Withdrawal Of Forces Research Articles

Examining the Timing of Women's Retirement in Urban China: A Discrete Time Hazard Rate Approach.

In spite of phenomenal wage growth in recent decades, female labor force participation in urban China has experienced a notable and puzzling decline, particularly so for women aged 40 and above. Concerns about women's status motivate an inquiry into the reasons behind the sharp drop, and consideration of how this decline may bear on their welfare. This paper estimates a probit model of labor force participation and a discrete time hazard rate model of retirement and non-retirement labor force withdrawals among urban married women aged 40 to 51. The analysis uses data from a multi-province panel data set covering the interval from 1991 to 2011. The results inform policy discussions about pension system reform in the face of population aging and declining labor supply. In addition, recommendations are offered for policy measures that would increase women's labor force attachment, even as they approach their retirement horizon.

A Note on Selection and Gender Unemployment Gaps

Previous research has documented the impact of positive selection into employment on the ranking of countries by gender wage gaps. This note focuses on the impact of selection into labor force on cross-country differences in gender unemployment gaps. We construct the Manski bounds for the selection-free gender unemployment gaps in 26 EU countries and show that - without additional assumptions - the observed gender unemployment gaps carry little information about the selection-free gender differences in unemployment. Contrary to the common assumption of positive selection into labor force (similar to positive selection into employment documented in the gender wage gap research), we also point at an example of negative-selection bias. We show that labor force withdrawal of mothers on job-protected family leaves may lead to an overestimation of the selection-free gender unemployment gaps by as much as 1 p.p.

Particularidades y contradicciones del cine Norteamericano en los inicios del Periodo Clásico / Particularities and contradictions on American film industry in the beginnings of the Classic Period

Los inicios del concebido como periodo “clásico” del cine norteamericano también se vieron sometidos, al igual que el resto de ámbitos sociales y culturales, al formidable cambio que experimentaría Estados Unidos al encarar la década de los años treinta. En ese agitado contexto de retraimiento obligado, la Gran Depresión, la industria del cine se vio severamente afectada por la crisis socioeconómica; pero de sobra conocido es que también, en ese periodo, se estaban favoreciendo unos nuevos métodos y formas de hacer cine que iban a lograr un éxito descomunal, con enorme influencia en la producción del resto del mundo. Es precisamente la intención de este estudio indagar en las particularidades del primer cine clásico norteamericano, derivadas de abiertas contradicciones casi inexplicables, que no obstante tuvieron como respuesta el auge y consolidación del séptimo arte, llegando hasta nuestros días. Para dicho trabajo me he basado en los comentarios de varios críticos, economistas e historiadores de gran reconocimiento, así como de otros estudiosos menos conocidos. Igualmente, varias películas realizadas en aquellos momentos me han ilustrado certeramente sobre la realidad del país. Todos han aportado unas nociones específicas y muy valiosas que confirman el resultado final de grandiosidad e influencia de la industria del cine, a pesar de la coyuntura especial de Estados Unidos en la época.

The Legacies of Iraq and the Future for Peace in War : Lessons of British Defence Intervention Strategy

Since the end of the Cold War, the United Kingdom (UK) has intervened militarily in a number of security crises, engaging in so-called wars of choice and it seems likely that the future will see more operations such as Kosovo, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan.In 2003, the UK participated in the US-ledcoalition that invaded Iraq and quickly overthrew the Ba’ath Party and captured Saddam Hussein. Despite the successes of the initial combat operations in Iraq, the drawn-out anti-insurgency campaign that followed has proved challenging and unfruitful in restabilising the state. The 2011 withdrawal of forces left a fractured state that necessitated re-intervention as early as 2014. The unresolved instability of Iraq to date demonstrates the failures of the coalition to institute peace and to transition the state out of war. This paper, with a focus on British Defence Doctrine, explores the approaches that contributed to both the success and the failures of the post-conflict stabilization of Iraq.It concludes that, as a result of the military predominance within the strategic planning process, the focus on destruction of strategic centres of gravity does not contribute positively to the successful transition from war-fighting to peace-restoration operations. An earlier focus must be placed upon rebuilding campaigns and a holistic approach must pay more consideration to stabilization in order that the greater political aims of a campaign are ensured. This paper proposes three alternative approaches in which operations focus not on the destruction of the old order but the creation of a new one.

