Technological Change and ICTs in OECD Countries

The motivation of the study is to form a ground for further research on the issue of the effect of electronic commerce on economic variables that has been supported by empirical models. In this respect, a considerable part of the study is devoted to the discussion of the building significant relationship between technology, electronic commerce and the fundamentals of the real economy. As a result of both the conceptual part and the analytical part, two important conclusions were drawn. The first one is that technological change is increasingly gaining special emphasis especially with the rising arguments on the issue of "New Economy". The second important point is that technological change and electronic commerce are in relation with the most important variables of the real economy like gross domestic product, investment, trade balance and also R&D expenditures.Technological Change, ICTs, E-commerce, employment, macroeconomics, OECD

An evaluation of the tourism-induced environmental Kuznets curve (T-EKC) hypothesis: Evidence from G7 countries

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This paper analyzes the legitimacy of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis for a group of seven (G7) countries over the period 1995–2015. In addition to testing the EKC speculation, the authors also would like to understand the ways in which increases in renewable energy consumption and the international tourism receipt affect the CO2 emissions in G7 countries, because the energy and tourism sectors may have considerable direct impacts on CO2 emissions. In this investigation, a panel bootstrap cointegration test and an augmented mean group (AMG) estimator were applied. The empirical findings indicate that the tourism-induced EKC hypothesis is valid only for France. Additionally, it was detected that a rise in renewable energy consumption has a negative (reduction) impact on CO2 emissions in France, Italy, the UK, and the US. However, an increase in the receipt of international touristm has a positive (additional) impact on Italy’s CO2 emissions. Hence, this country’s decision-makers should re-review their tourism policy to adopt a renewable-inclusive one for sustainable tourism and the environment

An extended multisensory temporal binding window in autism spectrum disorders

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) form a continuum of neurodevelopmental disorders, characterized by deficits in communication and reciprocal social interaction, as well as by repetitive behaviors and restricted interests. Sensory disturbances are also frequently reported in clinical and autobiographical accounts. However, surprisingly few empirical studies have characterized the fundamental features of sensory and multisensory processing in ASD. The current study is structured to test for potential differences in multisensory temporal function in ASD by making use of a temporally dependent, low-level multisensory illusion. In this illusion, the presentation of a single flash of light accompanied by multiple sounds often results in the illusory perception of multiple flashes. By systematically varying the temporal structure of the audiovisual stimuli, a “temporal window” within which these stimuli are likely to be bound into a single perceptual entity can be defined. The results of this study revealed that children with ASD report the flash-beep illusion over an extended range of stimulus onset asynchronies relative to children with typical development, suggesting that children with ASD have altered multisensory temporal function. These findings provide valuable new insights into our understanding of sensory processing in ASD and may hold promise for the development of more sensitive diagnostic measures and improved remediation strategies

Sea-level changes during the late Pleistocene-Holocene on the southern shelves of the Black Sea

Seismic profiles and gravity cores collected from shelf areas off the Sakarya Delta and Thrace Peninsula, together with available previous studies, were evaluated in this research. A masjhoerl f-crossing erosional unconformity was observed, lying as deep as-120 m along the southern margin of the Black Sea. This erosional surface indicates a lowstand of the Black Sea's lake. The present shelf edge was therefore a former paleoshore environment of the preexisting Neoeuxinian basin. Unit 1 overlies the erosional surface and includes a widespread, thin mud drape, the Sakarya Delta, and various irregular depositional features off the Thrace Peninsula. Unit 2 was deposited at the shelf edge and consists of a lowstand sedimentary wedge (off the Sakarya Delta) and seaward prograding clinoforms (off the Thrace Peninsula), all indicative of deposition during the lowstand. Radiometric dates from sedimentary cores collected above the erosional unconformity vary between 11.8 and 8.6 ky BP. Further studies will be required to obtain a better understanding of the timing and intensity of these sea-level changes. © 2007 Springer

A mid-late Holocene sapropelic sediment unit from the southern Marmara sea shelf and its palaeoceanographic significance

A sapropelic layer, having an age of ca 4750 and 3500 (14)C y BP, was discovered at 0.90-2.35 m below the sea floor (mbsf) in gravity cores from the southern shelf of the Marmara Sea. It is a 15-50 cm thick, phosphorescent green to grey, plastic, clayey hemipelagic mud horizon, containing 1.5-2.9% organic carbon (C(org)). The increase in C(org) and biogenic carbonate, together with a rich planktonic foraminiferal fauna, indicate increased organic productivity and warm surface waters during the deposition of the sapropelic layer. The down-core profiles of Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, Ni and Co suggest that the sapropelic layer was deposited through an essentially oxic water column. The benthonic foraminiferal fauna indicates reduced oxygen levels in bottomwaters. The sapropelic unit was deposited during a high stand of global sea level. Its deposition was initiated by a large input of terrestrial organic matter and nutrient-rich fresh waters under a relatively warm and wet climate. The fresh water supply caused a strong water stratification, which, in turn, together with high organic matter input, resulted in reduced oxygen levels in the bottomwaters. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved