Sensitivity and specificity of the Mini-Mental State Examination in the Mexican population

The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a rapid, easy-to-administer test for the assessment of cognition functions. It is widely used in clinical practice and in applied research. In this study, we aimed to establish a standard for the Mexican population similar to the ones produced for other relevant populations. We also analysed the effects of demographic variables which regularly induce bias in responses on performance tests, and then, on the basis of the results, implemented a series of corrections to the MMSE to compensate for the usual effects of age and years of formal education. We thus generated a new scale, the adjusted MMSE (AMMSE). We established the maximum sensitivity point to discriminate between the normal population and subjects diagnosed with dementia (vascular and Alzheimer’s). The study provides sensitivity and specificity estimates of this subject-standardized tool in order to reduce the probability of false positives and negatives in the Mexican population.     

COBRA compliance: how employers can successfully meet today's complexities

Although the architects of COBRA had sound and compassionate motivations in place, administration of and compliance with this law are far from easy. COBRA assists employees that lose their jobs by allowing them to purchase insurance benefits from their former employer. Outsourcing COBRA administration can be the best way for some employers to cope with COBRA regulations, contingencies and paperwork and avoid legal fees and penalties. But look for COBRA providers that have a sound track record.     

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This paper is devoted to an analysis of financial ratio adjustment in European financial statements. To that end, we use an hierarchical model based on the partial adjustment model. This model allows us to distinguish between adjustments that are due to external shocks and which affect all countries, on the one hand, and those resulting from internal shocks which affect the relative position of one country with respect to the rest, on the other. In addition to estimating the average adjustment coefficients of each ratio, we locate those countries that have a behaviour which is significantly different from the rest. We find that, in general, the evolution of the ratios analysed is mainly determined by their adjustments to external shocks, with the ratios related to the profit and loss account demonstrating a greater sensitivity to all types of shocks. By contrast, the debt ratios show the least sensitivity. When considered on a country-by-country basis, the most significant differences appear in the results ratios, with Spain being the country that is most sensitive to external shocks, and Denmark and Germany being least sensitive to all types of shocks.     

Age and influence tactics: a life-stage development theory perspective

This article provides a life-stage development theory perspective that is used to examine the relationship between age and the motivation to use influence tactics in work organizations. It examines how life-stage development sometimes encourages, and at other times discourages, the propensity to use influence tactics in a workplace. Thus, this article examines the quantitative, more versus less, use of influence tactics, rather than looking at specific tactics used as one grows older. Also, the work setting is extended to include both traditional organizations and distributed work environments. Research propositions, implications for practice and directions for future work are also discussed.     

POST-REFORM PRODUCTIVITY PERFORMANCE AND SOURCES OF GROWTH IN CHINESE INDUSTRY: 1980–85

This paper examines the productivity growth and its sources in 39 Chinese industries in the post-reform period 1980–85. We use both the gross-output and value-added models to isolate the contributions of labor, capital, materials and technical efficiency to growth in industrial output. Using new data from the National Industrial Census of China (1988) for large and medium-size enterprises, we find that Chinese industries, in particular, those in the manufacturing experienced sharp increases in total factor productivity growth in the 1984–85 period as compared to the 1980–84 period. Moreover, collective and private enterprises show higher output and total factor productivity gains than do state enterprises. Our regression results show that total factor productivity gains are closely tied to increases in retained profits and the proportion of total employees that are technical workers. However, labor bonuses have a negative effect on total factor productivity growth.     

Evaluating the effects of investment in information and communication technology

Most of the studies on the consequences of information and communication technology (ICT) have been focused on US aggregate data. In contrast to these studies, this paper empirically assesses the industrial effect of ICT investment on three key variables – real output, employment, and labour productivity – in some European Union-15 (EU-15) countries and the USA using panel-vector autoregression models. An increase in ICT investment is positive for the economies of these countries, giving rise to larger growth in real output, employment, and labour productivity at the industrial level. The pattern of responses to changes in ICT investment is quantitatively diverse across most of the EU-15 countries studied and in the two types of industries considered (i.e. ICT-intensive and less intensive industries). Moreover, the positive impact on labour productivity in ICT-intensive industries is larger after the mid-1990s, with the USA being the most positively affected country.     

An analysis of consumption behaviour of foreign tourists in Ireland

The objective of this article is to analyse the consumption behaviour of foreign tourists in Ireland. Based on the Almost Ideal Demand System, five demand systems are estimated, four representing the major source markets of tourists to Ireland, namely from Britain, North America, Mainland Europe and Rest of the World; and one aggregate model based on a pooled sample. Each system included six commodity aggregates representing the major consumables of tourists. Estimated models were statistically significant and the derived elasticities are theoretically consistent and empirically plausible. While there are some variations in the consumption patterns of tourists from different source markets, reflecting differences in consumer preferences and consumption habits, in general, tourist demand for the various Irish tourism goods and services is found to be price inelastic. This finding is consistent with a priori expectations, as tourists are obliged to consume whatever is available at the destination they visit. The lack of substitutes and perfect information on product markets offer limited consumption opportunities for the tourists. Nonetheless, the cross-price elasticity values for all commodities across the source markets indicate gross complementarity, which suggests that latent price sensitivity exists in the background. This is an area that needs further investigation and this finding may have significant, yet unknown, consequences for repeat visitation.     

Were the peseta exchange rate crises forecastable during target zone period?

During the 1990s several fixed or quasi-fixed exchange rate systems collapsed. Currency crises have happened in both developed and emerging countries so it is necessary to forecast and avoid them. However, financial market crises have been extremely difficult to forecast. Economic agents' expectations are nonobservable variables that cannot be ignored in the models. In addition, if it is required to study the European case during the 1990s, the censored disposition of the exchange rate cannot be ignored either. A discrete time target zones model is proposed where these aspects are taken into account. It will be tested in a peseta/deutsche mark exchange rate framework, from June 1989 to December 1998. The results indicate differences between before and after the shift in band widths in August 1993.