Do countries belonging to the same region suggest the same growth enhancing variables? Evidence from selected South Asian countries

We investigate the growth enhancing variables in a group of countries belonging to the same geographical area namely, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh over the period 1960-2010. We find that this homogeneity does not necessarily imply that countries have the same growth enhancing variables due mainly to differences in institutions and policies. Our result suggests that time-series econometrics are preferable to identify the growth drivers for a country accurately

Beyond Equal: From Same but Different to the Doctrine of Substantial Equivalence

A same-but-different dichotomy has recently been encapsulated within the ill-defined concept of “substantial equivalence”. By invoking this concept the genetically modified organism (GMO) industry has escaped the rigors of safety testing that might otherwise apply. The curious concept of “substantial equivalence” grants a presumption of safety to GMO food. This presumption has yet to be earned, and has been used to constrain labelling of both GMO and non-GMO food. It is an idea that well serves corporatism. It enables the claim of difference to secure patent protection, while upholding the contrary claim of sameness to avoid labelling and safety scrutiny. It offers the best of both worlds for corporate food entrepreneurs, and delivers the worst of both worlds to consumers. The term “substantial equivalence” has established its currency within the GMO discourse. As the opportunities for patenting food technologies expand, the GMO recruitment of this concept will likely be a dress rehearsal for the developing debates on the labelling and testing of other techno-foods - including nano-foods and clone-foods

Different possibilities to learn from the same task

In this paper we focus on variation of the design and the implementation of a specific task during three mathematics lessons in the 8th grade in a learning study (Marton & Tsui, 2004; Runesson, 2008). The theme of the lesson was division, with a denominator between 0 and 1. The teachers wanted their students to understand that when dividing with a denominator less than 1, the quotient is larger than the numerator. Four teachers collaboratively planned, analyzed and revised three lessons in a cyclic process. The study shows that the implementation of the task changed between the lessons. Although the same task was used in the lessons, the way it was enacted provided different possibilities to learn

From approximating to interpolatory non-stationary subdivision schemes with the same generation properties

In this paper we describe a general, computationally feasible strategy to deduce a family of interpolatory non-stationary subdivision schemes from a symmetric non-stationary, non-interpolatory one satisfying quite mild assumptions. To achieve this result we extend our previous work [C.Conti, L.Gemignani, L.Romani, Linear Algebra Appl. 431 (2009), no. 10, 1971-1987] to full generality by removing additional assumptions on the input symbols. For the so obtained interpolatory schemes we prove that they are capable of reproducing the same exponential polynomial space as the one generated by the original approximating scheme. Moreover, we specialize the computational methods for the case of symbols obtained by shifted non-stationary affine combinations of exponential B-splines, that are at the basis of most non-stationary subdivision schemes. In this case we find that the associated family of interpolatory symbols can be determined to satisfy a suitable set of generalized interpolating conditions at the set of the zeros (with reversed signs) of the input symbol. Finally, we discuss some computational examples by showing that the proposed approach can yield novel smooth non-stationary interpolatory subdivision schemes possessing very interesting reproduction properties

How to speak the same language: key ideas from the forum on Catalan wildfire research

Postprint (published version

Discrete and continuous character-based disparity analyses converge to the same macroevolutionary signa. A case study from captorhinids

The relationship between diversity and disparity during the evolutionary history of a clade provides unique insights into evolutionary radiations and the biological response to bottlenecks and to extinctions. Here we present the first comprehensive comparison of diversity and disparity of captorhinids, a group of basal amniotes that is important for understanding the early evolution of high-fiber herbivory. A new fully resolved phylogeny is presented, obtained by the inclusion of 31 morphometric characters. The new dataset is used to calculate diversity and disparity through the evolutionary history of the clade, using both discrete and continuous characters. Captorhinids do not show a decoupling between diversity and disparity, and are characterized by a rather symmetric disparity distribution, with a peak in occupied morphospace at about the midpoint of the clade’s evolutionary history (Kungurian). This peak represents a delayed adaptive radiation, identified by the first appearance of several high-fiber herbivores in the clade, along with numerous omnivorous taxa. The discrete characters and continuous morphometric characters indicate the same disparity trends. Therefore, we argue that in the absence of one of these two possible proxies, the disparity obtained from just one source can be considered robust and representative of a general disparity pattern

The Journey from Novice to Serial Entrepreneurship in China and Germany: Are the Drivers the Same?

While in general entrepreneurs in emerging economies are significantly different from entrepreneurs in mature markets on most dimensions, serial entrepreneurs demonstrate certain similarities in their goals and motivations, skills and competencies, resources, strategies and other characteristics. The drivers governing the journey from novice to serial entrepreneurship – while consistent with the arguments advanced by Casson and Lazear – appear to differ somewhat between emerging and mature economies. Based on a cross-sectional survey of Chinese and German entrepreneurs, the study contributes to the understanding of entrepreneurship in emerging markets and extends the knowledge of serial entrepreneurship by analyzing whether the differences between serial and novice entrepreneurs can be attributed to the types of skills and competences possessed by the individuals, and whether particular motives for starting new ventures are more conducive to multiple business founding than others.serial entrepreneurship, emerging economies, China, Germany