Essays in Applied and Labor Economics

This thesis consists of three self-contained papers. In the first paper I analyze the labor supply behavior of Bologna Pizza Delivery Vendors. Recent influential papers analyze labor supply behavior of taxi drivers (Camerer et al., 1997; and Crawford and Meng, 2011) and suggest that reference-dependence preferences have an important influence on drivers’ labor-supply decisions. Unlike previous papers, I am able to identify an exogenous and transitory change in labor demand. Using high frequency data on orders and rainfall as an exogenous demand shifter, I invariably find that reference-dependent preferences play no role in their labor’ supply decisions and the behavior of pizza vendors is perfectly consistent with the predictions of the standard model of labor’ supply. In the second paper, I investigate how the voting behavior of Members of Parliament is influenced by the Members seating nearby. By exploiting the random seating arrangements in the Icelandic Parliament, I show that being seated next to Members of a different party increases the probability of not being aligned with one’s own party. Using the exact spatial orientation of the peers, I provide evidence that supports the hypothesis that interaction is the main channel that explain these results. In the third paper, I provide an estimate of the trade flows that there would have been between the UK and Europe if the UK had joined the Euro. As an alternative approach to the standard log-linear gravity equation I employ the synthetic control method. I show that the aggregate trade flows between Britain and Europe would have been 13% higher if the UK had adopted the Euro.

The influence of individual and colony level variation in behavior on colony performance in ants

In my dissertation I investigated the influence of behavioral variation between and within ant colonies on group performance. In particular, I analyzed how evolution shapes behavior in response to ecological conditions, and whether within-group diversity improves productivity as suggested by theory. Our field and laboratory experiments showed that behavioral diverse groups are more productive. Different aggression levels within colonies were beneficial under competitive field situations, whereas diversity in brood care and exploratory behavior were favored in non-competitive laboratory situations. We then examined whether population density and social parasite presence shape aggression through phenotypic plasticity and/or natural selection. The importance of selection was indicated by the absence of density or parasite effects on aggression in a field manipulation. Indeed, more aggressive colonies fared better under high density and during parasite attack. When analyzing the proximate causes of individual behavioral variation, ovarian development was shown to be linked to division of labor and aggressiveness. Finally, our studies show that differences in the collective behavior can be linked to immune defense and productivity. My dissertation demonstrates that behavioral variation should be studied on multiple scales and when possible combined with physiological analyses to better understand the evolution of animal personalities in social groups.rn

Synthesis and characterization of hydroxyapatite modified with (9r)-9-hydroxystearic acid

(9R)-9-hydroxystearic acid (9R-HSA) has been proven to have antitumoral activity because it is shown to inhibit histone deacetylase 1, an enzyme which activates DNA replication, and the (R)-enantiomer has been shown to be more active than the (S)-enantiomer both in vitro and by molecular docking. Hydroxyapatite is the main mineral component of bone and teeth and has been used for over 20 years in prostheses and their coating because it is biocompatible and bioactive. The goal of incorporating 9R-HSA into hydroxyapatite is to have a material that combines the bioactivity of HA with the antitumoral properties of 9R-HSA. In this work, 9R-HSA and its potassium salt were synthesized and the latter was also incorporated into hydroxyapatite. The content of (R)-9-hydroxystearate ion incorporated into the apatitic structure was shown to be a function of its concentration in solution and can reach values higher than 8.5%. (9R)-9-hydroxystearic acid modified hydroxyapatite was extensively characterized to determine the effect of the incorporation of the organic molecule. This incorporation does not significantly alter the unit cell but reduces the size of both the crystals as well as the coherent domains, mainly along the a-axis of hydroxyapatite. This is believed to be due to the coordination of the negatively charged carboxylate group to the calcium ions which are more exposed on the (100) face of the crystal, therefore limiting the growth mainly in this direction. Further analyses showed that the material becomes hydrophobic and more negatively charged with the addition of 9R-HSA but both of these properties reach a plateau at less than 5% wt of 9R-HSA.

Design and Control of Robotic Hands

The application of dexterous robotic hands out of research laboratories has been limited by the intrinsic complexity that these devices present. This is directly reflected as an economically unreasonable cost and a low overall reliability. Within the research reported in this thesis it is shown how the problem of complexity in the design of robotic hands can be tackled, taking advantage of modern technologies (i.e. rapid prototyping), leading to innovative concepts for the design of the mechanical structure, the actuation and sensory systems. The solutions adopted drastically reduce the prototyping and production costs and increase the reliability, reducing the number of parts required and averaging their single reliability factors. In order to get guidelines for the design process, the problem of robotic grasp and manipulation by a dual arm/hand system has been reviewed. In this way, the requirements that should be fulfilled at hardware level to guarantee successful execution of the task has been highlighted. The contribution of this research from the manipulation planning side focuses on the redundancy resolution that arise in the execution of the task in a dexterous arm/hand system. In literature the problem of coordination of arm and hand during manipulation of an object has been widely analyzed in theory but often experimentally demonstrated in simplified robotic setup. Our aim is to cover the lack in the study of this topic and experimentally evaluate it in a complex system as a anthropomorphic arm hand system.

On the traces of XPD: cell cycle matters - untangling the genotype-phenotype relationship of XPD mutations

Abstract Mutations in the human gene coding for XPD lead to segmental progeria - the premature appearance of some of the phenotypes normally associated with aging - which may or may not be accompanied by increased cancer incidence. XPD is required for at least three different critical cellular functions: in addition to participating in the process of nucleotide excision repair (NER), which removes bulky DNA lesions, XPD also regulates transcription as part of the general transcription factor IIH (TFIIH) and controls cell cycle progression through its interaction with CAK, a pivotal activator of cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs). The study of inherited XPD disorders offers the opportunity to gain insights into the coordination of important cellular events and may shed light on the mechanisms that regulate the delicate equilibrium between cell proliferation and functional senescence, which is notably altered during physiological aging and in cancer. The phenotypic manifestations in the different XPD disorders are the sum of disturbances in the vital processes carried out by TFIIH and CAK. In addition, further TFIIH- and CAK-independent cellular activities of XPD may also play a role. This, added to the complex feedback networks that are in place to guarantee the coordination between cell cycle, DNA repair and transcription, complicates the interpretation of clinical observations. While results obtained from patient cell isolates as well as from murine models have been elementary in revealing such complexity, the Drosophila embryo has proven useful to analyze the role of XPD as a cell cycle regulator independently from its other cellular functions. Together with data from the biochemical and structural analysis of XPD and of the TFIIH complex these results combine into a new picture of the XPD activities that provides ground for a better understanding of the patophysiology of XPD diseases and for future development of diagnostic and therapeutic tools.

Frequency of and predictors for patient-reported medical and medication errors in Switzerland

OBJECTIVES: To analyse the frequency of and identify risk factors for patient-reported medical errors in Switzerland. The joint effect of risk factors on error-reporting probability was modelled for hypothetical patients. METHODS: A representative population sample of Swiss citizens (n = 1306) was surveyed as part of the Commonwealth Fund’s 2010 lnternational Survey of the General Public’s Views of their Health Care System’s Performance in Eleven Countries. Data on personal background, utilisation of health care, coordination of care problems and reported errors were assessed. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify risk factors for patients’ reports of medical mistakes and medication errors. RESULTS: 11.4% of participants reported at least one error in their care in the previous two years (8% medical errors, 5.3% medication errors). Poor coordination of care experiences was frequent. 7.8% experienced that test results or medical records were not available, 17.2% received conflicting information from care providers and 11.5% reported that tests were ordered although they had been done before. Age (OR = 0.98, p = 0.014), poor health (OR = 2.95, p = 0.007), utilisation of emergency care (OR = 2.45, p = 0.003), inpatient-stay (OR = 2.31, p = 0.010) and poor care coordination (OR = 5.43, p <0.001) are important predictors for reporting error. For high utilisers of care that unify multiple risk factors the probability that errors are reported rises up to p = 0.8. CONCLUSIONS: Patient safety remains a major challenge for the Swiss health care system. Despite the health related and economic burden associated with it, the widespread experience of medical error in some subpopulations also has the potential to erode trust in the health care system as a whole.

