Convergence in house prices across OECD countries: A panel data analysis

This study examines whether housing prices converged in OECD countries over the 1996–2015 period. The unconditional and conditional convergence hypotheses are tested via the system-GMM method using five-year span panel data of twenty OECD countries. The results reveal that there exists a significant convergence process within this country group. To test the conditional convergence hypothesis, the convergence equation is estimated also with some control variables that may reflect market activity and demand side impacts such as income level, construction, unemployment rate, permits for dwellings and share prices. The findings show that the speed of convergence is even higher when the above-mentioned variables are controlled

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

The effects of financial liberalisation on the consumption expenditure: The case of Turkey

Finansal serbestle?me, özellikle 1980'li yılların ikinci yarısından itibaren ba?ta geli?mi? ülkeler olmak üzere birçok ülkenin gündemine girmi?tir. ?ktisadi temeli McKinnon-Shaw hipotezine dayanan finansal serbestle?me, sermaye hareketlerinin uluslar arası boyutta serbestle?mesi olarak tanımlanmaktadır. McKinnon-Shaw hipotezine göre; finansal serbestle?me politikalarının uygulanması sonucunda tasarruf ve yatırım miktarları artacak bunun yanı sıra iktisadi etkinlik ve büyüme gerçekleşmiş olacaktır. Geli?mi? ülkelerden oldukça farklı ko?ullara ve amaçlara sahip geli?mekte olan ülkelerin bir taraftan yetersiz yurtiçi tasarrufları diğer taraftan ekonomik kalkınmayı hızlandırma istekleri dı? kaynak kullanma talebini artırmı?tır. Bu amaç çerçevesinde de birçok ülkede uluslararası sermaye hareketlerine izin verilmesi yani finansal serbestle?me gündeme gelmi?tir. Böylece hem geli?mi? hem de geli?mekte olan ülkelerde yaygınla?an serbestle?me uygulamaları finansın küreselle?mesi sonucunu doğurmu?tur.Bu çalı?mada amaçlanan, 1989 yılından sonra finansal serbestle? Financial liberalization impacts on all economies, firstly developed economies, as from late 1980s. Financial liberalization that is based on the hypothesis of McKinnon-Shaw is described as liberalization of capital flows. With regard to the hypothesis, financial liberalization policies cause that savings and investments increase and that efficiency and growth realize. International capital flows that become foreign savings for a developing economy accelerate the process of financial liberalization because of the fact that domestic savings are inadequate for developing. In Turkish economy, the obstacles against capital flows has been removed by way of a regulation in 1989, because of both the great transformation in its economic structure as from 24th January 1980 and macroeconomic instabilities. After this date some economic crises and instabilities are experienced in respect of international capital flows into Turkish economy that expects to meet domestic saving inadequateness with foreign capital.In this study, We aim to analyze the effect of financial liberalization on consumer expenditure that in Turkish economy which the obstacles against foreign capital flows has been removed within financial liberalization in 1989. According to the results of analyses financial liberalization has decreased the national saving especially after 2000 whereas it has increased consumer expenditure with several mechanism on Turkish economy. me ile yabancı sermayenin önündeki tüm engellerin kaldırıldığı Türkiye ekonomisinde finansal serbestle?menin tüketim harcamaları üzerindeki etkilerinin analiz edilmesi olmu?tur. Bu analizlere bağlı olarak finansal serbestle?menin özellikle 2000'li yıllardan itibaren ulusal tasarruf oranlarını dü?ürücü etki yaptığı, buna kar?ın tüketim harcamalarını, potansiyel kriz riskini biriktirek de olsa, birkaç kanaldan etkileyerek artırdığı sonucuna ula?ılmı?tır

Simulations and experiments of EMFY-1 electromagnetic launcher

\u3cp\u3eASELSAN Inc. has been conducting experimental research on electromagnetic launch technologies since 2014. The first prototype, EMFY-1, has 25 mm × 25 mm square bore and 3-m-length rails. In addition, two capacitor-based pulsed-power supplies (PPSs) with 1-and 4-MJ stored energy are built to supply launcher. During the design process of EMFY-1, a 3-D finite element (FE) model has been developed to simulate the electromagnetic and mechanical aspects of the railgun. This paper presents the simulation and experimental results of EMFY-1 with C-type aluminum armature. FE model, developed using COMSOL Multiphysics, includes both launcher and the PPS system. In addition to the velocity and position of the armature with respect to time, it is possible to observe the magnetic field, current density distributions and breech voltage using the FE model. In the experiments, pulse currents of the PPS modules, breech, and muzzle voltages are measured. The velocity of the projectile is measured using the B-dot probes. In this paper, two experiments of EMFY-1 will be presented. In the first experiment, the launch package with 42-g total mass is accelerated to 2778 m/s, and in the second experiment, the launch package with 130-g total mass is accelerated to 1560 m/s. The simulation results of the proposed FE model are compared with the experiments. It is observed that there is a good agreement between experimental and simulation results.\u3c/p\u3

