What risks do people perceive in everyday life? A perspective gained from the experience sampling method (ESM)

The experiential sampling method (ESM) was used to collect data from 74 parttimestudents who described and assessed the risks involved in their current activitieswhen interrupted at random moments by text messages. The major categories ofperceived risk were short-term in nature and involved loss of time or materials relatedto work and physical damage (e.g., from transportation). Using techniques of multilevelanalysis, we demonstrate effects of gender, emotional state, and types of risk onassessments of risk. Specifically, females do not differ from males in assessing thepotential severity of risks but they see these as more likely to occur. Also, participantsassessed risks to be lower when in more positive self-reported emotional states. Wefurther demonstrate the potential of ESM by showing that risk assessments associatedwith current actions exceed those made retrospectively. We conclude by notingadvantages and disadvantages of ESM for collecting data about risk perceptions.

Health correlates of overweight and obesity in adults aged 50 years and over: results from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)

QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY: To examine the association between overweight/obesity and several self-reported chronic diseases, symptoms and disability measures. METHODS: Data from eleven European countries participating in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe were used. 18,584 non-institutionalised individuals aged 50 years and over with BMI > or = 18.5 (kg/m2) were included. BMI was categorized into normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9), overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9) and obesity (BMI > or = 30). Dependent variables were 13 diagnosed chronic conditions, 11 health complaints, subjective health and physical disability measures. For both genders, multiple logistic regressions were performed adjusting for age, socioeconomic status and behaviour risks. RESULTS: The odds ratios for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, arthritis, joint pain and swollen legs were significantly increased for overweight and obese adults. Compared to normal-weight individuals, the odds ratio (OR) for reporting > or = 2 chronic diseases was 2.4 (95% CI 1.9-2.9) for obese men and 2.7 (95% CI 2.2-3.1) for obese women. Overweight and obese women were more likely to report health symptoms. Obesity in men (OR 0.5, 95% CI 0.4-0.6), and overweight (OR 0.5, 95% CI 0.4-0.6) and obesity (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.3-0.5) in women, were associated with poorer subjective health (i.e. a decreased risk of reporting excellent, very good or good subjective health). Disability outcomes were those showing the greatest differences in strength of association across BMI categories, and between genders. For example, the OR for any difficulty in walking 100 metres was non-significant at 0.8 for overweight men, at 1.9 (95% CI 1.3-2.7) for obese men, at 1.4 (95% CI 1.1-1.8) for overweight women, and at 3.5 (95% CI 2.6-4.7) for obese women. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the impact of increased BMI on morbidity and disability. Healthcare stakeholders of the participating countries should be aware of the substantial burden that obesity places on the general health and autonomy of adults aged over 50.

The use of derivatives in the Spanish mutual fund industry

We study the use of derivatives in the Spanish mutual fund industry. The picture that emerges from our analysis is rather negative. In general, the use of derivatives does not improve the performance of the funds. In only one out of eight categories we find some (very weak and not robust) evidence of superior performance. In most of the cases users significantly underperform non users. Furthermore, users do not seem to exhibit superior timing or selectivity skills either, but rather the contrary. This bad performance is only partially explained by the larger fees funds using derivatives charge. Moreover,we do not find evidence of derivatives being used for hedging purposes. We do find evidence of derivatives being used for speculation. But users in only one category exhibit skills as speculators. Finally, we find evidence of derivatives being used to manage the funds cash inflows and outflows more efficiently.

Iowa Gender Wage Equity Study, 2008

In 1993, Iowa Workforce Development (then the Department of Employment Services) conducted a survey to determine if there was a gender gap in wages paid. The results of that survey indicated that females were paid 68 cents for every dollar paid to males. Another study was conducted in 1999 which found that females made approximately 73 cents for every dollar made by males in Iowa. These calculations took into account the average number of hours respondents worked weekly. In January 2008, Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) was contacted by the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women (ICSW) to request that IWD conduct research to update the 1999 gender wage equity study to determine if the wage disparity between males and females has changed since the 1999 study. This study was completed by IWD using 2007/2008 Laborshed data consisting of responses from 5,669 employed respondents. Of the respondents, 59.6 percent (3,379) were female, 40.3 percent (2,285) were male, and 0.1 percent (5) refused to identify their gender. Statewide sampling was provided by the University of Northern Iowa’s Institute for Decision Making based on the population per ZIP code. The results of the survey show that females who are paid an hourly wage earn 21.8 percent (78.2 cents for every dollar) less than males earn and females who are salaried earn 21.6 percent less than males. Additional survey results detail the occupational categories, industries and the education and experience levels. All of these characteristics contribute to the disparity.

