Recent anderson items

On Size Substitution and Its Role in Assortment and Inventory Planning

Wed, 3 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Problem definition: How should (apparel) retailers manage product sizes? For example, if most customers wearing a given shoe size, such as 9.5, are willing to accept a half-size up or down, is it necessary for a retailer to carry that size at all? Additionally, although identical products in different sizes are treated as distinct stock-keeping units in inventory management, they are often aggregated for assortment and strategic planning. However, there is no theoretical justification for this approach. In this paper, we address the fundamental questions about size management that have remained largely unexplored in the operations literature. Methodology/results: We propose a choice model where each customer forms a consideration set based on the in-stock availability of products of her best-fit size and adjacent sizes. Using a real-world data set from a large footwear retailer, we show that nearly 25% of the unmet demand caused by stockouts spills over to adjacent sizes. We further...

Inflow Neglect: Forecasting Failures After Stocks Run Out

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

People frequently encounter dynamic systems that involve inflows, outflows, and accumulated stocks-whether within their own households (e.g., financial accounts, stocks of food or supplies) or in larger institutional settings (e.g., manufacturing inventory, government benefit accounts). In this research, we introduce a novel stock-flow reasoning error, inflow neglect, and argue that this error can lead to important misperceptions regarding future outflows. To study this reasoning, we first focus on the United States' Social Security trust funds, whose impending depletion generates significant attention due to implications for American retirees. In Experiments 1-3, we show participants information about the trust funds over time that focus on the stock (i.e., balance) or flows (i.e., tax revenue and benefits payments), finding that those who see flows presentations are significantly less likely to expect benefits to cease completely after depletion (i.e., hold zero-outflow beliefs)....

Can Climate Adaptation Be Sustainable?

Wed, 8 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Climate impacts like heatwaves, droughts, and extreme storms increasingly force organizations to adapt. Many adaptation strategies are unsustainable: actions that protect firms today can deplete ecological resources, create new vulnerabilities, or shift risks onto other communities and future generations. We argue that adaptation becomes sustainable only when understood not as reactive adjustment but as organizational and institutional transformation within planetary limits. We identify a theoretical blind spot in management research, which has focused mainly on mitigation while overlooking the unique challenges adaptation poses to organizations. Drawing on examples from the wine industry, we illustrate how maladaptive practices emerge and why adaptation raises distinctive organizational challenges. We outline a research agenda to advance sustainable adaptation by avoiding maladaptation, balancing short- and long-term horizons, and navigating firm- and collective-level decision-making....

THE STATE OF CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY DISCLOSURE 2025

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

THE STATE OF CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY DISCLOSURE 2025

DIAGNOSTIC TAXONOMY OF UNCERTAINTY IN SUSTAINABILITY METRICS. Appendix to Delmas et al., 2026. Improving the credibility of corporate sustainability Metrics. Academy of Management Perspectives.

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This appendix provides a diagnostic framework for identifying and assessing the two forms of uncertainty that undermine sustainability metric credibility: effect uncertainty (whether an initiative will produce its intended outcome) and measurement uncertainty (whether outcomes can be accurately quantified). For each type, the framework distinguishes contextual sources—such as system complexity, data quality gaps, and lack of standardization—from behavioral sources, including cognitive biases, organizational resistance, and strategic disclosure bias. A two-stage diagnostic process guides practitioners from initial screening to deeper assessment, supported by a summary taxonomy table of key manifestations, sources, and warning signs.

Adolescents as energy conservation stewards

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study explored the potential of adolescent to promote energy conservation within their households through environmental education. We piloted a small randomized controlled trial called the Dial Down Challenge, a six-week online program on energy-saving practices involving 15 adolescents from an elementary and a high school in Los Angeles and 58 parents. The program included practical knowledge and in-home activities, such as adjusting refrigerator and thermostat settings, to assess how well the adolescents could influence their parents’ attitudes and behaviors toward energy conservation. The results demonstrated some enhancement in knowledge, awareness, and motivation regarding energy conservation among the adolescents and parents involved in the study. A noteworthy finding was the effectiveness of modifying refrigerator default settings, which proved to be a one-time adjustment yielding substantial energy savings without disrupting daily household routines. While parents...

Behavioral interventions for waste reduction: a systematic review of experimental studies

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction: Wasteful behavior poses major environmental, economic, and social challenges, yet the behavioral science literature on waste reduction remains fragmented. Methods: This systematic review synthesizes 99 experimental and quasi-experimental studies published between 2017 and 2021 that test behavioral interventions to reduce waste. This period captures a critical phase when global waste management systems faced unprecedented disruptions, including the 2017 launch of China's National Sword policy, which dramatically reshaped global recycling markets and exposed critical weaknesses in international waste systems. We adopt a broad definition of waste-including both discarded materials (e.g., food, trash, recyclables) and inefficient resource use (e.g., electricity, water, fuel)-to better capture the full range of behaviors where interventions can reduce environmental impact and allow cross-domain comparisons. Our goal is to examine the behavioral interventions used, how...

Prosperous places: processes, policies, and practices

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract Prosperous places provide more than just high levels of economic output. They also promote the well-being of their residents and ensure equitable access to community resources and opportunities. Prosperous places—picture Copenhagen, Melbourne, or Vienna—balance economic growth with social equity. Most communities, however, remain marked by stark inequalities. We examine the processes, policies, and practices that foster prosperity, a more equal distribution of resources and opportunities within places. We call attention to four organizational and community properties of these places: diverse organizational demographics, shared ownership structures, spatial and social integration, and cross-sector inclusive governance. We call for reimagining prosperity as a collective achievement—one shaped by deliberate choices that distribute benefits widely rather than deepening divides.

