Market Structure: Concentration and Imports as Determinants of Industry Margins

The paper analyzes the determinants of price-cost margins following traditional industrial organization approaches. The price-cost margins are made function of the concentration index, and the degree of import penetration. We find that imports act as a market disciplining device that reduces the price-cost margins of the domestic industry. After trade liberalization, the impact of concentration diminishes. Controlling for cyclical behavior of the price-cost margins the paper shows that cross-section studies tend to bias the estimates. A distinction between durables and non-durables is made, finding strong evidence for concentration to affect the price-cost margins of durables.price-cost margins, import penetration, concentration, cyclical effects

Factors causing vaccine hesitancy among parents in Bulacan

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the significant factors that cause vaccine hesitancy among parents in Bulacan Research methodology: A non-experimental quantitative descriptive research study was used as a research design by using a formulated questionnaire based on the developed tool created by the World Health Organization-Strategic Advisory Group on Experts (SAGE) on Immunization and distributed among the 400 respondents in Bulacan. The respondents were purposively chosen. Results: The result showed that the majority of the parents are hesitant to vaccinate their child, considering that the most common factor causing their decision to have vaccine hesitancy is the scientific evidence of the risk and benefits of vaccination. In addition, there is a weak negative correlation (-0.103) between the economic status of the parents and their vaccine hesitancy regarding the cost of the vaccine. Furthermore, the correlation analysis between the educational attainment of the parents and their vaccine hesitancy is interpreted as a negligible correlation (0.098). Limitations: By COVID-19, the survey questionnaire was conducted through the online platform called Google Form which the study was only limited to parents who have access to the internet. Contribution:  The findings of the study are beneficial to the province of Bulacan for them to further assess and evaluate the vaccination programs in the province, and this also helps in developing plans on how to reduce vaccine hesitancy among parents in Bulacan

Rapid Syphilis Testing Uptake for Female Sex Workers at Sex Venues in Southern China: Implications for Expanding Syphilis Screening

: Accessibility of syphilis testing services is critical in syphilis control programs for female sex workers (FSWs), but few FSWs attend public STI clinics or other testing sites. Introduction of free rapid syphilis testing (RST) into outreach programs for FSWs will help improve test uptake. : Commercial sex venues were identified in two cities in South China. In cooperation with health advocacy organizations, health outreach teams from local public health or medical facilities approached all types of sex venues in study areas to offer free RST. Acceptability and uptake of RST among FSWs were evaluated. : A total of 2812 FSWs were offered RST and 2670 (95.0%) accepted syphilis testing. 182 (6.8%) FSWs had a positive RST result among whom 136 (74.7%) were willing to attend an STD clinic for confirmatory testing and treatment. More than half (89, 66.4%) of those with syphilis were not willing to notify their sex partners. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that syphilis test uptake was associated with residing in Jiangmen (AOR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.15-2.77), older age (AOR, 2.11, 95% CI, 1.17-3.79 for age of 31 years or above), and not working at a service venue (AOR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.10-2.34). : RST at sex venues is well accepted by FSWs when it is integrated into ongoing outreach services. Such programs provide excellent opportunities for expanding syphilis screening efforts among specific subgroups of FSW who are difficult to reach through clinic-based programs.<br/

Market structure: Concentration and Imports as Determinants of Industry Margins

Se analizan los determinantes de los márgenes de precio costo de acuer\-do con el enfoque tradicional de organización industrial. Los márgenes de precio costo se hacen función de los índices de concentración y el grado de penetración de importaciones. Los resultados indican que las importaciones reducen los márgenes de precio-costo de la industria doméstica. En el periodo posterior a la liberalización comercial el impacto de la concentración disminuye. Con ajustes por comportamiento cíclico de los márgenes de precio costo, se muestra que los estudios de sección cruzada tienden a sesgar las estimaciones. Se distingue entre bienes durables y no-durables y se encuentra que la concentración afecta el margen de precio costo de los durables

Manual Dexterity and Intralimb Coordination Assessment to Distinguish Different Levels of Impairment in Boccia Players with Cerebral Palsy

