The design and implementation of a distributed programming language.

by Li Wai Kit.Bibliography: leaves 170-178Thesis (M.Ph.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 198

Programming Languages for Distributed Computing Systems

When distributed systems first appeared, they were programmed in traditional sequential languages, usually with the addition of a few library procedures for sending and receiving messages. As distributed applications became more commonplace and more sophisticated, this ad hoc approach became less satisfactory. Researchers all over the world began designing new programming languages specifically for implementing distributed applications. These languages and their history, their underlying principles, their design, and their use are the subject of this paper. We begin by giving our view of what a distributed system is, illustrating with examples to avoid confusion on this important and controversial point. We then describe the three main characteristics that distinguish distributed programming languages from traditional sequential languages, namely, how they deal with parallelism, communication, and partial failures. Finally, we discuss 15 representative distributed languages to give the flavor of each. These examples include languages based on message passing, rendezvous, remote procedure call, objects, and atomic transactions, as well as functional languages, logic languages, and distributed data structure languages. The paper concludes with a comprehensive bibliography listing over 200 papers on nearly 100 distributed programming languages

Communication links, Productivity, knowledge transfers, growth and income distribution

In this study, we show that banking development, communication links, productivity and income distribution exert a statistically and economically significant positive impact on local economic growth. This effect becomes more pronounced when the financial sector is more liberalized and deregulated. Preceded by the global changes that occurred since the mid-1980s and 1990s, the world has seen continued economic liberalization, increasing privatization and gradual loosening of credit/capital controls by states. The lifting of state controls in the banking sector in the 1980s and 1990s, created a more integrated and competitive financial industry ensuring efficient allocation of bank credits to productive areas. The economic thinking behind all this is that the financial entities, functioning under liberalized monetary regimes operate at higher levels of efficiency and productivity. Productivity improvements may result from different sources, yet the notion that the private sector’s intention to maximize profit leads to productivity improvement is one of the fundamental ones. Put it differently; a deregulated financial system is viewed as an appealing society to invest. Using data from 14 Sub Saharan African Countries (SSA), we examined the growth effects of banking development, communication links, productivity and income distribution over the period 1990 – 2013. We find evidence of significant growth effects of banking development in SSA on industrial components of GDP. Growth in agricultural GDP is positive but not significant

Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy and Registry-based Information on Long-term Health