Flexible Drug Approval Policies

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Problem definition: To approve a novel drug therapy, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires clinical trial evidence demonstrating efficacy with 2.5% statistical significance, although the agency often uses regulatory discretion when interpreting these standards. Factors including disease severity, prevalence, and availability of existing therapies are qualitatively considered; yet, current guidelines fail to systematically consider such characteristics in approval decisions. Academic/practical relevance: In making approval decisions, the FDA weighs the health benefits of introducing life-saving therapies against the potential risks of approving ineffective or harmful drugs. Tailoring approval standards to individual diseases could improve treatment options for patients with few alternatives and further incentivize pharmaceutical companies to invest in neglected diseases. Methodology: Using a novel queueing framework, we analyze the FDA's drug approval process to...

Closer to Home: A Structural Estimate-Then-Optimize Approach to Improve Access to Healthcare Services

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Geographic inequalities in healthcare access extend beyond rural–urban divides to include socioeconomic, racial, and other disparities. Proximity to hospitals, clinics, healthcare providers, and pharmacies varies widely, posing a challenge in deciding where to strategically locate such facilities. Demand for each service depends on local population health, individual preferences, provider capacity, and other factors. This study introduces a novel structural estimate-then-optimize (SETO) framework, combining structural demand estimation using a modified Berry–Levinsohn–Pakes approach that accounts for provider capacity with a choice-based optimal facility location model to maximize health service utilization. Our methodology is illustrated with a case study on the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program in California, a public–private partnership that administered millions of COVID-19 vaccinations. Demand estimates indicate that residents of socioeconomically vulnerable communities are...

Interpretable Prediction Rules for Congestion Risk in Intensive Care Units

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We study the problem of predicting congestion risk in intensive care units (ICUs). Congestion is associated with poor service experience, high costs, and poor health outcomes. By predicting future congestion, decision makers can initiate preventive measures, such as rescheduling activities or increasing short-term capacity, to mitigate the effects of congestion. To this end, we consider well-established queueing models of ICUs and define “high-risk states” as system states that are likely to lead to congestion in the near future. We strive to formulate rules for determining whether a given system state is high risk. We design the rules to be interpretable (informally, easy to understand) for their practical appeal to stakeholders. We show that for simple Markovian queueing systems, such as the [Formula: see text] queue with multiple patient classes, our rules take the form of linear and quadratic functions on the state space. For more general queueing systems, we employ methods...

Liberals and conservatives respond divergently to stereotype portrayals of race and gender

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Representation in the media has become a polarizing issue dividing conservatives and liberals in the U.S. In four experiments (N = 5125), we find that stereotype portrayal elicits divergent attitudinal, economic, and behavioral reactions from liberals and conservatives. Notably, these reactions differ when portrayals feature racial minority (Study 1, n = 958 & Study 2, n = 900) versus white models (Study 3, n = 783 & Study 4, n = 2484). Our findings demonstrate consistent divergence in responses to stereotype congruent versus incongruent portrayals between liberals and conservatives, although the direction and magnitude of differences vary. Liberals and conservatives display both variability and consistency in their divergent evaluations: liberals endorse portrayals of minority races and of incongruency but withhold this endorsement for solely white models, whereas conservatives typically prefer congruent portrayals, but show an openness towards incongruency when white...

Talent and technology in creative industries: introduction to the special issue

Thu, 3 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract: This special issue of the Journal of Cultural Economics focuses on the profound impact of technological change on creative industries, with a spotlight on artificial intelligence (AI) and streaming. It provides an overview of how AI and streaming have been reshaping the creative industries and speculates as to what the future may hold. The issue also delves into the challenges and ethical considerations that arise from these technological advancements, for areas such as copyright and job displacement.

A Theory of Cash Flow-Based Financing with Distress Resolution

Wed, 2 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract: We develop a dynamic contracting theory of asset- and cash flow-based financing that demonstrates how firm, intermediary, and capital market characteristics jointly shape firms’ financing constraints. A firm with imperfect access to equity financing covers financing needs through costly sources: an intermediary and retained cash. The firm’s financing capacity is endogenously determined by either the liquidation value of assets (asset-based) or the intermediary’s going-concern valuation of the firm’s cash flows (cash flow-based). The optimal contract is implemented with defaultable debt—specifically unsecured credit lines and senior-secured debt—and features risk-sharing via bankruptcy. When the firm does well, it repays its debt in full. When it does poorly, distress resolution mirrors U.S. bankruptcy procedures (Chapters 7 and 11). Secured and unsecured debt are complements because risk-sharing via unsecured debt increases secured debt capacity. Debt...

Selling two identical objects

Wed, 7 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

It is well-known that optimal (i.e., revenue-maximizing) selling mechanisms in multidimensional type spaces may involve randomization. We obtain conditions under which deterministic mechanisms are optimal for selling two identical, indivisible objects to a single buyer. We analyze two settings: (i) decreasing marginal values (DMV) and (ii) increasing marginal values (IMV). Thus, the values of the buyer for the two units are not independent. We show that under a well-known condition on distributions (due to McAfee and McMillan (1988)), (a) it is optimal to sell the first unit deterministically in the DMV model and (b) it is optimal to bundle (which is a deterministic mechanism) in the IMV model. Under a stronger sufficient condition on distributions, a deterministic mechanism is optimal in the DMV model. Our results apply to heterogeneous objects when there is a specified sequence in which the two objects must be sold.

Intransitivity in the small and in the large

Wed, 7 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We propose a regret-based model that allows the separation of attitudes towards transitivity on triples of random variables that are close to each other and attitudes towards transitivity on triples that are far apart. This enables a theoretical reinterpretation of evidence related to intransitive behavior in the laboratory. When viewed through this paper’s analysis, the experimental evidence need not imply intransitive behavior for large risky decisions such as investment choices and insurance.

