Does financial activity cause economic growth?

To clarify the causal links between financial activity and economic growth, three theoretical models are analyzed and a structural equation path models is estimated. In the modeling part, poverty traps result from large fixed costs or high proportions of real investment to run a financial sector. Human capital allocated to financial activities will improve long-run levels but may reduce growth rates in the short run. Empirically, based on data for 93 countries during the 198090 period, it is shown that during the 1980s finance was predominantly a supply-leading determinant of economic growth. Our analysis suggests, however, that this general finding cannot be confirmed for the less developed countries, thereby giving some support to the conclusions derived from the theoretical modeling. --financial development,economic growth,financial sector,causality

Does financial activity cause economic growth?

To clarify the causal links between financial activity and economic growth, three theoretical models are analyzed and a structural equation path models is estimated. In the modeling part, poverty traps result from large fixed costs or high proportions of real investment to run a financial sector. Human capital allocated to financial activities will improve long-run levels but may reduce growth rates in the short run. Empirically, based on data for 93 countries during the 1980-90 period, it is shown that during the 1980s finance was predominantly a supply-leading determinant of economic growth. Our analysis suggests, however, that this general finding cannot be confirmed for the less developed countries, thereby giving some support to the conclusions derived from the theoretical modeling

Investigation of the Barriers and Facilitators to Making Healthy Choices at Work

This project aims to examine how workplace barriers and facilitators can affect an employee’s healthy choices. Barriers are factors that prevent the employee from making a healthy choice, whereas facilitators are factors that encourage the employee to make a healthy choice. It is imperative to understand how these barriers and facilitators affect the employee’s ability to make healthy choices in order to understand the importance of their presence within the workplace. The results of this study will further support previous research findings related to this topic, as well as support future attempts aimed to improve the overall well-being of employees in the workplace

Which assessment tools address the categories of the Brief ICF Core Set for Hand Conditions?

Introduction The purpose of this study was to explore whether assessment tools address aspects that are relevant according to the Brief ICF Core Set for Hand Conditions (BICF-CS). Methods Assessment tools meant to assess functioning and/or environmental factors in adults with hand conditions were reviewed. MEDLINE and CINAHL databases, previously published reviews, the book Clinical Assessment Recommendations of the ASHT, and websites of assessment tools were used for the content comparison and linking to the 23 categories of the BICF-CS. The updated version of the linking rules was applied by two reviewers. Results Forty-six assessment tools, known within the areas of hand therapy and hand surgery, were linked to the 23 categories of the BICF-CS. Regarding Body functions and body structures, the categories that were most frequently addressed were b730 “Muscle power functions,” b280 “Sensation of pain,” b710 “Mobility of joint functions,” and s730 “Structure of upper extremity.” Regarding Activities and Participation, d440 “Fine hand use” was addressed mostly and 25 assessment tools (with a total of 146 items) were linked to this category. Regarding Environmental Factors, only one assessment tool was identified that could be linked to two categories. Fifteen points of discussion were encountered in the linking process. Conclusions Content comparison of 46 assessment tools revealed that 19 of the 23 categories of the BICF-CS were addressed. The environmental factors were hardly addressed

Bio-GO-SHIP: The Time is Right to Establish Global Repeat Sections of Ocean Biology

In this article, we present Bio-GO-SHIP, a new ocean observing program that will incorporate sustained and consistent global biological ocean observations into the Global Ocean Ship-based Hydrographic Investigations Program (GO-SHIP). The goal of Bio-GO-SHIP is to produce systematic and consistent biological observations during global ocean repeat hydrographic surveys, with a particular focus on the planktonic ecosystem. Ocean plankton are an essential component of the earth climate system, form the base of the oceanic food web and thereby play an important role in influencing food security and contributing to the Blue Economy. Despite its importance, ocean biology is largely under-sampled in time and space compared to physical and chemical properties. This lack of information hampers our ability to understand the role of plankton in regulating biogeochemical processes and fueling higher trophic levels, now and in future ocean conditions. Traditionally, many of the methods used to quantify biological and ecosystem essential ocean variables (EOVs), measures that provide valuable information on the ecosystem, have been expensive and labor- and time-intensive, limiting their large-scale deployment. In the last two decades, new technologies have been developed and matured, making it possible to greatly expand our biological ocean observing capacity. These technologies, including cell imaging, bio-optical sensors and \u27omic tools, can be combined to provide overlapping measurements of key biological and ecosystem EOVs. New developments in data management and open sharing can facilitate meaningful synthesis and integration with concurrent physical and chemical data. Here we outline how Bio-GO-SHIP leverages these technological advances to greatly expand our knowledge and understanding of the constituents and function of the global ocean plankton ecosystem

High-Rate Epitaxial Growth of Silicon Using Electron Beam Evaporation at High Temperatures