Evaluación de riesgo ecológico

Se desarrolló una Evaluación de Riesgo Ecológico (ERE) mediante un taller de trabajo con 29 representantes de todos los usuarios de la pesquería de anchoveta (stock norte-centro), en sus tres dimensiones, “bienestar ecológico”, “bienestar humano” y “capacidad de logro”. Se dio prioridad a los temas conflictivos de la pesquería clasificando su riesgo tomando en cuenta el nivel de impacto que tendría al ocurrir y la probabilidad de que ocurra. Se identificó 99 problemas de riesgo de los cuales más de dos tercios fueron clasificados por consenso como alto o extremo. Casi la mitad de los riesgos altos y extremos estuvieron en la dimensión “capacidad de logro”

Equipment and Vehicle Purchase Report, 2008

Attached is the Equipment and Vehicle Purchase Report for Fiscal Year 2008 as required by Iowa Code section 307.47. The report is sorted by our accounting object codes. The object codes help you sort the equipment into general categories. The following list will help you understand the codes: Object Description 701 Self Propelled Vehicles 702 Road Equipment & Trailers 703 Large Office Furniture & Files 704 Shop Tools & Small Equipment 705 Engineer, Survey & Measuring Equipment 706 Copiers, Fax & Communication Equipment 707 Computers & Related Equipment

Automated quantitative pupillometry for the prognostication of coma after cardiac arrest.

BACKGROUND: Sedation and therapeutic hypothermia (TH) delay neurological responses and might reduce the accuracy of clinical examination to predict outcome after cardiac arrest (CA). We examined the accuracy of quantitative pupillary light reactivity (PLR), using an automated infrared pupillometry, to predict outcome of post-CA coma in comparison to standard PLR, EEG, and somato-sensory evoked potentials (SSEP). METHODS: We prospectively studied over a 1-year period (June 2012-June 2013) 50 consecutive comatose CA patients treated with TH (33 °C, 24 h). Quantitative PLR (expressed as the % of pupillary response to a calibrated light stimulus) and standard PLR were measured at day 1 (TH and sedation; on average 16 h after CA) and day 2 (normothermia, off sedation: on average 46 h after CA). Neurological outcome was assessed at 90 days with Cerebral Performance Categories (CPC), dichotomized as good (CPC 1-2) versus poor (CPC 3-5). Predictive performance was analyzed using area under the ROC curves (AUC). RESULTS: Patients with good outcome [n = 23 (46 %)] had higher quantitative PLR than those with poor outcome [n = 27; 16 (range 9-23) vs. 10 (1-30) % at day 1, and 20 (13-39) vs. 11 (1-55) % at day 2, both p < 0.001]. Best cut-off for outcome prediction of quantitative PLR was <13 %. The AUC to predict poor outcome was higher for quantitative than for standard PLR at both time points (day 1, 0.79 vs. 0.56, p = 0.005; day 2, 0.81 vs. 0.64, p = 0.006). Prognostic accuracy of quantitative PLR was comparable to that of EEG and SSEP (0.81 vs. 0.80 and 0.73, respectively, both p > 0.20). CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative PLR is more accurate than standard PLR in predicting outcome of post-anoxic coma, irrespective of temperature and sedation, and has comparable prognostic accuracy than EEG and SSEP.

A note on the dual scaling of dominance data and its relationship to correspondence analysis

Dual scaling of a subjects-by-objects table of dominance data (preferences,paired comparisons and successive categories data) has been contrasted with correspondence analysis, as if the two techniques were somehow different. In this note we show that dual scaling of dominance data is equivalent to the correspondence analysis of a table which is doubled with respect to subjects. We also show that the results of both methods can be recovered from a principal components analysis of the undoubled dominance table which is centred with respect to subject means.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: a mean to stratify cardiovascular risk.