Information Cascades and Social Learning

Wed, 7 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Social learning is the updating of beliefs based on observation of others. Such observation can lead to efficient aggregation of information, but also to inaccurate decisions, fragility of mass behaviors, and, in the case of information cascades, to complete blockage of learning. We review the theory of information cascades and social learning and discuss important themes, insights, and applications of this literature as it has developed over the last 30 years. We also highlight open questions and promising directions for further theoretical and empirical exploration. (JEL D71, D82, D83, D91, Z13)

Rank-preserving multidimensional mechanisms: An equivalence between identical-object and heterogeneous-object models

Wed, 7 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We show that the mechanism-design problem for a monopolist selling multiple, heterogeneous objects to a buyer with ex ante symmetric and additive values is equivalent to the mechanism-design problem for a monopolist selling identical objects to a buyer with decreasing marginal values. We derive three new results for the identical-objects model: (i) a new condition for revenue monotonicity of stochastic mechanisms, (ii) a sufficient condition on priors, such that prices in optimal deterministic mechanism are not increasing, and (iii) a simplification of incentive constraints for deterministic mechanisms. We use the equivalence to establish corresponding results in the heterogeneous-objects model.

Family-based genome-wide association study designs for increased power and robustness

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Family-based genome-wide association studies (FGWASs) use random, within-family genetic variation to remove confounding from estimates of direct genetic effects (DGEs). Here we introduce a ‘unified estimator’ that includes individuals without genotyped relatives, unifying standard and FGWAS while increasing power for DGE estimation. We also introduce a ‘robust estimator’ that is not biased in structured and/or admixed populations. In an analysis of 19 phenotypes in the UK Biobank, the unified estimator in the White British subsample and the robust estimator (applied without ancestry restrictions) increased the effective sample size for DGEs by 46.9% to 106.5% and 10.3% to 21.0%, respectively, compared to using genetic differences between siblings. Polygenic predictors derived from the unified estimator demonstrated superior out-of-sample prediction ability compared to other family-based methods. We implemented the methods in the software package snipar in an efficient linear mixed...

Citation penalties following sexual versus scientific misconduct allegations

Wed, 9 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Citations in academia have long been regarded as a fundamental means of acknowledging the contribution of past work and promoting scientific advancement. The aim of this paper was to investigate the impact that misconduct allegations made against scholars have on the citations of their work, comparing allegations of sexual misconduct (unrelated to the research merit) and allegations of scientific misconduct (directly related to the research merit). METHODS: We collected citation data from the Web of Science (WoS) in 2021, encompassing 31,941 publications from 172 accused and control scholars across 18 disciplines. We also conducted two studies: one on non-academics (N = 231) and one on academics (N = 240). RESULTS: The WoS data shows that scholars accused of sexual misconduct incur a significant citation decrease in the three years after the accusations become public, while we do not detect a significant citation decrease for scholars accused of scientific...

Sustainable Management of a Water Reservoir System Facing Climate Uncertainty

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Sustainable Management of a Water Reservoir System Facing Climate Uncertainty

Multi-omics approaches for understanding gene-environment interactions in noncommunicable diseases: techniques, translation, and equity issues

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, cancers, diabetes, and mental health disorders pose a significant global health challenge, accounting for the majority of fatalities and disability-adjusted life years worldwide. These diseases arise from the complex interactions between genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors, necessitating a thorough understanding of these dynamics to identify effective diagnostic strategies and interventions. Although recent advances in multi-omics technologies have greatly enhanced our ability to explore these interactions, several challenges remain. These challenges include the inherent complexity and heterogeneity of multi-omic datasets, limitations in analytical approaches, and severe underrepresentation of non-European genetic ancestries in most omics datasets, which restricts the generalizability of findings and exacerbates health disparities. This scoping review evaluates the global...

Exploring the role of digital tools in rare disease management: An interview-based study.

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

While digital tools, such as the Internet, smartphones, and social media, are an important part of modern society, little is known about the specific role they play in the healthcare management of individuals and caregivers affected by rare disease. Collectively, rare diseases directly affect up to 10% of the global population, suggesting that a significant number of individuals might benefit from the use of digital tools. The purpose of this qualitative interview-based study was to explore: (a) the ways in which digital tools help the rare disease community; (b) the healthcare gaps not addressed by current digital tools; and (c) recommended digital tool features. Individuals and caregivers affected by rare disease who were comfortable using a smartphone and at least 18 years old were eligible to participate. We recruited from rare disease organizations using purposive sampling in order to achieve a diverse and information rich sample. Interviews took place over Zoom and reflexive...

Strange Case of Dr. Bidder and Mr. Entrant: Consumer Preference Inconsistencies in Costly Price Offers

Wed, 6 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Strange Case of Dr. Bidder and Mr. Entrant: Consumer Preference Inconsistencies in Costly Price Offers

Does diversity influence innovation and economic growth? It depends on spatial scale

Wed, 6 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Does diversity influence innovation and economic growth? It depends on spatial scale

Assessing the Deterrent Effects of Ignition Interlock Devices

Wed, 6 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

INTRODUCTION: Ignition interlock devices installed after conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) have been shown to reduce subsequent DUI arrests (specific deterrence). However, there is little evidence on how interlock-device penalties might affect general deterrence, that is, deterring people from driving after consuming alcohol prior to a DUI conviction. METHODS: A discrete choice experiment was conducted and data were analyzed in 2023 with 583 U.S.-based adults who consume alcohol at least once in the past week to assess the deterrent effects of five different penalties (fine, jail time, interlock device, license suspension, alcohol treatment) for alcohol-impaired driving under randomized sequential scenarios of high (20% chance of being caught) and low (1%) police enforcement. Participants resided in 46 states. RESULTS: Deterrent effects of an interlock penalty, operationalized as having to install an interlock device for 1 year, are large and on par with...

Theory, Search, and Learning

Wed, 6 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

When searching for a solution to a problem, having a theory—an underlying causal structure that explains outcomes as a consequence of antecedents and that allows for the prediction of potential consequences of combinations of choices not yet tried—changes the way in which people explore the solution space. Whether a theory proves useful to search, however, depends not just on its predictive precision. This essay argues that the internal structures of theories—their size, complexity, the extent of their elaboration, and the confidence that their users have in the assumptions—also influences how people search for solutions and the efficiency of their search processes. It offers several conjectures about how theory and theory structure influence search and about which types of theories prove most useful to success.

