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This project proposes to develop a multiple-cause-of-death model of cancer mortality differentials at the older ages (45 and over), and to test its efficacy in comparison with the traditional model. The primary goal is to show that a multiple-cause-of-death model reveals different results of mortality differential by age, race, and sex than those observed under a single underlying-cause-of-death model. If positive findings are observed, then a multiple-cause concept of human mortality needs to be considered as an alternative to the underlying-cause concept in studies of differential mortality. / The specific objectives of the project are to (1) discuss previous research showing the relative importance of examining multiple causes of death in mortality analyses, (2) extend the current research by considering age-race-sex-specific death rates within a multiple-cause-of-death model of cancer mortality differentials at the older ages, (3) design a methodology to utilize multiple-cause data in differential mortality analyses, and (4) compare results from multiple-cause analysis with those from underlying-cause analysis. / The first objective consists of a review of the literature on causes of death, the epidemiological transition, and mortality differentials. Following this review, an argument is given in support of a multiple cause-of-death conceptual model. The second objective consists of applying a multiple-cause-of-death framework to cancer mortality differentials. The third objective consists of designing analytical methods to utilize multiple cause data. / The fourth objective consists of constructing appropriate rates (i.e., underlying, total mention, and multiple cause rates by age, race, and sex), comparing the results, and interpreting the findings. / Findings indicate that a multiple-cause-of-death approach to cancer mortality differentials at the older ages is an alternative to the underlying-cause-of-death approach. Even though cancer is the major cause of death most likely to be cited as an underlying cause, differentials in cancer mortality vary when the two data bases are used. When specific types of cancer are examined, differentials using total mentions may be wider or narrower than those based on underlying causes and may even be reversed. Use of an underlying cause-of-death framework especially understates the level of cancer-related mortality at the older ages. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-05, Section: A, page: 1892. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.

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The economic literature has found difficulty linking fertility and mortality rates. Previous versions of the dynastic (parental altruism) model have failed to predict the negative relationship between fertility and infant survival, since it was postulated that parents view children as normal goods and increases in childhood survival would result in a decrease in unit-child costs. In this work, I find that a simple reformulation of the Becker-Barro altruism hypothesis successfully predicts the observed demographic transition in the past century, as well as explaining fertility differences across countries. I contest that fertility decision is dependent on the number of surviving children and not the number of children born. Child bearing is therefore perceived as risk-taking behavior given the stochastic nature of childhood survival. Essentially, higher childhood survival requires fewer children (i.e., less "hoarding") in order to ensure the desired family size. The model predicts that higher childhood survival rates will lead to a decrease in fertility. I calibrate an infinitely-lived overlapping-generations dynastic utility model and compare the fertility predictions of the baseline model with the data for the year 2000. In doing so, I have relaxed the dual normalization of the utility of death and the overall level of utility. This is necessary given that the value of children's lives are important in the parent's fertility decision. Parents jointly care for the number and utility levels of their children. I will calibrate this number and estimate this implied value of life. I find that the consumption level an agent is indifferent between life and death to be less than 1% of current consumption. I also find that parents care for their children future 47% more than that of their own. All in all, this experiment finds that fertility differences cannot be explain by differences in mortality rates alone and that incorporating human capital investment in the household production function will yield desirable results. Simply stated, lower income countries have lower opportunity costs of birthing children and will choose quantity over quality. I find that the steady state analysis of this model can explain over 62% of the cross-country variation, while mortality rates alone can explain 10%-25%. The model generally performs better for low survival, high fertility countries and vice versa. While the model tends to perform well for these economies, more needs to be done to explain fertility in the transition economies.