Biochemical and Pharmacological Characterization of a Mice Model of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

Complex regional pain syndrome is a challenging disease to treat. Recently, a mouse fracture model of complex regional pain syndrome has been developed that has many signs of the clinical syndrome. However, many aspects of the sensory neuron biochemistry and behavioral and pharmacological characterization of this model remain to be clarified. Mice were randomly assigned to fracture/cast or control (naive) groups. Fracture/cast mice underwent a closed distal tibia facture, with hindlimb wrapped in casting tape for 3 weeks. After cast removal, mice were tested for mechanical allodynia, burrowing behavior, and motor ability over a 12-week period. Protein immunohistochemistry was performed for substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide, tropomyosin receptor kinase A, nerve growth factor, Nav1.7, and transient receptor potential cation-channel V1, colocalized in neurons, in the ipsilateral lumbar dorsal root ganglia (DRGs). Analgesic drugs were tested for pain-relieving efficacy. Mechanical allodynia was greater in the ipsilateral hindpaw (P = 0.0002) in the fracture/cast group versus the control group, over the 3- to 12-week period. The amount of burrowing material removed was decreased (P = 0.0026), and there were deficits in spontaneous motor-rearing behavior (P = 0.018). Immunostaining of substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide, Trk A receptor, nerve growth factor, Nav1.7, and transient receptor potential cation-channel V1 all demonstrated up-regulation in the DRGs of fracture mice versus controls (all P < 0.05). Morphine, pregabalin, ketamine, acetaminophen, and dexamethasone transiently increased force withdrawal thresholds on the ipsilateral (fracture) side and improved burrowing activity after injection (all P < 0.05). Ketorolac improved only burrowing. Persistent pain-related behavior was demonstrated in this mouse fracture/cast model with wide-scale DRG up-regulation of pain mediators. Antihyperalgesic drugs reduced mechanical allodynia and improved burrowing.

The impact of physical health on the postponement of retirement

To mitigate the effects of population ageing, measures aimed at encouraging people to work longer are being implemented in many countries. However, older people are usually in poorer physical health, and poorer physical health is associated with premature labour force withdrawal. We investigate whether the age-related decline in physical health represents a hurdle to higher labour force participation levels at older ages by proposing a simulation in which the age profile of physical health stays constant over time, while all other factors that predict labour force participation are postponed. The model is fitted using data collected by the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in 14 European countries. The results show that on average across these countries, the effect of health on labour force participation levels is small. This effect is slightly bigger in countries in which labour force participation levels and the share of the population receiving disability benefits are already high. Thus, the decline in physical health with age should not greatly limit the effectiveness of policies designed to encourage employment at older ages.

Residents' journal review

Residents' journal review

Salafism in Lebanon: From Apoliticism to Transnational Jihadism

Salafism in Lebanon: From Apoliticism to Transnational Jihadism

Cue-induced nicotine-seeking behavior after withdrawal with or without extinction in rats.