The Sociology of Entrepreneurship Revisited

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Over the last two decades, the sociology of entrepreneurship has exploded as an area of academic inquiry. Most of this research has been focused on understanding the environmental conditions that promote entrepreneurship and processes related to the initial formation of an organization. Despite this surge in activity, many important questions remain open. Only more recently have scholars begun to turn their attention to what happens to organizations, and the people connected to them, as they mature and move through the life cycle of entrepreneurship. These open questions, moreover, connect to many classic themes in the literature on careers, organizational sociology, stratification, and work and occupations. Using a framework that focuses on three phases of the entrepreneurial life cycle—pre-entry, entry, and post-entry—we summarize sociological research on entrepreneurship and highlight opportunities for future research.

A Knowledge Graph Approach to Elucidate the Role of Organellar Pathways in Disease via Biomedical Reports.

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The rapidly increasing and vast quantities of biomedical reports, each containing numerous entities and rich information, represent a rich resource for biomedical text-mining applications. These tools enable investigators to integrate, conceptualize, and translate these discoveries to uncover new insights into disease pathology and therapeutics. In this protocol, we present CaseOLAP LIFT, a new computational pipeline to investigate cellular components and their disease associations by extracting user-selected information from text datasets (e.g., biomedical literature). The software identifies sub-cellular proteins and their functional partners within disease-relevant documents. Additional disease-relevant documents are identified via the software's label imputation method. To contextualize the resulting protein-disease associations and to integrate information from multiple relevant biomedical resources, a knowledge graph is automatically constructed for further analyses. We...

Cost-effectiveness analysis of brief and expanded evidence-based risk reduction interventions for HIV-infected people who inject drugs in the United States.

Sat, 24 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

AIMS: Two behavioral HIV prevention interventions for people who inject drugs (PWID) infected with HIV include the Holistic Health Recovery Program for HIV+ (HHRP+), a comprehensive evidence-based CDC-supported program, and an abbreviated Holistic Health for HIV (3H+) Program, an adapted HHRP+ version in treatment settings. We compared the projected health benefits and cost-effectiveness of both programs, in addition to opioid substitution therapy (OST), to the status quo in the U.S. METHODS: A dynamic HIV transmission model calibrated to epidemic data of current US populations was created. Projected outcomes include future HIV incidence, HIV prevalence, and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained under alternative strategies. Total medical costs were estimated to compare the cost-effectiveness of each strategy. RESULTS: Over 10 years, expanding HHRP+ access to 80% of PWID could avert up to 29,000 HIV infections, or 6% of the projected total, at a cost of $7,777/QALY gained....

Anesthetic Considerations for Thoracoscopic Sympathetic Ganglionectomy to Treat Ventricular Tachycardia Storm: A Single-Center Experience

Sun, 16 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the pertinent anesthetic considerations for patients undergoing surgical sympathectomy for electrical storm (incessant ventricular tachycardia (VT) refractory to traditional therapies). DESIGN: This is a retrospective review of a prospective database. SETTING: This single-center study took place in a university hospital setting. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-six patients were enrolled. INTERVENTIONS: Fifteen patients underwent left-sided sympathectomy, whereas 11 patients underwent bilateral sympathectomy. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Anesthetic management of these patients was quite complex, requiring invasive monitoring, transesophageal echocardiography, one-lung ventilation, programming of cardiac rhythm management devices, and titration of vasoactive medications. Paired t test of hemodynamic data before, during, and after surgery showed no significant difference between preoperative and postoperative blood pressure values, regardless...

Field testing the transferability of behavioural science knowledge on promoting vaccinations

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

As behavioural science is increasingly adopted by organizations, there is a growing need to assess the robustness and transferability of empirical findings. Here, we investigate the transferability of insights from various sources of behavioural science knowledge to field settings. Across three pre-registered randomized controlled trials (RCTs, N = 314,824) involving a critical policy domain—COVID-19 booster uptake—we field tested text-based interventions that either increased vaccinations in prior field work (RCT1, NCT05586204), elevated vaccination intentions in an online study (RCT2, NCT05586178) or were favoured by scientists and non-experts (RCT3, NCT05586165). Despite repeated exposure to COVID-19 vaccination messaging in our population, reminders and psychological ownership language increased booster uptake, replicating prior findings. However, strategies deemed effective by prediction or intention surveys, such as encouraging the bundling of COVID-19 boosters and flu shots...

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF EXCHANGE RATE ECONOMICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: 1892–1992

Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In this paper I analyze the work on exchange rates and external imbalances by University of Chicago faculty members during the university’s first 100 years, 1892 to 1992. Many people associate Chicago’s views with Milton Friedman’s advocacy for flexible exchange rates. But, of course, there was much more than that, including the work of J. Laurence Laughlin on bimetallism, Jacob Viner on the balance of payments, Lloyd Metzler on transfers, Harry Johnson on trade and currencies, Lloyd Mints on exchange rate regimes, Robert Mundell on optimal currency areas, and Arnold Harberger on shadow exchange rates, among others. The analysis shows that, although different scholars emphasized different issues, there was a common thread in this research, anchored on the role of relative prices’ changes during the adjustment process.

People Endorse Harsher Policies in Principle Than in Practice: Asymmetric Beliefs About Which Errors to Prevent Versus Fix

Wed, 8 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Countless policies are crafted with the intention of punishing all who do wrong or rewarding only those who do right. However, this requires accommodating certain mistakes: some who do not deserve to be punished might be, and some who deserve to be rewarded might not be. Six preregistered experiments (N = 3,484 U.S. adults) reveal that people are more willing to accept this trade-off in principle, before errors occur, than in practice, after errors occur. The result is an asymmetry such that for punishments, people believe it is more important to prevent false negatives (e.g., criminals escaping justice) than to fix them, and more important to fix false positives (e.g., wrongful convictions) than to prevent them. For rewards, people believe it is more important to prevent false positives (e.g., welfare fraud) than to fix them and more important to fix false negatives (e.g., improperly denied benefits) than to prevent them.

