Human capital and consumation over the live cycle: a synthesis

This paper presents a life cycle model that contains the Beckers (1975) and Heckmans (1976) models as special cases. Contrary to the previous literature, the model can explain the life cycle hypothesis and the maximum in the consumption profile without appealing to the rupture of typical neoclassical assumptions and for any value of intertemporary elasticity of substitution. An estimation of the consumption demand for Spanish case shows that current earning is a significant and robust variable explaining the consumption pattern.consumption profile, life cycle hypothesis, human capital

Assessing the impact of foreign direct investment on regional growth - An analysis of the Spanish case

The massive increase in foreign direct investment inflows following the Spanish integration with the now European Union in 1986, has been one of the most important features shaping the behaviour of the Spanish economy in the last twenty years. In this paper we will try to provide an assessment of its impact on regional economic growth, using data for the 17 Spanish regions, from 1986 on. To that end, we will estimate an aggregate production function where the foreign-owned capital stock is included as an additional factor.

Insurance Mechanisms against Asymmetric Shocks in a Monetary Union : a Proposal with an Application to EMU

In this paper we propose a simple, automatic insurance mechanism designed to cope with asymmetric shocks in a monetary union, which could be used as starting point of a more elaborated policy instrument. The mechanism would use as indicator of the occurrence of a shock the changes in the unemployment rate of the countries belonging to the union, and would be financed through a fund built from contributions of these countries as a percentage of their tax receipts. The fund would be distributed among the countries affected by a négative asymmetric shock according to the proportion in which every one of them would hâve been affected by the shock. Our proposai is illustrated by means of an empirical application to the case of EMU.Monetary union, asymmetric shocks, insurance function

Shake table testing of scaled rammed earth models

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Oklahoma, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-107).The ancient method of rammed earth construction has been used in various parts of the globe, including Central and South America, which experience high seismic activity. Although some studies have been done on rammed earth, relatively little is known about the extent of its shear and tensile capacities or practical methods for improving the seismic survivability of these structures. This research explored not only the effects of dynamic testing on scaled models of a simplified rammed earth house but also two types of reinforcement: a wooden ring beam, and a plastic mesh. The objective was to observe gross failure, catalogue different failure modes and determine which type of reinforcement best preserved the structure. Each model was loaded by a sine wave starting at the fundamental frequency of the model, then increasing both the amplitude and the frequency until failure. Each model was designed at one-third scale with one door opening, 6 inch wall thickness, 3 foot wall height, and a 4 foot by 4 foot plan. All models were tested on a shaketable at the Fears Structural Engineering Laboratory. Results showed that sine wave base motion, starting at the fundamental frequency, can be an effective dynamic test method. Results also showed that the wooden ring beam was the more effective type of reinforcement. Although the plastic mesh did not serve as structural reinforcement, it still prevented collapse of the rammed earth model

Sesgos en el razonamiento sobre probabilidad condicional e implicaciones para la enseñanza

En este trabajo analizamos algunos de los sesgos frecuentes en la comprensión de la probabilidad condicional. También presentamos algunos resultados obtenidos en dos estudios de evaluación realizados con estudiantes de Psicología y futuros profesores de matemáticas en España. Finalizamos con algunas reflexiones sobre la enseñanza de la probabilidad

Identification and functional characterization of the mitochondrial adenine nucleotide carriers of Trypanosoma brucei

The Mitochondrial Carrier Family encloses a group of transmembrane proteins that transport metabolites across the mitochondrial inner membrane. The ADP/ATP carrier is the most widely studied MCF protein. It catalyzes the counter exchange of ADP for ATP in the mitochondrion of all eukaryotes. In the genome of the kinetoplastid parasite Trypanosoma brucei, three putative ADP/ATP carrier sequences (MCP5, MCP15 and MCP16) and one GDP/GTP (MCP13) entries were analyzed by sequence analyses and phylogenetic reconstruction. AACs phylogenetic reconstruction proved a strong association with yeast, funghi and plant clades, whilst separates from those AACs and from metazoans. MCP13 groups with GGCs, seems to be present only on lower eukaryotes and do not seem to present any homologues in metazoans. Gene deletion studies were performed to assess the roles of MCP5, MCP15, MCP16 and 13. A conditional double knockout cell line, with an inducible myc-tagged rescue copy was constructed for MCP5, which proves the essentiality of the protein for the parasite. Growth curves of the mutant cell line proved a growth defect phenotype in various carbon sources conditions. Mitochondrial ATP production assays were performed in the mutant cell line, in presence and absence of the inducible protein, using permeabilized cells with digitonin that confirmed the ADP/ATP transport activity of the carrier. For invitro activity assays, the carriers were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli and Spodoptera frugiperda, solubilised and reconstituted into liposomes. Unfortunately, the reconstitution was unsuccessful and the conditions and methodologies are discussed

