RAND Corporation

About: RAND Corporation is a nonprofit organization based out in Santa Monica, California, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 9602 authors who have published 18570 publications receiving 744658 citations.

Social security, economic growth, and the rise in elderly widows' independence in the twentieth century

Abstract: The percentage of elderly widows living alone rose from 18% in 1940 to 62% in 1990, while the percentage living with adult children declined from 59% to 20%. This study finds that income growth, particularly increased Social Security benefits, was the single most important determinant of living arrangements, accounting for nearly one-half of the increase in independent living. Unlike researchers in earlier studies, we find no evidence that the effect of income became stronger over the period. Changes in age, race, immigrant status, schooling, and completed fertility explain a relatively small share of the changes in living arrangements.

Contextual Influences on Marriage Implications for Policy and Intervention

Abstract: Current proposals to promote and strengthen marriage among low-income populations focus on values and behavioral skills as primary targets of intervention. Marital research that examines contextual influences on marriage calls these emphases into question. Ethnographic and survey research reveal no evidence that populations experiencing higher rates of divorce value healthy marriages any less than other populations do. Longitudinal and observational research reveals two mechanisms through which the environment of a marriage may enhance or constrain effective relationship maintenance. First, some environments contain fewer sources of support and pose more severe challenges than others, presenting marriages in those environments with greater burdens than marriages in more supportive environments are faced with. Second, when demands external to the marriage are relatively high, even couples with adequate coping skills may have difficulty exercising those skills effectively. Together, such findings suggest th...

Health-related correlates of perceived discrimination in HIV care.

Abstract: Negative interactions with health care providers can have important implications for the health and health care of HIV-positive individuals The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of race-based and socioeconomic status (SES)-based discrimination during interactions with HIV treatment providers We recruited 110 individuals (17% female, 51% white) living with HIV from an AIDS service organization in a midwestern city Results indicated that the majority of participants had perceived discrimination in their interactions with providers when getting treatment for HIV More specifically, 71% reported having experienced discrimination when receiving treatment for HIV based on their race or color, and 66% reported discrimination attributed to their socioeconomic status, position, or social class However, participants indicated that they experienced discrimination infrequently No significant racial/ethnic differences in reports of discrimination were observed In addition, greater race-based and SES-based discrimination were each associated with greater levels of depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms, greater severity of AIDS-related symptoms, lower perceived general health, and less health care satisfaction Greater SES-based discrimination was also related to lower adherence to antiretroviral medications Our findings suggest that experiences with discrimination when getting treatment have important implications for the health and health care of HIV-positive individuals It is important to note, however, that discrimination based on HIV status or sexual orientation was not assessed and may have affected the results Studies that explore perceptions of discrimination based on other factors among HIV-positive individuals may improve understanding of the nature, extent, and consequences of discrimination in patient-provider interactions

Who is Leading our Schools?: An Overview of School Administrators and Their Careers

Abstract: : The recently passed No Child Left Behind legislation reflects the increasing visibility and importance of school administration in the larger education reform effort. But just when the role of school administrators is being emphasized, policymakers and the public are becoming increasingly concerned that there is or soon will be a short- age of qualified individuals to fill formal school and district management positions. This concern stems primarily from the perception that a large number of people are leaving school administrative positions, that districts are having a hard time replacing those who leave, and that replacements often lack the skills necessary to succeed in school administration. To know whether the United States is indeed facing a crisis in the recruitment and retention of school administrators, the Wallace-Readers Digest Funds asked RAND to conduct a systematic analysis of the career patterns of school administrators, including the moves they make into and out of the profession and the factors that might be expected to influence those moves.

Conditional bypass of error correction for dual memory access time selection

Abstract: A method of and an apparatus for conditionally bypassing the error correction function of a large scale integrated (LSI) semiconductor random access memory (RAM) is disclosed. A content addressable memory (CAM) is utilized to store the addresses of the addressable locations in the RAM in which an error was previously detected, and on each memory reference both the CAM and the RAM are simultaneously referenced by the same address. Upon a memory reference, the read data from, i.e., the date read out of, the RAM is concurrently coupled directly to an Interface Register and directly to the error detection and correction circuitry (ECC) and thence to the Interface Register. If the CAM does not contain the address, the read data that is coupled to the Interface Register is gated out at a first relatively early gate pulse. However, if the CAM does contain the address, the corrected read data from the ECC is then gated out of the Interface Register at a second relatively later gate pulse. Thus, when no error exists in the read data, the RAM is accessed at a relatively fast access time while, if an error exists in the read data, the RAM is accessed at a relatively slower access time to provide the added time required by the ECC to correct the read data.