Building Status in an Online Community

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

We argue that the actions for which actors receive recognition vary as they move up the hierarchy. When actors first enter a community, the community rewards them for their easier-to-evaluate contributions to the community. Eventually, however, as these actors rise in status, further increases in stature come increasingly from engaging in actions that are more difficult to evaluate or even impossible to judge. These dynamics produce a positive feedback loop, in which those who have already been accorded some stature garner even greater status through quality-ambiguous actions. We present evidence from Stack Overflow, an online community, and from two online experiments consistent with these expected patterns. Funding: All authors would like to acknowledge funding from the Austrian Science Fund [Grant P 25768-G16]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.1559 .

The new argonauts: The international migration of venture‐backed companies

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract: Research Summary: We use a novel longitudinal dataset, constructed from 16 downloads of VentureXpert records collected over 20 years, to characterize the international migration of venture‐capital‐backed startups. We find that: (i) 1078 firms in our sample (1.4%) migrate; (ii) countries with high levels of in‐migration also have high levels of out‐migration; (iii) migrating firms move to places with more investors; (iv) pre‐move investors and their connections most strongly predict migration patterns; and (v) movers raise more money than non‐movers, primarily from investors at their destinations. Overall, these patterns appear inconsistent with those expected if startups move primarily in search of talent or customers. Instead, the flows across countries look more like international trade, with startups seeking capital, and social connections between investors defining the shipping lanes. Managerial Summary: Although many high‐profile startups have relocated their...

Examining the generalizability of research findings from archival data

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This initiative examined systematically the extent to which a large set of archival research findings generalizes across contexts. We repeated the key analyses for 29 original strategic management effects in the same context (direct reproduction) as well as in 52 novel time periods and geographies; 45% of the reproductions returned results matching the original reports together with 55% of tests in different spans of years and 40% of tests in novel geographies. Some original findings were associated with multiple new tests. Reproducibility was the best predictor of generalizability-for the findings that proved directly reproducible, 84% emerged in other available time periods and 57% emerged in other geographies. Overall, only limited empirical evidence emerged for context sensitivity. In a forecasting survey, independent scientists were able to anticipate which effects would find support in tests in new samples.

The Art and Science of Disagreeing: How to Create More Effective Conversations About Opposing Views

Mon, 5 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Art and Science of Disagreeing: How to Create More Effective Conversations About Opposing Views

The revolution can be improvised: An intrinsically motivating approach to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Mon, 5 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract: With unfolding advances in anti‐discrimination policy, communication technology, and affordable transportation, society is gaining an historic opportunity to embrace differences in background and perspective as part of ordinary life. Unfortunately, we can be overly pessimistic about the prospect of attracting stakeholders to the work, because overwhelming societal barriers have long perpetuated narrow and inauspicious views of our paths forward. The result can be our unnecessary and ineffective reliance on top‐down imperatives as necessary to compel engagement. Improvisation can help us do better. After describing how contextual conditions are shifting favorably, I illustrate the prospective benefits of an improvisational approach to EDI—particularly in fostering intrinsic motivation—and extend basic psychological needs theory to provide guidance for successful implementation.

Supply‐side inducements and resource redeployment in multiunit firms

Tue, 9 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract: Research Summary: We examine to what extent and when multiunit firms internally redeploy managers between units. While theory has emphasized how changes in demand conditions affect redeployment, we argue that optimal internal resource allocation involves consideration of both demand and each unit's resource supply. We formalize this argument, showing how redeployment arises from “supply‐side inducements”—return advantages in new over existing resource uses resulting from changes in resource supply. Empirical tests using manager deaths as an exogenous, supply‐side shock to firms' resource stocks support our arguments, showing that firms frequently redeploy resources away from better‐endowed and toward negatively affected units. Incorporating supply‐side inducements into redeployment theory implies additional value‐creation opportunities from redeployment and carries novel predictions for the direction of intra‐firm resource flows. Managerial Summary: Firms continuously...

The growth of hierarchy in organizations: Managing knowledge scope

Tue, 9 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract: Research Summary: Theory posits hierarchy as a response to coordination challenges and emphasizes organization size and the need to transfer knowledge as the mainspring of these challenges. This connection, however, is largely based on the quantity of knowledge to be transferred rather than its characteristics. Building on the knowledge‐based view, we propose that knowledge scope—the variety of knowledge across an organization's members—affects coordination costs and hierarchy expansion. Using an economy‐wide database from Brazil, we show that firms are more likely to expand their hierarchy when knowledge scope increases. This effect varies with firms' capacities to manage knowledge; firms whose employees perform more similar tasks or have shared experience at previous employers are less likely to expand hierarchy in response to increases in knowledge scope. Managerial Summary: Growing organizations often struggle to coordinate the work of their employees within...

Evaluation of a Health Education Intervention to Improve Parental Knowledge and Attitudes About Chronic Stress and Depression Among Head Start Families

Thu, 4 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Background. Chronic stress and depression disproportionately affect families experiencing poverty, and likely contribute to disparities in early childhood developmental outcomes. Developing strategies to address chronic stress and depression may help mitigate these disparities. Early Head Start (EHS) and Head Start (HS) programs provide an important platform to address the disproportionate burden of stress and mental health issues experienced by EHS/HS families. However, few low-literacy, broad, scalable interventions improve parents' knowledge and attitudes around these topics. Objectives. We examined parents' knowledge and attitudes regarding stress and depression before and after a train-the-trainer (TTT) intervention delivered to 28 EHS/HS agencies across the United States. Methods. Following a TTT workshop, 18 agencies chose to deliver the stress training to 1,089 parents and 5 chose to deliver the depression training to 670 parents. Participating parents...