Exposure to smoking-associated environmental cues during smoke cessation elicits self-reported urge/craving to smoke, which precipitates relapse even after prolonged abstinence. Incubation of cue-induced cigarettes craving during abstinence has been observed in human smokers recently. The present studies assessed cue-induced nicotine-seeking behavior under different withdrawal conditions in rats with a history of nicotine self-administration. We found that non-reinforced operant responding during cue-induced nicotine seeking after different periods of withdrawal from nicotine exhibited an inverted U-shaped curve, with higher levels of responding after 7-21 days of withdrawal than those after 1-day withdrawal. Cue-induced nicotine-seeking responding is long lasting and persists even after 42 days of forced withdrawal in the home cages. Interestingly, repeated testing of cue-induced nicotine seeking at different withdrawal time points (1, 7, 14, 21 and 42 days) in the same individual alleviated responding as compared with the between-subjects assessment. Furthermore, extinction training during nicotine withdrawal significantly decreased cue-induced reinstatement of nicotine-seeking behavior. Together, profound time-dependent incubation of cue-induced craving in nicotine-experienced rats were observed. In addition, repeated cue exposure or extinction training decreases cue-induced craving. The demonstration of incubation of nicotine craving phenomenon in both rat and human studies provides support for the translational potential of therapeutic targets for relapse uncovered through mechanism studies in rats.

The “Begram Ivories”: A Successful Case of Restitution of Some Antiquities Stolen from the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul

Abstract:This article details a successful case of restitution of important antiquities stolen from the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul during the Afghan Civil War (1992–94). These items had been excavated by the Délégation Archéologique Française en Afghanistan at the site of Begram during 1937 and 1939 and were allocated to the museum in Kabul when the excavated finds were divided between the National Museum of Afghanistan and the Musée Guimet (Paris). In Kabul, the most important objects were put on permanent display, but they were placed in storage in 1989 when the museum was officially closed and the capital threatened by war after the withdrawal of Soviet forces. Many objects were hidden, and some are now touring in an international exhibition hosted by the British Museum in 2011.1 However, most of the Begram ivories were stolen and entered different collections. The following article discusses how a group of 20 of these exquisite carvings were acquired, conserved, exhibited, and returned to Kabul as a direct result of the negotiations for the British Museum exhibition.2 This allowed the first scientific analyses of Indian ivories of this period, and the results provided important new evidence for the extent of polychromy as well as the scale of the different unrecorded conservation treatments previously applied to these highly fragile objects.3 The objects were returned safely to Kabul in 2012. This article also sets out some of the lessons learned from this chain of events and how it can provide an example for future restitutions.

Disability benefit generosity and labor force withdrawal

A key component for estimating the optimal size and structure of disability insurance (DI) programs is the elasticity of DI claiming with respect to benefit generosity. Yet, in many countries, including the United States, all workers face identical benefit schedules, which are a function of one's labor market history, making it difficult to separate the effect of the benefit level from the effect of unobserved preferences for work on individuals' claiming decisions. To circumvent this problem, we exploit exogenous variation in DI benefits in Austria arising from several reforms to its DI and old age pension system in the 1990s and 2000s. We use comprehensive administrative social security records data on the universe of Austrian workers to compute benefit levels under six different regimes, allowing us to identify and precisely estimate the elasticity of DI claiming with respect to benefit generosity. We find that, over this time period, a 1% increase in potential DI benefits was associated with a 1.2% increase in DI claiming.

Kurdish Regional Self-rule Administration in Syria: A new Model of Statehood and its Status in International Law Compared to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq

AbstractHaving been supressed and denied their rights by successive Syrian governments over the years, Syrian Kurds are now asserting ade factoautonomy. Since the withdrawal of the Syrian President's forces from the ethnically Kurdish areas in the early months of the current civil war, the inhabitants have declared a self-rule government along the lines of the Kurdistan regional government in northern Iraq. For Syrian Kurds, the creation of a small autonomous region is a dream fulfilled, albeit one unrecognized by the international community. Some 15% to 17% of the Syrian population is Kurdish. Whether they can achieve statehood will depend on a reading of international law and on how the international community reacts. There are certain aspects which differentiate Kurdish self-rule in Syria from its counterpart in Iraq.

