The effect of statutory sick pay regulations on workers' health

Social insurance programs typically comprise sick leave insurance. An important policy parameter is how the cost of sick leave are shared between workers, firms, and the social security system. We show that this sharing rule affects not only absence behavior, but also workers' subsequent health. To inform our empirical analysis we propose a simple model, where workers' absence decision is taken conditional on the sharing rule, health, and a dismissal probability. Our empirical analysis is based on high-quality administrative data sources from Austria. Identification is guaranteed by idiosyncratic variation in the sharing rule (caused by different policy reforms and sharp discontinuities at certain tenure levels and firm sizes). An increase in either the workers' or the firms' cost share (both at the public expense) decrease the number of sick leave days. Variations in the workers' cost are quantitatively more important (by a factor of about two). Policy-induced variation in sick leave has a significant effect on subsequent health (care cost). The average worker in our sample is in the domain of presenteeism, i. e. an increase in sick leave (due to reductions in the workers' or the firms' cost share) would reduce health care cost.This paper also appears as Working Paper no. 1504, CD-Lab Aging, Health and the Labor Market, Johannes Kepler University

The Effect of Statutory Sick Pay Regulations on Workers' Health

Social insurance programs typically comprise sick leave insurance. An important policy parameter is how the cost of sick leave are shared between workers, firms, and the social security system. We show that this sharing rule affects not only absence behavior, but also workers' subsequent health. To inform our empirical analysis we propose a simple model, where workers' absence decision is taken conditional on the sharing rule, health, and a dismissal probability. Our empirical analysis is based on high-quality administrative data sources from Austria. Identification is guaranteed by idiosyncratic variation in the sharing rule (caused by different policy reforms and sharp discontinuities at certain tenure levels and firm sizes). An increase in either the workers' or the firms' cost share (both at the public expense) decrease the number of sick leave days. Variations in the workers' cost are quantitatively more important (by a factor of about two). Policy-induced variation in sick leave has a significant effect on subsequent health (care cost). The average worker in our sample is in the domain of presenteeism, i.e. an increase in sick leave (due to reductions in the workers' or the firms' cost share) would reduce health care cost

The effect of statutory sick-pay on workers' labor supply and subsequent health

Social insurance programs typically comprise sick-leave insurance. An important policy parameter is how the costs of lost productivity due to sick leave are shared between workers, firms, and the social security system. We show that this sharing rule affects not only absence behavior but also workers' subsequent health. To inform our empirical analysis, we propose a model in which workers' absence decisions are conditional on the sharing rule, health, and a dismissal probability. Our empirical analysis is based on high-quality administrative data sources from Austria. Identification is based on idiosyncratic variation in the sharing rule caused by different policy reforms and sharp discontinuities at certain job tenure levels and firm sizes. An increase in either the workers' or the firms' cost share, both at public expense, decreases the number of sick-leave days. Policy-induced variation in sick leave has a significant effect on subsequent healthcare costs. The average worker in our sample is in the domain of presenteeism, that is, an increase in sick leave due to reductions in workers' or firms' cost share would reduce healthcare costs and the incidence of workplace accidents

FRAM telescopes and their measurements of aerosol content at the Pierre Auger Observatory and at future sites of the Cherenkov Telescope Array

A FRAM (F/(Ph)otometric Robotic Atmospheric Monitor) telescope is a system of a robotic mount, a large-format CCD camera and a fast telephoto lens that can be used for atmospheric monitoring at any site when information about the atmospheric transparency is required with high spatial or temporal resolution and where continuous use of laser-based methods for this purpose would interfere with other observations. The original FRAM has been operated at the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina for more than a decade, while three more FRAMs are foreseen to be used by the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). The CTA FRAMs are being deployed ahead of time to characterize the properties of the sites prior to the operation of the CTA telescopes; one FRAM has been running on the planned future CTA site in Chile for a year while two others are expected to become operational before the end of 2018. We report on the hardware and current status of operation and/or deployment of all the FRAM instruments in question as well as on some of the preliminary results of integral aerosol measurements by the FRAMs in Argentina and ChileComment: Proceedings of AtmoHEAD 201

Sequential loss of myelin proteins during Wallerian degeneration in the human spinal cord

Axons undergo Wallerian degeneration (WD) distal to a point of injury. In the lesioned PNS, WD may be followed by successful axonal regeneration and functional recovery. However, in the lesioned mammalian CNS, there is no significant axonal regeneration. Myelin-associated proteins (MAPs) have been shown to play significant roles in preventing axonal regeneration in the CNS. Since relatively little is known about such events in human CNS pathologies, we performed an immunohistochemical investigation on the temporal changes of four MAPs during WD in post-mortem spinal cords of 22 patients who died 2 days to 30 years after either cerebral infarction or traumatic spinal cord injury. In contrast to experimental studies in rats, the loss of myelin sheaths is greatly delayed in humans and continues slowly over a number of years. However, in agreement with animal data, a sequential loss of myelin proteins was found which was dependent on their location within the myelin sheath. Myelin proteins situated on the peri-axonal membrane were the first to be lost, the time course correlating with the loss of axonal markers. Proteins located within compact myelin or on the outer myelin membrane were still detectable 3 years after injury in degenerating fibre tracts, long after the disappearance of the corresponding axons. The persistence of axon growth-inhibitory proteins such as NOGO-A in degenerating nerve fibre tracts may contribute to the maintenance of an environment that is hostile to axon regeneration, long after the initial injury. The present data highlight the importance of correlating the well documented, lesion-induced changes that take place in controlled laboratory investigations with those that take place in the clinical domai

