Causal Link between Exporting and Innovation Activity. Evidence from Slovenian Firms

In this paper we investigate the causal relationship between firm's innovation and exporting activity by using detailed firm-level data on innovation activity, financial variables and information on trade for Slovenian firms in 1996-2002. We employ the bivariate probit regression on a system of innovation and exporting equations as well as matching procedures to tease out the direction of causality between exporting status and innovation activity. Our results suggest a strong positive relationship between exporting and innovation activity in both directions, while results on the impacts of lagged export (or innovation) status on the probability to start innovating (or exporting) are less conclusive. In other words, whereby innovating status increases the probability of exporting it does not increase the probability of becoming a first time exporter, and vice versa. The results remain unaltered also after allowing for discrimination between product and process innovation.DYNREG, firm heterogeneity, innovation, exporting, matching

Knowledge Transfer, Innovation and Growth

Recent empirical work has examined the extent to which national and international spillovers affect the functioning of a firm. Foreign direct investment and trade have been shown to serve as channels for the mediation of knowledge spillovers. The aim of this paper is to analyse whether, and to what extent, firm ability to innovate is induced by firm’s own R&D activity and what is the effect of factors external to firm. We first estimate the impact of firms' internal R&D capital and external R&D spillovers on innovation activity within an integrated dynamic model. In the second step, we proceed to estimate the impact of firms' innovations on productivity growth. Using firm-level innovation and accounting data for a large sample of Slovenian firms from 1996-2002, the paper produces some interesting findings. First, firm R&D expenditures as well as external knowledge spillovers, such as national and international public R&D subsidies, foreign ownership and intra-sector innovation spillovers foster the ability of firms to innovate. Second, innovations resulting from firm’s R&D may contribute substantially to its total factor productivity growth. Here, foreign ownership is shown to have a dual impact on firm’s TFP growth - while it enhances firm ability to innovate it also contributes to TFP growth via superior organization techniques and other channels of knowledge diffusion. These results, however, are not robust to different econometric techniques. By using matching techniques and firm propensity to innovate in order to match innovating firms with otherwise similar non-innovating firms we find no support for the importance of innovation on productivity growth.DYNREG, innovation, external knowledge spillovers, FDI, trade

Firms' pattern of trade and access to finance.

This paper summarizes recent advances in the empirical research on firms' learning from trade participation and the role of finance in both starting to trade, surviving in export markets as well as expanding along the intensive and extensive trade margins. It highlights the increased importance of imports, which impacts at firms' performance primarily through relaxed technological constraints by increasing firms's scope of inputs and by lowering their input price index. In addition, imports are shown to boost firms' innovation and introduction of new products, which facilitates firms' decisions to start exporting. Another important aspect that has been highlighted is the essential role of finance in furthering firms'survival and expansion in export markets.exports,learning-by-exports,export expansion, financial constraints, credit crunch;

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators for the treatment of arrhythmias and cardiac resynchronisation therapy for the treatment of heart failure: systematic review and economic evaluation

Background This assessment updates and expands on two previous technology assessments that evaluated implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) for arrhythmias and cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) for heart failure (HF). Objectives To assess the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ICDs in addition to optimal pharmacological therapy (OPT) for people at increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) as a result of ventricular arrhythmias despite receiving OPT; to assess CRT with or without a defibrillator (CRT-D or CRT-P) in addition to OPT for people with HF as a result of left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) and cardiac dyssynchrony despite receiving OPT; and to assess CRT-D in addition to OPT for people with both conditions. Data sources Electronic resources including MEDLINE, EMBASE and The Cochrane Library were searched from inception to November 2012. Additional studies were sought from reference lists, clinical experts and manufacturers’ submissions to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Review methods Inclusion criteria were applied by two reviewers independently. Data extraction and quality assessment were undertaken by one reviewer and checked by a second. Data were synthesised through narrative review and meta-analyses. For the three populations above, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing (1) ICD with standard therapy, (2) CRT-P or CRT-D with each other or with OPT and (3) CRT-D with OPT, CRT-P or ICD were eligible. Outcomes included mortality, adverse events and quality of life. A previously developed Markov model was adapted to estimate the cost-effectiveness of OPT, ICDs, CRT-P and CRT-D in the three populations by simulating disease progression calculated at 4-weekly cycles over a lifetime horizon. Results A total of 4556 references were identified, of which 26 RCTs were included in the review: 13 compared ICD with medical therapy, four compared CRT-P/CRT-D with OPT and nine compared CRT-D with ICD. ICDs reduced all-cause mortality in people at increased risk of SCD, defined in trials as those with previous ventricular arrhythmias/cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction (MI) > 3 weeks previously, non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy (depending on data included) or ischaemic/non-ischaemic HF and left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 35%. There was no benefit in people scheduled for coronary artery bypass graft. A reduction in SCD but not all-cause mortality was found in people with recent MI. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) ranged from £14,231 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) to £29,756 per QALY for the scenarios modelled. CRT-P and CRT-D reduced mortality and HF hospitalisations, and improved other outcomes, in people with HF as a result of LVSD and cardiac dyssynchrony when compared with OPT. The rate of SCD was lower with CRT-D than with CRT-P but other outcomes were similar. CRT-P and CRT-D compared with OPT produced ICERs of £27,584 per QALY and £27,899 per QALY respectively. The ICER for CRT-D compared with CRT-P was £28,420 per QALY. In people with both conditions, CRT-D reduced the risk of all-cause mortality and HF hospitalisation, and improved other outcomes, compared with ICDs. Complications were more common with CRT-D. Initial management with OPT alone was most cost-effective (ICER £2824 per QALY compared with ICD) when health-related quality of life was kept constant over time. Costs and QALYs for CRT-D and CRT-P were similar. The ICER for CRT-D compared with ICD was £27,195 per QALY and that for CRT-D compared with OPT was £35,193 per QALY. Limitations Limitations of the model include the structural assumptions made about disease progression and treatment provision, the extrapolation of trial survival estimates over time and the assumptions made around parameter values when evidence was not available for specific patient groups. Conclusions In people at risk of SCD as a result of ventricular arrhythmias and in those with HF as a result of LVSD and cardiac dyssynchrony, the interventions modelled produced ICERs of < £30,000 per QALY gained. In people with both conditions, the ICER for CRT-D compared with ICD, but not CRT-D compared with OPT, was < £30,000 per QALY, and the costs and QALYs for CRT-D and CRT-P were similar. A RCT comparing CRT-D and CRT-P in people with HF as a result of LVSD and cardiac dyssynchrony is required, for both those with and those without an ICD indication. A RCT is also needed into the benefits of ICD in non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy in the absence of dyssynchrony. Study registration This study is registered as PROSPERO number CRD42012002062. Funding The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme

Against the “networked information economy”: rethinking decentralization, community, and free software development

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Credit risk transfer, real sector productivity, and financial deepening

We derive the effects of credit risk transfer (CRT) markets on real sector productivity and on the volume of financial intermediation in a model where banks choose their optimal degree of CRT and monitoring. We find that CRT increases productivity in the up-market real sector but decreases it in the low-end segment. If optimal, CRT unambiguously fosters financial deepening, i.e., it reduces credit-rationing in the economy. These effects rely upon the ability of banks to commit to the optimal CRT at the funding stage. The optimal degree of CRT depends on the combination of moral hazard, general riskiness, and the cost of monitoring in non-monotonic ways

Impact of Radiotherapy, Chemotherapy and Surgery in Multimodal Treatment of Locally Advanced Esophageal Cancer

Objectives: It was the aim of this study to assess our institutional experience with definitive chemoradiation (CRT) versus induction chemotherapy followed by CRT with or without surgery (C-CRT/S) in esophageal cancer. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 129 institutional patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer who had been treated by either CRT in analogy to the RTOG 8501 trial (n = 78) or C-CRT/S (n = 51). Results: The median, 2-and 5-year overall survival (OS) of the entire collective was 17.6 months, 42 and 24%, respectively, without a significant difference between the CRT and C-CRT/S groups. In C-CRT/S patients, surgery statistically improved the locoregional control (LRC) rates (2-year LRC 73.6 vs. 21.2%; p = 0.003); however, this was translated only into a trend towards improved OS (p = 0.084). The impact of escalated radiation doses (>= 60.0 vs. <60.0 Gy) on LRC was detectable only in T1-3 N0-1 M0 patients of the CRT group (2-year LRC 77.8 vs. 42.3%; p = 0.036). Conclusion: Definitive CRT and a trimodality approach including surgery (C-CRT/S) had a comparable outcome in this unselected patient collective. Surgery and higher radiation doses improve LRC rates in subgroups of patients, respectively, but without effect on OS. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Soil erosion control and moisture conservation using contour ridge tillage in Bougouni and Koutiala, southern Mali

Soil erosion is among the critical environmental constraint for crop production in southern Mali. Contour ridge tillage (CRT), a water conservation technique had been locally applied since 1990. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of CRT compared with farmer conventional agriculture practice (NoCRT) on runoff, soil loss, nutrient loss, moisture conservation and cereals yields under rainfed conditions in two Southern Mali sites, in 2016 and 2017 in farmer fields. Measurements were performed on erosion plots composed of CRT and NoCRT plots from which water samples were collected to determine sedimentation levels, concentration and nutrients losses using pairwise comparison. Average runoff coefficient in NoCRT plots was 35.62% compared to 19.25% for the CRT plots explaining a runoff reduction of 46%. Mean soil losses of 12,095 t·ha−1 and 4970 t·ha−1 were respectively measured in NoCRT and CRT plots. Losses in calcium, magnesium and potassium nutrients in the NoCRT plots were 80%, 66%, 75% higher compared to CRT ones, respectively. Sorghum grain yield was at least two folds higher in CRT plots compared to the NoCRT plots. Maize average grain yield was 87% higher in CRT plots than in the NoCRT. For sustained soil productivity, CRT is advocated as a better soil and water management technique than the NoCRT one

Future Scenario: Praxis in Critical Race Theory in Higher Education and Student Affairs

Critical Race Theory (CRT) evolved as a response to the lack of change in racial disparities within the United States jurisprudence. This article provides a historical understanding of CRT, beginning with a synopsis of the tenets that form part of CRT. The article will then give an understanding of what leadership style supports the implementation of CRT. Finally, it will provide the reader with strategies to apply CRT in the work environment through self-work, intercultural competence and restorative practices