This paper describes the high-rate (~1.5 μm/min) growth of Si films on Si supporting substrates with (100) crystallographic orientation at 600 °C, 800 °C, and 1000 °C in a vacuum environment of ~1 × 10−5 mbar using electron beam (e-beam) evaporation. The microstructure, crystallinity, and conductivity of such films were investigated. It was established that fully crystalline (Raman spectroscopy, EBSD) and stress-free epi-Si layers with a thickness of approximately 50 µm can be fabricated at 1000 °C, while at 600 °C and 800 °C, some poly-Si inclusions were observed using Raman spectroscopy. Hall effect measurements showed that epi-Si layers deposited at 1000 °C had resistivity, carrier concentration, and mobility comparable to those obtained for c-Si wafers fabricated through ingot growth and wafering using the same solar grade Si feedstock used for the e-beam depositions. The dislocation densities were determined to be ∼2 × 107 cm−2 and ∼5 × 106 cm−2 at 800 and 1000 °C, respectively, using Secco etch. The results highlight the potential of e-beam evaporation as a promising and cost-effective alternative to conventional CVD for the growth of epi-Si layers and, potentially, epi-Si wafers. Some of the remaining technical challenges of this deposition technology are briefly indicated and discussed.publishedVersio

Bio-GO-SHIP: the time is right to establish global repeat sections of ocean biology

© The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Clayton, S., Alexander, H., Graff, J. R., Poulton, N. J., Thompson, L. R., Benway, H., Boss, E., & Martiny, A. Bio-GO-SHIP: the time is right to establish global repeat sections of ocean biology. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8, (2022): 767443, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.767443.In this article, we present Bio-GO-SHIP, a new ocean observing program that will incorporate sustained and consistent global biological ocean observations into the Global Ocean Ship-based Hydrographic Investigations Program (GO-SHIP). The goal of Bio-GO-SHIP is to produce systematic and consistent biological observations during global ocean repeat hydrographic surveys, with a particular focus on the planktonic ecosystem. Ocean plankton are an essential component of the earth climate system, form the base of the oceanic food web and thereby play an important role in influencing food security and contributing to the Blue Economy. Despite its importance, ocean biology is largely under-sampled in time and space compared to physical and chemical properties. This lack of information hampers our ability to understand the role of plankton in regulating biogeochemical processes and fueling higher trophic levels, now and in future ocean conditions. Traditionally, many of the methods used to quantify biological and ecosystem essential ocean variables (EOVs), measures that provide valuable information on the ecosystem, have been expensive and labor- and time-intensive, limiting their large-scale deployment. In the last two decades, new technologies have been developed and matured, making it possible to greatly expand our biological ocean observing capacity. These technologies, including cell imaging, bio-optical sensors and 'omic tools, can be combined to provide overlapping measurements of key biological and ecosystem EOVs. New developments in data management and open sharing can facilitate meaningful synthesis and integration with concurrent physical and chemical data. Here we outline how Bio-GO-SHIP leverages these technological advances to greatly expand our knowledge and understanding of the constituents and function of the global ocean plankton ecosystem.The Bio-GO-SHIP pilot program was funded under the National Oceanographic Partnership Program as an inter-agency partnership between NOAA and NASA, with the US Integrated Ocean Observing System and NOAA's Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing program (HA, SC, JG, AM, and NP). HA was supported by a WHOI Independent Research and Development award. AM was supported by funding from NSF OCE-1848576 and 1948842 and NASA 80NSSC21K1654. JG was funded by NASA from grants 80NSSC17K0568 and NNX15AAF30G. LT was supported by award NA06OAR4320264 06111039 to the Northern Gulf Institute by NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, U.S. Department of Commerce

Young children's interpersonal trust consistency as a predictor of future school adjustment

Young children’s interpersonal trust consistency was examined as a predictor of future school adjustment. One hundred and ninety two (95 male and 97 female, M age = 6 years 2 months, SD age = 6 months) children from school years 1 and 2 in the United Kingdom were tested twice over one-year. Children completed measures of peer trust and school adjustment and teachers completed the Short-Form Teacher Rating Scale of School Adjustment. Longitudinal quadratic relationships emerged between consistency of children’s peer trust beliefs and peer-reported trustworthiness and school adjustment and these varied according to social group, facet of trust, and indictor of school adjustment. The findings support the conclusion that interpersonal trust consistency, especially for secret-keeping, predicts aspects of young children’s school adjustment

Learning in university technology transfer offices: transactions-focused and relations-focused approaches to commercialization of academic research

University Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) need a wide range of abilities to facilitate commercial exploitation of research outputs; however, we know relatively little about how these important abilities are developed and refined over time. We draw on practice-based studies of learning to create a novel conceptualization of learning processes and their outcomes in TTOs and show that this conceptualization of learning provides new empirical insights into how learning in TTOs shapes their commercialization practice. We investigate learning-in-practice in case studies of six UK TTOs and find two approaches to commercialization, namely transactions-focused practice and relations-focused practice. We find that both practices co-exist and co-evolve in some TTOs while other TTOs are predominantly transactions-focused. For the latter the development of a relations-focused approach is difficult, but possible if there is strategic direction and if sources of inertia are removed by TTO directors. Given that evolving practice cannot be fully explained by informal learning processes, we suggest that so far separate streams of practice-based literature on learning and strategizing should be brought together. The implications for further investigations of TTO abilities and some recommendations for policy and practice are discussed