The State of Corporate Sustainability Disclosure

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Disclosure of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) metrics remains almost entirely voluntary, resulting in incomplete and unstandardized data that makes it difficult for stakeholders to collectively compare firms and assess their impact. To align reporting, in 2020 the World Economic Forum (WEF) proposed a framework consisting of metrics it asserted were already commonly used by firms. But little data supports this claim, as there is no comprehensive evaluation on firms’ disclosure rates on these metrics. This project aims to fill this gap. We selected 300 of the largest U.S. public companies from the Fortune 200 and S&P 500 lists because they’re high-revenue firms and have a substantial impact on global social and environmental trajectories. And these firms have more resources to devote to reporting ESG metrics. Under four pillars — Governance, Planet, People, and Prosperity — WEF describes 21 core metrics and 34 expanded metrics. This research focuses on these 300 companies’...

The Past and Future of Corporate Sustainability Research

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Past and Future of Corporate Sustainability Research

Public views on polygenic screening of embryos

Wed, 8 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Understanding moral acceptability and willingness to use is crucial for informing policy.

Secret Shopper Data on Private Prices in the Nursing Home Industry From 2008 to 2010

Sun, 15 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Nationwide nursing home private-pay prices at the facility-level have not been available for researchers interested in studying this unique health care market. This study presents a new data source, Caregiverlist, for private-pay prices for private and semiprivate rooms for 12,000 nursing homes nationwide collected between 2008 and 2010. We link these data to publicly available national nursing home-level data sets to examine the relationship between price and nursing home characteristics. We also compare private-pay prices with average private-pay revenues per day for California nursing homes obtained from facilities' financial filings. On average, private-pay prices were $224 per day for private rooms compared with $197 per day for semiprivate rooms. We find that nursing homes that are nonprofit, urban, hospital-based, have a special care unit, chain-owned, and have higher quality ratings have higher prices. We find average revenues per day in California to be moderately correlated...

The entrenchment effect: Why people persist with less-preferred behaviors

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The entrenchment effect: Why people persist with less-preferred behaviors

Financial Incentives to Promote Colorectal Cancer Screening: A Longitudinal Randomized Control Trial

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: Financial incentives may improve health behaviors. We tested the impact of offering financial incentives for mailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) completion annually for 3 years. METHODS: Patients, ages 50 to 64 years, not up-to-date with screening were randomized to receive either a mailed FIT outreach (n = 6,565), outreach plus $5 (n = 1,000), or $10 (n = 1,000) incentive for completion. Patients who completed the test were reinvited using the same incentive the following year, for 3 years. In year 4, patients who returned the kit in all preceding 3 years were reinvited without incentives. Primary outcome was FIT completion among patients offered any incentive versus outreach alone each year. Secondary outcomes were FIT completion for groups offered $5 versus outreach alone, $10 versus outreach alone, and $5 versus $10. RESULTS: Year 1 FIT completion was 36.9% with incentives versus 36.2% outreach alone (P = 0.59) and was not statistically...

A Conceptual Framework for Improving Critical Care Patient Flow and Bed Use

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

RATIONALE: High demand for intensive care unit (ICU) services and limited bed availability have prompted hospitals to address capacity planning challenges. Simulation modeling can examine ICU bed assignment policies, accounting for patient acuity, to reduce ICU admission delays. OBJECTIVES: To provide a framework for data-driven modeling of ICU patient flow, identify key measurable outcomes, and present illustrative analysis demonstrating the impact of various bed allocation scenarios on outcomes. METHODS: A description of key inputs for constructing a queuing model was outlined, and an illustrative simulation model was developed to reflect current triage protocol within the medical ICU and step-down unit (SDU) at a single tertiary-care hospital. Patient acuity, arrival rate, and unit length of stay, consisting of a "service time" and "time to transfer," were estimated from 12 months of retrospective data (n = 2,710 adult patients) for 36 ICU and 15 SDU staffed beds. Patient priority...

Are Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guidelines for Preexposure Prophylaxis Specific Enough? Formulation of a Personalized HIV Risk Score for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Initiation

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has emerged as a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention tool for populations at highest risk for HIV infection. Current US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for identifying PrEP candidates may not be specific enough to identify gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) at the highest risk for HIV infection. We created an HIV risk score for HIV-negative MSM based on Syndemics Theory to develop a more targeted criterion for assessing PrEP candidacy. METHODS: Behavioral risk assessment and HIV testing data were analyzed for HIV-negative MSM attending the Los Angeles LGBT Center between January 2009 and June 2014 (n = 9481). Syndemics Theory informed the selection of variables for a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model. Estimated coefficients were summed to create an HIV risk score, and model fit was compared between our model and CDC guidelines using the Akaike Information Criterion...

Multi-Object Tracking in Heterogeneous environments (MOTHe) for animal video recordings

Fri, 4 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Aerial imagery and video recordings of animals are used for many areas of research such as animal behaviour, behavioural neuroscience and field biology. Many automated methods are being developed to extract data from such high-resolution videos. Most of the available tools are developed for videos taken under idealised laboratory conditions. Therefore, the task of animal detection and tracking for videos taken in natural settings remains challenging due to heterogeneous environments. Methods that are useful for field conditions are often difficult to implement and thus remain inaccessible to empirical researchers. To address this gap, we present an open-source package called Multi-Object Tracking in Heterogeneous environments (MOTHe), a Python-based application that uses a basic convolutional neural network for object detection. MOTHe offers a graphical interface to automate the various steps related to animal tracking such as training data generation, animal detection in complex...

Safety Messaging Boosts Parental Vaccination Intention for Children Ages 5–11

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The COVID-19 vaccination rate among children ages 5-11 is low in the U.S., with parental vaccine hesitancy being the primary cause. Current work suggests that safety and side effect concerns are the primary reasons for such vaccine hesitancy. This study explores whether this hesitancy can be mitigated with information interventions. Based on theories of health decision making and persuasion, we designed four information interventions with varying contents and lengths. We wrote two messages on vaccine safety (a detailed safety-long message and a succinct safety-short message), explaining the vaccine's lower dosage, low rate of side effects, and the rigorous approval process. We also had two messages on protection effects (protect-family, protect-child). We combined these four messages with a vaccine-irrelevant control message and compared their effects on parental vaccine intention. We measured the parental vaccination intention using a 0-6 Likert scale question. Among the four...

