Marriage: Cause or mere indicator of future earnings growth?

The hypothesis that marriage increases men's earnings has contributed to legislative support for the Healthy Marriage Initiative (HMI). However, previous studies of this phenomenon have not controlled for many relevant characteristics that select men into marriage, nor have they focused on low‐income, unmarried fathers—the population targeted by HMI. We use the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, which measures many previously unobserved confounders, to test for a relationship between marriage and earnings. We use a variety of analytic strategies to control for selection (including differencing and propensity scores) and find no evidence of an effect of transitions to marriage on the earnings of unmarried fathers that differs from zero, either for the full sample or subsamples defined by race‐ethnic category and baseline cohabitation status. © 2009 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.     

DNA Purification Cell Lysis and Wash Step Modifications for Low-Template DNA Sample Processing,

As DNA technology becomes increasingly sensitive, forensic laboratories are receiving more low-template DNA samples. These samples, already low in DNA content, become even more challenging to process as the available DNA becomes further reduced during the extraction step. In this study, two extraction modifications were tested to determine if the cause of DNA loss could be identified and mitigated. A double lysis technique was used to test for DNA loss in the sample collection substrate, and lysate eluates were re-extracted to determine DNA loss from inefficient binding to the silica column. Both modifications showed DNA was lost at these steps. However, resulting STR profiles from these samples had fewer peaks and lower peak heights when compared to samples processed with no extraction modifications. Overall, the potential benefits of adding these extraction modifications for low-template DNA sample processing are not enough to justify the risk associated with additional manipulation.     

“Apocalypse Now”

Abstract

“Apocalypse Now” is Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam in more ways than he understands. It isn't just a matter of the way the film's cost escalated to an astonishing $30 million, nor even the fact that the director didn't know how to end it. The movie is Coppola's Vietnam because it faithfully recapitulates the war in a much more basic way: it is filled with lies, megalomania, self-deception, high moral intent and real moral failure.     

Exchanging energy technology information on the internet

This paper describes the U.S. experience in using the Internet to disseminate international information about the technical and economic performance of newly demonstrated, energy efficiency technologies. It draws specifically on Oak Ridge National Laboratory's use of the Internet to promote the goals of the International Energy Agency's Center for the Analysis and Dissemination of Demonstrated Technologies (CADDET). Statistics from the U.S. CADDET home page system illustrates the potential of the Internet for contributing significantly to the goals of international information exchange. However, to reach a wider range of international and domestic audiences (beyond primarily upscale and educated professionals located in industrialized countries), Internet systems need to include other dissemination efforts that reach individuals in countries and organizations not currently using Internet services. In addition, more personal and customized information sources may be needed for providing users with the types of assistance and guidance required to translate knowledge of a technology's technical and financial performance into a decision to purchase, install, and use the technology.     

A profile of mentally disordered offenders admitted to inpatient psychiatric services in the United States

This research note presents data about mentally disordered offenders (MDOs) treated in inpatient psychiatric services. Data are derived from 1980 admission surveys by the Survey and Reports Branch, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). These data report for the first time inpatient services provided to MDOs by non-Federal general and private hospitals. A total of 31,773 MDOs were admitted, with 85% going to state and county mental hospitals. The largest group, including admissions for evaluation, was ISTs (58%), followed by mentally disordered prisoners (32%), NGRIs (8%), and MDSOs (3%). Women and whites tended to be overrepresented among MDOs as compared to prison and jail inmates. Clear diagnostic differences by legal status were found, with schizophrenia predominant among NGRIs (81%) and alcohol and drug abuse disorders more frequent among ISTs. Overall, state and county hospitals in both 1967 and 1980 were the primary locus of care for mentally disordered offenders.