Janus II: a new generation application-driven computer for spin-system simulations

This paper describes the architecture, the development and the implementation of Janus II, a new generation application-driven number cruncher optimized for Monte Carlo simulations of spin systems (mainly spin glasses). This domain of computational physics is a recognized grand challenge of high-performance computing: the resources necessary to study in detail theoretical models that can make contact with experimental data are by far beyond those available using commodity computer systems. On the other hand, several specific features of the associated algorithms suggest that unconventional computer architectures, which can be implemented with available electronics technologies, may lead to order of magnitude increases in performance, reducing to acceptable values on human scales the time needed to carry out simulation campaigns that would take centuries on commercially available machines. Janus II is one such machine, recently developed and commissioned, that builds upon and improves on the successful JANUS machine, which has been used for physics since 2008 and is still in operation today. This paper describes in detail the motivations behind the project, the computational requirements, the architecture and the implementation of this new machine and compares its expected performances with those of currently available commercial systems.Comment: 28 pages, 6 figure

Effect of bi- and trimodal size distribution on the superficial hardness of Al/SiCp composites prepared by pressureless infiltration

The effect of particle size distribution on the superficial hardness of Al/SiCp composites prepared by pressureless infiltration, as well as on the microhardness and fracture toughness (KIC) of particulate silicon carbide (SiCp) was investigated. Preforms with 0.6 volume fraction of SiC powders (10, 68 and 140 μm) with monomodal, bimodal and trimodal distribution were infiltrated with the alloy Al–15.52 Mg–13.62 Si (wt.%) in argon followed by nitrogen at 1100 °C for 60 min. Results show that density behaves linearly with increase in particle-size-distribution whilst superficial hardness, microhardness and fracture toughness exhibit all a parabolic behavior. Superficial hardness behavior can be explained by the combined effect of work-hardening in the alloy matrix and particle-to-particle impingement. Due to the highly covalent nature of SiC, the parabolic response shown by microhardness and KIC cannot be attributed to a dislocation mechanism as in strain-hardening.The effect of particle size distribution on the superficial hardness of Al/SiCp composites prepared by pressureless infiltration, as well as on the microhardness and fracture toughness (KIC) of particulate silicon carbide (SiCp) was investigated. Preforms with 0.6 volume fraction of SiC powders (10, 68 and 140 μm) with monomodal, bimodal and trimodal distribution were infiltrated with the alloy Al–15.52 Mg–13.62 Si (wt.%) in argon followed by nitrogen at 1100 °C for 60 min. Results show that density behaves linearly with increase in particle-size-distribution whilst superficial hardness, microhardness and fracture toughness exhibit all a parabolic behavior. Superficial hardness behavior can be explained by the combined effect of work-hardening in the alloy matrix and particle-to-particle impingement. Due to the highly covalent nature of SiC, the parabolic response shown by microhardness and KIC cannot be attributed to a dislocation mechanism as in strain-hardening

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al/SiC Composites with Multimodal Size Distribution of Reinforcements

The effect of particle size distribution and particle size ratio of SiC in SiC/SiO2 preforms on the microstructure, microhardness of SiC reinforcements, modulus of rupture and superficial hardness of Al/SiC composites produced by pressureless infiltration has been investigated. SiC/SiO2 preforms in the form of plates (4cm x 3cm x 0.5 cm) have been pressureless infiltrated by the alloy Al-15.52 Mg-13.62 Si (wt%) at 1100°C fro 60 min under inert atmosphere. SiC powders with average particle size of 10, 68 an 140 micras are mixed withy SiO2 powders an preforms of 40% porosity with unimodal, bimodal and trimodal size distribuitions are prepared by uniaxial compactation. The bimodal (small:large) and trimodal (small:medium:large) preforms are prepared with differents particles sizes ratiosin the following levels: 1:1, 3:1.1:3. 2:2:2, 3:2:1, 3:1:2. Results from characterization by XRD, SEM and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry show that the typical microstructure of the composites contains the MgAl2O4 (spinel), AlN and MgO phases formed during processing as well as particlly reacted silica, SiC, SI and Al. It is found that the density, reinforcements microhardness, modulus of rupture and superficial hardness of the composites increase all with winder particle size distribution. However, whilst the modulus of rupture is mainly affected on going from unimodal and bimodal to trimodal distribution, superficial hardness and microhardness are mostly influenced on going from unimodal to bimmodal adn trimodal distribution