An efficiency analysis of banking systems: a comparison of European and United States large commercial banks using different functional forms.

This paper aims at investigation the efficiency of European and U.S. commercial banks. Scale and scope economies indicators, as well as a measurement of X-efficiency are derived from three cost functions: Fourier flexible form, translog and Box-Cox. This allows checking the stability and the robustness of the evidence across the different specifications. Our results over the period 1995-98 show that overall the average cost curve is relatively flat with some evidence of scale efficiency gains. More puzzling are the results on the presence of scope economies.

FIXED BROADBAND CONNECTIONS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH: A DYNAMIC OECD PANEL ANALYSIS

Technological innovation is viewed as a major stimulus for economic growth. High-speed internet access via broadband infrastructure has been experiencing a prompt development since the end of 90s, thanks to the deployment of both fix and mobile technologies. The present study investigates on the behavior of broadband diffusion as a technological determinant of economic growth in the main OECD countries. The estimations performed allowed to control and interpret the time evolution of the phenomenon according to the achievable target of growth, as resulting from the promotion of broadband internet connections. Our main goal is to provide evidence of a relevant - in quantitative term - relation between broadband diffusion and economic dynamics in the short, medium and long run

Length of trials in the Italian Judicial System: An Efficiency Analysis by Macro-Area

In recent years, the Italian judicial system has been at the center of both the political debate and policy actions aiming at modifying the territorial structure and the organization of the courts as well as the procedural processes. The measures adopted concerned the reorganization of the magistrates career and the reform of judicial districts. Despite the several reforms, the Italian judicial system does not reach yet the European standards, principally for the so called magistrate-duration procedures binomial, according to which the number of magistrates is above the European average level and the time of legal trials is too long compared with most European countries. Hence, performance and efficiency are worthy of attention in this field. Here, the territorial displacement of efficiency for the Italian judicial districts is studied using a DEA approach followed by a spatial analysis consisting in a PCA for macro-area where the problem of long trials is taken into account. We assess on the geographical characterization of both productivity and expenses of the judicial sector and provide indications in order to improve efficiency according to the dimensions of the courts

Technology diffusion, services, and endogenous growth in Europe. Is the Lisbon Strategy still alive? Bruges European Economic Research (BEER) Papers 2/May 2005

We explore the role of business services in knowledge accumulation and growth and the determinants of knowledge diffusion including the role of distance. A continuous time model is estimated on several European countries, Japan, and the US. Policy simulations illustrate the benefits for EU growth of the deepening of the single market, the reduction of regulatory barriers, and the accumulation of technology and human capital. Our results support the basic insights of the Lisbon Agenda. Economic growth in Europe is enhanced to the extent that: trade in services increases, technology accumulation and diffusion increase, regulation becomes both less intensive and more uniform across countries, and human capital accumulation increases in all countries

AVALIAÇÃO DA COBERTURA DE MADEIRA DE UMA EDIFICAÇÃO HISTÓRICA – CASA DA CULTURA DA COLÔNIA MURICI – SÃO JOSÉ DOS PINHAIS - PR

The object of this study was to conduct a structural evaluation of the mechanical strength and wooden structure conditions of ‘Casa de Cultura’ (House of the Culture), a historic building of Colony Murici, in São José dos Pinhais, metropolitan area of Curitiba, Paraná state. The structural evaluation was performed according to the ABNT NBR 7190 (1997) standards - Design of timber structures, ABNT NBR 6123 (1988) - Forces due to wind on buildings, in addition to that, the recommendations of the Italian standard UNI 11119 (2004) were followed for the visual diagnosis. The results showed specific impairment caused by physical deterioration and attack by biological agents. A detailed map of the points and agents of degradation was produced based on a visual analysis of the structure. Through calculations, it was concluded that although there were changes of geometry, the structure still has strength and does not compromise the security of its users. It was identified by visual analysis insects of the Coleoptera order, brown and soft rot fungi. However, a periodic inspection is recommended to control the decrease of the transversal section strain in the structural element, in order to avoid the collapse of the structure and ensure the preservation of this heritage.O objetivo desse estudo foi a realização de uma avaliação estrutural das condições da resistência mecânica e do estado de conservação da estrutura de madeira da Casa da Cultura, edifício histórico da Colônia Murici, município de São José dos Pinhais, região metropolitana de Curitiba - PR. A avaliação estrutural foi realizada de acordo com as normas ABNT NBR 7190 (1997) - Projeto de estruturas de madeira e ABNT NBR 6123 (1988) - Forças devidas ao vento em edificações, e o diagnóstico visual seguiu as recomendações da norma italiana UNI 11119 (2004). Os resultados obtidos demonstraram danos pontuais causados por degradação física e por ataque de agentes biológicos. A partir da análise visual, um mapa detalhado dos pontos e agentes de degradação foi produzido. Através dos cálculos foi possível concluir que ainda que houvesse alterações de geometria, a estrutura ainda apresentaria resistência e não comprometeria a segurança de seus usuários. Identificaram-se, através da análise visual, insetos da ordem Coleoptera, além de fungos de podridão-parda e de podridão-mole. Porém, é recomendada a inspeção periódica para controlar o decréscimo da seção transversal do elemento estrutural para evitar o colapso da estrutura e garantir a preservação deste patrimônio

Guidelines for the use of flow cytometry and cell sorting in immunological studies (third edition)

The third edition of Flow Cytometry Guidelines provides the key aspects to consider when performing flow cytometry experiments and includes comprehensive sections describing phenotypes and functional assays of all major human and murine immune cell subsets. Notably, the Guidelines contain helpful tables highlighting phenotypes and key differences between human and murine cells. Another useful feature of this edition is the flow cytometry analysis of clinical samples with examples of flow cytometry applications in the context of autoimmune diseases, cancers as well as acute and chronic infectious diseases. Furthermore, there are sections detailing tips, tricks and pitfalls to avoid. All sections are written and peer-reviewed by leading flow cytometry experts and immunologists, making this edition an essential and state-of-the-art handbook for basic and clinical researchers

On the mechanisms governing gas penetration into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection

A new 1D radial fluid code, IMAGINE, is used to simulate the penetration of gas into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection (MGI). The main result is that the gas is in general strongly braked as it reaches the plasma, due to mechanisms related to charge exchange and (to a smaller extent) recombination. As a result, only a fraction of the gas penetrates into the plasma. Also, a shock wave is created in the gas which propagates away from the plasma, braking and compressing the incoming gas. Simulation results are quantitatively consistent, at least in terms of orders of magnitude, with experimental data for a D 2 MGI into a JET Ohmic plasma. Simulations of MGI into the background plasma surrounding a runaway electron beam show that if the background electron density is too high, the gas may not penetrate, suggesting a possible explanation for the recent results of Reux et al in JET (2015 Nucl. Fusion 55 093013)

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio