Does the growth process discriminate against older workers?

This paper seeks to gain insights on the relationship between growth and employment when considering heterogeneous agents in terms of their working horizon. Using an OECD database, our empirical estimations suggest that growth positively influences the employment rate of workers having a long working horizon (young workers) while negatively influences the employment rate of workers having a short working horizon (senior workers). We then provide theoretical foundations to this result by means of an endogenous job destruction framework a laMortensen and Pissarides (1998) where we introduce life cycle features. We show that, under the assumption of homogeneous productivity among workers, growth negatively affects the employment rate of workers having a short working horizon before retirement (senior workers) while it positively affects the employment rate of workers having a long working horizon (young workers). Numerical simulations confirm these results, however a non standard calibration is required to reproduce the elasticity values obtained in our empirical estimations

Occupational choices and network effects: Evidence from France

International audienc

Retirement decisions in the presence of technological change: a theoretical and an empirical approach

The paper underlines the major role of productivity as a determinant of the worker’sretirement expectations. We propose an overlapping generation model with a continuum of heterogeneous ability workers. The labor market is endogenously segmented between worker’s having the required ability level to occupy jobs where the productivity is indexed to the technological state (complex jobs) and the rest of workers who are employed in positions whose productivity will be relatively deteriorated in case of technological change (simple jobs). We show that, for a given state of technology, workers in complex positions have a latter retirement date than those in simple positions. Furthermore, in case of a positive technological change, workers in complex positions delay retirement whereas those in simple jobs advance retirement. These findings are confirmed by our empirical approach, where we find that, after a technological change, workers who benefit from a skill upgrading training program have a higher expected retirement ag

A diabatic parameterization of the twofold ground state potential energy surface of the H2O-OH molecular complex

We present a matrix functional form to fit the nearly degenerated potential energy surface of the H2O-OH molecular complex. The functional form is based on second order perturbation theory, which allows us to define two diabatic states coupled together in the field of the surrounding water molecules. The fit reproduces faithfully the fine details of the potential energy surface (PES) like the crossings and the shallow barrier between the main and secondary minima. The explicit dependence of the model on polarization ensures its transferability to systems made of several water molecules. The potential is used to investigate the structural properties of the OH radical in solution by Monte Carlo simulation. The twin surface fit shows that the second PES is shifted above the ground state by typically 1600 cm−1 for the configurations explored at a temperature of 300 K and a density of 1.0 g/cm3. The second PES has thus little influence on the structuring of water around the OH radical at such a temperature and density. Our study confirms that under these thermodynamic conditions, OH is a weak hydrogen acceptor

Potential energy curves and spin-orbit coupling of light alkali-heavy rare gas molecules

The potential energy curves of the X, A, and B states of alkali-rare gas diatomic molecules, MKr and MXe, are investigated for M = Li, Na, K. The molecular spin-orbit coefficients a(R) = 〈2Π 1/2|ĤSO|2Π1/2〉 and b(R) = 〈2Π-1/2|ĤSO| 2Σ1/2〉 are calculated as a function the interatomic distance R. We show that a(R) increases and b(R) decreases as R decreases. This effect becomes less and less important as the mass of the alkali increases. A comparison of the rovibrational properties deduced from our calculations with experimental measurements recorded for NaKr and NaXe shows the quality of the calculation

Optimal time switching from tayloristic to holistic workplace organization

The introduction of information and communication technologies over the past decades has fostered a process of internal workplace reorganization of firms who have tried to maximize their performance. Using a two stage optimal control technique, this paper provides analytical solutions to the conditions under which an economy decides to adopt a new organizational regime characterized by multitasking and an horizontal hierarchical structure (holistic organization). We consider two flexibility options: a) the possibility that only a part of the labor force is shifted to the modern workplace organization and, b) the possibility that the loss of productivity is not permanent. In all cases we conclude that the modern organization is adopted if and only if the productivity gains in the capital-goods sector compensate both the loss of expertise suffered by workers and the drop in consumption

