Search

Objective: To determine whether there are significant differences in costs of treatment and readmission rates for hospital consultations undertaken by female versus male physicians in China. Methods: Using data from the Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance program from January 2018 through October 2019, we investigated spending patterns and clinical outcomes for patients at tertiary hospitals in one of the largest cities in China by the gender of the attending physician. Our sample included 79,085 hospitalizations treated by 3993 physicians in internal medicine departments. We examined the association between physician gender and visit cost using a multivariable linear model. We examined the association between physician gender and 30-days readmission rates using a multivariable probability model. We adjusted for a rich set of patient characteristics, primary diagnosis fixed effects, and hospital fixed effects. In addition, we used patient fixed effects in a robustness analysis. Results: Adjusting for primary diagnosis fixed effects, spending per visit was 4.1% higher for patients treated by male physicians than for those treated by female physicians, a statistically significant difference (95% CI [1.5%, 6.7%]). This pattern persisted after further adjusting for hospital fixed effects (3.2% [1.2%, 5.2%]), patient characteristics (3.2% [1.2%, 5.1%]), and patient fixed effects (4.2% [1.8%, 6.7%]). The difference is mainly driven by higher spending on drugs (8.7% [3.9%, 13.6%]) and out-of-pocket costs (3.9% [1.7%, 6.0%]). No statistically significant differences were observed in the readmission rates of patients treated by male and female physicians in any of our three model specifications. Conclusions: Spending per visit was significantly higher among patients treated by male physicians than among those treated by female physicians, with the difference mainly driven by spending on drugs and out-of-pocket costs. No significant difference was observed in the hospital readmission rates of patients treated by male and female physicians. These findings have important implications for gender equality in medicine and health care quality and efficiency in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upconversion (UC) nanocrystal phosphors have received increasing attention for designing optical temperature sensors. Developing an efficient UC phosphor with superior temperature sensing properties remains a challenging task. Herein, we report dual-emitting and thermochromic Mn2+ co-doped KLu2F7:Yb3+/Er3+ nanocrystals, synthesized by a modified hydrothermal method. The marked influence of Mn2+ on the UC luminescence and thermal sensing performances of the KLu2F7:Yb3+/Er3+ nanocrystals was shown. The introduction of Mn2+ into the KLu2F7:Yb3+/Er3+ nanocrystals resulted in a slight change in crystal structure and morphology. The Mn2+ ions were shown to improve the UC emission, which might be attributed to the distortion of the local symmetry. Moreover, the optical temperature sensing properties of the nanocrystals were investigated. Based on the fluorescence intensity ratio of the thermally coupled levels and non-thermally coupled levels corresponding to the Arrhenius equation, the thermal sensing behavior of KLu2F7:Yb3+/Er3+ and KLu2F7:Yb3+/Er3+/Mn2+ was studied in the range of 303–543 K. Compared with the previous study, the KLu2F7:Yb3+/Er3+/Mn2+ nanocrystals exhibited outstanding temperature sensing properties based on non-thermally coupled levels. This study not only discussed the influence of Mn2+ doping on KLu2F7:Yb3+/Er3+ nanocrystals working as nanothermometers, but also provided a general approach to enhance the properties of optical temperature sensors by introducing non-thermally coupled levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating the influence of the emergency transition to online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic can significantly enhance our understanding of the benefits and limitations of technology in higher education. We aim to assess the effect of online learning on college students' academic achievement compared to face-to-face learning during the Covid-19 crisis. This study utilizes a meta-analysis approach, examining 35 research studies conducted in 17 different countries and regions from 2020 to 2023, through an extensive database search encompassing the Web of Science Core Collection, EBSCO Host, JSTOR, Springerlink, and SCOPUS. The sample size comprised 8079 students, with 4160 assigned to the experimental group (online) and 3919 to the control group (face-to-face). We found that online learning yields a modest and positive effect (g = 0.336, 95% CI [0.139–0.534]) on students' academic achievement. The effect was consistent across class years and exam types but varied by subject, benefiting students in medicine, engineering, and natural sciences, while negatively affecting social sciences. Additionally, the effect of online learning shows a stronger positive impact on the academic achievement of students from lower-income level nations. Our research indicates that online learning could be a viable and potentially equalizing force in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the effects of fathers' political influence on their offspring's labour market outcomes in China. Political influence refers to the ability to convert political power into economic benefits. This study identifies the dissolution of political influence by exploiting an age-based mandatory retirement rule in urban China. It exploits the variation of political influence in three dimensions: bureaucrat status, retirement status, and offspring gender. A difference-in-differences approach shows that the retirement of a bureaucrat translates into a 13 per cent decrease in offspring's income. A triple-differences approach suggests retirement of a bureaucrat father translates into a 27 per cent decrease in earnings among sons. Retirement of a bureaucrat father is associated with larger income losses for offspring working in the same industry sector as their father and in industries that have a high concentration of assets or that are controlled by the state. This paper adds evidence to the growing literature estimating the economic benefits of political connections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]