A importância dos Sistemas de Informação Geográfica para as políticas públicas.

bitstream/item/59543/1/SIG-Filippini-Cult.pd

Cost Efficiency in Regional Bus Companies: An Application of Alternative Stochastic Frontier Models

This paper evaluates cost and scale efficiencies of Switzerland’s regulated bus companies operating in regional networks. The adopted methodology can be used in benchmarking analyses applied to incentive regulation systems. Moreover, the estimations can be used to evaluate the bidding offers for the tendering processes predicted by the ongoing reform policies. Since these companies operate in different regions with various characteristics that are only partially observed, it is crucial for the regulator to distinguish between inefficiency and exogenous heterogeneity that influences the costs. A number of stochastic cost frontier models are applied to a panel of 94 companies over a 12-year period from 1986 to 1997. The main focus lies on the ability of these models to distinguish inefficiency from the unobserved firmspecific heterogeneity in a network industry. The estimation results are compared and the effect of unobserved heterogeneity on inefficiency estimates is analyzed.

Economies Of Scale In The Swiss Nursing Home Industry

This paper examines costs in the Swiss nursing home industry, an issue of concern to Swiss policy makers because of the explosion of elderly care costs and the aging of the population. The paper considers estimation of a translog cost function employing panel data for a sample of 36 nonprofit nursing homes operating in Ticino, a canton of Switzerland, over the period 1993-1995. Using a set of dummy variables quality differences are considered. The results of this analysis indicate the existence of economies of scale for most output levels.nursing homes, Switzerland, panel data, cost function

WIMP hunting with the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search

The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) seeks to directly detect the scattering of weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter in an array of cryogenic particle detectors at Soudan Underground Laboratory. CDMS uses simultaneous measurements of ionization and phonons to discriminate between nuclear and electron recoils on an event-by-event basis. The most recent run of CDMS at Soudan accumulated 397.8 (53.5) kg-days of Ge (Si) exposure and observed no candidate events, setting the strongest limit to date on spin-independent WIMPnucleon interactions at WIMP masses � 44 GeV/c2. CDMS also sets competitive upper limits on various axion-like models. A data set ∼ 2.5× larger is currently under analysis, and prototype detectors for the larger-scale SuperCDMS experiment are currently acquiring data at Soudan

Quantifying slum electrification in India and explaining local variation

Unreliable electricity supply is a major obstacle to economic development in countries such as India. While electricity problems in the rural areas are widely recognized, scholars have yet to analyze the situation in urban slums. Drawing on 2004–2005 survey data from the India Human Development Survey, we document the electricity situation in slums. We find that while households located in slums are less likely to have access to the electricity grid than other urban households, the situation is significantly better than in rural areas. Based on simulations, we find that a median household in a slum has 70% chance of having electricity. This number decreases to 50% for a household in a rural area and increases to 80% for households in urban areas. As to daily hours of electricity available for connected households, urban slums also fall between other urban and rural areas. Finally, we show that these conditions vary considerably by state. Slums located in states with low corruption and leftist governments have better electricity access on average than those in states suffering from corruption or that are ruled by rightist parties

Regional Evidence regarding U.S. Residential Electricity Consumption

Regional economic, demographic, and climatic data are used to analyze residential electricity demand in the United States. Results indicate that electricity is an inferior good for households in the United States. This confirms earlier research compiled using data for less geographically extensive regional and metropolitan markets. The results imply that demographic growth may place fewer pressures on electricity generation capacity than was previously assumed.Residential Electricity Demand, Regional Economics

Identification of Segments of Thermo Energy Plants with a Latent Class Model

This paper identifies different groups in a cost function framework of thermo energy plants belonging to EDP-Electricity of Portugal. In particular, we have clustered the sample - comprising data for years 1987 to 2006 - into two groups. To do so, we have implemented a stochastic frontier latent class model, a procedure that also permits us to analyze also the efficiency of the thermo energy plants with respect to their own frontiers. The results reveal that some of the plants could improve their efficiency levels substantially.cost efficiency; latent class model; thermo energy plants; stochastic frontier.

A Systematic Review and Meta analysis on the Effectiveness of Antimicrobial Interventions to Tackle Antimicrobial Resistance in Animal Production

Abstract publicado em: Eur J Public Health. 2023 Oct; 33(Suppl 2): ckad160.082. Epub 2023 Oct 24. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckad160.082In animal production, the rational use of antimicrobials has been promoted to decrease antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in microorganisms. This systematic review evaluated the effectiveness of interventions to reduce/adequate antimicrobial use and decrease AMR.N/