PDL Progenitor–Mediated PDL Recovery Contributes to Orthodontic Relapse

Periodontal ligament (PDL) is subjected to mechanical force during physiologic activities. PDL stem/progenitor cells are the main mesenchymal stem cells in PDL. However, how PDL progenitors participate in PDL homeostasis upon and after mechanical force is largely unknown. In this study, force-triggered orthodontic tooth movement and the following relapse were used as models to demonstrate the response of PDL progenitors and their role in PDL remodeling upon and after mechanical force. Upon orthodontic force, PDL collagen on the compression side significantly degraded, showing a broken and disorganized pattern. After force withdrawal, the degraded PDL collagen recovered during the early stage of relapse. Correspondingly, increased CD90+ PDL progenitors with suppressed expression of type I collagen (Col-I) were observed upon orthodontic force, whereas these cells accumulated at the degradation regions and regained Col-I expression after force withdrawal during early relapse. Our results further showed that compressive force altered cell morphology and repressed collagen expression in cultured PDL progenitors, which both recovered after force withdrawal. Force withdrawal–induced recovery of collagen expression in cultured PDL progenitors could be regulated by transforming growth factor–β (TGF-β), a key molecule for tissue homeostasis and extracellular matrix remodeling. More interesting, inhibiting the regained Col-I expression in CD90+ PDL progenitors by blocking TGF-β interrupted PDL collagen recovery and partially inhibited the early relapse. These data suggest that PDL progenitors can respond to mechanical force and may process intrinsic stability to recover to original status after force withdrawal. PDL progenitors with intrinsic stability are required for PDL recovery and consequently contribute to early orthodontic relapse, which can be regulated by TGF-β signaling.

The ‘Rojava Revolution’ in Syrian Kurdistan: A Model of Development for the Middle East?

As the civil war in Syria continues, in the territory of Rojava – in Kurdish, ‘the West’ – the northern Syrian Kurdish political movement is attempting to implement ‘libertarian municipalism’, based on the thoughts of United States (US) anarchist Murray Bookchin. Since the withdrawal of Syrian regime forces in 2012, the movement has consolidated significant territorial gains as a US ally in the anti-Islamic State (IS) struggle, while simultaneously securing Russian support. Viewed with suspicion by Turkey, Syria and Iraqi Kurdistan, the geopolitical conditions of Rojava’s emergence are its greatest impediment. This article analyses Rojava’s model of rule and socioeconomic development, and its theory and practice in the context of the civil war, and regional Middle Eastern and wider global geopolitics. It reflects on Rojava’s place and meaning for contemporary geopolitics in the Middle East, and considers the territory’s prospects, discussing its transformative potential for an otherwise troubled region.

Inequality among Older Workers in the Netherlands: A Life Course and Social Stratification Perspective on Early Retirement

This study integrates a life course and social stratification perspective to examine early retirement in the Netherlands. Event history analysis of retrospective life course data from four rounds of the Family Survey Dutch Population reveals that employment career characteristics are strongly associated with early retirement. The results also show that educational differences in early labour force withdrawal persist when controlling for work history: lower-educated older men are more likely to exit employment before the age of 65 years, irrespective of their employment trajectories. Furthermore, working-class elderly face higher risks of disability and unemployment than members of the service class and the self-employed, because their occupational careers are more volatile and because they often work in the industrial sector for a long period of their lives. Against the background of ageing populations and policy measures to stimulate employment of older people, these findings suggest that social inequalities in old age could grow, as particularly less-educated and low-skilled older workers may not be able to prolong their employment career.

A New Day: Prime Time to Advance Afghan Clinical Education

In a previous issue of the journal, Richard Grimes discussed the role that legal clinics can play in facilitating access to justice in a post-conflict society, such as Afghanistan’s, wracked by decades of civil war, external military intervention and consequential regime changes.3 As foreign military forces withdraw, this Central Asian nation faces renewed security concerns and uncertainty about its politico-economic future. Yet, there is now a critical mass of law and Shari’a professors trained in the principles of experiential education, a few legal clinics are in place and many deans are keen on hosting a clinic, with a vigorous nod of approval from the higher education ministry. Piloting a clinical programme requires a team of faculty members who remain in continuous contact with their peers across the nation and across the globe. This should include a partnership with a reputable law school abroad; support from in-country administrative staff; and periodic visits by consultants. In addition, legal faculties and university administrators need to nurture clinical education by facilitating the development of new curricula, service learning and interdisciplinary and inter-university collaboration and exchange. While they needn’t reinvent policies, protocols or perhaps even priority assessments, they must remain vigilant that clinical legal education not be divorced from the rest of the curriculum. The temptation to purchase durable goods will be great, but the clinic staff should be much more strategic and frugal about ways for students, staff and clients to access information and a space for consultation, training and work. Finally, an essential but elusive goal is to maintain a relationship with donors that is marked by candour and coordination of activities with other funders.

