Avoidable Mortality Risks and Measurement of Wellbeing and Inequality

This paper proposes a data envelopment method to separate avoidable and unavoidable mortality risks. As unavoidable mortality is the result of nature, only avoidable mortality is of relevance in measuring wellbeing and inequality. The new method is applied to a dataset consisting of life tables for 191 countries in the year 2000 to obtain a reference distribution of unavoidable mortality risks. The reference distribution is used to improve on the standard age-at-death measure to obtain an age-at-avoidable-death measure. Comparing with the original measure, age-at-avoidable-death provides a very different picture of wellbeing, and more so when it comes to inequality measures.

The Country-Product-Dummy Method: A Stochastic Approach to the Computation of Purchasing Power Parities in the ICP

A paper for presentation at the SSHRC Conference on Index Numbers and Productivity Measurement to be held during 30 June � 3 July, 2004 in Vancouver. The author wishes to thank Bettina Aten, Erwin Diewert, Alan Heston, Chris O�Donnell and Marcel Timmer for helpful discussions on the subject matter of this paper.

Hedonic Predicted House Price Indices Using Time-Varying Hedonic Models with Spatial Autocorrelation

Hedonic housing price indices are computed from estimated hedonic pricing models. The commonly used time dummy hedonic model and the rolling window hedonic model fail to account for changing consumer preferences over hedonic characteristics and typically these models do not account for the presence of spatial correlation in prices reflecting the role of locational characteristics. This paper develops a class of models with time-varying hedonic coefficients and spatially correlated errors, provides an assessment of the predictive performance of these compared to the commonly used hedonic models, and constructs and compares corresponding price index series. Alternative weighting systems, plutocratic versus democratic, are considered for the class of hedonic imputed price indices. Accounting for seasonality in house sales data, monthly chained indices and annual chained indices based on averages of year-on-year monthly indexes are presented. The empirical results are based on property sales data for Brisbane, Australia over the period 1985 to 2005. On the basis of root mean square prediction error criterion the time-varying parameter with spatial errors is found to be the best performing model and the rolling-window model to be the worst performing model.

Multilateralisation of manufacturing sector comparisons : issues, methods and empirical results

This paper examines the feasibility of constructing a consistent set of multilateral comparisons of manufacturing sector output and productivity within the framework of the ICOP project. A major objective of the paper is to construct truly multilateral comparisons using the existing data base of the ICOP project. This data base consists of data constructed essentially on the basis of detailed bilateral comparisons. Multilateral unit value ratios are built up from the lowest level possible (the product level). The second objective of the paper is to examine in-depth the problem of aggregation of unit value ratios. Various aggregation methods, both well-known methods and new ones, are applied and sensitivity of the results is examined. New multilateral aggregation methods are developed which take into account differences in number of matches of the underlying binary comparisons, as well as the Laspeyres-Paasche spread which is considered to be a general indicator of reliability. Finally, the paper presents empirical results derived from the application of the above procedures to data for eight countries for the 1987 benchmark year.

Systems of Index Numbers for International Price Comparisons Based on the Stochastic Approach

In this paper, we introduce a new class of index numbers for international price comparisons. We prove the existence and uniqueness of the new price index. We then propose a stochastic approach to the Ikle (1972) and the new system of index numbers. The advantage of the stochastic approach is that we can derive standard errors for the estimates of the purchasing power parities (PPPs). The PPPs and the parameters of the stochastic model are estimated using a weighted maximum likelihood procedure. Finally we estimate PPPs and their standard errors for OECD countries using the proposed methods.

Total Factor Productivity Growth in Agriculture: A Malmquist Index Analysis of 93 Countries,1980-2000

In this paper we examine levels and trends in agricultural output and productivity in 93 developed and developing countries that account for a major portion of the world population and agricultural output. We make use of data drawn from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and our study covers the period 1980-2000. Due to the non-availability of reliable input price data, the study uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) to derive Malmquist productivity indexes. The study examines trends in agricultural productivity over the period. Issues of catch-up and convergence, or in some cases possible divergence, in productivity in agriculture are examined within a global framework. The paper also derives the shadow prices and value shares that are implicit in the DEA-based Malmquist productivity indices, and examines the plausibility of their levels and trends over the study period.

Mixed Convective Heat Transfer Flow of a Nanofluid through a Porous Meduim in a Rectangular Cavity

We consider Convective heat and mass transfer flow of a nanofluid through a porous medium in rectangular duct. The governing equations have been solved by using Galerkin finite element analysis with linear interpolation functions The effects of nanoparticle volume fraction on all the flow characteristics have been discussed. Keywords: Nanofluid, Rectangular Duct, Galerkin Method,Porous medium

A Improved Control System Using Digital Technology For A Wind Tunnel Forced – Oscillation Rig.

A Improved Control System For A Forced-Oscillation Rig For Measurement Of Pitch/Yaw Damping Derivatives In The NAL 1 .2m Derivatives Wind Tunnel Has Bee Designed And Developed. The Basic Principles Of The System Are Similar To Those Of A Existing Control System Developed For The Same Forced-Oscillation Rig. The Present System In Corporate Certain Features Such As The Use Of Digital Techniques For Fine Tuning And Automatic Switching Of Phase Tracking Control From Closed-Loop To Open-Loop Mode Operation . These Features Facilitate Testing. Even When The Model Is Subject, To Relatively Large Random Disturbances Due Either To Large Flow U Steadiness A D/Or Separated Flow Over Model Occurring At High Incidences. Performance Of The Control System Was Evaluated Initially In Bench Tests .The System Was Later Successfully Employed For Pitch-Damping Measurements at Mach Numbers up To 3 .T3 In The NAL 1 .2 Transonic Blowdown Tunnel

Excitation‐Intensity (EI) Effect on Photoluminescence of ZnO Materials with Various Morphologies

The chapter discusses about excitation‐intensity effects on photoluminescence emission peaks of zinc oxide (ZnO) material. ZnO is an ideal material for optoelectronic devices due to its wide band gap of 3.37 eV and some exciting optical properties. The performance of optoelectronic devices is greatly affected by the vibrational properties of the material, which are influenced by the interaction of phonons with free and bound electron‐hole pairs. The photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy is used to understand the extrinsic and intrinsic defects in ZnO materials. Understanding PL of ZnO nanostructures/thin films may lead to development of more efficient ZnO‐based optoelectronic devices