Studying the Roles of Nonprofits, Government, and Business in Providing Activities and Services to Youth in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area

The article addresses the questions, What do children in urban areas do on Saturdays? What types of organizational resources do they have access to? Does this vary by social class? Using diary data on children's activities on Saturdays in the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metropolitan area, the authors describe the different types of venues (households, businesses, public space, associations, charities, congregations, and government/tribal agencies) that served different types of children. They find that the likelihood of using a charity or business rather than a government or tribal provider increased with family income. Also, the likelihood of using a congregation or a government facility rather than a business, charity, or household increased with being Hispanic. The authors discuss the implications for the urban division of labor on Saturdays and offer research questions that need further investigation.

[Integrating psychotherapeutic treatment of severe mental illness: between desirability and clinical practice]

Psychiatric care for severe and persistent mentally ill individuals has considerably changed over the last three decades. Striving for improvement in services provision for these patients has led to the emergence of various specialized community services, suited housing and supported work offers. Moreover, community-based treatment is also offered during acute episodes of mental illness. At the same time a range of evidence-based psychotherapeutic approaches targeting treatment needs of people with severe mental illness were developed in a process independent of the rise of community psychiatry. At present, however, a sufficient level of coordination of psychiatric services and integration of evidence-based psychological treatment into psychiatric care has not been achieved. Thus, these issues represent important steps in the further development.This paper discusses recent developments in psychiatric care of people with severe mental illness and reviews the evidence-based psychotherapy approaches suited to fit the needs of patient-centered integrated care.

Characterization of the bovine IkappaB kinases (IKK)alpha and IKKbeta, the regulatory subunit NEMO and their substrate IkappaBalpha

The Nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB signalling pathway plays a critical role in the regulation and coordination of a wide range of cellular events such as cell growth, apoptosis and cell differentiation. Activation of the IKK (inhibitor of NF-kappaB kinase) complex is a crucial step and a point of convergence of all known NF-kappaB signalling pathways. To analyse bovine IKKalpha (IKK1), IKKbeta (IKK2) and IKKgamma (or NF-kappaB Essential MOdulator, NEMO) and their substrate IkappaBalpha (Inhibitor of NF-kappaB), the corresponding cDNAs of these molecules were isolated, sequenced and characterized. A comparison of the amino acid sequences with those of their orthologues in other species showed a very high degree of identity, suggesting that the IKK complex and its substrate IkappaBalpha are evolutionarily highly conserved components of the NF-kappaB pathway. Bovine IKKalpha and IKKbeta are related protein kinases showing 50% identity which is especially prominent in the kinase and leucine zipper domains. Co-immunoprecipitation assays and GST-pull-down experiments were carried out to determine the composition of bovine IKK complexes compared to that in human Jurkat T cells. Using these approaches, the presence of bovine IKK complexes harbouring IKKalpha, IKKbeta, NEMO and the interaction of IKK with its substrate IkappaBalpha could be demonstrated. Parallel experiments using human Jurkat T cells confirmed the high degree of conservation also at the level of protein-protein interactions. Finally, a yeast two-hybrid analysis showed that bovine NEMO molecules, in addition to the binding to IKKalpha and IKKbeta, also strongly interact with each other.

Labor induction in preeclampsia: is misoprostol more effective than dinoprostone?

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of vaginal misoprostol versus dinoprostone for induction of labor (IOL) in patients with preeclampsia according to the WHO criteria. STUDY DESIGN: Ninety-eight patients were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 47 patients received 3 mg dinoprostone suppositories every 6 h (max. 6 mg/24 h) whereas 51 patients in the misoprostol group received either 50 mug misoprostol vaginally every 12 h, or 25 mug every 6 h (max. 100 mug/24 h). Primary outcomes were vaginal delivery within 24 and 48 h, respectively. RESULTS: The probability of delivering within 48 h was more than three-fold higher in the misoprostol than in the dinoprostone group: odds ratio (OR)=3.48; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24, 10.30, whereas no significant difference was observed within 24 h (P=0.34). No correlation was seen between a ripe cervix prior to IOL and delivery within 24/48 h (P=0.33 and P=1.0, respectively). More cesarean sections were performed in the dinoprostone group due to failed IOL (P=0.0009). No significant differences in adverse maternal outcome were observed between both study groups, whereas more neonates (12 vs. 6) of the dinoprostone group were admitted to the NICU (P=0.068). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that misoprostol may have some advantages compared to dinoprostone, including improved efficacy and lower cost of the drug, even in cases of preeclampsia.