Raskaushepatoosi on raskauden aikainen sapen salpaus, johon sairastuu noin 1 % suomalaisista synnyttäjistä. Siihen liittyy monia sikiön riskejä ja vasta viime vuosina on huomiota kiinnitetty raskaushepatoosin pitkäaikaisvaikutuksiin. Raskaushepatoosin pitkäaikaisvaikutuksia naisen terveyteen on tutkittu vasta hyvin vähän. Raskaushepatoosiin on havaittu liittyvän suurentunut riski maksa-, sappi- ja haimasairauksille. Yhdessä tutkimuksessa havaittiin raskaushepatoosin sairastaneilla naisilla lisääntynyt riski maksa- ja sappisyövälle sekä autoimmuuni- ja sydän- sekä verisuonitaudeille. Suomalaisessa kyselytutkimuksessa raskaus- hepatoosin sairastaneet naiset ilmoittivat enemmän rintasyöpää ja kilpirauhasen vajaatoimintaa kuin verrokit. Raskaushepatoosin sairastaneiden naisten pitkäaikaista kuolleisuutta ja kuolinsyitä ei ole aiemmin tutkittu. Väitöskirjatyössä tutkitaan raskaushepatoosin pitkäaikaisvaikutuksia 20 vuoden ajalta kerätyn tutkimusjoukon avulla. Tutkimusjoukkoon kerättiin kaikki Tampereen yliopistollisessa sairaalassa raskaushepatoosin sairastaneet naiset vuosien 1969 ja 1988 väliltä. Jokaiselle naiselle otettiin verrokki edeltävästä ja seuraavasta synnytyksestä. Siten tutkimusjoukossa oli 571 raskaushepatoosin sairastanutta naista ja 1333 verrokkia. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli tutkia raskaushepatoosin sairastaneiden naisten terveyttä rekistereitä käyttäen. Raskaushepatoosin ja sairastavuuden yhteyden tutki- miseksi tutkimusjoukolta kerättiin tiedot hoitoilmoitusrekisteristä. Tämän rekisterin avulla tutkimusjoukolta kerättiin tieto kaikista sairaaloiden hoidonpäättödiagnoo- seista vuosilta 1969–2013 ja erikoissairaanhoidon poliklinikkakäyntien diagnoosit vuosilta 1998–2013. Raskaushepatoosin sairastaneet naiset näyttävät kuitenkin sairastavan muuta väestöä enemmän kilpirauhasen vajaatoimintaa ja ruuansula- tuselinten sairauksia, erityisesti riski maksa- ja sappisairauksille sekä haiman sairauksille on suurentunut. Valtimotauteja raskaushepatoosin sairastaneet naiset sairastavat vähemmän kuin verrokit. Suurimmassa osassa diagnoosiryhmiä ei raskaushepatoosin sairastaneiden ja verrokkien välillä ollut eroa. Väitöskirjatyöhön sisältyy kaikki tutkimusjoukon syöpärekisteriin ilmoitetut syövät vuosien 1953 ja 1960 väliltä ja kaikki syövät vuosilta 1961–2013. Todetuista syövistä selvitettiin sijainti ja pahanlaatuisuus. Merkittäviä eroja syöpäsairastavuudessa ei raskaushepatoosin sairastaneiden ja verrokkien välillä havaittu. Kuolleisuuden ja elossa olon tutkimiseksi kerättiin tutkimusjoukolta tieto kaikista kuolemista Tilastokeskukselta. Kuolinsyyt ja -päivät kerättiin vuosien 1971 ja 2015 väliltä. Raskaushepatoosin sairastaneilla naisilla ei ole kohonnutta kokonais- kuolleisuutta verrokkeihin nähden. Kuitenkin ruuansulatuselinsairauksien osuus oli kuolinsyissä suurempi raskaushepatoosin sairastaneilla naisilla kuin verrokeilla. Elossa olossa ei ryhmien välillä ollut eroa tarkastellen joko iän tai raskaushepatoosisynnytyksen suhteen. Hoitosuosituksien kartoittamiseksi kirjoitettiin katsaus raskaushepatoosista Suomen Lääkärilehteen. Yhtenä väitöskirjan osatyönä suoritettiin postikysely raskaushepatoosin sairastaneiden naisten ja verrokkien poikalapsille. Näiden miesten terveydessä ei vaikuta olevan eroa. Väitöskirjatyö vahvistaa aiempaa tutkimustietoa, mutta tuo myös uusia näkökulmia raskaushepatoosin pitkäaikaisvaikutuksiin. Raskaushepatoosi näyttää olevan yhteydessä ruuansulatuselinten sairauksiin ja kilpirauhasen vajaatoimintaan. Tutkimuksen ja kirjallisuuden perusteella erityisesti riski maksa-, sappi- ja haimasairauksille on suurentunut. Raskaushepatoosin sairastaneet naiset kuolevat useammin ruuansulatuselinten sairauksiin kuin muu väestö. Tutkimus ei vahvista aiempaa havaintoa raskaushepatoosin ja rintasyövän yhteydestä. Tutkimuksessa ei havaittu yhteyttä maksa- tai sappiteiden syövälle ja raskaushepatoosille. Autoimmuniteetin merkitystä pidetään selvänä kilpirauhasen vajaatoiminnan kehittymisessä. Myös raskaushepatoosin kehittymisessä sillä saattaa olla vaikutusta. ABCB4-geenin mutaatiot raskaushepatoosissa ja sappikivitaudissa ovat esimerkki mahdollisesta jaetusta riskitekijästä, joka voi vaikuttaa sekä raskaushepatoosin että muiden ruuansulatuselinten sairauksien riskiin. Perusterveydenhuollossa tulee kiinnittää huomiota raskaushepatoosin sairastaneeseen naiseen. Erityistä huomiota tarvitaan tutkimuksessa havaittuihin lisääntyneisiin riskeihin ja lisäsairastavuuteen naisen myöhemmän elämän aikana. Tässä tutkimuksessa ei selvitetty hepatoosin sairastaneiden naisten seulontaa. Tutkimus vahvistaa käsitystä anamneesin tärkeydestä ohjaamassa kliinikon päätelmiä. Tulevaisuudessa vieläkin pidempiä seurantatutkimuksia tarvitaan, jotta voidaan vahvistaa raskaushepatoosin ja sairastavuuden sekä kuolleisuuden yhteyksiä. Uusia hoitosuosituksia tulisi pohtia, kun lisääntyvästi saadaan tietoa raskaushepatoosin pitkäaikaisvaikutuksista terveyteen.Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a liver disorder during pregnancy, and it occurs in 1% of pregnancies in Finland. In recent years, attention has been paid to the long-term effects of ICP. However, there is little information on the long-term health of women with a history of ICP. ICP has been found to be associated with an increased risk of liver, pancreatic and biliary disorders. One study found an association between ICP and liver and biliary tree cancer, autoimmune diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. In a questionnaire study, women reported higher frequencies of hypothyroidism and breast cancer. However, there are no previous studies on mortality and causes of death associated with previous ICP. To investigate the long-term aspects of ICP, a cohort was collected for a period of 20 years. The cohort comprised all ICP pregnancies at Tampere University Hospital, Finland, between 1969 and 1988. For every ICP labour, previous and subsequent deliveries were obtained to form a control group. Altogether, the cohort comprised 571 women with ICP and 1,333 women as a reference. The aim was to examine the health of Finnish women with a history of ICP using registries. To study the association between ICP and co-morbidity, the cohort’s hospital discharge diagnoses were examined. The diagnoses were obtained from the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register, and the registry data included in this study contain all hospital discharge diagnoses in Finland from 1969 up to the end of 2013 as well as diagnoses from specialized outpatient care from 1998 to 2013. Women in the ICP group were diagnosed more with hypothyroidism and diseases of the digestive system, and the risk for hepatobiliary diseases and diseases of the pancreas in particular was increased. Arterial diseases were less common in the ICP group compared to the control group. Regarding other diseases, there were no differences in morbidity between the ICP and control groups. The study included all reported cancers between 1953 and 1960 and all registered cancers – including the location and malignancy – between 1961 and 2013 for the cohort. The data were collected from the Finnish Cancer Registry. No significant differences between the ICP and control groups were found. To study the association between ICP and mortality and survival, the cohort’s deaths and causes of death were accessed for 1971–2015. The data were obtained from Statistics Finland. Women with a history of ICP do not appear to have an increased overall mortality. However, deaths from gastrointestinal diseases were overrepresented among women with a history of ICP. In terms of survival from birth or ICP delivery, no differences were found between the ICP and control groups. To investigate what kind of guidelines have been given to the physicians who treat women with ICP, a literature review was performed. This review was published in a Finnish medical journal. A postal questionnaire was carried out to study the subjective health of the sons of mothers in the ICP group. There were no remarkable differences in terms of health between the sons of the ICP group and the sons of the control group. This thesis confirms the results of previous studies and also brings new insights to the long-term aspects of ICP. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy seems to be associated with gastrointestinal diseases and hypothyroidism. Based on the literature and this study, the risk for hepatobiliary diseases and diseases of the pancreas is especially increased. It is no doubt a relief for women with a history of ICP that based on the registries, no associations were found between ICP and breast cancer. Based on this study, the risk for hepatobiliary cancer was not found to be increased among women who had experienced ICP. Nevertheless, a gastrointestinal disease was more often the cause of death among women with a history of ICP than it was among the controls. It is commonly noted that autoimmune pathogenesis has a remarkable effect on hypothyroidism. There might also be an autoimmune aspect in the pathogenesis of ICP. Mutations in gene ABCB4 in ICP and cholelithiasis might be an example of the shared risk factors that may influence the pathogenesis of ICP and other diseases of the digestive system. In primary health care, attention should be paid to certain illnesses when encountering women with a history of ICP later in their life. This study does not investigate whether women with a history of ICP should be screened for gastrointestinal diseases or hypothyroidism. However, it confirms the importance of anamnesis in guiding the conclusions of the clinician. In the future, even longer follow-up studies are required to study the association between ICP and mortality and co-morbidity. New guidelines for clinicians should be considered, as there is growing evidence of the long-term effects of ICP

