Agricultural Productivity and Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa

Environmental Economics and Policy,

Who Pays for it? The Heterogeneous Wage Effects of Employment Protection Legislation

This paper estimates the effect of employment protection legislation (EPL) on workers' individual wages in a quasi-experimental setting, exploiting a reform that introduced unjust-dismissal costs in Italy for firms below 15 employees and left firing costs unchanged for bigger firms. Accounting for the endogeneity of the treatment status, we find that the slight average wage reduction (between –0.4 and –0.1 percent) that follows the increase in EPL hides highly heterogeneous effects. Workers who change firm during the reform period suffer a drop in the entry wage, while incumbent workers are left unaffected. Results also indicate that the negative wage effect of the EPL reform is stronger on young blue collars and on workers at the low-end of the wage distribution. Finally, workers in low-employment regions suffer higher wage reductions after the reform. This pattern suggests that the ability of the employers to shift EPL costs onto wages depends on workers' and firms' relative bargaining power.Costs of Unjust Dismissals, Severance Payments, Policy Evaluation, Endogeneity of Treatment Status

Assessing the Spatial and Temporal Distribution of MTBE and BTEX Compounds in Lake Lewisville, Texas February 1999 - February 2000

The spatial and temporal distribution of Methyl Tertiary-Butyl Ether (MTBE) and BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylenes) compounds were assessed in a multipurpose reservoir, Lake Lewisville, Texas between February 1999 and February 2000. Concentrations of MTBE ranged from 0.0 - 16.7 mg/L. Levels of MTBE in the lake were related to watercraft. BTEX concentrations were never detected above 2.0 mg/L during the sampling period. Finished drinking water from Denton and the Upper Trinity Regional Water District (UTRWD) Treatment Plants were also tested for MTBE and BTEX. MTBE and BTEX were not detected in UTRWD water samples. Denton's finished water samples never exceeded 2.2 mg/L for MTBE and BTEX was not detected except for one replicate of 1.1 mg/L toluene

Qual patamar que já foi alcançado no fisiculturismo brasileiro, suas complexidades, propostas de adaptações e possibilidades de avanços: Which level has already been reached in brazilian bodybuilding, its complexities, adaptation proposals and possibilities for advances

De acordo com o nosso levantamento, são escassas as revisões de literatura com o intuito de evidenciar as complexidades e possíveis adaptações na esfera do fisiculturismo. Diante da ausência praticamente total de trabalhos científicos com essas características, o presente estudo objetivou levantar esses dados e assim proporcionar um cenário que possibilite um possível avanço. Metodologia: Trata-se de uma revisão de literatura, do tipo narrativa. Resultados: O trabalho identificou as dificuldades encontradas na elaboração dos programas de treinamento, dada a complexidade de compreender o organismo humano, sendo essas circunstâncias potencializadas ao tratar da esfera do alto rendimento, o que inclui o fisiculturismo. Também foram apresentados os possíveis recursos que têm sido, por intervenções contemporâneas, considerados úteis nesse mecanismo, como também avanços decorrentes da regulamentação da profissão de treinador no país, o que proporciona que a esfera competitiva, principalmente o fisiculturismo, seja conduzida por profissionais legalmente habilitados para atuarem no desporto. Conclusão: Devido aos recentes indícios de que o fisiculturismo tem sido radicalmente especulado na ciência, concluímos que os achados dessas intervenções apontaram para as possibilidades de um substancial avanço. Entretanto, é necessário que esse intuito se solidifique na comunidade, por meio, principalmente, da continuidade das intervenções acadêmicas

Chronic aspirin treatment affects collagen deposition in non-infarcted myocardium during remodeling after coronary artery ligation in the rat

Low-dose aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid; ASA), inhibiting platelet thromboxane production in favor of endothelium formation of prostaglandins, is successfully used as primary or secondary prophylaxis against myocardial infarction. Although prognosis may be improved, effects of long-term ASA treatment on wound healing and cardiac remodeling are not well understood. The aim of the present study was to mimic the clinical situation by inducing myocardial infarction in low-dose ASA (25 mg/kg/day, i.p.) pretreated rats, and to determine effects on plasma eicosanoid levels, cardiac hypertrophy and collagen deposition, and left ventricular function during continued ASA treatment. The effects of this dose were verified to selectively inhibit platelet thromboxane production, and lower plasma levels of thromboxane, but did not affect plasma levels of prostacyclin and prostaglandin E2during the acute inflammatory stage following myocardial infarction. As measured by heart dry weight/body weight, cardiac hypertrophy was not affected by ASA treatment. However, interstitial fibrosis in the spared myocardium as well as perivascular fibrosis, associated with infarction-induced cardiac remodeling, were affected by ASA treatment. Replacement fibrosis in the infarct itself, considered as representing wound healing, was not significantly influenced by ASA treatment. Wall thinning following infarction was not aggravated, nor did treatment influence left ventricular cavity diameter in a relaxed state. Results fromin vitroleft ventricular function measurements showed no effects on left ventricular peak velocity of contraction or relaxation after ASA treatment. In conclusion, although low-dose ASA may not be expected to have anti-inflammatory action, it did influence post-infarct cardiac remodeling by affecting interstitial and perivascular fibrosis. ASA treatment did not have effects onin vitroleft ventricular dysfunction

PENGGUNAAN BUKU KIA SEBAGAI MEDIA EDUKASI PADA IBU HAMIL

Data cakupan kepemilikan buku KIA di Puskesmas Tlogosari Kulon sebesar 95%, namun termasuk dalam urutan pertama kasus kematian ibu di Kota Semarang. Tujuan penelitian ini menganalisis hubungan penggunaan buku KIA dengan praktik sehat ibu hamil di wilayah kerja Puskesmas Tlogosari Kulon. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian explanatory research dengan rancangan cross-sectional. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah ibu hamil di wilayah kerja Puskesmas Tlogosari Kulon sebanyak 703 ibu hamil dengan usia kehamilan > 4 bulan. Subjek sebanyak 93 ibu hamil yang dipilih dengan teknik simple random sampling. Analisis data menggunakan uji korelasi spearman dan Chi square. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan persentase terbanyak pada pengetahuan ibu hamil dengan kategori baik (53,8%), sikap ibu hamil dengan kategori positif (59,1%), praktik sehat ibu hamil dengan kategori baik (58,1%), penggunaan buku KIA dengan kategori baik (50,5%) dan informasi dari sumber lain dengan kategori baik (65,6%). Tidak ada hubungan penggunaan buku KIA dengan pengetahuan (p=0,310), praktik (p=0,925) dan ada hubungan penggunaan buku KIA dengan sikap (p=0,000). Sebelum dikontrol dengan informasi dari sumber lain didapatkan hasil bahwa tidak ada hubungan membaca buku KIA dengan pengetahuan (0,432), praktik sehat ibu hamil (0,797) dan ada hubungan membaca buku KIA dengan sikap ibu hamil terhadap kesehatan (0,000). Setelah dikontrol dengan informasi dari sumber lain dianalisis secara terpisah antara ibu yang mendapat informasi dari sumber lain dan yang tidak mendapat informasi dari sumber lain diperoleh hasil yang sama seperti sebelum dikontrol dengan informasi dari sumber lain.Disarankan program yang sudah ada seperti kelas ibu hamil perlu dikembangkan untuk mendukung penggunaan buku KIA sebagai informasi kesehatan Kata Kunci: penggunaan buku KIA, Ibu hamil, praktik, sikap, pengetahua

Evidence From Seven Countries on Whether Inventories Smooth Aggregate Output

Casual examination of annual postwar data on inventories and aggregate output for seven developed countries -- Canada, France, West Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States -- suggests that in these countries the primary function of aggregate inventories is not to smooth aggregate output in the face of aggregate demand shocks. Japan is a possible exception to this generalization.