for a brief, but steep, upward climb in the late 1980s until 1991. The 2000 rate (49 births per 1,000) is about half the peak rate recorded in 1957 (96 per 1,000). Still the U.S. rate is considerably higher than rates for other developed countries. During the 1990s rate declines were especially large for black teenagers. State-specific rates fell significantly in all States for ages 15-19 and 15-17 years, and in all but three States for ages 18-19 years. Overall the range of decline in State rates for ages 15-19 years was 11 to 36 percent. For teenagers 15-17 years, the range of decline by State was 13 to 43 percent. Reductions by State were largest for black teenagers 15-19 years, with rates falling 40 percent or more in seven States. The factors accounting for these declines include decreased sexual activity reflecting changing attitudes towards premarital sex, increases in condom use, and adoption of newly available hormonal contraception, implants, and injectables.

  13. Funding Sources for Public Higher Education in South Africa: Institutional Responses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ntshoe, Isaac; de Villiers, Pierre

    2013-01-01

    Tuition fees and the use of student loans to complement government's allocations have become unavoidable because of increasing competing new priorities for funding. This article addresses the funding sources of public higher education through tuition and loans. We explore the effects of shifts from first-stream income (government appropriations)…

  14. Variation of heart transplant rates in the United States during holidays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grodin, Justin L; Ayers, Colby R; Thibodeau, Jennifer T; Mishkin, Joseph D; Mammen, Pradeep P A; Markham, David W; Drazner, Mark H; Patel, Parag C

    2014-08-01

    Some cardiac transplant programs may upgrade listed patients to United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) 1A-status during the holidays. Whether more transplants actually occur during holidays is unknown. We assessed rates of single-organ heart transplantation from 2001 to 2010 for recipients age ≥18 yr using the UNOS database. Patients were stratified by transplantation during holiday (±3 d, n = 2375) and non-holiday periods (n = 16 112). Holidays included Easter/Spring break, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas/New Years (winter holidays). Secondary analysis assessing transplant rates across seasons was also completed. Donor and recipient characteristics were similar between groups. Compared with non-holidays, July 4th had higher transplant rates (5.69 vs. 5.09 transplants/d, p = 0.03) while the winter holiday had lower transplant rates (4.50 vs. 5.09 transplants/d, p < 0.01). There was a trend toward lower transplant rates for all holidays compared with non-holidays (p = 0.06). Transplant rates were significantly different across seasons with greater rates in spring and summer (p < 0.01). Heart transplant rates were higher during the July 4th and lower during the winter holidays. Although there was a higher likelihood of transplantation during the spring and summer seasons, upgrading patients to 1A status during most holidays may not improve their chances for transplantation. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Non-suicidal Self-Injury in Eating Disordered Patients: Associations with Heart Rate Variability and State-Trait Anxiety

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristina Giner-Bartolome

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI is commonly present in individuals with eating disorders (EDs and is often employed as a maladaptive emotion regulation strategy to avoid or abate negative emotions. One of the most prevalent negative emotions experienced by self-injurers is anxiety; however, this emotion has not been extensively studied in this population. Thus, the aim of our study was to investigate the influence of anxiety on NSSI in patients with ED from two different dimensions: state anxiety and trait anxiety.Methods: The study comprised a total of 66 females: 12 ED patients with NSSI, 32 ED patients without a history of NSSI, and 22 healthy controls. State and trait anxiety were assessed by means of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S-T and physiological data [i.e., heart rate variability (HRV] were collected.Results: STAI-trait scores were significantly higher in ED patients with NSSI than ED patients without NSSI. Furthermore, when conducting logistic regression analyses higher STAI-trait scores were associated with NSSI in ED patients. However, no differences in STAI-state scores and HRV were found between ED patients with and without NSSI.Discussion: The present findings suggest that anxiety as a trait is associated with the use of maladaptive strategies (i.e., NSSI in ED patients. These results uphold the need to target trait anxiety in ED treatment in order to prevent possible NSSI behaviors.

  16. Aim High or Go Low? Pricing Strategies and Enrollment Effects when the Net Price Elasticity Varies with Need and Ability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curs, Bradley R.; Singell, Larry D., Jr.

    2010-01-01

    Detailed data on individual applicants to a large public university are used to demonstrate that net price responsiveness decreases with need and ability. Enrollment effects are simulated and show a movement towards a high tuition/high aid (low tuition/low aid) policy significantly lowers (raises) tuition revenue with a modest increase (decrease)…

  17. Enrollment Pathways to Financial Sustainability: Choosing the Road Less Traveled

    Science.gov (United States)

    Supplee, Janice L.

    2014-01-01

    Rising costs, burgeoning debt, and falling credit ratings are among the financial challenges faced by small, tuition-dependent private colleges, including many members of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU). In their efforts to generate more revenue, most of these institutions have focused on enrollment strategies as the…

  18. 75 FR 3163 - Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program-Basic Entitlement; Effective Date of Induction...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-20

    ... is retroactively inducted into a rehabilitation program, VA may authorize payment of tuition, fees... aggregate, or by the private sector, of $100 million or more (adjusted annually for inflation) in any year. This final rule will have no such effect on State, local, and Tribal governments, or on the private...

  19. Clinical utilisation of the "G.T. MSRS", the rating scale for mixed states: 35 cases report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tavormina, Giuseppe

    2015-09-01

    The knowledge of the clinical features of the mixed states and of the symptoms of the "mixity" of mood disorders is crucial: to mis-diagnose or mis-treat patients with these symptoms may increase the suicide risk and make worse the evolution of mood disorders. The rating scale "G.T. MSRS" has been designed to improve the clinical effectiveness of both psychiatrists and GPs by enabling them to make an early "general" diagnosis of mixed states. This study presents some cases in which the "G.T. MSRS" scale has been used, in order to demonstrate its usefullness.

  20. Rates of Primary and Secondary Syphilis Among White and Black Non-Hispanic Men Who Have Sex With Men, United States, 2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grey, Jeremy A; Bernstein, Kyle T; Sullivan, Patrick S; Kidd, Sarah E; Gift, Thomas L; Hall, Eric W; Hankin-Wei, Abigail; Weinstock, Hillard S; Rosenberg, Eli S

    2017-11-01

    Men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States experience an approximately 100-fold greater rate of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis diagnoses compared with men who have sex with women only. As in the general population, racial/ethnic disparities in P&S syphilis diagnosis rates may exist among MSM, but MSM-specific P&S syphilis rates by race/ethnicity are unavailable. We enhanced a published modeling approach to estimate area-level MSM populations by race/ethnicity and provide the first estimates of P&S syphilis among black and white non-Hispanic MSM. We used data from the American Community Survey (ACS), published findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and national syphilis surveillance data to estimate state-level rates of P&S syphilis diagnoses among MSM, overall and for black and white non-Hispanic MSM. We also used variability around ACS and NHANES estimates to calculate 95% confidence intervals for each rate. Among 11,359 cases of P&S syphilis among MSM with known race/ethnicity in 2014, 72.5% were among white (40.3%) or black (32.2%) MSM. The national rate of P&S syphilis diagnosis was 168.4/100,000 for white MSM and 583.9/100,000 for black MSM. Regional rates for black MSM ranged from 602.0/100,000 (South) to 521.5/100,000 (Midwest) and were consistently higher than those for white MSM. Although white MSM accounted for more P&S syphilis diagnoses than black MSM in 2014, when evaluating diagnoses based on rate per 100,000, black MSM had consistently and markedly higher rates than white MSM, with the highest impacted states located in the US South.