[The model project "newborn auditory screening" in the Upper Palatinate: high process and result quality of an interdisciplinary concept]

BACKGROUND: In May 2003, a newborn auditory screening program was initiated in the Upper Palatinate. METHODS: Sequential OAE- and BERA-screening was conducted in all hospitals with obstetric facilities. The Screening Center at the Public Health Authority was responsible for the coordination of the screening process, completeness of participation, the follow-up of all subjects with a positive screening test and the quality of instrumental screening. RESULTS: A total of 96% of 17,469 newborns were screened. The referral rate at discharge was 1.6% (0.4% for bilateral positive findings). For 97% of the positive screening results, a definite diagnosis to confirm or exclude hearing loss was achieved; for 43% only after intervention by the Screening Center. Fifteen children with profound bilateral hearing impairment were identified of whom eight were only detected by the intervention of the Screening Center. CONCLUSION: The effective structures established in the Upper Palatinate provide a standard for the quality of neonatal auditory screening achievable in Germany.

[Experiences of patients and family members during the stay on a nursing unit]

In 2004, the university hospital of Berne ran a pilot project with a Nursing Unit (NU). In this unit patients who no longer needed a close surveillance by physicians were cared for. They needed primarily complex professional nursing care which could not be provided by other hospitals, nursing homes, home care or family members. The nurses were responsible for the coordination of care. This qualitative study investigated experiences of patients and family members with the care concept of the NU. Thematically focused interviews were conducted with nine patients and five family members. Qualitative content analysis was used for data analysis. Results show that patients and family members mostly accepted the new care concept. They positively experienced the quiet and restful atmosphere, the patient-centred and continuous care by competent nurses, the education and the discharge planning. Some study participants reported missing information at the time of their transfer to the NU, insufficient assessments or unsuitable educational scripts. The study provides evidence to positive effects of a patient-centred care approach.

Mechanisms and regulation of epithelial Ca2+ absorption in health and disease

Ca2+ is essential for numerous physiological functions in our bodies. Therefore, its homeostasis is finely maintained through the coordination of intestinal absorption, renal reabsorption, and bone resorption. The Ca2+-selective epithelial channels TRPV5 and TRPV6 have been identified, and their physiological roles have been revealed: TRPV5 is important in final renal Ca2+ reabsorption, and TRPV6 has a key role in intestinal Ca2+ absorption. The TRPV5 knockout mice exhibit renal leak hypercalciuria and accordingly upregulate their intestinal TRPV6 expression to compensate for their negative Ca2+ balance. In contrast, despite their severe negative Ca2+ balance, TRPV6-null mice do not display any compensatory mechanism, thus resulting in secondary hyperparathyroidism. These results indicate that the genes for TRPV5 and TRPV6 are differentially regulated in human diseases associated with disturbed Ca2+ balance such as hypercalciuria, osteoporosis, and vitamin D-resistant rickets.

THE FANNED FLAMES OF DISCONTENT: A SOLIDARITY-INSPIRED HISTORY OF THE IDENTITY/IDEOLOGY, CULTURAL HISTORY, AND RHETORICAL STRATEGIES OF THE WOBBLIES DURING THE 1916 MINNESOTA IRON ORE STRIKE

