TECHNOLOGIES AND LOCALIZED TECHNICAL CHANGE

Heterogenous Technologies, Transformation Function, Localized Technical Change, Production Economics, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, Q12, O33, C35,

Distinguishing Different Industry Technologies and Localized Technical Change

This contribution is based on the notion that different technologies are present in an industry. These different technologies result in differential “drivers” of economic performance depending on the kind of technology used by the individual firm. In a first step different technologies are empirically distinguished. Subsequently, the associated production patterns are approximated and the respective change over time is estimated. A latent class modelling approach is used to distinguish different technologies for a representative sample of E.U. dairy producers as an industry exhibiting significant structural changes and differences in production systems in the past decades. The production technology is modelled and evaluated by using the flexible functional form of a transformation function and measures of first- and second-order elasticities. We find that overall (average) measures do not well reflect individual firms’ production patterns if the technology of an industry is heterogeneous. If there is more than one type of production frontier embodied in the data, it should be recognized that different firms may exhibit very different output or input intensities and changes associated with different production systems. In particular, in the context of localized technical change, firms with different technologies can be expected to show different technical change patterns, both in terms of overall magnitudes and associated relative output and input mix changes. Assuming a homogenous technology would result in inefficient policy recommendations leading to suboptimal industry outcomes.Heterogenous Technologies, Transformation Function, Localized Technical Change, Production Economics, Q12, O33, C35,

Cash: a simple remedy for domestic violence?

In South Asia, 42% of women experience intimate partner violence. In Sub-Saharan Africa, that number ranges from 30% up to 66%. Research from Kenya shows that simple direct cash transfers to households can significantly reduce domestic violenc

Markup and price dynamics: linking micro to macro. National Bank of Belgium, Working Paper No. 357

We analyze the aggregate markup of a small-open economy, Belgium, using a firm-level dataset that includes all non-financial, private firms. The dataset covers the period 1980-2016 and merges the annual firm accounts over three periods when firms faced different reporting thresholds for the key variables we use. After harmonizing the data, we find that for the median firm the revenue share of service intermediates doubles, to some extent at the expense of in-house employment. As this general patterns holds true for the vast majority of firms and all sectors of the economy, we need to control for it in the calculation of our firm-level markup estimates. We document increasing markups in the overall economy throughout the first fifteen years of our sample, 1980-1995, and a continued rise in manufacturing until the early 2000s. In the remaining years, the aggregate markup, although cyclical, remained relatively stable. These patterns are driven by the dynamics in the sales-to-expenditure ratio, with only a small role for changes in the technology parameters. Two decompositions illustrate that the aggregate pattern masks systematic dynamics at the sector and firm level. We find that in periods where the aggregate markup rises—for the full economy or for one of the major sectors—it is almost entirely due to the within component, i.e. firm-level markup growth. In periods where the aggregate markup is stable, the average hides a strong process of reallocation. Firms or sectors with high markups increase their market share, which raises the aggregate markup, but this is dominated by a negative correlation between changes in market share and markups, which depresses the aggregate

Primary pulmonary malignant meningioma with lymph node and liver metastasis in a centenary woman, an autopsy case

Primary meningiomas arising outside the central nervous system are very rare. They have been reported in the head and neck region, in the thorax, the retroperitoneum, and the pelvis. Usually, they behave as slow-growing tumors with a good prognosis. Herein, we report an autopsy case of a 108-year-old woman, known for a right-sided slowly growing lung nodule for 39years. Death was attributed to cachexia. At post-mortem, a 15-cm mass was present in the right inferior lobe of the lung, associated with an ipsilateral hilar lymphadenopathy, and another 10-cm mass in the liver. Histology revealed a WHO grade III meningioma. No tumor was observed in the cranial cavity. This case illustrates a rare location of meningioma and highlights its biological behavior, with a very slow progression from a most probably benign tumor to a malignant lesion with metastasis over four decade

A New Surrogate Variable for Erectile Dysfunction Status in the Massachusetts Male Aging Study

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the subject of a vast clinical literature, but little information has been gathered from random samples of the general public. The Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS) addressed this important aspect of men\u27s health. The MMAS was conducted in two waves, with baseline data collection in 1987–1989 and follow-up in 1995–1997. Subsequent to the baseline MMAS survey, a consensus developed that subjective measures are optimal for defining ED. Unfortunately, the baseline questionnaire did not ask subjects directly about their erectile functioning. Thus, we previously assigned the MMAS subjects a degree of impotence at baseline using a series of related questions, employing a discriminant formula constructed from a separate sample of urology clinic patients. At follow-up the men classified themselves directly in addition to answering the original series of related questions. In the present article, we report the results of a new discriminant function, based on the MMAS men at follow-up. We also compare the two methods and discuss our reasons for preferring the internally calibrated method

Extinction of cue-evoked food seeking recruits a GABAergic interneuron ensemble in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex of mice