Optimal endowments of public investment: an empirical analysis for the spanish regions

The aim of this paper is to estimate the optimal endowments of public investment in Spanish regions. Starting from the standard dynamic neoclassical model, augmented with the public capital stock, the optimal condition for the provision of public capital would be that, in the steady state, the marginal productivities of both public and private capital should be equal. In the empirical application we will estimate a growth equation derived from a simple Cobb-Douglas production function, where the coefficients on the rates of investment in private and public capital would be their respective marginal productivities. The econometric estimation of such an equation with data for the Spanish regions would provide us estimates of the marginal productivities of both factors, which would allow us to infer whether public capital stock in the Spanish regions would be insufficient or otherwise excessive.

Optimal endowments of public investment: an empirical analysis for the Spanish regions

Following Aschauer's (1989) influential contribution, the role of public investment has been stressed as a crucial factor leading to higher private capital productivity, which would lead in turn to higher growth rates. According to this author, the decline in productivity growth experienced by the US economy during the seventies, would explained to a great extent by the decrease in the provision of public infrastructures during that period. In this way, the next years have witnessed the appearance of a great amount of empirical literature that analysed the impact of public investment on economic growth. Although the first empirical studies made use of aggregate time series for countries, this approach has been also extended to a regional framework using panel data, obtaining results that were quantitatively lower than those found with aggregate data. The reason would be the spillover effects related to the regional endowments of public capital, whose effect would extend not only the own region, but also to the neighbouring regions. In any case, public infrastructure seems to play an important role in the growth process of regions that should not be neglected. On the other hand, the issue of the optimal endowments of public infrastructure has been hardly discussed. In a recent paper, Karras (1997) has developed a simple condition to assess whether public capital is optimally provided, namely, whether the marginal productivities of both private and public capital are equal or not. By estimating a simple growth equation for fifteen European countries during the period 1960-1992, he is unable to reject the null hypothesis that the marginal productivities of private and public capital are equal, so that government investment would be neither underprovided nor overprovided in the fifteen countries of his sample. In this paper we try to address this issue (i.e., whether the endowments of public investment are optimal or not) in a regional framework, using Spanish data for the period 1967-91. Unlike Karras (1997), who assumes that the production function exhibits constant returns to scale in all factors, we are able to generalise his condition without the need of this constraint. On the other hand, the Spanish economy can provide an interesting case of study, since it has experienced a sustained period of growth in the last forty years, which has been accompanied by a strong process of structural change. In particular, the establishment of new regional governments after the restoration of democracy in 1977, coupled with the strong increase experienced by public investment since them, are all of them elements that can justify the interest of the Spanish case for the objectives of this paper. Therefore, in this paper we will first derive the theoretical condition under which public capital would be optimally provided, and then we will provide an empirical application of the model, for the case of the Spanish regions during the period 1965-1995.

Promoting Adherence to Influenza Vaccination Recommendations in Pediatric Practice.

OBJECTIVES: In the United States, nonadherence to seasonal influenza vaccination guidelines for children and adolescents is common and results in unnecessary morbidity and mortality. We conducted a quality improvement project to improve vaccination rates and test effects of 2 interventions on vaccination guidelines adherence. METHODS: We conducted a cluster randomized control trial with 11 primary care practices (PRACTICE) that provided care for 11 293 individual children and adolescents in a children\u27s health care system from September 2015 through April 2016. Practice sites (with their clinicians) were randomly assigned to 4 arms (no intervention [Control], computerized clinical decision support system [CCDSS], web-based training [WBT], or CCDSS and WBT [BOTH]). RESULTS: During the study, 55.8% of children and adolescents received influenza vaccination, which improved modestly during the study period compared with the prior influenza season ( P = .009). Actual adherence to recommendations, including dosing, timeliness, and avoidance of missed opportunities, was 46.4% of patients cared for by the PRACTICE. The WBT was most effective in promoting adherence with vaccination recommendations with an estimated average odds ratio = 1.26, P \u3c .05, to compare between preintervention and intervention periods. Over the influenza season, there was a significantly increasing trend in odds ratio in the WBT arm ( P \u3c .05). Encouraging process improvements and providing longitudinal feedback on monthly rate of vaccination sparked some practice changes but limited impact on outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Web-based training at the start of influenza season with monthly reports of adherence can improve correct dose and timing of influenza vaccination with modest impact on overall vaccination rate