680 research outputs found

    The effects of a transportation cost shock on firm performance and behavior

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    Funding Information: ☆ The authors are grateful to Kristian Behrens (the editor), two anonymous referees, Pedro Bação, Ronald Bachmann, Pedro Pita Barros, Samira Barzin, Mário Centeno, Joana Costa, Dave Donovan, Luisa Doerr, Ed Glaeser, Robert Gold, Nezih Guner, Julian Hinz, Adelheid Holl, Gabriel Kreindler, Xiang Li, Pedro Martins, Alejandro Micco, Yi Niu, Susana Peralta, Alfredo M Pereira, Miguel Portela, Pedro Portugal, Francisco Queiró, Lasare Samartzidis, Rok Spruk, and seminar participants at Nova SBE, the DUP meeting (Harvard University), the 3rd CompNet ProdTalks, SAEe2020, the 9th PhD Student Workshop on Industrial and Public Economics (ECO-SOS), the 10th European Meeting of the UEA, COMPIE 2021, the 14th Annual Meeting of the PEJ, EARIE 2021, Jornadas de Economia Industrial of the Spanish Economic Association, 11th ifo Dresden Workshop on Regional Economics, CAED 2021 (Coimbra), the 4th Meeting on Transport Economics and Infrastructure, the Fourth International Workshop “Market Studies and Spatial Economics”, the Spring Meeting for Young Economists (Orléans), the 7th Linked Employer-Employee Data Workshop (FEP), and the 2022 SMU-Jinan Conference on Urban and Regional Economics for useful comments and suggestions. We would also like to thank BPLim – Banco de Portugal for providing the necessary data for this study and Nuno Afonso for excellent research assistance. This work was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (UIDB/00124/2020, UIDP/00124/2020 and Social Sciences DataLab - PINFRA/22209/2016), POR Lisboa and POR Norte (Social Sciences DataLab, PINFRA/22209/2016). All errors are our own. Funding Information: The authors are grateful to Kristian Behrens (the editor), two anonymous referees, Pedro Bação, Ronald Bachmann, Pedro Pita Barros, Samira Barzin, Mário Centeno, Joana Costa, Dave Donovan, Luisa Doerr, Ed Glaeser, Robert Gold, Nezih Guner, Julian Hinz, Adelheid Holl, Gabriel Kreindler, Xiang Li, Pedro Martins, Alejandro Micco, Yi Niu, Susana Peralta, Alfredo M Pereira, Miguel Portela, Pedro Portugal, Francisco Queiró, Lasare Samartzidis, Rok Spruk, and seminar participants at Nova SBE, the DUP meeting (Harvard University), the 3rd CompNet ProdTalks, SAEe2020, the 9th PhD Student Workshop on Industrial and Public Economics (ECO-SOS), the 10th European Meeting of the UEA, COMPIE 2021, the 14th Annual Meeting of the PEJ, EARIE 2021, Jornadas de Economia Industrial of the Spanish Economic Association, 11th ifo Dresden Workshop on Regional Economics, CAED 2021 (Coimbra), the 4th Meeting on Transport Economics and Infrastructure, the Fourth International Workshop “Market Studies and Spatial Economics”, the Spring Meeting for Young Economists (Orléans), the 7th Linked Employer-Employee Data Workshop (FEP), and the 2022 SMU-Jinan Conference on Urban and Regional Economics for useful comments and suggestions. We would also like to thank BPLim – Banco de Portugal for providing the necessary data for this study and Nuno Afonso for excellent research assistance. This work was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (UIDB/00124/2020, UIDP/00124/2020 and Social Sciences DataLab - PINFRA/22209/2016), POR Lisboa and POR Norte (Social Sciences DataLab, PINFRA/22209/2016). All errors are our own. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)We study the firm-level responses to a substantial increase in transportation costs in the wake of a quasi-experiment that introduced tolls in a subset of Portuguese highways. Exploiting a unique dataset encompassing the universe of Portuguese private firms, we find that the introduction of tolls caused a substantial decrease in turnover (−10.2%) and productivity (−4.3%) in treated firms vis-à-vis firms in the comparison group. In response to the tolls, firms substantially cut employment-related expenses and purchases of other inputs. Labor costs were reduced by both employment cuts and a decrease in average wages. While firms did not increase inventory, there is some evidence for increased firm exit, in particular by firms in tradables sectors.publishersversionpublishe

    Damaging flood risk in the Portuguese municipalities

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    Modeling and understanding the impact of climate change on flooding processes in Mediterranean climate areas, namely in southern Europe, is a complex endeavor, which must also consider exposure and vulnerability patterns. Assuming that vulnerability plays a relevant role in explaining the degree of loss due to natural hazards, the present research compares a flood-susceptibility index with a social-vulnerability index and a historical record of flood losses, both aggregated at the municipal level. The purpose of this research is to define municipal flood risk profiles that would rank the 278 municipalities and contribute to the strategic allocation of resources and flood risk management [...]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Facile one-pot synthesis of Pt nanoparticles/SBA-15: an active and stable material for catalytic applications