Animals must quickly adapt food-seeking strategies to locate nutrient sources in dynamically changing environments. Learned associations between food and environmental cues that predict its availability promote food-seeking behaviors. However, when such cues cease to predict food availability, animals undergo 'extinction' learning, resulting in the inhibition of food-seeking responses. Repeatedly activated sets of neurons, or 'neuronal ensembles', in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) are recruited following appetitive conditioning and undergo physiological adaptations thought to encode cue-reward associations. However, little is known about how the recruitment and intrinsic excitability of such dmPFC ensembles are modulated by extinction learning. Here, we used in vivo 2-Photon imaging in male Fos-GFP mice that express green fluorescent protein (GFP) in recently behaviorally-activated neurons to determine the recruitment of activated pyramidal and GABAergic interneuron mPFC ensembles during extinction. During extinction, we revealed a persistent activation of a subset of interneurons which emerged from a wider population of interneurons activated during the initial extinction session. This activation pattern was not observed in pyramidal cells, and extinction learning did not modulate the excitability properties of activated neurons. Moreover, extinction learning reduced the likelihood of reactivation of pyramidal cells activated during the initial extinction session. Our findings illuminate novel neuronal activation patterns in the dmPFC underlying extinction of food-seeking, and in particular, highlight an important role for interneuron ensembles in this inhibitory form of learning

Implementation conditions for diet and physical activity interventions and policies : an umbrella review

BACKGROUND: This umbrella review aimed at identifying evidence-based conditions important for successful implementation of interventions and policies promoting a healthy diet, physical activity (PA), and a reduction in sedentary behaviors (SB). In particular, we examined if the implementation conditions identified were intervention-specific or policy-specific. This study was undertaken as part of the DEterminants of DIet and Physical Activity (DEDIPAC) Knowledge Hub, a joint action as part of the European Joint Programming Initiative a Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life. METHODS: A systematic review of reviews and stakeholder documents was conducted. Data from nine scientific literature databases were analyzed (95 documents met the inclusion criteria). Additionally, published documentation of eight major stakeholders (e.g., World Health Organization) were systematically searched (17 documents met the inclusion criteria). The RE-AIM framework was used to categorize elicited conditions. Across the implementation conditions 25 % were identified in at least four documents and were subsequently classified as having obtained sufficient support. RESULTS: We identified 312 potential conditions relevant for successful implementation; 83 of these received sufficient support. Using the RE-AIM framework eight implementation conditions that obtained support referred to the reach in the target population; five addressed efficacy of implementation processes; 24 concerned adoption by the target staff, setting, or institutions; 43 referred to consistency, costs, and adaptations made in the implementation process; three addressed maintenance of effects over time. The vast majority of implementation conditions (87.9 %; 73 of 83) were supported by documents referring to both interventions and policies. There were seven policy-specific implementation conditions, which focused on increasing complexities of coexisting policies/legal instruments and their consequences for implementation, as well as politicians' collaboration in implementation. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the proposed list of 83 conditions for successful implementation may enhance the implementation of interventions and policies which pursue identification of the most successful actions aimed at improving diet, PA and reducing SB

Subsidizing Unit Donations: Matches, Rebates, and Discounts Compared

An influential result in the literature on charitable giving is that matching subsidies dominate rebate subsidies in raising funds. We investigate whether this result extends to ‘unit donation’ schemes, a popular alternative form of soliciting donations. There, the donors’ choices are about the number of units of a charitable good to fund at a given unit price, rather than the amount of money to give. Comparing matches and rebates as well as simple discounts on the unit price, we find no evidence of dominance in our online experiment: The three subsidy types are equally effective overall. At a more disaggregate level, rebates lead to a higher likelihood of giving while matching and discount subsidies lead to larger donations by donors. This suggests that charities using a unit donation scheme enjoy additional degrees of freedom in choosing a subsidy type. Rebates merit additional consideration if the primary goal is to attract donors

Aerobic exercise training and burnout: A pilot study with male participants suffering from burnout

Occupational burnout is associated with severe negative health effects. While stress management programs proved to have a positive influence on the well-being of patients suffering from burnout, it remains unclear whether aerobic exercise alleviates burnout severity and other parameters related to occupational burnout. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to pilot-test the potential outcomes of a 12-week exercise training to generate hypotheses for future larger scale studies.; The sample consisted of 12 male participants scoring high on the MBI emotional exhaustion and depersonalization subscales. The training program took place in a private fitness center with a 17.5 kcal/kg minimum requirement of weekly energy expenditure.; The key findings are that increased exercise reduced overall perceived stress as well as symptoms of burnout and depression. The magnitude of the effects was large, revealing changes of substantial practical relevance. Additionally, profiles of mood states improved considerably after single exercise sessions with a marked shift towards an iceberg profile.; Among burnout patients, the findings provide preliminary evidence that exercise has the potential to reduce stress and prevent the development of a deeper depression. This has important health implications given that burnout is considered an antecedent of depressive disorders.; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: ISRNCT01575743