The inflation-productivity trade-off revisited

Our aim in this paper is threefold. First, to test the robustness of the relation between total factor productivity growth and inflation to the specification of the estimating model; second, to test the stability of their relationship in the short run and in the long run, and third, to investigate the direction of causality between these two variables. To accomplish the first objective, we esti-mate a generalized Box-Box cost function using data from the two-digit Standard Industrial Clas- sification of manufacturing industries in Greece during the period 1964- 1980. The results show that: a) the acceleration of inflation from 1964- 1972 to 1973-1980 reduced total factor productiv-ity growth in a way that was both statistically significant and sizeable, and b) even when the ef-fect of inflation is separated from the effects of technical change and economies of scale, the choice of functional form is most crucial. With respect to the second objective, somewhat to our surprise, we find that the inflation-productivity trade-off prevails even in the long run. And, fi-nally, regarding the third objective, it emerges that in the great majority of two-digit manufactur-ing industries the causality runs from inflation to productivity. On these grounds we conclude that for a precise estimation of the relationship under consideration it is imperative to sort out the three effects involved, do so by adopting the most general flexible functional form for the cost function, and run the appropriate stability and causality tests.inflation; productivity; scale economies; technical change; generalized Box-Cox cost function; stability; causality

One-step volumetric additive manufacturing of complex polymer structures.

Two limitations of additive manufacturing methods that arise from layer-based fabrication are slow speed and geometric constraints (which include poor surface quality). Both limitations are overcome in the work reported here, introducing a new volumetric additive fabrication paradigm that produces photopolymer structures with complex nonperiodic three-dimensional geometries on a time scale of seconds. We implement this approach using holographic patterning of light fields, demonstrate the fabrication of a variety of structures, and study the properties of the light patterns and photosensitive resins required for this fabrication approach. The results indicate that low-absorbing resins containing ~0.1% photoinitiator, illuminated at modest powers (~10 to 100 mW), may be successfully used to build full structures in ~1 to 10 s

The position of a duodenal diverticulum in the area of the major duodenal papilla and its potential clinical implications

Background: Although duodenal diverticula are associated with less frequent pathology than the colonic diverticula in the large intestine, their periampullary position may have significant clinical implications. The aim of the study was to identify any possible correlation between the type of localisation of the major duodenal papilla, duodenal diverticula, and some particular clinical issues. Materials and methods: In total, 628 patients (408 females and 220 males; aged 21–91 years), who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography were included in this study. The patients were divided into two groups: a study group comprising 66 (10.5%) patients with periampullary position of diverticula (group A), and a control group comprising 562 (89.5%) patients without diverticula (group B). Results: A duodenal diverticulum was diagnosed in the periampullary position in 66/628 (10.5%) patients: 41 women (aged 52–91 years) and 25 men (aged 54–83 years). Conclusions: Three types of localisation were observed for the major duodenal papilla with regard to the diverticula, with the most common type being next to each other (type III). In patients with diverticula, similar frequencies of gallstone occurrence are observed in men and women. Patients with papilla in the diverticulum who underwent cholecystectomy are more prone to develop lithiasis

БІОМОНІТОРИНГ ЕКОЛОГІЧНОГО СТАНУ ПРИРОДНИХ ВОДОЙМ

The review article analyzes an importance of water bodies monitoring to develop the appropriate measures for improving their environmental condition. It is shown that the use of chemical approaches alone to determine the quality of water as a living environment for aquatic organisms is insufficient for environmental assessment of the components of hydrosphere. It is due to the difficulties of identifying all the diversity of available anthropogenic pollutants of water environment, of assessing their interaction, migration and transformation in water and water body inhabitants. However, biological analysis methods more reflect the relationship between bioavailability of xenobiotics and other contaminants, their content in the cells of aquatic organisms and toxic effect on hydrobionts. These reasons provide the advantages of biomonitoring methods such as bioindication and biological testing, over the methods of chemical analysis of water bodies and watercourses. Application of these methods will greatly help to identify environmental risks, selecting the most promising measures for the successful implementation of water bodies management.  В обзорной статье проанализировано значение мониторинга водных объектов с целью разработки соответствующих мероприятий по улучшению их экологической состояния. Показано, что применение одних химических подходов для определения качества воды как среды обитания водных организмов недостаточно для экологической оценки компонентов гидросферы, учитывая трудности выявления всего разнообразия имеющихся в водной среде антропогенных загрязнителей, оценки их взаимодействия, миграции и трансформации в воде и в организме жителей водоемов. Зато биологические методы анализа в большей степени отражают связь между биодоступностью ксенобиотиков и других загрязнителей, их содержанием в клетках водных организмов и токсическим воздействием на гидробионтов. Это свидетельствует на преимущества использования методов биомониторинга, таких как биоиндикация и биотестирование, над химическими методами анализа водоемов и водотоков. Применение этих методов будет способствовать эффективному выявлению экологического риска, выбора перспективных мероприятий для успешного менеджмента водных объектов.В оглядовій статті проаналізовано значення моніторингу водних об’єктів з метою розробки відповідних заходів щодо його поліпшення їхнього екологічної стану. Показано, що застосування самих лише хімічних підходів для визначення якості води як середовища життя водяних організмів недостатнє для екологічної оцінки компонентів гідросфери з огляду на труднощі виявлення всієї різноманітності наявних у водному середовищі антропогенних полютантів, оцінки їхньої взаємодії, міграції й трансформації у воді та організмі мешканців водойм. Натомість біологічні методи аналізу більшою мірою віддзеркалюють зв’язок між біодоступністю ксенобіотиків та інших забруднювачів, їхнім вмістом у клітинах водяних організмів і токсичним впливом на гідробіонтів. Це зумовлює переваги використання методів біомоніторингу, таких як біоіндикація і біотестування, над хімічними методами аналізу водойм і водотоків. Застосування цих методів сприятиме ефективному виявленню екологічного ризику, вибору перспективних заходів для успішного менеджменту водних об’єктів. &nbsp

Nonprofit governance: Improving performance in troubled economic times

Nonprofit management is currently pressured to perform effectively in a weak economy. Yet, nonprofit governance continues to suffer from unclear conceptions of the division of labor between board of directors and executive directors. This online survey of 114 executive directors aims to provide clarification and recommendations for social administration

Discontinuous transitions in double exchange materials

It is shown that the double exchange Hamiltonian, with weak antiferromagnetic interactions, has a rich variety of first order transitions between phases with different electronic densities and/or magnetizations. For band fillings in the range $0.3 \le x \le 0.5$, and at finite temperatures, a discontinuous transition between phases with similar electronic densities but different magnetizations takes place. This sharp transition, which is not suppressed by electrostatic effects, and survives in the presence of an applied field, is consistent with the phenomenology of the doped manganites near the transition temperature.Comment: three more variational ansatzs considere