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    Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.Pt/SBA-15 with an enhanced surface area but unchanged pore diameter (compared to pure SBA-15) and a Pt average particle size of ∼9 nm shows a high and stable activity for both gas-phase CO oxidation and liquid-phase cyclooctadiene hydrogenation. No intrinsic change in the structure of the catalyst occurs after several reaction cycles, suggesting that the Pt/SBA-15 presented here is an active and stable catalyst.DFG, EXC 314, Unifying Concepts in Catalysi

    Conceptual design of the BRIKEN detector: A hybrid neutron-gamma detection system for nuclear physics at the RIB facility of RIKEN

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    BRIKEN is a complex detection system to be installed at the RIB-facility of the RIKEN Nishina Center. It is aimed at the detection of heavy-ion implants, ß-particles, ¿-rays and ß-delayed neu- trons. The whole detection setup involves the Advanced Implantation Detection Array (AIDA), two HPGe Clover detectors and a large set of 166 counters of 3He embedded in a high-density polyethy- lene matrix. This article reports on a novel methodology developed for the conceptual design and optimisation of the 3He-tubes array, aiming at the best possible performance in terms of neutron detection. The algorithm is based on a geometric representation of two selected parameters of merit, namely, average neutron detection efficiency and efficiency flatness, as a function of a reduced num- ber of geometric variables. The response of the detection system itself, for each configuration, is obtained from a systematic MC-simulation implemented realistically in Geant4. This approach has been found to be particularly useful. On the one hand, due to the different types and large number of 3He-tubes involved and, on the other hand, due to the additional constraints introduced by the ancillary detectors for charged particles and gamma-rays. Empowered by the robustness of the al- gorithm, we have been able to design a versatile detection system, which can be easily re-arranged into a compact mode in order to maximize the neutron detection performance, at the cost of the gamma-ray sensitivity. In summary, we have designed a system which shows, for neutron energies up to 1(5) MeV, a rather flat and high average efficiency of 68.6%(64%) and 75.7%(71%) for the hybrid and compact modes, respectively. The performance of the BRIKEN system has been also quantified realistically by means of MC-simulations made with different neutron energy distributions.Postprint (published version

    The Estimates of Retinal Ganglion Cell Counts Performed Better than Isolated Structure and Functional Tests for Glaucoma Diagnosis

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    Purpose. To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) counts as estimated by combining data from standard automated perimetry (SAP) and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Methods. Healthy individuals and glaucoma patients were included in this cross-sectional study. All eyes underwent 24-2 SITA SAP and structural imaging tests. RGC count estimates were obtained using a previously described algorithm, which combines estimates of RGC numbers from SAP sensitivity thresholds and SD-OCT retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) average thickness. Results. A total of 119 eyes were evaluated, including 75 eyes of 48 healthy individuals and 44 eyes of 29 glaucoma patients. RGC count estimates performed better than data derived from SD-OCT RNFL average thickness or SAP mean deviation alone (area under ROC curves: 0.98, 0.92, and 0.79; P<0.001) for discriminating healthy from glaucomatous eyes, even in a subgroup of eyes with mild disease (0.97, 0.88, and 0.75; P<0.001). There was a strong and significant correlation between estimates of RGC numbers derived from SAP and SD-OCT (R2=0.74; P<0.001). Conclusion. RGC count estimates obtained by combined structural and functional data showed excellent diagnostic accuracy for discriminating the healthy from the glaucomatous eyes and performed better than isolated structural and functional parameters

    Criopreservación de semen de las variedades minoritarias del cerdo ibérico: resultados preliminares de la fertilidad "in vivo"

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    Resumen de la comunicación presentada al III Congreso Ibérico sobre Recursos Genéticos Animale

    Handicraft using corn ear husk and pest damage affecting its production

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    Family farmers use corn [Zea mays L (Poales: Poaceae)] ear husk to produce handicrafts. Income from selling handicrafts supplements their earnings and is used to buy food, home appliances, education (taxes) payment for children and grandchildren, etc. In addition, the extra work and income reduce artisan stress and improve physical and psychological health. EMBRAPA Corn and Sorghum, in Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, reports that corn genetic materials must have good productivity characteristics (main feature) and ears with husk of the proper color, length, texture, and width to be used for handicraft works which characteristics varies according to region and manufactured item. Moreover, plants must have good resistance characteristics to lodging and breakage, and seeds with good germination index. Birds, mammals, insects, and micro-organisms are corn pests, damaging plants and ear husks, and feeding on the kernels. Insects and micro-organisms usually cause lower damage to husks than birds and mammals. Identification of these organisms have been reported, such as an inverted «Y» on the head of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) differentiating it from the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Main pest control methods were reported, e.g. for birds: construction of refuge places; propane applied with cannons; scarecrows with colorful fabrics; pyrotechnics (fireworks releasing); hunting (firearms used according to the law); seeds colored with inert substances (generally red, making them to resemble to toxic seeds of native plants); resistant cultivars (hard husk); covering ears with cloth bags (physical barrier); biological control with birds; commercially available repellent materials, and others. Handicraft using corn ear husk is important activity and expanding worldwide, but pests can destroy or severely damage production of this material
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