Social situations differ in their contribution to population‐level social structure in griffon vultures

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Social relationships among animals emerge from interactions in multiple ecological and social situations. However, we seldom ask how each situation contributes to the global structure of a population, and whether different situations contribute different information about social relationships and the position of individuals within the social fabric. Griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) interact socially in multiple situations, including communal roosting, joint flights, and co-feeding. These social interactions can influence population-level outcomes, such as disease transmission and information sharing that determine survival and response to changes. We examined the unique contribution of each social and ecological situation to the social structure of the population and individuals' positions within the overall social network using high-resolution GPS tracking. We found that the number of individuals each vulture interacted with (degree) was best predicted by diurnal interactions-both...

Interview with Robert Tannenbaum on Retirement Decision

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Interview with Robert Tannenbaum on Retirement Decision

Covid-19 Surveillance Testing and Resident Outcomes in Nursing Homes

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: Despite widespread adoption of surveillance testing for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) among staff members in skilled nursing facilities, evidence is limited regarding its relationship with outcomes among facility residents. METHODS: Using data obtained from 2020 to 2022, we performed a retrospective cohort study of testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among staff members in 13,424 skilled nursing facilities during three pandemic periods: before vaccine approval, before the B.1.1.529 (omicron) variant wave, and during the omicron wave. We assessed staff testing volumes during weeks without Covid-19 cases relative to other skilled nursing facilities in the same county, along with Covid-19 cases and deaths among residents during potential outbreaks (defined as the occurrence of a case after 2 weeks with no cases). We reported adjusted differences in outcomes between high-testing facilities (90th percentile of test volume) and...

The impact of mass shootings on gun policy

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The impact of mass shootings on gun policy

The effects of CEO activism: Partisan consumer behavior and its duration

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The effects of CEO activism: Partisan consumer behavior and its duration

Detecting fake-review buyers using network structure: Direct evidence from Amazon

Sat, 8 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Online reviews significantly impact consumers' decision-making process and firms' economic outcomes and are widely seen as crucial to the success of online markets. Firms, therefore, have a strong incentive to manipulate ratings using fake reviews. This presents a problem that academic researchers have tried to solve for over two decades and on which platforms expend a large amount of resources. Nevertheless, the prevalence of fake reviews is arguably higher than ever. To combat this, we collect a dataset of reviews for thousands of Amazon products and develop a general and highly accurate method for detecting fake reviews. A unique difference between previous datasets and ours is that we directly observe which sellers buy fake reviews. Thus, while prior research has trained models using laboratory-generated reviews or proxies for fake reviews, we are able to train a model using actual fake reviews. We show that products that buy fake reviews are highly clustered in the product...

The complex interplay of social networks, geography and HIV risk among Malaysian Drug Injectors: Results from respondent-driven sampling

Tue, 4 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: HIV is primarily concentrated among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Malaysia, where currently HIV prevention and treatment coverage is inadequate. To improve the targeting of interventions, we examined HIV clustering and the role that social networks and geographical distance play in influencing HIV transmission among PWID. METHODS: Data were derived from a respondent-driven survey sample (RDS) collected during 2010 of 460 PWID in greater Kuala Lumpur. Analysis focused on socio-demographic, clinical, behavioural, and network information. Spatial probit models were developed based on a distinction between the influence of peers (individuals nominated through a recruitment network) and neighbours (residing a close distance to the individual). The models were expanded to account for the potential influence of the network formation. RESULTS: Recruitment patterns of HIV-infected PWID clustered both spatially and across the recruitment networks. In addition, HIV-infected...

Mendelian imputation of parental genotypes improves estimates of direct genetic effects

Sat, 1 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Effects estimated by genome-wide association studies (GWASs) include effects of alleles in an individual on that individual (direct genetic effects), indirect genetic effects (for example, effects of alleles in parents on offspring through the environment) and bias from confounding. Within-family genetic variation is random, enabling unbiased estimation of direct genetic effects when parents are genotyped. However, parental genotypes are often missing. We introduce a method that imputes missing parental genotypes and estimates direct genetic effects. Our method, implemented in the software package snipar (single-nucleotide imputation of parents), gives more precise estimates of direct genetic effects than existing approaches. Using 39,614 individuals from the UK Biobank with at least one genotyped sibling/parent, we estimate the correlation between direct genetic effects and effects from standard GWASs for nine phenotypes, including educational attainment (r = 0.739, standard...

Physicians prescribe fewer analgesics during night shifts than day shifts

Sat, 1 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Adequate pain management is one of the biggest challenges of the modern healthcare system. Physician perception of patient subjective pain, which is crucial to pain management, is susceptible to a host of potential biases. Here we explore the timing of physicians' work as a previously unrecognized source of systematic bias in pain management. We hypothesized that during night shifts, sleep deprivation, fatigue, and stress would reduce physicians' empathy for others' pain, leading to underprescription of analgesics for patient pain relief. In study 1, 67 resident physicians, either following a night shift or not, performed empathy for pain assessment tasks and simulated patient scenarios in laboratory conditions. As predicted, following a night shift, physicians showed reduced empathy for pain. In study 2, we explored this phenomenon in medical decisions in the field. We analyzed three emergency department datasets from Israel and the United States that included discharge notes...