Rooted in critical scholarship this dissertation is an interdisciplinary study, which contends that having a history is a basic human right. Advocating a newly conceived and termed, Solidarity-inspired History framework/practice perspective, the dissertation argues for and then delivers a restorative voice to working-class historical actors during the 1916 Minnesota Iron Ore Strike. Utilizing an interdisciplinary methodological framework the dissertation combines research methods from the Humanities and the Social Sciences to form a working-class history that is a corrective to standardized studies of labor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Oftentimes class interests and power relationships determine the dominant perspectives or voices established in history and disregard people and organizations that run counter to, or in the face of, customary or traditional American themes of patriotism, the Protestant work ethic, adherence to capitalist dogma, or United States exceptionalism. This dissertation counteracts these traditional narratives with a unique, perhaps even revolutionary, examination of the 1916 Minnesota Iron Ore Strike. The intention of this dissertation's critical perspective is to poke, prod, and prompt academics, historians, and the general public to rethink, and then think again, about the place of those who have been dislocated from or altogether forgotten, misplaced, or underrepresented in the historical record. Thus, the purpose of the dissertation is to give voice to historical actors in the dismembered past. Historical actors who have run counter to traditional American narratives often have their body of "evidence" disjointed or completely dislocated from the story of our nation. This type of disremembering creates an artificial recollection of our collective past, which de-articulates past struggles from contemporary groups seeking solidarity and social justice in the present. Class-conscious actors, immigrants, women, the GLBTQ community, and people of color have the right to be remembered on their own terms using primary sources and resources they produced. Therefore, similar to the Wobblies industrial union and its rank-and-file, this dissertation seeks to fan the flames of discontented historical memory by offering a working-class perspective of the 1916 Strike that seeks to interpret the actions, events, people, and places of the strike anew, thus restoring the voices of these marginalized historical actors.

Legislative Legacy: Big Changes in Legislative Article of 1972 Constitution -- Jerry Loendorf, Arlyne Reichert & Rich Bechtel “In the Crucible of Change”