Essays on international trade and investment

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Economics, 2008.Includes bibliographical references.This dissertation consists of three essays on international trade and investment. In the first essay, I study how cross-country differences in labor market institutions shape the pattern of international trade with a focus on workers' skill acquisition. I develop an open-economy model in which workers undertake non-contractible activities to acquire firm-specific skills on the job. I show that protective labor laws, by increasing workers' bargaining power, induce workers to acquire more firm-specific skills relative to general skills. When sectors differ in the dependence on firm-specific skills in production, workers' investment decisions turn a country's labor laws into a source of comparative advantage. Specifically, the model predicts that countries with more protective labor laws export relatively more in firm-specific skill-intensive sectors. To test these hypotheses, I construct sector measures of firm-specific skill intensity using estimated returns to firm tenure in the U.S. over 1985-1993. Using these measures and a cross-country, cross-sector data set of 84 countries in 1995, I find support for the theoretical predictions. In the second essay, I use a firm-level panel data set of 90,000 Chinese manufacturing firms over the period of 1998-2001 to examine whether there exist productivity spillovers from foreign direct investment (FDI) to domestic firms in the same sector (horizontal spillovers), and in sectors supplying intermediate inputs to foreign affiliates (vertical spillovers through backward linkages). I find evidence of negative horizontal spillovers. While I find no evidence of vertical spillovers at the national level, domestic input suppliers' productivity growth decreases with the foreign presence in their downstream sectors in the same province.(cont.) Second, this essay examines whether the ownership structure of foreign affiliates affects the magnitude of spillovers. I find that wholly owned and ethnic-Chinese foreign firms are associated with more negative horizontal spillovers, compared to jointly owned and non-Chinese foreign firms, respectively. I also find that negative spillovers are mostly borne by domestic firms that are state-owned, technologically-backward and located in inland provinces. The third essay studies how government political ideology determines the pattern of trade protection across countries. I hypothesize that left-wing governments are associated with relatively higher protection in labor-intensive sectors, and relatively lower protection in capital- and human-capital intensive ones, than right-wing governments. Using a cross-country, cross-sector data set of 49 countries and 27 manufacturing sectors in the late 90s, I find evidence supporting these predictions.Heiwai Tang.Ph.D