642 research outputs found
Does trade integration matter for reducing intra-regional disparities? ASEAN evidence from a panel co-integration approach
Needless to say, it is necessary to study the relative scales of the trade creation effect and the trade diversion effect to evaluate success of ASEAN trade integration and to determine whether or not the intra-bloc trade share is appropriate as an indicator of the progress of reducing intra-regional disparities in ASEAN. Therefore, this paper first uses descriptive statistics and some key indicators to track the progress in economic growth and in trade integration that is the main pillar of building ASEAN Economic Community. Second, we make an attempt to provide answers to the question of whether trade integration matters for reducing intra-regional disparities among ASEAN member states over the period 1995-2007. We perform the panel co-integration method developed by Pedroni (1999) that allows for heterogeneity across ten ASEAN countries. Our major finding shows that trade integration, which is captured by intra-regional exports and imports flows, is appropriate as an indicator of progress of reducing income disparities in the ASEAN zone. Finally, applying the General Method of Moments (GMM) estimation, we also find that deepening of intra-regional trade integration creates more trade flows among ASEAN member states without diverting trade flows with non-members.Growth, Trade Integration, Intra-regional disparities, Co-integration, ASEAN
Effects of the 2008 Financial Crisis on developing Asia's Economic Growth
The aim of this paper is to study macro aspect of the virulent impacts of the 2008 financial crisis on Asian developing economies. To do this, we apply the Pedroni panel co-integration technique developed to examine the long-run relationship between economic growth, exports and inward FDI on a sample of selected Asian developing countries over the period 1995-2008. Our main finding is that FDI inflows and exports exert a significant and positive impact on developing Asia's economic growth. The 2008 global financial crisis is, therefore, likely to have a significant effect on developing Asia's economic growth through two main transmission channels - FDI and exports channels.Financial crisis, Exports, FDI, Economic growth, Developing countries.
Developing a plant virus-based expression system for the expression of vaccines against Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus
Virus-based expression systems have been widely exploited for the production of recombinant proteins in plants during the last three decades. Advances in technology have boosted scale-up manufacturing of plant-made pharmaceuticals to high levels, via the complementation of transient expression and viral vectors. This combination allows proteins of interest to be produced in plants within a matter of days and thus, is well suited for the development of plant-made vaccines or therapeutics against emerging infectious diseases and potential bioterrorism agents. Several plant-based products are currently in varying stages of clinical development. To investigate the viability of virus-based expression systems for plant-made subunit vaccines against Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), I have developed several viral vectors which express partial PRRSV glycoprotein 5 (GP5).
In this thesis, I demonstrated that viral vectors can increase the expression of proteins for vaccine development in a variety of host plants. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the C-terminus of GP5 fused with GFP (GP5C-GFP) were expressed at up to 37.29 mg/kg and 4.36 mg/kg fresh weight of leaf tissue, respectively, in soybean plants via biolistic bombardment, using viral vectors derived from Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV). A Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV)-based vector was employed to display chimeric virus particles, presenting the neutralizing epitope (NE) of GP5, at levels as high as 35.84 mg/kg of cucumber leaf fresh weight, via agroinfiltration. In addition, GFP and the ectodomain of GP5 fused with GFP (GP5e-GFP) were successfully produced at up to 2.03 g/kg and 36.53 mg/kg fresh weight of leaf tissue, respectively, in Nicotiana benthamiana using transient expression of Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV)-based vectors. Co-infiltration of viral vectors with p19, a silencing suppressor, can help to mitigate the toxicity of GP5e to plant tissue and enhance the accumulation of this protein. These plant-made products may be tested as oral subunit vaccines against PRRSV in pigs during future experimental trials. Overall, the results demonstrate that viral systems can produce low-cost, versatile and robust vaccines that have a great impact in the fight against viral diseases, especially in developing countries
Does exchange rate policy matter for economic growth? Vietnam evidence from a co-integration approach
Both economic growth and exchange rate theories suggest that the exchange rate regime could have consequences for the medium-term growth of a country, directly, through its effects on the adjustment to shocks, and indirectly, through its impact on the important determinants of growth. It is, however, surprising that there was little empirical work investigating the indirect relationship between the exchange rate policy and economics growth in the case of a specific country. In a co-integration framework, our research attempts to fill the gap by econometrically investigating the possible impacts of exchange rate regime on economic growth through two main channels - Foreign direct investment (FDI) and Exports - in the case of Vietnam - a successful example of a transitional economy.Exports, Exchange Rate, FDI, Growth, Co-integration
Energy management systems and market value: Is there a link?
