'Chueta' was the name given to the Catholic descendants of Jewish victims of the last Spanish Inquisition process in Majorca Island in the western Mediterranean. We have studied the allele distribution of HLA-A, -B, -Cw, -DRB1 and -DQB1 loci of 103 random, healthy, unrelated individuals belonging to the ancient Majorcan Jewish community, known locally as Chuetas, and 589 individuals from the Balearic population selected because of their typical Balearic - Majorca, Minorca or Ibiza - lineages and according to their ancestor's place of birth. Our aim was to establish the genetic relationship between Majorcan Chuetas, and Balearic and other Jewish and Mediterranean populations. Our results have shown that, to a remarkable extent, they have retained their biological identity, with a unique pattern, in terms of gene and haplotype frequencies, separate from the other populations of Majorca. The Chuetas were found to be more related to Moroccan and Libyan Jews than other Majorcans. Characteristic Jewish haplotypes, A26-B38-DRB1*13, A24-B38-DRB1*11, A1-B52-DRB1*15/16, were found in our study. Some peculiarities were observed in the distribution of common haplotypes among the three main Balearic Islands. The Ibizan population was genetically different from the other Balearic populations, with a high frequency of some haplotypes, for example, A29-Cw*16-B44-DRB1*07-DQB1*03; A1-Cw*07-B8-DRB1*03-DQB1*02. We also found a new haplotype, A25-Cw*12-B39-DRB1*11-DQB1*03(3.5%), in Ibizans and a more limited variability in the HLA alleles that were expressed, perhaps because of genetic isolation. The genetic diversity of the populations from Majorca and Minorca were similar and more related to the mainland Spanish population.

Massachusetts' 2006 health reform cut the uninsurance rate for children approximately in half in the first two years following implementation. The state now has the lowest rate of uninsurance among children in the nation. More children became enrolled in MassHealth, the state's Medicaid program, and in employer-sponsored insurance. Most of the coverage increases occurred among lower-income children, many of whom were eligible for but not enrolled in MassHealth prior to reform. We derive a major lesson for national health reform: that outreach, enrollment simplifications, and coverage expansions to parents and children can lead to substantial reductions in the number of uninsured children, particularly among children in the lowest-income families.

Numerous empirical studies have examined the role of firm and industry heterogeneity in the decision to adopt new technologies using a Net Present Value framework. However, as suggested by the recently developed option-value theory, these studies may have overlooked the role of investment reversibility and uncertainty as important determinants of technology adoption. Using the option-value investment model as my underlying theoretical framework, I examine how these two factors affect the decision to adopt three advanced manufacturing technologies. My results are consistent with the option-value model's prediction that plants operating in industries facing higher investment reversibility and lower degrees of demand and technological uncertainty are more likely to adopt advanced manufacturing technologies.Technological Change And Innovation, Technology Adoption, Industries Studies: Manufacturing,

No abstract

Using administrative records data from federal government agencies and commercial sources,the 2010 ACS Match Study measures administrative records coverage of 2010 ACS addresses,persons, and persons at addresses at different levels of geography as well as by demographiccharacteristics and response mode. The 2010 ACS Match Study represents a continuation of theresearch undertaken in the 2010 Census Match Study, the first national‐level evaluation ofadministrative records data coverage.Preliminary results indicate that administrative records provide substantial coverage foraddresses and persons in the 2010 ACS (92.7 and 92.1 percent respectively), and less extensivethough substantial coverage, for person‐address pairs (74.3 percent). In addition, somevariation in address, person and/or person‐address coverage is found across demographic andresponse mode groups. This research informs future uses of administrative records in surveyand decennial census operations to address the increasing costs of data collection and decliningresponse rates.