OBJECTIVE: Current hypertension guidelines stress the importance to assess total cardiovascular risk but do not describe precisely how to use ambulatory blood pressures in the cardiovascular risk stratification. METHOD: We calculated here global cardiovascular risk according to 2003 European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology guidelines in 127 patients in whom daytime ambulatory blood pressures were recorded and carotid/femoral ultrasonography performed. RESULTS: The presence of ambulatory blood pressures >or =135/85 mmHg shifted cardiovascular risk to higher categories, as did the presence of hypercholesterolemia and, even more so, the presence of atherosclerotic plaques. CONCLUSION: Further studies are, however, needed to define the position of ambulatory blood pressures in the assessment of cardiovascular risk.

Life-time redistribution effects of the Spanish public pension system

The paper analyses the inter and intragenerational redistribution effects ofthe public pensions system in Spain. This is achieved by first comparing the expected present value of life-time income transfers (PVT) and internalrates of return (IRR) of different population cohorts. Secondly, we study the intragenerational aspects of the Spanish public pensions by calculating PVTs the IRRs for workers of different categories, grouped by earnings, gender and marital status.The results obtained show the nature of the important intergenerational effects of the Social Security System in Spain. The oldest 1935 cohort clearlybenefits in relation to the youngest 1965 cohort. This is basically due to thegap between current wages and the contribution bases established in the 60s and 70s in Spain during the early stages of the Social Security System, and to the worsening shortfall in Social Security funding, combined with the longer of life expectancy.In addition, intragenerational effects exist by income levels. For contributors who pay between the minimum and the maximum allowable contribution bases, net transfers and rates of return are higher in actuarial terms for high incomecontributors. The social security `dealï is again more profitable for highincome individuals since they contribute at the maximum basis, with respect tolow income contributors at the minimum basis. This is due to the late entry and a higher survival rate for high income contributors.The system tends to favour women, given that they generally live longer than men and this factor is only partially offset by their lower wages. Married males, given the fact that they have longer life expectancy and leave a pension to their spouse, obtain higher present net transfers too than do single contributors.We close the paper with some comments on the slight impact and moderate effects of proposals for Social Security reform and on how these may change the previously observed redistribution effects.

Security analysts as frame-makers

In this paper we explore the mechanisms that allow securities analysts to value companies in contexts of Knightian uncertainty, that is, in the face of information that is unclear, subject to unforeseeable contingencies or to multiple interpretations. We address this question with a grounded-theory analysis of the reports written on Amazon.com by securities analyst Henry Blodget and rival analysts during the years 1998-2000. Our core finding is that analysts' reports are structured by internally consistent associations that includecategorizations, key metrics and analogies. We refer to these representations as calculative frames, and propose that analysts function as frame-makers - that is, asspecialized intermediaries that help investors value uncertain stocks. We conclude by considering the implications of frame-making for the rise of new industry categories, analysts' accuracy, and the regulatory debate on analysts'independence.

Determinar qué tipo de imágenes de moda exhibidas en Pinterest propician la intención de compra

S'ha decidit aprofundir en una xarxa que a més de fer soroll per la seva nova proposta, està generant trànsit a pàgines webs que ofereixen venda online dels seus productes: Pinterest. Per la seva proposta gràfica i conceptual, Pinterest ha aconseguit cridar l'atenció del públic femení, especialment al segment d'edats entre 18 i 45 anys, potencials consumidores de categories de productes relacionats a la bellesa i la cura personal. Sent aquest el cas, es desenvolupa un estudi en el qual es busca identificar un patró d'imatge de productes de moda que resulti en la intenció de compra per part de les usuàries. En aquest cas, les dones espanyoles de les esmentades edats

shoPOIng : gestor de POIs per dispositius Android

Aplicació per emmagatzemar les direccions dels llocs d'interès de l'usuari amb l'objectiu de substituir els targeters tradicionals. La seva funcionalitat inclou poder gestionar-los, compartir-los a través del correu electrònic i classificar-los, amb una sèrie de categories i paraules clau per després poder geoposicionar-los i traçar rutes entre els diferents punts des de la ubicació on es troba l'usuari.