The responses of small and large firms to tight credit shocks : the case of 2008 through the lens of Gertler and Gilchrist (1994)

Do large firms and small firms behave differently when credit becomes more costly or harder to obtain? Past research has found that small firms are more likely to be credit-constrained and thus tend to be affected more negatively than large firms during such times. Recent findings from the 2007-2009 recession, however, raise questions about the roles of small and large firms during periods of tight creditBusiness cycles ; Recessions

Life cycle assessment of drinking water: comparing conventional water treatment, reverse osmosis and mineral water in glass and plastic bottles

This study evaluated the environmental impacts caused by drinking water consumption in Barcelona (Spain) using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Five different scenarios were compared: 1) tap water from conventional drinking water treatment; 2) tap water from conventional drinking water treatment with reverse osmosis at the water treatment plant; 3) tap water from conventional drinking water treatment with domestic reverse osmosis; 4) mineral water in plastic bottles, and 5) mineral water in glass bottles. The functional unit was 1 m3 of water. The water treatment plant considered in scenarios 1, 2 and 3, treats around 5 m3 s-1 of surface water. The water bottling plants considered in scenarios 4 and 5 have a production capacity of 200 m3 of bottled water per day. The LCA was performed with the software SimaPro®, using the CML 2 baseline method. The results showed how tap water consumption was the most favourable alternative, while bottled water presented the worst results due to the higher raw materials and energy inputs required for bottles manufacturing, especially in the case of glass bottles. The impacts generated by domestic reverse osmosis were between 10 and 24% higher than tap water alternative depending on the impact category. It was due to the higher electricity consumption. Reverse osmosis at the water treatment plant showed impacts nearly twice as high as domestic reverse osmosis systems scenario, mainly because of the higher energy inputs. Water treated by domestic reverse osmosis equipment was the most environmentally friendly solution for the improvement of tap water organoleptic characteristics. An economic analysis showed that this solution was between 8 and 19 times cheaper than bottled water.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

The Besicovitch Federer projection theorem is false in every infinite dimensional Banach space

We construct a purely unrectifiable set of finite H 1-measure in every infinite-dimensional separable Banach space X whose image under every 0 ≠ x* ∈ X* has positive Lebesgue measure. This demonstrates completely the failure of the Besicovitch–Federer projection theorem in infinitedimensional Banach spaces

A PILOT STUDY OF THE KNEE JOINT ACTION CONTRIBUTIONS TO LOADING IN LANDINGS PERFORMED BY FEMALES

Females are particularly susceptible to knee injuries in landing. This investigation aimed to gain further insight into the contributions of female knee joint actions to loading in landing. A wobbling mass model was used to simulate landings executed with a self-selected strategy. The selected knee actions were modified and the resulting loads were examined. A 0.05 s change in knee joint action timing substantially increased the peak vertical ground reaction force (GFz) by 1.55 BW. Conversely, a small reduction in peak GFz (0.06 BW) was produced using a 10 % more extended knee during the impact. The prominent influence the knee joint action timing had on loading may be attributed to the need to maintain coordinated and continuous load attenuation. Subject-specific modifications to landing strategies were found to achieve load reductions

The dark triad and willingness to commit insurance fraud

We evaluated how the dark triad (DT) personality traits (Psychopathy, Machiavellianism, Narcissism) influence willingness to claim for insurance in an online setting. In two mTurk studies (Ns 344 and 699) we created realistic online insurance claim tasks where participants could file claims for insured household items they had supposedly broken. We predicted “fibbing” (i.e., overclaiming the item values) in these tasks using the DT traits. However, within Study 2, we included monetary incentives and situational factors relating to claiming—that is, whether the items were broken in anger, while drunk, or by sheer accident. In both studies all DT traits predicted fibbing, but the results were weak for psychopathy in Study 1, while in Study 2 psychopathy was the strongest individual predictor of fibbing. Our results help understand why certain people are willing to commit insurance fraud, and provide an opening for further interdisciplinary research on insurance and personality science.Peer reviewe

Cognitive Health of Nonagenarians in Southern Italy: A Descriptive Analysis from a Cross-Sectional, Home-Based Pilot Study of Exceptional Longevity (Cilento Initiative on Aging Outcomes Or CIAO).

Background: Nonagenarians and centenarians (NCs) are an extremely fragile population, particularly in regard to their physical and cognitive function. The aim of this study was to define the neurocognitive profiles among 29 NCs and their 49 younger cohabitants aged 50-75 years from The Cilento Initiative on Aging Outcomes (CIAO) Pilot study in the South of Italy that had provided initial hypotheses regarding positive psychological traits related to exceptional longevity. Methods: During the home visits, lifestyle information with specific questionnaires, functional autonomy and the neuropsychological Mini Mental Scale Examination (MMSE), and the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive (ADAS-Cog) scale were obtained by qualified study personnel. The total blood oxidative capacity was also determined by testing the reactive derivative of oxygen metabolites (d-ROM) and by the Biological Antioxidant Potential (BAP). In all individuals, the APOE genotype determination was also performed. Results: All the subjects in both groups showed high adherence to the Mediterranean Diet. None of the NCs had severe cognitive impairment, and a very low incidence of dementia was found. The data obtained on the Activities ed Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADL-IADL) scale showed that the majority of NCs (16/29) were autonomous in daily life activities. The comparative assessment of NCs and cohabitants showed no significant differences in the laboratory assessment of oxidative stress and APOE genotype. Conclusion: In the Cilento Region of Southern Italy, NCs seemed to have good cognitive status when compared to younger cohabitants aging 50-65 years without significant differences in oxidative stress markers or APOE genotype. These results might be related to optimal adherence to the Mediterranean diet, although other lifestyle factors and positive personality traits may also contribute to their healthy aging. Further studies on a larger population should be performed to confirm the results of this pilot study

Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and prognosis of breast cancer among African-American and Hispanic women.

BackgroundVitamin D plays a role in cancer development and acts through the vitamin D receptor (VDR). Although African-Americans have the lowest levels of serum vitamin D, there is a dearth of information on VDR gene polymorphisms and breast cancer among African-Americans and Hispanics. This study examines whether VDR gene polymorphisms are associated with breast cancer in these cohorts.MethodsBlood was collected from 232 breast cancer patients (Cases) and 349 non-cancer subjects (Controls). Genotyping for four polymorphic variants of VDR (FokI, BsmI, TaqI and ApaI) was performed using the PCR-RFLP method.ResultsAn increased association of the VDR-Fok1 f allele with breast cancer was observed in African-Americans (OR = 1.9, p = 0.07). Furthermore, the FbTA, FbtA and fbtA haplotypes were associated with breast cancer among African-Americans (p<0.05). Latinas were more likely to have the VDR-ApaI alleles (Aa or aa) (p = 0.008). The VDR-ApaI aa genotype was significantly associated with poorly-differentiated breast tumors (p = 0.04) in combined Cases. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed decreased 5-year disease-free-survival (DFS) in breast cancer patients who had the VDR-Fok1 FF genotype (p<0.05). The Cox regression with multivariate analysis revealed the independent predictor value of the VDR-FokI polymorphism for DFS. The other three variants of VDR (BsmI, TaqI and ApaI) were not associated with disease outcome.ConclusionsVDR haplotypes are associated with breast cancer in African-Americans, but not in Hispanic/Latinas. The VDR-FokI FF genotype is linked with poor prognosis in African-American women with breast cancer