Bargaining with Grandma: The Impact of the South African Pension on Household Decision-Making

I examine how an exogenous change in individual income affects decision-making in the household. Using the age discontinuity in eligibility for the South African pension, I find that eligible women are 15 percentage points more likely to be the primary decision-maker in the household than noneligible women. This corresponds with a large increase in their share of household income. There are no parallel effects for men. Due to labor force withdrawal, male income does not increase with eligibility, suggesting that their status in the household is unchanged.

The effects work engagement and generativity on post-retirement preparation

The post-retirement preparation of middle &amp; young-old aged workers before their complete labor force withdrawal have received more attention in countries where aging society is progressing rapidly. Given that organizations and society may not be able to provide a full support for the later life of middle &amp; young-old aged workers, self-directed preparation of individual workers is a key factor for the successful retirement. The purpose of this study was to examine a mediating role of mentoring between generativity and post-retirement preparation based on the theory of adult development of Erikson associated with generativity. The effect of mentoring may also be influenced by work-related factor for the old-aged workers. Thus, this study simultaneously tested the effect of work engagement as another predictor of mentoring and post-retirement preparation. Given the expected roles of the generation in this age are quite different by gender, the gender difference in the pattern of relationships among the variables was also hypothesized. Conducting a survey research to 320 employed middle and young-old aged worker, the data was analyzed by multi-group analysis using Structured Equation Modeling. The results of this study found the positive effects of generativity and work engagement on post-retirement preparation through mentoring behavior. Gender difference was also found in some paths of the research model. Suggestions for future research and practical implications were provided based on the findings.

The Effects Work Engagement and Generativity on Post-retirement Preparation: The Indirect Effects of Mentoring &amp; The Gender Difference

The post-retirement preparation of middle & young-old aged workers before their complete labor force withdrawal have received more attention in countries where aging society is progressing rapidly. Given that organizations and society may not be able to provide a full support for the later life of middle & young-old aged workers, self-directed preparation of individual workers is a key factor for the successful retirement. The purpose of this study was to examine a mediating role of mentoring between generativity and post-retirement preparation based on the theory of adult development of Erikson associated with generativity. The effect of mentoring may also be influenced by work-related factor for the old-aged workers. Thus, this study simultaneously tested the effect of work engagement as another predictor of mentoring and post-retirement preparation. Given the expected roles of the generation in this age are quite different by gender, the gender difference in the pattern of relationships among the variables was also hypothesized. Conducting a survey research to 320 employed middle and young-old aged worker, the data was analyzed by multi-group analysis using Structured Equation Modeling. The results of this study found the positive effects of generativity and work engagement on post-retirement preparation through mentoring behavior. Gender difference was also found in some paths of the research model. Suggestions for future research and practical implications were provided based on the findings.

Private and Public Placement Services for Hard-to-Place Unemployed

The authors analyze a randomized field experiment in two German labor market agencies that provide public and private provision of intensive job placement services. The findings, based on analysis of administrative agency data over 18 months in 2009–2010, show that assignment to public employment services reduced accumulated days in unemployment by one to two months, compared to an assignment to a private provider. The effects, however, were short-lived. Moreover, two-thirds of the effect is attributable to labor force withdrawals. Finally, several important differences in the modes of service provision are only partially attributable to inherent aspects of in-house production and contracting out.