Jeffrey A. Mills

Using cointegration analysis for modeling marketing interactions in dynamic environments: methodological issues and an empirical illustration

Abstract The authors argue that cointegration analysis is an intriguing development for analyzing marketing interactions in dynamic environments. Methodologically, the use of cointegration analysis requires statistical tests to determine whether this technique is appropriate for the system under investigation and, if it is appropriate, other statistical tests are needed to interpret the results. The authors collate a set of statistical tests and techniques to advance a comprehensive methodological framework that utilizes cointegration analysis to examine marketing interactions in dynamic environments. The framework is useful for analyzing marketing parameter functions with time-varying coefficients to investigate the relationship between market performance (e.g., sales, market share), marketing effort (e.g., advertising, sales promotion), and environmental conditions (e.g., market growth, inflation). The authors illustrate the utility of the framework for the famous case of Lydia Pinkham Medicine Company (LPMC).

The distributional implications of tax and transfer programs in US

Abstract The distributional consequences of changes in tax laws and transfer programs in the United States are studied. Using detailed household income data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) from 1981–91, income inequality is measured for both pretax/transfer and post-tax/transfer definitions of household income. A new statistical methodology for assessing the impact of changes in taxes and transfers on the size distribution of income is utilized. Confidence intervals are constructed for various measures of inequality, and hypothesis tests are conducted to determine whether observed changes in the distribution of income due to taxes and transfers are statistically significant. Using decomposable measures of inequality, the implications of type of tax table used are investigated.

Analysis of gender-based family income inequality in Canada

Using decomposable measures of inequality and applying bootstrapping methods in order to draw statistical inference, gender-based earnings inequality in conjunction with education and immigration status in Canada is investigated.

AN ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENTIAL PROVINCIAL INCOME INEQUALITY TRENDS IN CANADA

We study Canadian national and provincial family income inequality from 1991-1997. We use special cases of generalized entropy measures, the Theil measures of inequality, since they are decomposable into between provinces inequality and within provinces inequality. We draw statistical inferences from our findings by using the bootstrapping technique. We find that Canadian provinces have experienced differential trends in family income inequality over this period, a pattern that is masked when analyzing solely national trends. Changes in between- province family income inequality are found to be insignificant, indicating that the observed rise in overall inequality over this period is due to factors within provinces. Changes in within- province family income inequality are found to be significant. We further analyze two-way decompositions by province and education, and by province and age, to learn about the role of human capital and the life cycle in determining changes in family inequality among and within Canadian provinces.

Acid-sensing T cell death associated gene-8 receptor expression in panic disorder

BACKGROUND While disruption of acid-base homeostasis has been pathoetiologically implicated in panic disorder (PD), the mechanism by which pH imbalance is translated to panic pathophysiology is poorly understood. Recently, in a translational rodent model of PD, we reported a role of microglial acid sensing G-protein coupled receptor, T cell death associated gene-8 (TDAG8) in panic-associated behavior and physiology. However, the clinical validity of the TDAG8 receptor has not been investigated. OBJECTIVE To assess TDAG8 in PD, we evaluated TDAG8 receptor expression in adolescents and young adults with PD and healthy comparison subjects. METHODS Relative expression of TDAG8 mRNA was determined in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with PD, and compared to expression in healthy subjects. Linear models were utilized to evaluate the relationship between TDAG8 expression and panic disorder symptom severity scale (PDSS) score as well as other potential explanatory variables (e.g., CRP, body mass index, sex, age). Models were refined based on the estimated parameter significance, evidence of omitted variable bias and Bayesian/Akaike information criteria. RESULTS Relative to healthy comparison subjects (n=17), expression of TDAG8 mRNA was significantly increased in patients with PD (n=15) (1.60±0.65 vs. 1.01±0.50, p=0.008). TDAG8 mRNA expression predicted PD symptom severity in a fixed effect model incorporating age and sex (p=0.003). CONCLUSIONS Collectively, our results suggest greater TDAG8 expression in patients with PD compared to healthy subjects, and directly link TDAG8 expression and the severity of the PD symptoms. Further investigation of the TDAG8 receptor in panic pathophysiology is warranted.

THE DISTRIBUTIONAL EFFECTS OF U.S. TAX AND TRANSFER POLICY ON THE HOUSEHOLD

Using decomposable measures of inequality, the implications of household structure are investigated by examining inequality between and within household groups based on the number of exemptions, which correlates with household size, and the filing status, which correlates with the common forms of household structure, i.e. married, single, head of household. Detailed household income data are used to measure income inequality for both pre-tax/transfer and post-tax/transfer definitions of income. These decompositions provide information about the degree of inequality, both before and after taxes and transfers, which is due to household size and filing status. The bootstrap is employed to construct standard errors for the inequality measures and their decompositions, and hypothesis tests are conducted to determine whether the observed changes in the distribution of income are statistically significant.