Regional Income Convergence in the Enlarged Europe, 1995-2000: A Spatial Econometric Perspective

This paper adopts a spatial econometric perspective to analyse regional convergence of per capita income in Europe in 1995 to 2000 and, moreover, relaxes the assumption of a single steady-state growth path which appears to be out of tune with reality of empirical dynamics. The two-club spatial error convergence model with groupwise heteroskedasticity is found to be most appropriate for the data at hand. Two empirical key findings are worthwhile to note. The first is that the data provide much support for unconditional ß-convergence in Europe. The second is that the usual convergence conclusions hold. But they do so for reasons that are not revealed by the classical test equation that is typical in mainstream economics literature. --European Regions,Income Convergence,Spatial Econometrics

Stress Testing German Industry Sectors: Results from a Vine Copula Based Quantile Regression

Measuring interdependence between probabilities of default (PDs) in different industry sectors of an economy plays a crucial role in financial stress testing. Thereby, regression approaches may be employed to model the impact of stressed industry sectors as covariates on other response sectors. We identify vine copula based quantile regression as an eligible tool for conducting such stress tests as this method has good robustness properties, takes into account potential nonlinearities of conditional quantile functions and ensures that no quantile crossing effects occur. We illustrate its performance by a data set of sector specific PDs for the German economy. Empirical results are provided for a rough and a fine-grained industry sector classification scheme. Amongst others, we confirm that a stressed automobile industry has a severe impact on the German economy as a whole at different quantile levels whereas e.g., for a stressed financial sector the impact is rather moderate. Moreover, the vine copula based quantile regression approach is benchmarked against both classical linear quantile regression and expectile regression in order to illustrate its methodological effectiveness in the scenarios evaluated.Comment: 12 page

Expression profiling of endometrial transcripts as potential fertility parameters in dairy cattle