Light-triggered carotenogenesis in myxococcus xanthus: New paradigms in photosensory signaling, transduction and gene regulation

22 pags., 6 figs. -- This article belongs to the Special Issue Myxobacteria: Physiology and RegulationMyxobacteria are Gram-negative δ-proteobacteria found predominantly in terrestrial habitats and often brightly colored due to the biosynthesis of carotenoids. Carotenoids are lipophilic isoprenoid pigments that protect cells from damage and death by quenching highly reactive and toxic oxidative species, like singlet oxygen, generated upon growth under light. The model myxobacterium Myxococcus xanthus turns from yellow in the dark to red upon exposure to light because of the photoinduction of carotenoid biosynthesis. How light is sensed and transduced to bring about regulated carotenogenesis in order to combat photooxidative stress has been extensively investigated in M. xanthus using genetic, biochemical and high-resolution structural methods. These studies have unearthed new paradigms in bacterial light sensing, signal transduction and gene regulation, and have led to the discovery of prototypical members of widely distributed protein families with novel functions. Major advances have been made over the last decade in elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the light-dependent signaling and regulation of the transcriptional response leading to carotenogenesis in M. xanthus. This review aims to provide an up-to-date overview of these findings and their significance.This research was funded by grants PGC2018-094635-B-C21 (to M.E.-A.) and PGC2018- 094635-B-C22 (to S.P) from the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI)-Spain and European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), and by grant 20992/PI/18 (to M.E.-A.) from Fundación Séneca (Murcia)- Spain. The Ministerio de Educación y Cultura-Spain funded Ph.D. fellowships to A.J.M.-G, E.P.-M. and E.B.-M., and AEI-Spain funded that to R.P.-C

Tear fluid biomarkers in ocular and systemic disease: potential use for predictive, preventive and personalised medicine

In the field of predictive, preventive and personalised medicine, researchers are keen to identify novel and reliable ways to predict and diagnose disease, as well as to monitor patient response to therapeutic agents. In the last decade alone, the sensitivity of profiling technologies has undergone huge improvements in detection sensitivity, thus allowing quantification of minute samples, for example body fluids that were previously difficult to assay. As a consequence, there has been a huge increase in tear fluid investigation, predominantly in the field of ocular surface disease. As tears are a more accessible and less complex body fluid (than serum or plasma) and sampling is much less invasive, research is starting to focus on how disease processes affect the proteomic, lipidomic and metabolomic composition of the tear film. By determining compositional changes to tear profiles, crucial pathways in disease progression may be identified, allowing for more predictive and personalised therapy of the individual. This article will provide an overview of the various putative tear fluid biomarkers that have been identified to date, ranging from ocular surface disease and retinopathies to cancer and multiple sclerosis. Putative tear fluid biomarkers of ocular disorders, as well as the more recent field of systemic disease biomarkers, will be shown

Swordfish bill injury involving abdomen and vertebral column: case report and review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Penetrating injuries of the abdomen and spinal canal that involve organic material of animal origin are extremely rare and derive from domestic and wild animal attacks or fish attacks.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>In this case report we present the unique, as far as the literature is concerned, unprovoked woman's injury to the abdomen by a swordfish. There are only four cases of swordfish attacks on humans in the literature - one resulted to thoracic trauma, two to head trauma and one to knee trauma, one of which was fatal - none of which were unprovoked. Three victims were professional or amateur fishermen whereas in the last reported case the victim was a bather as in our case. Our case is the only case where organic debris of animal's origin remained in the spinal canal after penetrating trauma.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although much has been written about the management of penetrating abdominal and spinal cord trauma, controversy remains about the optimal management. Moreover, there is little experience in the management of patients with such spinal injuries, due to the fact that such cases are extremely rare. In this report we focus on the patient's treatment with regard to abdominal and spinal trauma and present a review of the literature.</p