This paper aims to advance in the knowledge of the economic impacts of ISO 50001 certification on firms' performance. The study hypothesizes that ISO 50001 is associated with improvements in market value of firms. We employ, on one hand, event study methodology for a sample of 40 companies listed on different stock exchanges. On the other hand, we use market reaction to the announcement of ISO 50001 as a proxy for changes in firm performance. We reveal that market reaction to the adoption of ISO 50001 is negative but statistically insignificant. However, this result is not suggesting that getting ISO 50001 is a bad investment, but rather that inflated expectations of financial performance improvement due to the adoption of ISO 50001 has still been unfounded
Does trade integration matter for reducing intra-regional disparities? ASEAN evidence from a panel co-integration approach
Needless to say, it is necessary to study the relative scales of the trade creation effect and the trade diversion effect to evaluate success of ASEAN trade integration and to determine whether or not the intra-bloc trade share is appropriate as an indicator of the progress of reducing intra-regional disparities in ASEAN. Therefore, this paper first uses descriptive statistics and some key indicators to track the progress in economic growth and in trade integration that is the main pillar of building ASEAN Economic Community. Second, we make an attempt to provide answers to the question of whether trade integration matters for reducing intra-regional disparities among ASEAN member states over the period 1995-2007. We perform the panel co-integration method developed by Pedroni (1999) that allows for heterogeneity across ten ASEAN countries. Our major finding shows that trade integration, which is captured by intra-regional exports and imports flows, is appropriate as an indicator of progress of reducing income disparities in the ASEAN zone. Finally, applying the General Method of Moments (GMM) estimation, we also find that deepening of intra-regional trade integration creates more trade flows among ASEAN member states without diverting trade flows with non-members
Globalisation versus Informality: Evidence from developing countries
A number of theoretical studies have tended to trace the nature of globalization process' impacts (mostly characterised by trade opening) on informality, while relevant empirical literature has been not well developed. The paper aims to fill this knowledge gap by shedding further light on the linkages running from globalisation to informality in developing countries. Moreover, in this study, globalisation is characterised not only by trade integration but also by other globalisation aspects, such as social globalisation, financial globalisation and so forth. To achieve the main objective, we employ the Bayesian statistical techniques, which allow one to determine, from a large set of different globalization indicators, a subset of indicators most likely to influence the size of informality. Our finding reveals that the indicators with consistently high inclusion probabilities are trade integration, trade reforms, de jure financial openness and social globalisation. On the other hand, many covariates found significant in previous empirical studies are not robust to including in informality modelling
Financial Development, Financial Openness and Trade Openness: New evidence
Employing the Pedroni co-integration technique and the GMM estimator, this paper aims at investigating the possible connection between financial development, financial openness and trade openness in twenty-nine Asian developing countries over 1994-2008. Firstly, we find a bidirectional causality between trade openness and financial development/openness. Secondly, the relationship between financial development and financial openness is heterogeneous across different measures. Finally, this paper provides a complementary contribution to earlier studies as asking for the question of whether the inclusion of financial crisis in estimated models can change the nature of the relationship between financial development and both types of openness
Analysis of Ammonia and Volatile Organic Amine Emissions in a Confined Poultry Facility
The National Air Emission Monitoring Study (NAEMS) project was funded by the Agricultural Air Research Council (AARC) to evaluate agricultural emissions nationwide. Utah State University (USU) is conducting a parallel study on agricultural emissions at a Cache Valley poultry facility. As part of this parallel study, samples of animal feed, eggs and animal waste were collected weekly from three manure barns (designated: manure barn, barn 4 - manure belt and barn 5 - high rise) from May 2008 to November 2009. These samples were analyzed to determine ammonia content, total Kjeldahl nitrogen content and ammonia emission. The yearly average calculated NH3 values for manure barn, barn 4 and barn 5 were determined in units of mg NH3/gmanure as: 1.1 ± 0.2, 0.6 ± 0.1 and 0.8 ± 0.1, respectively. The yearly average calculated TKN values in units of % N were determined as: 2.0% ± 0.3, 1.6% ± 0.3 and 1.9% ± 0.3 for manure barn, barn 4 and barn 5, respectively. The yearly average of NH3 emission in units of mg NH3/bird-day was determined to be 440 ± 180 mg NH3/bird-day for barn 4, and 540 ± 190 mg NH3/bird-day for barn 5. The ammonia and organic amines emissions in ambient air at a Cache valley confined poultry facility were measured by using a sulfuric acid trapping solution in an impinger train followed ion chromatography (IC) detection. The yearly average concentrations of ammonia in ambient air at the barns were calculated at 11.9 ± 2.9 ppm at the manure belt barn and 12.7 ± 3.1 ppm at the high rise barn. No organic amines were detected in the collected ambient air samples by the ion chromatography method. Because there were no amines detected by the IC method, limits of detection of organic amines in air were studied. The results showed that the organic amines in the manure must occur at a minimum concentration of 1 ppm in order to have sufficient vapor pressure so that enough is transported to the impingers for trapping and subsequently be detected by the IC
A modelling study of environmental fate and effects of oil leakage from abandoned wells
Master's thesis in Environmental EngineeringPotential environmental consequences of oil leakages are taken into consideration in the ongoing development of plug and abandonment (P&A) activities on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). The P&A on the NCS has been required to reach a “zero leakage” target, while environmental regulations and risk monitoring for permanent abandonment are still needed. Thus, a modelling study of fate and effects of oil leakage from abandoned wells is the topic of this thesis. The research covers an investigation into applicable models and scenario modelling of a theoretical oil leak case study on the NCS. Lessons from natural oil seeps are utilized to understand potential exposure and effects of the oil leakages. In order to estimate the chronic biological exposure and effects from continuous low-rate oil leakages, the modelling is executed via a software developed by SINTEF. An Environmental Impact Factor (EIF) tool is used to compute impacted areas and risks of different oil droplets.
The results show that the smaller the droplets are, the greater the impact they have on the environment. EIFs or risks develop in time and become more stable over long periods, meanwhile impacted areas with risk > 5% become denser in a certain location of a few hundred meters from the release site. Chronic exposure and effects on organisms potentially occur with a steady state effect over a long period. Some unacceptable risks, which are exceeding the conventional accepted level of 5%, appear surrounding the release site, indicating a need of mitigation measures. Under variation of currents and winds, dilution, dispersion, evaporation, oxidation and biodegradation are parts of the influence processes on fate and effects of the oil leakage. Toxic hydrocarbons including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, naphthalene 1, C4 benzene and C7 to C9 saturates should be of concern regarding hydrocarbon contributions to risks.publishedVersio
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