Study on workloads of human care worker with the introduction of IT system - the characteristics of work loads by observational research and the suggestions for KAIZEN

The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristic of workloads on human care worker with the introduction of IT system, and suggested the support measures for KAIZEN in Japan. The investigation method is workflow line and hearing with a focus on work observation. The objects were 8 human care workers of the acute hospital that introduced an electronic system. By the introduction of the electronic chart, the nurse station sojourn time decreased, sickroom sojourn time increased, and time about direct nursing care to a patient increased. In addition, access to patient information became easy, and the offer of the health care service based on correct information came to be possible in real time. By The point of workflow line, it was effect that moving lengths decreased in order to install the electronic chart in patients' rooms. Though, it was a problem that it hasn't formed where to place the instruments such as sphygmomanometer, clinical thermometer and others.     

Perceived social standing among Asian immigrants in the US: Do reasons for immigration matter?

We investigate the association between a subjective measure of social status and the reasons for immigration among Asian immigrants in the US. We use data from the National Latino and Asian American Study to test several hypotheses about this association. Our analyses show the positive effect on perceived social standing of migrating for better education, the negative effect of migrating to seek employment, and the negative impact of refugee status. Migrating for family reunification can be associated with various circumstances, which lead to differing outcomes. The results suggest that the notion that immigrants arrive in the US with limited resources and few skills and move slowly up the socioeconomic ladder must be reassessed in light of the complex social context and factors such as ethnicity, gender, divergent immigration paths, and a range of associated circumstances.     

Public attitudes toward the use of psychiatric medications for children

Psychiatric medication use for children has increased dramatically over the past three decades. Despite substantial media attention to the issue, little is known about how the lay public feels about the use of psychiatric medications for children. Drawing on theories of medicalization, we describe and analyze Americans' attitudes towards the use of psychiatric medications generally and Prozac specifically for children described as having three types of behavioral problems. Using data from the 1998 General Social Survey's Pressing Issues in Health and Medical Care Module, we find that more Americans (57%) are willing to use psychiatric medications for children who have expressed suicidal statements than for "oppositional" behaviors (34.2%) or for hyperactivity (29.5%). Across the board, respondents are less willing to give Prozac than the general class of psychiatric medications. While socio-demographics do little to identify Americans with differing positions, the strongest and most consistent correlates of willingness to give psychiatric medications to children are trust in personal physicians, general attitudes towards psychiatric medications, and the respondent's expressed willingness to take psychiatric medications herself or himself.     

A NOTE ON PREDICTION SUFFICIENCY (ADEQUACY) AND SUFFICIENCY

Let(X, A) be a measurable space and P a family of probability measures on A. Let B and C be sub -algebras of A and B₀ a sub -algebra of B. It is shown that if B₀ is prediction sufficient (adequate) for B with respect to C and P, and Y is sufficient for B₀^vC with respect to P then Y is sufficient for B^vC with respect to P; that if P is homogeneous and (B₀; B, C) is Markov for P, and B₀^vC is sufficient for B^vc with respect to P, then B₀ is sufficient for B with respect to P; and by example that the Markov property is necessary for the latter proposition to hold.     

On Labor Policies Affecting Investment in General Human Capital

Abstract. This paper develops a search model including workers’ investments in general human capital and investigates the effects of labor policies such as subsidies to human capital investment and unemployment benefits on the accumulation of human capital. It is shown that the equilibrium is not optimal because workers underinvest in human capital or firms open too many vacancies in comparison with the number of unemployed workers. Comparative statics show that an increase in subsidies to human capital investment adds to the number of vacancies per unemployed worker and to workers’ investments in human capital and that an increase in unemployment benefits decreases them. Finally, labor policies that remove the distortion are explored.     

Sanctioning as a social norm: Expectations of non-strategic sanctioning in a public goods game experiment

Sanctioning increases cooperation in public goods games, but not indiscriminately under all conditions and in all societies, and the mechanisms by which sanctioning exercises its impact on behavior are yet to be studied in detail. We show experimentally that in the presence of sanctioning, our experimental subjects adjust their behavior in order to avoid being a free rider. They do this not only in the STANDARD sanctions treatment, where they directly experience any sanctions assigned to them, but also in our main treatment, the SECRET sanctions treatment, where no information on sanctions received is available until the end of the experiment. We observe no such free riding avoidance in the treatment without sanctioning. The mere knowledge that sanctions might be assigned increases cooperation among the members of our subject pool; subjects expect that non-strategic sanctioning occurs against the free riders. Moreover, these expectations are correct as we observe a similar pattern and extent of sanctioning in both treatments. We propose that sanctioning in itself is a social norm and may be culturally dependent, as suggested in the literature.     

A generalized inverse regression estimator in multi-univariate linear calibration

A multivariate linear calibration problem, in which response variable is multivariate and explanatory variable is univariate, is considered. In this paper a class of generalized inverse regression estimators is proposed in multi-univariate linear calibration. It includes the classical estimator and the inverse regression one (or Krutchkoff estimator). For the proposed estimator we derive the expressions of bias and mean square error (MSE). Furthermore the behavior of these characteristics is investigated through an analytical method. In addition through a numerical study we confirm the existence of a generalized inverse regression estimator to improve both the classical and the inverse regression estimators on the MSE criterion.     

Technological progress, income inequality, and fertility

This paper constructs an overlapping-generations model with two different types of technology: modern, which can be accessed only by the skilled, and traditional, which can be accessed by the unskilled. The model described in this paper shows that a rise in the wage premium for skilled workers caused by skill-biased technological changes explains the following key stylized facts: with economic development, the fraction of skilled people increases, the fertility rate declines, and income inequality rises and then falls. The model also explains the observed gradual rises in income inequality in developed countries.      

Parent‐to‐Child Aggression Among Asian American Parents: Culture,Context, and Vulnerability

We examined correlates of lifetime parent‐to‐child aggression in a representative sample of 1,293 Asian American parents. Correlates examined included nativity, indicators of acculturation, socioeconomic status, family climate, and stressors associated with minority status. Results revealed that Asian Americans of Chinese descent and those who immigrated as youth were more likely to report minor parental aggression; ethnicity and nativity were not associated with severe aggression. Indices of acculturation did not predict risk, but minority status stressors (perceived discrimination, low social standing) predicted risk of both minor and severe aggression. Affective climate differed markedly in families with minor versus severe aggression. Parental aggression in Asian American families may not be cultural per se, but stress associated with immigrant family context may heighten vulnerability.     

Efficient Semiparametric Bayesian Estimation of Multivariate Discrete Proportional Hazards Model with Random Effects

We incorporate a random effect into a multivariate discrete proportional hazards model and propose an efficient semiparametric Bayesian estimation method. By introducing a prior process for the parameters of baseline hazards, we consider a nonparametric estimation of baseline hazards function. Using a state space representation, we derive a dynamic modeling of baseline hazards function and propose an efficient block sampler for Markov chain Monte Carlo method. A numerical example using kidney patients data is given.