The fulcrum upon which were leveraged many of the dramatic progressive changes in Montana that are documented "In the Crucible of Change" series was the lead up to, preparation, writing and adoption of the 1972 Montana Constitution. As Montana citizens exhibited their concern over the dysfunctional state government in MT under its 1889 Constitution, one of the areas that stood out as needing serious change was the Montana Legislature. Meeting for only sixty calendar days every two years, the Legislature regularly tried to carry off the subterfuge of stopping the wall clock at 11:59 PM on the sixtieth day and placing a shroud over it so they could continue to conduct business as if it were still the 60th day. Lawyers hired by the Anaconda Company drafted most bills that legislators wanted to have introduced. Malapportionment, especially in the State Senate where each county had one Senator regardless of their population, created a situation where Petroleum County with 800 residents had one senator while neighboring Yellowstone County with 80,000 people also had one senator -- a 100-1 differential in representation. Reapportionment imposed by rulings of the US Supreme Court in the mid-1960s created great furor in rural Montana to go along with the previous dissatisfaction of the urban centers. Stories of Anaconda Company “thumbs up – thumbs down” control of the votes were prevalent. Committee meeting and votes were done behind closed doors and recorded votes were non-existent except for the nearly meaningless final tally. People were in the dark about the creation of laws that affected their daily lives. It was clear that change in the Legislature had to take the form of change in the Constitution and, because it was not likely that the Legislature would advance Constitutional amendments on the subject, a convention seemed the only remedy. Once that Convention was called and went to work, it became apparent that the Legislative Article provided both opportunity for change and danger that too dramatic a change might sink the whole new document. The activities of the Legislative Committee and the whole Convention when acting upon Legislative issues provides one of the more compelling stories of change. The story of the Legislative Article of the Montana Constitution is discussed in this episode by three major players who were directly involved in the effort: Jerry Loendorf, Arlyne Reichert and Rich Bechtel. Their recollections of the activities surrounding the entire Constitutional Convention and specifically the Legislative Article provide an insider’s perspective of the development of the entire Constitution and the Legislative portion which was of such a high degree of interest to the people of Montana during the important period of progressive change documented “In the Crucible of Change.” Jerry Loendorf, who served as Chair of the Legislative Committee at the 1972 Montana Constitutional Convention, received a BA from Carroll College in 1961 and a JD from the University of Montana Law School in 1964. Upon graduation he served two years as a law clerk for the Montana Supreme Court after which he was for 34 years a partner in the law firm of Harrison, Loendorf & Posten, Duncan. In addition to being a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Jerry served on the Board of Labor Appeals from 2000 to 2004. He was designated a Montana Special Assistant Attorney General to represent the state in federal court on the challenge to the results of the ratification election of Montana's Constitution in 1972. Jerry served on the Carroll College Board of Directors in the late 1960s and then again as a member of the Board of Trustees of Carroll College from 2001 to 2009. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Rocky Mountain Development Council since 1970 and was on the board of the Helena YMCA from 1981 to 1987. He also served on the board of the Good Samaritan Ministries from 2009 to 2014. On the business side, Jerry was on the Board of Directors of Valley Bank to Helena from 1980 to 2005. He is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of Montana, the First Judicial District Bar Association, and the Montana Trial Lawyers Association. Carroll College awarded Jerry the Warren Nelson Award 1994 and the Insignias Award in 2007. At Carroll College, Jerry has funded the following three scholarship endowments: George C and Helen T Loendorf, Gary Turcott, and Fr. William Greytek. Arlyne Reichert, Great Falls Delegate to the Constitutional Convention and former State Legislator, was born in Buffalo, NY in 1926 and attended University of Buffalo in conjunction with Cadet Nurses Training during WWII. She married a Montanan in Great Falls in 1945 and was widowed in 1968. She is mother of five, grandmother of seven, great-grandmother of four. Arlyne was employed by McLaughlin Research Institute in Great Falls for 23 years, serving as Technical Editor of Transplantation Journal in 1967, retiring as Assistant Director in 1989. In addition to being a state legislator (1979 Session) and a delegate to the 1972 Montana Constitutional Convention, she has filled many public roles, including Cascade County Study Commissioner (1974), MT Comprehensive Health Council, US Civil Rights Commission MT Advisory Committee, MT Capitol Restoration Committee, and Great Falls Public Library Trustee. Arlyne has engaged in many non-profit activities including League of Women Voters (State & Local Board Officer – from where her interest in the MT Constitutional change developed), Great Falls Public Radio Association (President & Founder), American Cancer Society (President Great Falls Chapter), Chair of MT Rhodes Scholarship Committee, and Council Member of the National Civic League. She also served a while as a Television Legislative Reporter. Arlyne has been recipient of numerous awards, the National Distinguished Citizens Award from the National Municipal League, two Women of Achievement Awards from Business & Professional Women, the Salute to Women Award by YWCA, Heritage Preservation Award from Cascade County Historical Society and the State of Montana, and the Heroes Award from Humanities Montana. She remains active, serving as Secretary-Treasurer of Preservation Cascade, Inc., and as Board Member of the McLaughlin Research Institute. Her current passion is applied to the preservation/saving of the historic 10th Street Bridge that crosses the Missouri River in Great Falls. Rich Bechtel of Helena was born in Napa, California in 1945 and grew up as an Air Force brat living in such places as Bitberg, Germany, Tripoli, Libya, and Sevilla, Spain. He graduated from Glasgow High School and the University of Montana. Rich was a graduate assistant for noted Montana History professor Professor K. Ross Toole, but dropped out of graduate school to pursue a real life in Montana politics and government. Rich has had a long, varied and colorful career in the public arena. He currently is the Director of the Office of Taxpayer Assistance & Public Outreach for MT’s Department of Revenue. He previously held two positions with the National Wildlife Federation in Washington, DC (Sr. Legislative Representative [1989-91] and Sr. Legislative Representative for Wildlife Policy [2004-2006]). While in Washington DC, he also was Assistant for Senator Lee Metcalf (D-MT), 1974-1976; Federal-State Coordinator for State of Montana, 1976-1989; Director of the Western Governors’ Association Washington Office, 1991-2000; and Director of Federal Affairs for Governor Kitzhaber of Oregon, 2001- 2003. Earlier in Montana Government, between 1971 and 1974, Rich was Research Analyst for MT Blue Ribbon Commission on Postsecondary Education, Legislative Consultant and Bill Drafter for MT Legislative Council, Research Analyst for the MT Constitutional Convention Commission where he provided original research on legislatures, as well as Researcher/Staff for the MT Constitutional Convention Legislative Committee, from where he drafted the various provisions of the Legislative Article and the majority and minority reports on behalf of the Committee members. Rich has represented Montana’s Governor on a trade and cultural mission to Republic of China and participated in US-German Acid Rain Committee sessions in Germany and with European Economic Community environmental officials in Belgium. He is married to Yvonne Seng (Ph.D.) - T’ai Chi apprentice; author and birder.