Imported Inputs and Egyptian Exports: Exploring the Links

This paper is the first to explore the links between exporting and importing activities of Egyptian firms using panel data over the period from 2003 to 2007. The main aim is twofold. Firstly, the authors report regression results indicating that firms that both export and import are the most productive, followed by importing-, exporting-only firms and nontraders. Secondly, the authors estimate the determinants of the extensive and intensive margins of exports and imports using dynamic panel-Probit and panel-Tobit models in combination with the method proposed by Hesketh and Skrondal (2013) to tackle the initial conditions problem. Their results show that both activities present a high degree of hysteresis, which is higher for imports than for exports pointing to the existence of sunk costs in both activities. Moreover, past productivity does affect the extensive margin of imports, but not of exports and the initial condition status is also only relevant for the import side. Similar outcomes are obtained for the intensive margin of trade.We would like to thank Antonello Maruotti for his comments and useful suggestions and we acknowledge the financial support obtained from the Universitat Jaume I, P1.1B2013-06, PREDOC/2009/55 and E-2012-09

Uburyo : Delivering of a Sustainable System of Loans for Education : Volume I y II

Integrating a Grants Manager and an Employment Bureau Uburyo, a sustainable mini-loans system, will help academic institutions from developing countries to administrate subventions in order to grow economically and get more and more students

A combined algorithm approach for PD location estimation using RF antennas

To locate the positions of partial discharge sources in free space at least four RF antennas are arranged in a suitable spatial geometry to detect the radiated electromagnet energy from the discharge. The time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) between the signals from each antenna are then used within multi-lateration equations to determine the position of the source. The iterative Hyperbolic Least Squares (HLS) method and the non-iterative Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE) method are two common techniques used in the literature to solve the multi-lateration equations. This paper investigates the ability of combining MLE and HLS to improve location accuracy and maintain fast location computation time. To this end HLS, MLE and the combined MLEHLS method are evaluated in terms of location accuracy and computation performance for three spatial antenna configurations, namely Square, Pyramidal and Trapezoidal arrangements. The location accuracies for each method are evaluated for theoretical TDOA values and also for the case when a finite sampling rate of 10G samples-per-second is considered, the latter is implemented through appropriate rounding up of TDOA values by one sample time. It is shown that MLE-HLS produces improved location accuracy compared with HLS and MLE for both theoretical and finite sampled TDOA values. In addition, it is shown that MLE-HLS improves significantly the computation time over the iterative HLS method

A combined algorithm approach for PD location estimation using RF antennas

To locate the positions of partial discharge sources in free space at least four RF antennas are arranged in a suitable spatial geometry to detect the radiated electromagnet energy from the discharge. The time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) between the signals from each antenna are then used within multi-lateration equations to determine the position of the source. The iterative Hyperbolic Least Squares (HLS) method and the non-iterative Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE) method are two common techniques used in the literature to solve the multi-lateration equations. This paper investigates the ability of combining MLE and HLS to improve location accuracy and maintain fast location computation time. To this end HLS, MLE and the combined MLEHLS method are evaluated in terms of location accuracy and computation performance for three spatial antenna configurations, namely Square, Pyramidal and Trapezoidal arrangements. The location accuracies for each method are evaluated for theoretical TDOA values and also for the case when a finite sampling rate of 10G samples-per-second is considered, the latter is implemented through appropriate rounding up of TDOA values by one sample time. It is shown that MLE-HLS produces improved location accuracy compared with HLS and MLE for both theoretical and finite sampled TDOA values. In addition, it is shown that MLE-HLS improves significantly the computation time over the iterative HLS method

Does Aid Promote Donor Exports? Commercial Interest versus Instrumental Philanthropy

This paper investigates by means of advanced panel data techniques whether bilateral aid has been successful in promoting bilateral exports to recipient countries during the period 1988–2007 and to what extent changes in aid policies have influenced this relationship. The main novelty of this research is the distinction between tied and untied aid in a multi-donor gravity model of trade and the comparison between trade and aid policies in this setting. We find an average positive effect of bilateral aid on exports, which varies over time and across donors and which appears to depend on the extent to which donors tied aid to exports. The effect does appear to have decreased substantially over the period studied and it is even not statistically significant in the 2000s, which could suggest that the recommendations given by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) concerning the untying of aid and aid allocation have been followed by the donors and led to declining impacts on their exports. Interestingly, these decreasing aid-elasticities are accompanied by increasing coefficients of the regional trade agreement variable, which is positive and statistically significant after 1994. Finally, we find that the strength of the relationship between exports and bilateral aid is correlated with the extent to which aid is tied and partially related to the sectoral allocation of aid