This study utilized a multi-level model to examine the impact of religion as an occupation on mortality. Death certificate data were used to examine clergy mortality and compares them to census categorized professionals, counseling professionals and unmarried clergy. Individuals mortality exist in, and is influenced by the state they resided and died in. Because of this, they are not only examined on the individual level, they are also nested in their respective state of death. A series of hierarchical linear models were estimated in order to determine the effects of the different influence levels (individual and state). Findings suggest that clergy have a significant life advantage over professionals and counseling professionals. Married clergy have significant years of life disadvantage when compared to unmarried clergy. Implications of this research are discussed and considerations for future research are presented.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine hourly wage differences across different groups of Mexican-origin workers. First, I assess the cost of foreign-born status by comparing the hourly wages of Mexican immigrant workers with those of native-born Mexican American workers. Second, I assess the cost of non-citizenship status by comparing the hourly wages of non-citizens with those of Mexican-born U.S. naturalized citizens. I also seek to determine if these costs are greater in California than in Texas. The data are drawn from the 2000 5% Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) U.S. Census. The results from multiple linear regression analyses show that being an immigrant, particularly a non-citizen immigrant, is associated with lower hourly wages, especially in California. Thus, Mexicanorigin workers, especially those in California, bear dual costs for being foreign-born and not being naturalized citizens. Furthermore, I focus on length of U.S. residence to assess the social and economic impact of the different periods on the costs associated with foreign-born status. First, those who came to the United States before the IRCA of 1986 and a series of California propositions during the 1990s have higher hourly wages than those who arrived later, because of more stable labor market conditions and the effect of the duration of stay in the United States. Second, those who arrived during the last decade have much lower hourly wages because of their disadvantaged labor market contexts.

The Whooping Crane (Grus americana) is among North America’s most charismatic species. Between 1938 and 2004, the population that migrates between Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP), grew from 18 to 217 individuals. The recovery plan objective for this endangered species is to downlist the population in 2035, but this requires interpretive assessment of population responses to environmental factors over the long term. I analyzed 27 years of banding data, 37 years of nest monitoring data, and 20 years of winter reports to estimate age-specific mortality and fecundity rates. The resulting life table yielded an intrinsic rate of increase (r) of 0.14/y, a net reproductive rate (Ro) of 6.4/y, and a mean length of a generation (G) of 13y. Path analysis of environmental factors, demographic variables (natality and mortality), and the finite rate of population increase (lambda) showed that annual mortality, temperatures from the ANWR, WBNP and at a migration stop-over in Nebraska, and pond water depth were good predictors of lambda variability. However, other environmental factors were significantly correlated: at ANWR, October- March temperature (extreme minimum and maximum), December temperature (mean and extreme minimum), November-January precipitation, and September-March freshwater inflow; at WBNP, March-September precipitation, March-May temperature, and temperatures during the September - October fall migration. The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) affected lambda indirectly through environmental factors in Nebraska and ANWR. I graphically analyzed relevant data trends from 1967 to 2004 to identify the relation between phases of PDO and environmental and demographic variables. During PDO cold phases, a synchronization of “extreme” environmental values was observed from the different regions; during warm phases extreme environmental values were scattered. Most periods of Whooping Crane population decline happened during cold phases. I developed a compartment model to represent Whooping Crane population dynamics utilizing the new data on survivorship and fecundity from banded birds. The model was capable of simulating historical population trends with adjustments in brood success and egg mortality. The model will allow future studies to test population responses to various environmental scenarios at the WBNP, during fall and spring migrations, and at the ANWR.

This study utilized a multi-level model to examine the impact of religion as an occupation on mortality. Death certificate data were used to examine clergy mortality and compares them to census categorized professionals, counseling professionals and unmarried clergy. Individuals mortality exist in, and is influenced by the state they resided and died in. Because of this, they are not only examined on the individual level, they are also nested in their respective state of death. A series of hierarchical linear models were estimated in order to determine the effects of the different influence levels (individual and state). Findings suggest that clergy have a significant life advantage over professionals and counseling professionals. Married clergy have significant years of life disadvantage when compared to unmarried clergy. Implications of this research are discussed and considerations for future research are presented.