Economic Growth and Environmental Degradation

Economists, ecologists, private industries and government decision-makers have long been interested in the relationships between economic growth and environmental quality. These relationships are often the subject of intense public policy debates such as the current debate surrounding global climate change issues. From an ecological or environmental perspective, the argument is often made that economic growth is bad for the environment. But, what story do the data tell? In order to address the question, a estimable model was used to analyze the effects between gross domestic product (GDP) and environmental indications for air pollution in over 100 metropolitan statistical areas in the United States from 2001-2005. The analysis is then expanded to examine the estimable relationship at the state level. The air pollution indicators include ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter. The results are mixed results. This study finds a statistically significant U-shaped relationship for some of the pollutants; however, the evidence is pretty weak with the exception of ground level ozone. This study does not find evidence to support the traditional EKC inverse U-shaped relationship. These results are compared and contrasted to previous studies providing insight into unresolved theoretical and empirical estimation issues and future research needs.Air Pollution, Environmental Economics, Environmental Kuznets Curve, Fixed effects regression, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Two-way digital driver/receiver uses one set of lines

Two-way /bilateral/ digital driver/receiver system using MOS circuits was designed for a multiprocess computer having several subsystems at relatively close locations. The system requires only a single set of communication lines between subsystems, thus achieving lower cost with increased reliability

Tissue macerating instrument

A surgical tissue macerating and removal tool is described which has a rotating rod with a cutting member at one end and which disposed in a tube which is then contained in an extension of the tool handle. A frusto-conical member extends into the extension at the cutter member end of the rotating rod with its small end engaging the tube. The portion of the frusto-conical member outside of the extension forms a tissue engaging member and may be cut-off at an angle to the axis of the rod to form a tissue engaging edge. Apertures are provided in the extension adjacent the frusto-concial member so that treatment fluid supplied in the annular space between the tube and the extension may flow to the operative site. An aperture is provided in the frustoconical member between the extension and the tube so that fluid may also flow into the tube where it mixes with macerated tissue being directed through an aperture in the tube to a passageway which may have suction applied to help remove macerated material

Life support system for space flights of extended time periods - Liquid/gas separation mechanisms

Life support system for extended space flights - liquid-gas separation mechanism

Bootstrapping trust evaluations through stereotypes

Publisher PD

U.S. State-Level Carbon Dioxide Emissions: A Spatial-Temporal Econometric Approach of the Environmental Kuznets Curve

One of the major criticisms of past environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) studies is that the spatiotemporal aspects within the data have largely been ignored. By ignoring the spatial aspect of pollution emissions past estimates of the EKC implicitly assume that a region’s emissions are unaffected by events in neighboring regions (i.e., assume there are no transboundary pollution emissions between neighbors). By ignoring the spatial aspects within the data several past estimates of the EKC could have generated biased or inconsistent regression results. By ignoring the temporal aspect within the data several past estimates of the EKC could have generated spurious regression results or misspecified t and F statistics. To address this potential misspecification we estimate the relationship between state-level carbon dioxide emissions and income (GDP) accounting for both the spatiotemporal components within the data. Specifically, we estimate a dynamic spatiotemporal panel model using a newly proposed robust, spatial fixed effects model. This new estimation scheme is appropriate for panels with large N and T. Consistent with the EKC hypothesis we find the inverted-U shaped relationship between CO2 emissions and income. Further, we find adequate evidence that carbon dioxide emissions and state-level GDP are temporally and spatially dependent. These findings offer policy implications for both interstate energy trade and pollution emission regulations. These implications are particularly important for the formulation of national policies related to the 2009 Copenhagen Treaty in which the U.S. has committed to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next twenty years.Environmental Kuznets Curve, Carbon Dioxide, Spatial Econometrics, Panel Data Econometrics, Time Series Analysis, Environmental Economics, Pollution Economics, Environmental Economics and Policy, Q50, Q53, Q43, C01, C33,

21st century social work: reducing re-offending - key practice skills

This literature review was commissioned by the Scottish Executive’s Social Work Services Inspectorate in order to support the work of the 21st Century Social Work Review Group. Discussions in relation to the future arrangements for criminal justice social work raised issues about which disciplines might best encompass the requisite skills for reducing re-offending in the community. Rather than starting with what is known or understood about the skills of those professionals currently involved in such interventions, this study sought to start with the research evidence on effective work with offenders to reduce re-offending and then work its way back to the skills required to promote this outcome

A study of the intensity of the self-broadened fundamental band of hydrogen chloride

Intensity study of self-broadened fundamental band of hydrogen chlorid

A Spatiotemporal Fixed Effects Estimation of U.S. State-Level Carbon Dioxide Emissions

One of the major shortcommings of past environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) studies is that the spatiotemporal aspects within the data have largely been ignored. By ignoring the spatial aspect of pollution emissions past estimates of the EKC implicitly assume that a region’s emissions are unaffected by events in neighboring regions (i.e., assume there are no transboundary pollution emissions between neighbors). By ignoring the spatial aspects within the data several past estimates of the EKC could have generated biased or inconsistent regression results. By ignoring the temporal aspect within the data several past estimates of the EKC could have generated spurious regression results or misspecified t and F statistics. To address this potential misspecification we estimate the relationship between state-level carbon dioxide emissions and income (GDP) accounting for both the spatiotemporal components within the data. Specifically, we estimate a dynamic spatiotemporal panel model using a newly proposed robust, spatial fixed effects model. This new estimation scheme is appropriate for panels with large N and T. Consistent with the EKC hypothesis we find the inverted-U shaped relationship between CO2 emissions and income. Further, we find adequate evidence that the underlying economic processes driving carbon dioxide emissions and state-level GDP are temporally and spatially dependent. These findings offer policy implications for both interstate energy trade and pollution emission regulations. These implications are particularly important for the formulation of national policies related to the 2009 Copenhagen Treaty in which the U.S. has committed to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next twenty years.Pollution Economics, Environmental Kuznets Curve, Spatial Econometrics, Dynamic Panel Data, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, Global Climate Change, Environmental Economics and Policy, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, C33, C51, Q43, Q50, Q53, Q58,