Within-sibship genome-wide association analyses decrease bias in estimates of direct genetic effects

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Estimates from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of unrelated individuals capture effects of inherited variation (direct effects), demography (population stratification, assortative mating) and relatives (indirect genetic effects). Family-based GWAS designs can control for demographic and indirect genetic effects, but large-scale family datasets have been lacking. We combined data from 178,086 siblings from 19 cohorts to generate population (between-family) and within-sibship (within-family) GWAS estimates for 25 phenotypes. Within-sibship GWAS estimates were smaller than population estimates for height, educational attainment, age at first birth, number of children, cognitive ability, depressive symptoms and smoking. Some differences were observed in downstream SNP heritability, genetic correlations and Mendelian randomization analyses. For example, the within-sibship genetic correlation between educational attainment and body mass index attenuated towards zero. In contrast,...

Polygenic prediction of educational attainment within and between families from genome-wide association analyses in 3 million individuals

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

We conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of educational attainment (EA) in a sample of ~3 million individuals and identify 3,952 approximately uncorrelated genome-wide-significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). A genome-wide polygenic predictor, or polygenic index (PGI), explains 12-16% of EA variance and contributes to risk prediction for ten diseases. Direct effects (i.e., controlling for parental PGIs) explain roughly half the PGI's magnitude of association with EA and other phenotypes. The correlation between mate-pair PGIs is far too large to be consistent with phenotypic assortment alone, implying additional assortment on PGI-associated factors. In an additional GWAS of dominance deviations from the additive model, we identify no genome-wide-significant SNPs, and a separate X-chromosome additive GWAS identifies 57.

Current practice patterns and gaps in guideline-concordant breast cancer survivorship care

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

PurposeBreast cancer-specific survivorship care guidelines for the more than 3.8 million survivors in the U.S. are available, but implementation in clinical practice remains challenging. We examined current practice patterns and factors associated with guideline-concordant survivorship care among oncologists.MethodsA national sample of medical oncologists, recruited using two databases, participated in a survey focused on practice patterns for breast cancer survivorship care. A “survivorship care composite score” was calculated for each respondent based on provision of services recommended in the survivorship guidelines. Descriptive statistics and multivariable linear regression analyses examined associations between physician and practice characteristics and composite scores.ResultsThe survey was completed by 217 medical oncologists, with an overall response rate of 17.9% and eligibility rate of 56.9% for those who responded. Oncologists reported high engagement in evaluation...

Consensus-based guidance for conducting and reporting multi-analyst studies

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Any large dataset can be analyzed in a number of ways, and it is possible that the use of different analysis strategies will lead to different results and conclusions. One way to assess whether the results obtained depend on the analysis strategy chosen is to employ multiple analysts and leave each of them free to follow their own approach. Here, we present consensus-based guidance for conducting and reporting such multi-analyst studies, and we discuss how broader adoption of the multi-analyst approach has the potential to strengthen the robustness of results and conclusions obtained from analyses of datasets in basic and applied research.

Association between nursing home staff turnover and infection control citations

Sat, 24 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

OBJECTIVE: To describe the association between nursing home staff turnover and the presence and scope of infection control citations. DATA SOURCES: Secondary data for all US nursing homes between March 31, 2017, through December 31, 2019 were obtained from Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ), Nursing Home Compare, and Long-Term Care: Facts on Care in the US (LTC Focus). STUDY DESIGN: We estimated the association between nurse turnover and the probability of an infection control citation and the scope of the citation while controlling for nursing home fixed effects. Our turnover measure is the percent of the facility's nursing staff hours that were provided by new staff (less than 60 days of experience in the last 180 days) during the 2 weeks prior to the health inspection. We calculated turnover for all staff together and separately for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and certified nursing assistants. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: We linked nursing homes standard...

Larger Nursing Home Staff Size Linked To Higher Number Of COVID-19 Cases In 2020

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Staff in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) are essential health care workers, yet they can also be a source of COVID-19 transmission. We used detailed staffing data to examine the relationship between a novel measure of staff size (that is, the number of unique employees working daily), conventional measures of staffing quality, and COVID-19 outcomes among SNFs in the United States without confirmed COVID-19 cases by June 2020. By the end of September 2020, sample SNFs in the lowest quartile of staff size had 6.2 resident cases and 0.9 deaths per 100 beds, compared with 11.9 resident cases and 2.1 deaths per 100 beds among facilities in the highest quartile. Staff size, including staff members not involved in resident care, was strongly associated with SNFs' COVID-19 outcomes, even after facility size was accounted for. Conventional staffing quality measures, including direct care staff-to-resident ratios and skill mix, were not significant predictors of COVID-19 cases or deaths....

Resource profile and user guide of the Polygenic Index Repository

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Polygenic indexes (PGIs) are DNA-based predictors. Their value for research in many scientific disciplines is growing rapidly. As a resource for researchers, we used a consistent methodology to construct PGIs for 47 phenotypes in 11 datasets. To maximize the PGIs’ prediction accuracies, we constructed them using genome-wide association studies—some not previously published—from multiple data sources, including 23andMe and UK Biobank. We present a theoretical framework to help interpret analyses involving PGIs. A key insight is that a PGI can be understood as an unbiased but noisy measure of a latent variable we call the ‘additive SNP factor’. Regressions in which the true regressor is this factor but the PGI is used as its proxy therefore suffer from errors-in-variables bias. We derive an estimator that corrects for the bias, illustrate the correction, and make a Python tool for implementing it publicly available.

Problems with Using Polygenic Scores to Select Embryos

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Companies have recently begun to sell a new service to patients considering in vitro fertilization: embryo selection based on polygenic scores (ESPS). These scores represent individualized predictions of health and other outcomes derived from genomewide association studies in adults to partially predict these outcomes. This article includes a discussion of many factors that lower the predictive power of polygenic scores in the context of embryo selection and quantifies these effects for a variety of clinical and nonclinical traits. Also discussed are potential unintended consequences of ESPS (including selecting for adverse traits, altering population demographics, exacerbating inequalities in society, and devaluing certain traits). Recommendations for the responsible communication about ESPS by practitioners are provided, and a call for a society-wide conversation about this technology is made. (Funded by the National Institute on Aging and others.).

Joel Cooper - Art Notes

Sat, 17 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Joel Cooper - Art Notes

Joel Cooper Portrait circa 1962