The impact of taxes and transfer payments on the distribution of income: A parametric comparison

The Luxembourg Income Study data is used to explore the impact of taxes and transfer payments on the distribution of income across thirteen countries for different years. The five-parameter generalized beta distribution and ten of its special cases are considered as models for the size distribution of income. Maximum likelihood methods are used to estimate the model with corresponding measures of goodness of fit and inequality reported. These results identify the best-fitting two, three, and four- parameter models as well as describe the inter-temporal patterns of inequality corresponding to earnings, total income, and disposable income. A general pattern of increasing inequality is observed for almost all countries considered along with significantly different distributional impacts of taxes and transfer payments across countries

Evaluation of the Long Term Effectiveness of the Nutrition Component of the Fit Kids of Arizona Program

The Fit Kids of Arizona program was created in 2009 to combat the childhood obesity epidemic in Northern Arizona. Fit Kids has been providing health education to overweight children and their families for the past five years. Research to validate the programs efforts has been lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of the nutrition component of the Fit Kids of Arizona program. The study also aimed to analyze the changes in BMI percentile after program participation and to obtain program satisfaction comments from past participants. Through the research process it was realized that the data collection and storage methods currently used by Fit Kids are inconsistent and do currently not help facilitate research. The research project evolved to include a protocol on what Fit Kids of Arizona can do to collect and store patient data in a manner that facilitates future research and program sustainability

Examining Reported Versus Actual Attendance in College Basketball Non-Conference Games: Do Scheduling Elements Make a Difference?

This study examines factors impacting sport attendance at non-conference NCAA Division I men’s college basketball games. Non-conference college basketball games are relatively unique because athletic department personnel control many of the scheduling variables related to event popularity, including opponent, game day, and start time. As such, it is valuable for administrators to know which elements might maximize event revenue. The current study is also unique because it examines both reported attendance (tickets disseminated) and actual attendance (tickets scanned at the venue). A total of 48 schools provided ticket scan rate data for their non-conference home basketball games over three seasons (2017-2020), with a total of 964 observations. Results revealed a no-show rate of 37%. Several factors affecting reported attendance were significantly different than those affecting actual attendance, including weekend games, geographic distance between schools, and home team winning percentage. Results were also different between Power Five institutions and non-Power Five institutions

Optical-pump terahertz-probe spectroscopy in high magnetic fields with kHz single-shot detection

We demonstrate optical pump/THz probe (OPTP) spectroscopy with a variable external magnetic field (0-9 T) in which the time-dependent THz signal is measured by echelon-based single-shot detection at a 1 kHz repetition rate. The method reduces data acquisition times by more than an order of magnitude compared to conventional electro-optic sampling using a scanning delay stage. The approach illustrates the wide applicability of the single-shot measurement approach to nonequilibrium systems that are studied through OPTP spectroscopy, especially in cases where parameters such as magnetic field strength (B) or other experimental parameters are varied. We demonstrate the capabilities of our measurement by performing cyclotron resonance experiments in bulk silicon, where we observe B-field dependent carrier relaxation and distinct relaxation rates for different carrier types. We use a pair of economical linear array detectors to measure 500 time points on each shot, offering equivalent performance to camera-based detection with possibilities for higher repetition rates

Differences in Simulated Car Following Behavior of Younger and Older Drivers

Older drivers are at risk for vehicle crashes due to impairments of visual processing and attention, placing these drivers at greater risk in driving tasks that require continuous attention to neighboring traffic, especially lead vehicles (LVs). We investigated car following behavior in 42 younger drivers (ages 18 to 44 years) and 58 older drivers (ages 65 to 86 years) in a driving simulator. The drivers were instructed to maintain two car lengths from a virtual LV. The LV varied its velocity according to a sum of three sine waves, making the velocity changes unpredictable to the drivers. A Fourier analysis was performed using the vehicle trajectory data to derive measures of coherence, gain, and delay as indices of car following behavior. These measures as well as headway distance were compared between the two groups. Older drivers were less able to match changes in the LV velocity indicated by lower coherence (0.76 v. 0.84, p=0.019) and larger gain (2.24 v. 1.74, p=0.031). However, these drivers followed further behind the LV than younger drivers, a potential compensatory strategy that may reduce collision risk for older drivers

Collision Avoidance Training Using a Driving Simulator in Drivers with Parkinson\u27s Disease: A Pilot Study

Parkinson’s disease (PD) impairs driving performance, and simulator studies have shown increased crashes compared to controls. In this pilot study, eight drivers with PD participated in three drive sessions with multiple simulator intersections of varying visibility and traffic load, where an incurring vehicle posed a crash risk. Over the course of the three sessions (once every 1-2 weeks), we observed reduction in crashes (p=0.059) and reaction times (p=0.006) to the vehicle incursion. These findings suggest that our simulator training program is feasible and potentially useful in drivers with PD. Future research questions include transfer of training to different driving tasks, duration of benefit, and the effect on long term real life outcomes in comparison to a standard intervention (e.g., driver education class) in a randomized trial

Using Tenant-based Housing Vouchers to Help End Homelessness in Los Angeles, 2016-2020

As part of the larger evaluation of the Hilton Foundation's Homelessness initiative, Abt Associates examined how effective the Los Angeles region's public housing authorities (PHAs) have been in using vouchers to help people leave homelessness, the extent to which voucher holders succeed in using the vouchers, the locations where they use vouchers, and the implications for the PHAs' programs—who they serve and at what cost. This study focuses on 2016 through early 2020, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic