The role of local formal and informal institutions in microfirms' development : evidence from Poland

Microfirms play a significant role in the Central/Eastern European economies, comprising 86% of the total amount of active firms. Development of microfirms is influenced by the local entrepreneurial environment. This article discusses the role of the local formal (regulations, local acts of law) and informal (customs, social norms and values) institutions in the development of microfirms. Synthetic exploration of the coexistence of formal and informal institutions on the example of Masovian and Swietokrzyskie voivodeships in Poland has been carried out. To present a multifaceted perspective, the following research methods were used: a survey among formal local institutions, individual indepth interviews with microfirms’ owners and Regional Chambers of Commerce and also a case study on the local law acts. The findings suggest that the development instruments used by formal local institutions are inadequate for the needs of MF's. Furthermore, the crucial role of family support, and the importance of knowledge sharing has been found

Impacts of dietary restriction on a Drosophila model of Werner syndrome

Werner syndrome (WS) is an autosomal recessive disorder that results in premature aging and occurs in 1 in 1,000,0000 to 1 in 10,000,000 people. In humans, WS is the result of mutations that render the WRN gene, that contains a helicase and an exonuclease domain, non-functional. Currently, there is no cure for WS in humans, making dietary and lifestyle interventions attractive for increasing the quality and longevity of lives. Diet restriction (DR) has been shown to extend the lifespan of several model organisms, including Drosophila melanogaster, making it a strong candidate for WS treatment. In this thesis, mutant flies for the gene WRNexo, homologous to the exonuclease domain of WRN in humans, were used to examine the effect of DR on lifespan and the DR mediated physiological, and behavioral characteristics of starvation, oxidative stress, and sleep/activity. Serial yeast dilution medias (1%, 5%, and 20% yeast w/v), were used to evaluate the effects of DR on WS lifespan and physiological and behavior characteristics. Surprisingly, it was found that DR did not extend the lifespan of WS flies and even had a detrimental effect in females, but early life yeast supplementation was shown to partially rescue the early life mortality observed. DR was also observed to have a sex-dependent effect on WS flies that results in a reduced resistance to both starvation and oxidative stress while creating more sleep/activity disruption. Deleterious effects of DR on lifespan, physiological, and behavioral characteristics, suggest that the WRN protein is necessary for longevity benefits traditionally observed in DR as well as the WRN protein having a function in metabolic control. Future studies could identify and evaluate the mechanisms that control the effects of DR on the WRNexoΔ mutants

An introduction to financial and economic modeling for utility regulators

The most effective regulators in developing countriesare following remarkably similar approaches. The main common element across"best practice"countries is the use of relatively simple quantitative models of operators'behavior and constraints to measure the impact of regulatory decisions on some key financial and economic indicators of concern to the operators, the users, and the government. The authors provide an introduction to the design and use of these models. They draw on lessons from international experience in industrial and developing countries in ordinary or extraordinary revisions and in the context of contract renegotiations. Simplifying somewhat, these models force regulators to recognize that, in the long run, private operators need to at least cover their opportunity cost of capital, including the various types of risks specific to the country, the sector, or the projects with which they are involved. Because these variables change over time, scheduled revisions are needed to allow for adjustments in the key determinants of the rate of return of the operator. These revisions are a recognition of the fact that all these determinants-tariffs, subsidies, quality, investments, and other service obligations-are interrelated and jointly determine the rate of return. At every revision, the rules of the game for the regulator are exactly the same: to figure out the changes in the cost of capital and to adjust the variables driving the rate of return to ensure that it continues to be consistent with the cost of capital. If they can draw on reasonable data, these models do everything any financial model would do for the day-to-day management of a company but take a longer term view and include an explicit identification of the key regulatory instruments. They can monitor the consistency between cash flow generated by the business on the one hand and debt service and operational expense needs on the other to address the main concerns of the operators. They can also account for a large number of key policy factors including access and affordability concerns for various types of consumers. They generally account for the sensitivity of operators and users to various regulatory design options.Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Economic Theory&Research,Decentralization,Environmental Economics&Policies,Enterprise Development&Reform,Public Sector Economics&Finance,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Banks&Banking Reform,Municipal Financial Management

Measurement of Copper Vapors in Water-Argon Thermal Plasma Jet

Plasma jet generated by water-argon plasma torch is enriched by copper evaporated from the anode sur-face. In this contribution we present results of measurement of emission spectral lines of neutral copper along the jet. We are able to monitor presence of copper vapors in the jet and in addition we use copper lines to obtain excitation temperature. This temperature seems to represent kinetic temperature of turbu-lent downstream regions of the jet with good accuracy

FD-method for solving the nonlinear Klein–Gordon equation

We propose a functional discrete method for solving the Goursat problem for the nonlinear Klein–Gordon equation. Sufficient conditions for the superexponential convergence of this method are established. The obtained theoretical results are illustrated by a numerical example.Запропоновано функцiонально-дискретний метод розв’язування задачi Гурса для нелiнiйного рiвняння Кляйна – Гордона. Отримано достатнi умови, якi забезпечують суперекспоненцiальну швидкiсть збiжностi методу. Одержанi теоретичнi результати проiлюстровано на числовому прикладi

Jimena Caravaca, ¿Liberalismo o intervencionismo? Debates sobre el rol del Estado en la economía argentina. 1870-1935,

Jimena Caravaca, ¿Liberalismo o intervencionismo? Debates sobre el rol del Estado en la economía argentina. 1870-1935, Buenos Aires, Su-damericana, 2011, (170 págs.

The Revista de Economía y Estadística of the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba during the fi rst two Peronist governments

El objetivo del artículo es brindar una aproximación a la Revista de Economía y Estadística de la Universidad de Córdoba durante los dos primeros gobiernos del peronismo, estudiando las secciones que la componen, los artículos publicados y los autores que los escribieron. Durante el primer gobierno peronista se observa que los principales temas tratados fueron la reforma financiera de 1946, la cuestión agraria y la reforma constitucional de 1949. Durante el segundo gobierno del peronismo, en cambio, el tema principal tratado en la revista fue el Segundo Plan Quinquenal, aunque hay también alusiones al tema agrario y a la política monetaria. En general, se observa que los autores fueron profesores de la Facultad, y en muchos casos los artículos publicados corresponden a transcripciones de conferencias.The aim of the article is to provide an approach to the Revista de Economía y Estadística de la Universidad de Córdoba during Peronism, studying the journal's structure, the topics dealt with by the published articles, and the authors who authored them. The period reviewed includes the first two Peronism governments. In the first government, the main topics dealt with by the journal were the financial reform of 1946, the regulation of the agriculture sector, and the constitutional reform of 1949. On the other hand, during the second government, the main issue was the Second Five-Year Plan, although there were also allusions to the agrarian issue and monetary policy. In general, most of the authors were faculty professors and in most cases, the documents published were transcriptions of lecturesFil: Sember, Florencia Romina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Economía Política de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Economía Política de Buenos Aires; Argentin