Relationship-Specificity, Spatial Clustering and Production to Order Choice

We study the determinants of the firm-level choice to produce following an order placed by a downstream firm (production to order) or to produce in advance. We rationalize this choice through a simple theoretical model and apply it to a firm-level empirical analysis. Relying on a large dataset of Italian manufacturing firms, we show that two main variables affect this choice: the extent of spatial clustering of the industry, and the degree of product complexity and relationship-specificity of the goods that are traded. The sign of the impact of clustering on the choice of producing to order crucially depends on product complexity. If product complexity is high, production to order prevails when firms are clustered together. On the contrary, clustering is associated to production in advance for sectors where goods are standardized.

Watershed Management, A Tool for Sustainable Safe Reuse Practice, Case Study: El-Salam Canal

In Egypt, drainage and irrigation network receives a complex mixture of industrial and domestic effluent. Therefore, water quality was subjected to rapid deterioration over the past decades. A need for using marginal quality water in agriculture for new expansion projects is becoming a great necessity. Good quality water is no longer available for new irrigation projects. One strategy to increase available water resources is to reuse agriculture drainage water for irrigation. Surface water of low quality along with limitation of current water resources was found to be the largest current environmental threat to the drainage reuse practice in Egypt. The detrimental effects of drainage water reuse can be minimized by adopting appropriate pollution sources management. Although domestic diffuse sources represent very small portion of the total discharge in drains, they contribute to a high percentage of organic load to the water system. Lack of investment and time required to execute proper wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), become a constrain impeding the improvement in surface water quality. The proper water quality management system along with good planning for constructing, upgrading and upscaling of WWTPs within a certain watershed can positively improve the water quality at the mixing point with fresh water for reuse. In this study, a practical management tool based on watershed as one of the primer water system unit has been introduced. The tool works under GIS environment to help water managers and planners concerned in irrigation system to incorporate the reuse of drainage water to set best prioritization scenario of WWTPs implementation, upgrading or upscaling within the sub-watershed of El-Serw and Bahr-Hadous drains that feed El-Salam canal. The study is based on analyzing the transport and decay of pollutants expressed as BOD load through network analysis of drains network within El-Salam canal watershed as a case study. Keywords: Water quality management, Watershed, Drainage water reuse, GIS, Point source pollution (PSP), BOD. DOI: 10.7176/CER/11-4-06 Publication date:May 31st 2019

THE HAPPINESS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG GRADES 7 TO 9 STUDENTS OF PASAY CITY ACADEMY

This study tried to determine  the relationship between the level of happiness  and academic performance among grades 7 to 9 students of Pasay City Academy. The descriptive and correlational methods of research were utilized in this study. The study employed the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire by Hills, P. & Argyle, M. (2002), which includes 3 domains—the frequency and intensity of positive affect, average level of satisfaction and absence of negative feelings. The respondents are moderately happy. They are pretty happy along frequency and intensity of positive affect and average level of satisfaction.  They are moderately happy in terms of the absence of negative affect. The academic performance of the students is proficient. Respondents who are not having negative feelings tend to have higher general weighted average grades. Level  of happiness  did not significantly  influence the respondents’  level of academic performance.  The influence of happiness on the academic performance of the respondents is moderated by their personal profile. The level of academic performance of the respondents is significantly influenced by gender, religion, gadgets ownership, and type of family structure

Validating Estimates of Prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases Based on Household Surveys: The Symptomatic Diagnosis Study

Easy-to-collect epidemiological information is critical for the more accurate estimation of the prevalence and burden of different non-communicable diseases around the world. Current measurement is restricted by limitations in existing measurement systems in the developing world and the lack of biometry tests for non-communicable diseases. Diagnosis based on self-reported signs and symptoms (“Symptomatic Diagnosis,” or SD) analyzed with computer-based algorithms may be a promising method for collecting timely and reliable information on non-communicable disease prevalence. The objective of this study was to develop and assess the performance of a symptom-based questionnaire to estimate prevalence of non-communicable diseases in low-resource areas

Exploring Relationships between Demersal Resources and Environmental Factors in the Ionian Sea (Central Mediterranean)

The relationships between the abundance of demersal resources, environmental variables, and fishing pressure in the north-western Ionian Sea in the last two decades were evaluated. Data on the density collected during seventeen trawl surveys carried out from 1985 to 2005 were used. The following species were considered:Aristaeomorpha foliacea, Nephrops norvegicus,andParapenaeus longirostrisfor crustaceans;Merluccius merluccius, Phycis blennoides,andMullus barbatusfor teleost fish. The recruitment index was also considered forN. norvegicus, P. longirostris, M. merlucciusandMullus barbatus. Six candidate models were evaluated for each density and recruitment data set either combining fishing effort with global (NAO) and regional (SST and precipitation) climatic indices, or models separately involving fishing effort, NAO, or regional climatic indices as the only predictive variable. Model selection was carried out using an information-theoretical approach that applies Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC). High changes over time were observed for the density data and recruitment indices in each species. Apart from hake abundance and recruitment data, for which a clear positive relationship with the NAO index alone was detected, the changes observed in the other species seem to be the consequence of the interaction between bottom-up effects linked to changes in physical environment and top-down ones due to the fishing pressure

Taurine is a potent activator of extrasynaptic GABAA receptors in the thalamus

Taurine is one of the most abundant free amino acids in the brain. In a number of studies, taurine has been reported to activate glycine receptors (Gly-Rs) at moderate concentrations (>= 100 mu M), and to be a weak agonist at GABA(A) receptors (GABA(A)-Rs), which are usually activated at high concentrations (>= 1 mM). In this study, we show that taurine reduced the excitability of thalamocortical relay neurons and activated both extrasynaptic GABAA-Rs and Gly-Rs in neurons in the mouse ventrobasal (VB) thalamus. Low concentrations of taurine (10 - 100 mu M) decreased neuronal input resistance and firing frequency, and elicited a steady outward current under voltage clamp, but had no effects on fast inhibitory synaptic currents. Currents elicited by 50 mu M taurine were abolished by gabazine, insensitive to midazolam, and partially blocked by 20 mu M Zn2+, consistent with the pharmacological properties of extrasynaptic GABA(A)-Rs (alpha 4 beta 2 delta subtype) involved in tonic inhibition in the thalamus. Tonic inhibition was enhanced by an inhibitor of taurine transport, suggesting that taurine can act as an endogenous activator of these receptors. Taurine-evoked currents were absent in relay neurons from GABA(A)-R alpha 4 subunit knock-out mice. The amplitude of the taurine current was larger in neurons from adult mice than juvenile mice. Taurine was a more potent agonist at recombinant alpha(4)beta 2 delta GABA(A)-Rs than at alpha 1 beta 2 gamma 2 GABA(A)-Rs. We conclude that physiological concentrations of taurine can inhibit VB neurons via activation of extrasynaptic GABA(A)-Rs and that taurine may function as an endogenous regulator of excitability and network activity in the thalamus

Identification and characterization of microRNAs in Phaseolus vulgaris by high-throughput sequencing

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenously encoded small RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. MiRNAs play essential roles in almost all plant biological processes. Currently, few miRNAs have been identified in the model food legume <it>Phaseolus vulgaris </it>(common bean). Recent advances in next generation sequencing technologies have allowed the identification of conserved and novel miRNAs in many plant species. Here, we used Illumina's sequencing by synthesis (SBS) technology to identify and characterize the miRNA population of <it>Phaseolus vulgaris</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Small RNA libraries were generated from roots, flowers, leaves, and seedlings of <it>P. vulgaris</it>. Based on similarity to previously reported plant miRNAs,114 miRNAs belonging to 33 conserved miRNA families were identified. Stem-loop precursors and target gene sequences for several conserved common bean miRNAs were determined from publicly available databases. Less conserved miRNA families and species-specific common bean miRNA isoforms were also characterized. Moreover, novel miRNAs based on the small RNAs were found and their potential precursors were predicted. In addition, new target candidates for novel and conserved miRNAs were proposed. Finally, we studied organ-specific miRNA family expression levels through miRNA read frequencies.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This work represents the first massive-scale RNA sequencing study performed in <it>Phaseolus vulgaris </it>to identify and characterize its miRNA population. It significantly increases the number of miRNAs, precursors, and targets identified in this agronomically important species. The miRNA expression analysis provides a foundation for understanding common bean miRNA organ-specific expression patterns. The present study offers an expanded picture of <it>P. vulgaris </it>miRNAs in relation to those of other legumes.</p