The impact of FTAs on MENA trade in agricultural and industrial products

This article analyses the impact of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) on Middle East and North African Countries (MENA) trade for the period 1994–2010. The analysis distinguishes between industrial and agricultural trade to take into account the different liberalization schedules. An augmented gravity model is estimated using up-to-date panel data techniques to control for all time-invariant bilateral factors that influence bilateral trade as well as for the so-called multilateral resistance factors. We also control for the endogeneity of the agreements and test for self-selection bias due to the presence of zero trade in our sample. The main findings indicate that North–South-FTAs and South–South-FTAs have a differential impact in terms of increasing trade in MENA countries, with the former being more beneficial in terms of exports for MENA countries, but both showing greater global market integration. We also find that FTAs that include agricultural products, in which MENA countries have a clear comparative advantage, have more favourable effects for these countries than those only including industrial products.The authors would like to thank the financial support obtained from the Universitat Jaume I, P1.1B2013-06, PREDOC/2009/55 and E-2012-09

Análisis de los factores que determinan la imagen de España como destino turístico en los países lejanos culturalmente

Partiendo de la importancia que tiene la imagen en el proceso de elección de un destino turístico, así como en su satisfacción y lealtad, resulta fundamental comprender cuáles son los factores que influyen en la formación de la misma. En este contexto, esta investigación trata de desarrollar y validar empíricamente un modelo que explique los principales factores que la condicionan. En este caso, enmarcados en países lejanos culturalmente, países con un alto potencial de convertirse en emisores de gran importancia a nivel mundial, y, sin embargo, con un alto grado de desconocimiento. Se prevén implicaciones empresariales relevantes. En cuanto a la comunicación de los destinos, y sobre la base de los resultados, los responsables del destino deberán emprender un conjunto de acciones dirigidas mejorar y adecuar la imagen y adaptarla a las motivaciones de los turistas de países lejanos culturalmente.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Adenovirus-mediated suppression of hypothalamic glucokinase affects feeding behavior

Glucokinase (GK), the hexokinase involved in glucosensing in pancreatic β-cells, is also expressed in arcuate nucleus (AN) neurons and hypothalamic tanycytes, the cells that surround the basal third ventricle (3V). Several lines of evidence suggest that tanycytes may be involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis. Tanycytes have extended cell processes that contact the feeding-regulating neurons in the AN, particularly, agouti-related protein (AgRP), neuropeptide Y (NPY), cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons. In this study, we developed an adenovirus expressing GK shRNA to inhibit GK expression in vivo. When injected into the 3V of rats, this adenovirus preferentially transduced tanycytes. qRT-PCR and Western blot assays confirmed GK mRNA and protein levels were lower in GK knockdown animals compared to the controls. In response to an intracerebroventricular glucose injection, the mRNA levels of anorexigenic POMC and CART and orexigenic AgRP and NPY neuropeptides were altered in GK knockdown animals. Similarly, food intake, meal duration, frequency of eating events and the cumulative eating time were increased, whereas the intervals between meals were decreased in GK knockdown rats, suggesting a decrease in satiety. Thus, GK expression in the ventricular cells appears to play an important role in feeding behavior.Fil: Uranga, Romina Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca; Argentina. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: Millán, Carola. Universidad de Concepción; Chile. Universidad Adolfo Ibañez; ChileFil: Barahona, María José. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: Recabal, Antonia. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: Salgado, Magdiel. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: Martinez, Fernando. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: Ordenes, Patricio. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: Elizondo Vega, Roberto. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: Sepúlveda, Fernando. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: Uribe, Elena. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: García Robles, María de los Ángeles. Universidad de Concepción; Chil

eCOMMONtech: plataforma sofrware para monitorización del balance de Gases de Efecto Invernadero en el Marco de Mecanismos de Desarrollo Limpio Forestales y Proyectos REDD+

La monitorización de las condiciones que debe cumplir un área forestal en proyectos MDL o REDD de manera tradicional, es decir, mediante mediciones y controles in situ, conlleva unos costes difíciles de asumir. Por ello, se ha planteado el desarrollo de una metodología capaz de integrar tecnologías orientadas a la realización de inventarios de carbono en áreas forestales de países en vías de desarrollo, mediante la utilización de diferentes tecnologías (sensorización ambiental, teledetección espacial, técnicas forestales, internet, etc.) que permiten determinar aquellos procedimientos más eficaces desde el punto de vista de la calidad y fiabilidad de la información obtenida y del coste/beneficio; analizando, las mejoras que suponen frente a los métodos tradicionales. Para ello, se desarrollan algoritmos y métodos de análisis necesarios para extraer las variables e indicadores medioambientales con el fin de realizar la monitorización de los ciclos de carbono en ámbitos forestales atribuibles a proyectos de absorciones de CO2.El resultado es la creación de una plataforma web que permite la monitorización remota y en tiempo real de inventarios de carbono a través de la integración de datos provenientes de sistemas de sensorización, imágenes tratadas con tecnologías de observación de la tierra y datos de campo