Deckblatt-Impressum Inhaltsverzeichnis Abkürzungsverzeichnis Einleitung Literaturübersicht Material Methodik Ergebnisse Diskussion Zusammenfassung Summary Literaturverzeichnis Danksagung SelbständigkeitserklärungFür ein erfolgreiches Management in Milchviehbetrieben ist eine hohe Fruchtbarkeitsleistung eine wichtige Voraussetzung. Im Anschluss an die Kalbung sind vor allem Endometritiden maßgeblich an Störungen der Fruchtbarkeit beteiligt. Häufig bleiben jedoch subklinische Endometritiden unentdeckt und verursachen hohe wirtschaftliche Verluste. Um einen tieferen Einblick in die zellulären Vorgänge des Endometriums zu gewinnen, kann die Analyse der Gen-Expression wertvolle Informationen liefern. In der Literatur werden zahlreiche Zytokine und Enzyme diskutiert, die im Zusammenhang mit der Vorbereitung des Endometriums auf die Implantation eine wichtige Rolle spielen. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war die Untersuchung der mRNA-Expression von ausgewählten pro-inflammatorischen Systemen im bovinen Endometrium. Die Gewinnung endometrialer Zellen erfolgte minimal invasiv mittels der Cytobrush®-Methode. Mit Hilfe der quantitativen RT-PCR wurde die mRNA- Expression der Entzündungsmediatoren bovines granulozytäres chemotaktisches Protein 2 (bGCP-2), der Cyclooxygenasen 1 und 2 (COX-1/-2), Haptoglobin, der Interleukine 1ß (IL-1ß), 6 (IL-6) und 8 (IL-8) sowie des Tumor Nekrose Faktors alpha (TNFα) untersucht. Im ersten Teil der Studie erfolgte die Untersuchung der mRNA-Expression anhand von Schlachthofmaterial in Abhängigkeit vom Entnahmeort (ipsilaterales, contralaterales Horn, Corpus) sowie von der Zyklusphase. Die Uteri (n=8 pro Zyklusphase) wurden in folgende Zyklusphasen eingeteilt: prä- (Tag 19-21) und postovulatorische Phase (Tag 1-5) sowie frühe (Tag 6-12) und späte Lutealphase (Tag 13-18). Alle untersuchten Mediatoren konnten im bovinen Endometrium nachgewiesen werden. bGCP-2, IL-1ß und IL-8 wurden zum Zeitpunkt um die Ovulation signifikant höher expremiert als in der Lutealphase. Es konnten keine signifikanten Expressionsunterschiede zwischen den Entnahmeorten (ipsilaterales und contralaterales Horn, Corpus) festgestellt werden. Auf einem Milcherzeugerbetrieb wurde die Expression der Entzündungsmediatoren im Endometrium von gesunden Kühen sowie Kühen mit subklinischer und klinischer Endometritis unter Feldbedingungen untersucht (jeweils n=9). Die Unterscheidung zwischen gesunden Tieren und Tieren mit subklinischer Endometritis erfolgte anhand des prozentualen Anteils an PMN im Endometrium. Betrug der Anteil an PMN über 5%, so wurden die Tiere als subklinisch krank eingestuft. Kühe mit eitrigem Vaginalausfluss wurden als klinisch krank beurteilt. Die Probengewinnung erfolgte 21 bis 27 Tage post partum. Im Vergleich zu gesunden Kühen wiesen Tiere mit subklinischer und klinischer Endometritis eine signifikant höhere mRNA-Expression der Faktoren bGCP-2, IL-1ß, IL-8 sowie TNFα im Endometrium auf. Im dritten Teil der Studie wurde die mRNA-Expression im Endometrium von Erstkalbinnen (n=5) im Verlauf des Puerperiums untersucht. Die Probengewinnung erfolgte 10, 17, 24, 31, 38 und 45 Tage nach der Kalbung. bGCP-2, COX-2, Haptoglobin, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8 sowie TNFα wurden am 17. Tag signifikant höher expremiert als am 31. Tag post partum. Aus den Ergebnissen der vorliegenden Arbeit lässt sich schließen, dass die angewendete Methode zur Diagnostik von subklinischen Endometritiden geeignet ist. Der Ort der Probenentnahme hatte keinen Einfluss auf das Ergebnis. Somit ist es von untergeordneter Bedeutung, ob die Proben vom ipsilateralen, contralateralen Horn oder aus dem Corpus entnommen werden. Es muss berücksichtigt werden, dass die untersuchten Entzündungsmediatoren physiologisch während des Sexualzyklus sowie im Puerperium expremiert werden. Eine Untersuchung der Gen-Expression unter Beachtung der Zyklusphase erscheint ab dem 24. Tag nach der Kalbung sinnvoll, um subklinische Endometritiden bei der Milchkuh besser zu diagnostizieren.High reproductive performance is required for successful management of dairy farms. After calving, especially endometritis is one of the main reasons for reproductive failure. However, subclinical endometritis remains undetected in many cases and causes a high financial loss. To elucidate the cellular processes in the endometrium, the acquisition of the gene expression of selected transcripts will provide helpful information. In the literature, numerous cytokines and enzymes were discussed to play important roles in preparing the endometrium for implantation. The aim of the present study was to examine of the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory systems in the bovine endometrium. Endometrial cells were harvested by using the cytobrush®-method. Quantitative RT-PCR was performed to investigate the mRNA expression of inflammatory mediators as bovine granulocyte chemotactic protein 2 (bGCP-2), cyclooxygenases 1 and 2 (COX-1/-2), haptoglobin, interleukins 1ß (IL-1ß), 6 (IL-6) and 8 (IL-8) as well as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα). In the first part of the present study, endometrial cells were collected at a local slaughterhouse. The mRNA expression was examined in relation to different regions of the uterus (ipsilateral, contralateral horn and corpus) as well as during the estrous cycle (n=8 for each phase). Bovine uteri were classified into the following four phases: pre- (day 19-21) and postovulatory phase (day 1-5), early luteal phase (day 6-12) and late luteal phase (day 13-18). All of the investigated mediators were detected in the bovine endometrium. bGCP-2, IL-1ß and IL-8 were significantly higher expressed around ovulation compared to the luteal phase. Concerning the different regions of the uterus, there was no significant difference observed between the ipsilateral, contralateral horn and the corpus. On a commercial dairy farm, the expression of the inflammatory mediators were investigated under field conditions in the endometrium of healthy cows as well as of cows with subclinical and clinical endometritis (n=9 for each group). The differentiation between healthy cows and cows with subclinical endometritis was performed in relation to the percentage of PMN in the endometrium. Subclinical endometritis was diagnosed when the percentage of PMN exceed 5%. Purulent vaginal discharge was defined as a sign for clinical endometritis. Endometrial samples were harvested between 21 and 27 days post partum. Cows with subclinical or clinical endometritis showed a significant higher mRNA expression of the mediators bGCP-2, IL-1ß, IL-8 and TNFα compared to the group of healthy cows. In the third part of the study, the mRNA expression was examined in the endometrium of heifers (n=5) directly after calving. Samples were collected on days 10, 17, 24, 31, 38 and 45 post partum. bGCP-2, COX-2, haptoglobin, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8 and TNFα were expressed significantly higher on day 17 compared to day 31 post partum. In addition to the results of the present study, it can be concluded that the used method is appropriate in diagnosing subclinical endometritis. Furthermore, it is not important whether the endometrial cells were collected from the ipsilateral, the contralateral horn or the corpus. It has to be considered, that the investigated cytokines were expressed physiologically during the estrous cycle and the post partum period. For a better diagnostic of subclinical endometritis in dairy cows, the mRNA expression should be investigated after day 24 post partum

Fernando Pessoa : leitor de Schiller ; uma aproximação à língua alemã

Um olhar rápido sobre os títulos constantes da sua biblioteca particular torna claro que Pessoa lia os autores alemães em traduções inglesas e francesas. Contudo, um escrutínio mais atento da sua biblioteca e dos seus apontamentos revela que o acompanharam ao longo da sua vida não só uma vontade mas também algumas tentativas concretas de enveredar pelo estudo da língua alemã, no intuito de fazer justiça à sua própria imposição formulada por volta do ano de 1912: "Um grande poeta retórico ou epigramático pode ser lido em tradução, sendo ela boa; quem não sabe a língua, escusa, havendo essa boa tradução, de por tão pouco a estudar. Mas quem quiser ler um poeta lírico não pode aceitar tradução nenhuma, por fiel que seja à alma do poeta. Tem de aprender a língua em que a poesia foi escrita. [...]" Sabendo-se que Fernando Pessoa nunca dominou a língua alemã, pretende-se, neste estudo, delinear o percurso da sua relação com esta língua e o modo como ela se liga à sua leitura de um autor que, embora em muito menor escala que Goethe, emerge nalguns pontos da actividade de Pessoa enquanto leitor crítico: Friedrich Schiller

Comparing different accelerometer cut-points for sedentary time in children

Actigraph accelerometers are hypothesized to be valid measurements for assessing children\u27s sedentary time. However, there is considerable variation in accelerometer cut-points used. Therefore, we compared the most common accelerometer sedentary cut-points of children performing sedentary behaviors. Actigraph Actitrainer uniaxial accelerometers were used to measure children\u27s activity intensity (29 children, 5-11 years old) during different activities, namely playing computer games, nonelectronic sedentary games, watching television and playing outdoors. A structured protocol was the criterion for assessing the validity of four common cut-points (100, 300, 800, 1100 counts/minute). The median counts during all sedentary behaviors were below the lowest comparison cut-point of 100 cpm. The 75th percentile values for the sedentary behaviors were always below the cut-point of 300 cpm. Our results suggest that the cut-point of <100 cpm is the most appropriate

Three-Dimensional Segmented Poincaré Plot Analyses SPPA3 Investigates Cardiovascular and Cardiorespiratory Couplings in Hypertensive Pregnancy Disorders

Hypertensive pregnancy disorders affect 6 to 8% of gestations representing the most common complication of pregnancy for both mother and fetus. The aim of this study was to introduce a new three-dimensional coupling analysis methods – the three-dimensional segmented Poincaré plot analyses (SPPA3) - to establish an effective approach for the detection of hypertensive pregnancy disorders and especially pre-eclampsia (PE). A cubic box model representing the three dimensional phase space is subdivided into 12x12x12 equal predefined cubelets according to the range of the standard deviations of each investigated signal. Additionally, we investigated the influence of rotating the cloud of points and the size of the cubelets (adapted or predefined). All single probabilities of occurring points in a specific cubelet related to the total number of points are calculated. From 10 healthy non-pregnant women, 66 healthy pregnant women and 56 hypertensive pregnant women suffering from chronic hypertension, pregnancy induced hypertension and PE 30 minutes of beat-to-beat intervals (BBI), respiration (RESP), non-invasive systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were continuously recorded and analyzed. Non-rotated adapted SPPA3 seems to be the optimum method to discriminate between hypertensive pregnancy disorders and PE concerning coupling analysis of 2 or 3 different systems (BBI, DBP, RESP and BBI, SBP, DBP) reaching an accuracy of up to 82.9%. This could be increased to an accuracy of up to 91.2% applying multivariate analysis differentiating between all pregnant women and PE. In conclusion, SPPA3 could be a useful method for enhanced risk stratification in pregnant women

Regional Income Convergence in the Enlarged Europe, 1995-2000: A Spatial Econometric Perspective

This paper adopts a spatial econometric perspective to analyse regional convergence of per capita income in Europe in 1995 to 2000 and, moreover, relaxes the assumption of a single steady-state growth path which appears to be out of tune with reality of empirical dynamics. The two-club spatial error convergence model with groupwise heteroskedasticity is found to be most appropriate for the data at hand. Two empirical key findings are worthwhile to note. The first is that the data provide much support for unconditional ß-convergence in Europe. The second is that the usual convergence conclusions hold. But they do so for reasons that are not revealed by the classical test equation that is typical in mainstream economics literature

Weight estimations with time-reversed point-light displays

Interpreting other’s actions is a very important ability not only in social life, but also in interactive sports. Previous experiments have demonstrated good estimation performances for the weight of lifted objects through point-light displays. The basis for these performances is commonly assigned to the concept of motor simulation regarding observed actions. In this study, we investigated the weak version of the motor simulation hypothesis which claims that the goal of an observed action strongly influences its understanding (Fogassi, Ferrari, Gesierich, Rozzi, Chersi, & Rizzolatti, 2005). Therefore, we conducted a weight judgement task with point-light displays and showed participants videos of a model lifting and lowering three different weights. The experimental manipulation consisted of a goal change of these actions by showing the videos normal and in a time-reversed order of sequence. The results show a systematic overestimation of weights for time-reversed lowering actions (thus looking like lifting actions) while weight estimations for time-reversed lifting actions did not differ from the original playback direction. The results are discussed in terms of motor simulation and different kinematic profiles of the presented actions. © 2020, The Author(s)