BackgroundBoccia is a paralympic sport played by athletes with severe neurological impairments affecting all four limbs. Impaired manual dexterity (MD) and intralimb coordination (ILC) may limit individuals’ ability to perform certain activities such as grasping, releasing, or manipulating objects, which are essential tasks for daily life or to participate in para sports such as boccia. However, there are currently no specific instruments available to assess hand–arm coordination in boccia players with severe cerebral palsy (CP).PurposeTo design new sport-specific coordination tests to assess impaired MD and ILC in boccia players; afterward, quantify to what extent their coordination is impaired compared to a control group (CG) without neurological impairments.MethodsSeventy-three recreational boccia players with severe CP (BC1: age = 34.01 ± 16.43 years; BC2: age = 33.97 ± 14.29 years), and 19 healthy adults (age = 27.89 ± 7.08 years) completed the test battery. The Box and Block test (BBT) and Box and Ball test (BBLT) were used to assess MD and four tapping tests to assess upper ILC.ResultsBoth MD tests were able to discriminate between sport classes. Boccia players obtained better scores in the BBLT in comparison to the BBT, showing that the BBLT had more appropriate testing features. On the other hand, only one of the ILC tests was able to discriminate between sport classes, displaying the highest practical significance (d = −1.12). Participants with CP scored significantly worse in all the coordination tests compared to the CG.ConclusionUsing sport-specific equipment facilitated grasp function during the MD assessment. Regarding the ILC, the type of movement (continuous vs. discrete) seems to be more relevant for classification than the movement direction (vertical vs. horizontal) or the presence of a ball

Variations induced by the use of unstable surface do not facilitate motor adaptation to a throwing skill

Induced variability by the use of unstable surfaces has been proposed to enhance proprioceptive control to deal with perturbations in the support base better. However, there is a lack of evidence about its benefits facilitating motor adaptions in upper body skills. In this experiment, practice on an unstable surface was applied to analyze the adaptations in an upper limb precision throwing skill. After a pretest, twenty-one participants were randomly allocated into two groups: one group practiced the throwing task on a stable surface and the other group practiced the same task on an unstable support base. Differences in throwing performance between pre- and post-practice were analyzed in accuracy, hand movement kinematics and variability of the throw in both surface conditions. Fuzzy entropy of the horizontal force was calculated to assess the complexity dynamics of postural sway. Participants improved their performance on the stable and the unstable surface. Induced variability using an unstable surface reduced participants’ variability and the complexity of postural sway, but it did not facilitate a superior adaptation of the throwing task. The results suggest that the variations induced by unstable surfaces would fall far from the family of specific motor solutions and would not facilitate additional motor performance of the throwing task

Análisis de la variabilidad de parámetros cinemáticos durante la ejecución de una sucesión de piruetas en danza a través de un protocolo automatizado

The role variability plays in the coordination and control of sensory-motor system is one of the basis for the study of Motor Control. The purpose of this study was to elaborate an experimental protocol to measure system variability in kinematic parameters of 10 dancers, classified in two different experience levels, while performing a succession of pirouettes en-dehors at different rythms starting from fourth-feet position. We used an electrogoniometer to measure knee angular positions of the free leg and a pressure platform to measure the duration of the different phases of pirouettes. A digital video camera was used to determine the separation of the feet in the starting position. The pirouettes rhythm was controlled with an electronic metronome. All these apparatus give us information about the temporal precision and consistency of the dancers at different rythms of execution. Results showed more temporal precision as execution rythm increased and also demostrated that the more experienced a dancer is, the more precise in time he/she is. In conclusion, the automated protocol applied is useful to analyse variability in kinematic parameters during the execution of a succession of pirouettes in dance.El rol que juega la variabilidad en la coordinación y control del sistema sensorio-motor es un elemento central para el estudio del Control Motor. Nuestro propósito ha sido elaborar un protocolo experimental que nos permitiera medir la variabilidad de los parámetros cinemáticos de una sucesión de piruetas endehors desde 4.ª posición de pies, sujetas a diferentes ritmos de ejecución, en 10 bailarinas clasificadas en dos grupos en función del nivel de experiencia. Se utilizó un electrogoniómetro para la medición de las posiciones angulares de la rodilla de la pierna libre y una plataforma de contacto para registrar el tiempo de giro de la bailarina. Se filmó la separación de los pies antes de iniciar cada pirueta cuyo ritmo de ejecuci ón era marcado por un metrónomo electrónico. Los datos provenientes de los distintos aparatos de medida nos aportaron información acerca de la mayor o menor precisión temporal de los sujetos y de la consistencia en la ejecución del movimiento de los mismos a diferentes ritmos de ejecución. Los resultados mostraron una mayor precisión temporal conforme el ritmo de ejecución aumentaba, así como una mayor precisión temporal del grupo de bailarinas con mayor experiencia. En conclusión, el protocolo automatizado aplicado es útil para analizar la variabilidad de parámetros cinemáticos durante la ejecuci ón de una sucesión de piruetas en danza

Fluorescence polarization transients from rhodamine isomers on the myosin regulatory light chain in skeletal muscle fibers.

Fluorescence polarization was used to examine orientation changes of two rhodamine probes bound to myosin heads in skeletal muscle fibers. Chicken gizzard myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) was labeled at Cys108 with either the 5- or the 6-isomer of iodoacetamidotetramethylrhodamine (IATR). Labeled RLC (termed Cys108-5 or Cys108-6) was exchanged for the endogenous RLC in single, skinned fibers from rabbit psoas muscle. Three independent fluorescence polarization ratios were used to determine the static angular distribution of the probe dipoles with respect to the fiber axis and the extent of probe motions on the nanosecond time scale of the fluorescence lifetime. We used step changes in fiber length to partially synchronize the transitions between biochemical, structural, and mechanical states of the myosin cross-bridges. Releases during active contraction tilted the Cys108-6 dipoles away from the fiber axis. This response saturated for releases beyond 3 nm/half-sarcomere (h.s.). Stretches in active contraction caused the dipoles to tilt toward the fiber axis, with no evidence of saturation for stretches up to 7 nm/h.s. These nonlinearities of the response to length changes are consistent with a partition of approximately 90% of the probes that did not tilt when length changes were applied and 10% of the probes that tilted. The responding fraction tilted approximately 30 degrees for a 7.5 nm/h.s. release and traversed the plane perpendicular to the fiber axis for larger releases. Stretches in rigor tilted Cys108-6 dipoles away from the fiber axis, which was the opposite of the response in active contraction. The transition from the rigor-type to the active-type response to stretch preceded the main force development when fibers were activated from rigor by photolysis of caged ATP in the presence of Ca2+. Polarization ratios for Cys108-6 in low ionic strength (20 mM) relaxing solution were compatible with a combination of the relaxed (200 mM ionic strength) and rigor intensities, but the response to length changes was of the active type. The nanosecond motions of the Cys108-6 dipole were restricted to a cone of approximately 20 degrees half-angle, and those of Cys108-5 dipole to a cone of approximately 25 degrees half-angle. These values changed little between relaxation, active contraction, and rigor. Cys108-5 showed very small-amplitude tilting toward the fiber axis for both stretches and releases in active contraction, but much larger amplitude tilting in rigor. The marked differences in these responses to length steps between the two probe isomers and between active contraction and rigor suggest that the RLC undergoes a large angle change (approximately 60 degrees) between these two states. This motion is likely to be a combination of tilting of the RLC relative to the fiber axis and twisting of the RLC about its own axis

Relaciones entre pruebas de velocidad, tests de salto y dinamometría isométrica en velocistas

Dentro de las habilidades deportivas, la capacidad de producir fuerza lo más rápidamente posible, o fuerza explosiva, juega el papel más importante en la optimización de dichas habilidades. Zatsiorsky (1995) la define como “la habilidad para desarrollar la máxima fuerza en la menor cantidad de tiempo”. Las correlaciones existentes entre pruebas de velocidad y tests de salto han sido ampliamente observadas. Sin embargo, las correlaciones entre pruebas de velocidad y tests isométricos están menos estudiadas. Una muestra de 24 velocistas de categoría junior fue sometida a pruebas de velocidad específica, tests de salto con contramovimiento y en profundidad, así como a un test isométrico máximo para la musculatura extensora del tobillo. Los resultados muestran fuertes relaciones entre los tests de carrera y los de salto, así como de estos últimos con los de dinamometría. Por otro lado, sólo con el test de 20 metros se obtienen correlaciones con variables del test isométrico, sin que se encuentren correlaciones con la marca en 100 metros lisos. La principal conclusión de nuestros datos es que las variables medidas en un test isométrico van a tener alta relación con la primera fase de la carrera en pruebas de velocidad

Apunts. Educació física i esports

Resumen tomado de la publicaciónSe estudia la capacidad de producir fuerza lo más rápidamente posible, o fuerza explosiva, que juega el papel más importante en la optimización de las habilidades deportivas. Este concepto se define como 'la habilidad para desarrollar la máxima fuerza en la menor cantidad de tiempo'. Una muestra de 24 velocistas de categoría junior fue sometida a pruebas de velocidad específica, tests de salto con contramovimiento y en profundidad, así como a un test isométrico máximo para la musculatura extensora del tobillo. Los resultados muestran fuertes relaciones entre los tests de carrera y los de salto. Por otro lado, sólo con el test de 20 metros se obtienen correlaciones con variables del test isométrico, sin que se encuentren correlaciones con la marca en 100 metros lisos. Se concluye que las variables medidas en un test isométrico van a tener alta relación con la primera fase de la carrera en pruebas de velocidad.CataluñaUniversidad Pública de Navarra. Biblioteca; Campus de Arrosadía; 31006 Pamplona; Tel. +34948169060; Fax +34948169069; [email protected]