Simulations and experiments of EMFY-1 electromagnetic launcher

ASELSAN Inc. has been conducting experimental research on electromagnetic launch technologies since 2014. The first prototype, EMFY-1, has 25 mm × 25 mm square bore and 3-m-length rails. In addition, two capacitor-based pulsed-power supplies (PPSs) with 1-and 4-MJ stored energy are built to supply launcher. During the design process of EMFY-1, a 3-D finite element (FE) model has been developed to simulate the electromagnetic and mechanical aspects of the railgun. This paper presents the simulation and experimental results of EMFY-1 with C-type aluminum armature. FE model, developed using COMSOL Multiphysics, includes both launcher and the PPS system. In addition to the velocity and position of the armature with respect to time, it is possible to observe the magnetic field, current density distributions and breech voltage using the FE model. In the experiments, pulse currents of the PPS modules, breech, and muzzle voltages are measured. The velocity of the projectile is measured using the B-dot probes. In this paper, two experiments of EMFY-1 will be presented. In the first experiment, the launch package with 42-g total mass is accelerated to 2778 m/s, and in the second experiment, the launch package with 130-g total mass is accelerated to 1560 m/s. The simulation results of the proposed FE model are compared with the experiments. It is observed that there is a good agreement between experimental and simulation results

A Hybrid Simulation Model for Electromagnetic Launchers Including the Transient Inductance and Electromotive Force

Although electromagnetic launchers (EMLs) are superior to classical gun-powder-based launchers, they have to withstand extreme electrical and mechanical conditions. Therefore, the optimal design and precise simulations of these devices are crucial. In this article, a new simulation strategy for EMLs is proposed in order to achieve high accuracy and reduced complexity. The inductance and electromotive force (EMF) variations in the transient, which have a considerable influence on the launch process, are modeled using the finite element method (FEM) coupled with electrical circuit simulation. The proposed method has a good agreement with the experimental results of two EMLs (EMFY-1 and EMFY-2), which have 25- and 50-mm square bores and 3-m-length launchers. The study showed that the hybrid model with transient inductance and EMF calculations showed a good agreement with experiments that have 625 kJ-3.241-MJ input energies

Sensitivity Analysis for the Inductance Gradient of EMFY-3 Electromagnetic Launcher

ASELSAN Inc. has been working on electromagnetic launch technologies since 2014. The first prototype, EMFY-1, has a 25 mm x 25 mm square bore and 3-m-length rails. The second prototype, EMFY-2, has a 50 x 50 mm square bore and 3-m-length. This article presents a recently developed prototype, EMFY-3, with a 50 x 75 mm rectangular bore and 6-m length. The input energy of the pulsed-power supply (PPS) is doubled to 8 MJ, and the 2.91 MJ muzzle energy is obtained. Velocity curves are captured with Doppler radar, enabling us to establish propulsive inductance gradient $L{'}_{{pr}}$ transients empirically. The results confirm that $L{'}_{{pr}}$ is constant throughout the launch, as no significant breaking mechanism occurs with the non-magnetic containment. However, a slight variation (2% at maximum) happens with different rails' current magnitudes from one launch to another. The transition phenomenon is a candidate for the drop in the $L{'}_{{pr}}$ , as it occurs more likely at launches with higher linear current densities. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to show the importance of $L{'}_{{pr}}$ calculations. A deviation of 5% from the actual value can cause an error in muzzle velocity up to 6.2%. This fact indicates that simulation models are very susceptible to $L{'}_{{pr}}$ calculations. Although $L{'}_{{pr}}$ is calculated as 0.515 mu H/m with 3-D finite element method (FEM), the Kerrisk formula calculates as if 0.561 mu H/m; the experimental measurement gives 0.575 mu H/m. These methods differ by 8% at maximum, which causes muzzle velocities errors. Regarding empirical findings, the 3-D FEM model calculates $L{'}_{{pr}}$ more precisely than analytical formulas, and the contrast between models have grave importance due to the muzzle velocity errors

Study for the Diagnostic Screening of Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria in Older Patients with Unexplained Anemia and/or Cytopenia

Background: Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare acquired hematopoietic stem cell disease that may lead to weakness and death of patients, if unrecognized and untreated. Although consensus guidelines were reviewed recently for the diagnostic screening of PNH with multi-parameter flow cytometry (FCM), until now, no study has investigated the efficiency of such clinical indications in older patients