Migration, trade, and development: an overview

Simple, neoclassical economic models predict that prices should drive factors such as labor and capital across regions and countries toward their most valuable use. As this happens, developing countries, which are typically labor-rich and capital-scarce, should experience more rapid growth, higher income, and eventually convergence to industrial world levels of well-being. This process is happening slowly in some cases, but in other cases not at all. Do migration and trade speed this convergence? If so, how? If not, why?Emigration and immigration ; International trade ; Economic development ; Developing countries

B1-B2 phase transition of ferropericlase at planetary interior conditions

Using ab initio simulations based on density functional theory, we have analyzed the crystal structure and thermodynamic stability of Mg_{x} Fe_{1-x}O ferropericlase, showing how the P-T phase diagram associated with the B1-B2 phase transition of pure MgO is influenced by the presence of iron substitutional alloys. We find that a small concentration of Fe atoms contribute to an increase of the transition pressure at fixed temperature, extending the stability of B1 crystalline structure. Moreover, we find a significant nonhomogeneous distribution of the iron atoms between the two phases at low temperatures, with strong partitioning in the B1 phase, an interesting phenomena that could lead to important dynamic consequences. Finally, we analyze the effect of the iron impurities on the volume thermal expansion

Crime and Punishment: Adam Smith\u27s Theory of Sentimental Law and Economics

For Adam Smith, a crime is not the result of a rational calculation of loss and gain but the consequence of envy and a vain desire to parade wealth to attract the approbation of others, combined with a natural systematic bias in overestimating the probability of success. Similarly, Smith does not conceive of legal sanctions as a rational deterrent but as deriving from the feeling of resentment. While the prevailing approach of the eighteenth century is a rational explanation of crime and a utilitarian use of punishment, Adam Smith instead builds his theory of criminal behavior and legal prosecution consistently on the sentiments. A well-functioning legal system is thus an unintended consequence of our desire to bring justice to the individual person, not the result of a rational calculation to promote the public good, just like a well-functioning economic system is the unintended consequence of our desire to better our own condition, not the result of a rational calculation to promote public good

Childcare trends in Germany: Increasing socio-economic disparities in East and West

In East Germany, prior to reunification, daycare provision was widely available to encourage mothers to return to work soon after giving birth. Conversely, in West Germany, childcare facilities for under-threes were few and far between and, at the end of the '80s/ beginning of the '90s, the length of parental leave was gradually extended up to three years following the birth of a child. Since 2005, post-reunification Germany has seen a significant expansion in daycare services, primarily to help parents combine employment with family responsibilities. Despite these recent trends, however, 25 years after reunification, there are still major disparities between East and West Germany when it comes to childcare for the under-threes. The present article examines how the use of daycare facilities (Kitas) and informal childcare by relatives or babysitters has changed for this age group in both regions since the '90s. The study specifically analyzes whether the expansion of daycare in recent years has also resulted in rising socio-economic disparities in the use of different types of childcare and to what extent this applies to East and West Germany. Using data from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) study, our analyses show that in West Germany, since 2006, there has been a significant rise in the probability of children with single mothers, or whose mothers have a university or vocational qualification, attending a daycare facility. For children whose mothers have a low level of education or whose parents are at risk of poverty, this increase was less pronounced. In East Germany, considerable growth was observed in daycare attendance among children with highly educated or single mothers as well as of children at risk of poverty. In some groups, the increased use of these institutions was accompanied by a decline in informal childcare arrangements. However, West German mothers with a university qualification and single mothers in East Germany still frequently make use of informal childcare options

Four-year follow-up study in a NF1 Boy with a focal pontine hamartoma

Neurofibromatosis is a collective name for a group of genetic conditions in which benign tumours affect the nervous system. Type 1 is caused by a genetic mutation in the NF1 gene (OMIM 613113) and symptoms can vary dramatically between individuals, even within the same family. Some people have very mild skin changes, whereas others suffer severe medical complications. The condition usually appears in childhood and is diagnosed if two of the following are present: six or more café-au-lait patches larger than 1.5 cm in diameter, axillary or groin freckling, 2 or more Lisch nodules (small pigmented areas in the iris of the eye), 2 or more neurofibromas, optic pathway gliomas, bone dysplasia, and a first-degree family relative with Neurofibromatosis type 1. The pattern of inheritance is autosomal dominant, however, half of all NF1 cases are 'sporadic' and there is no family history. Neurofibromatosis type 1 is an extremely variable condition whose morbidity and mortality is largely dictated by the occurrence of the many complications that may involve any of the body systems. We describe a family affected by NF1 in whom genetic molecular analysis identified the same mutation in the son and father. Routine MRI showed pontine focal lesions in the eight-year-old son, though not in the father. We performed a four years follow-up study and at follow-up pontine hamartoma size remained unchanged in the son, and the father showed still no brain lesions, confirming thus an intra-familial phenotype variability

Clean and Green Urban Water Bodies Benefit Nocturnal Flying Insects and Their Predators, Insectivorous Bats

Nocturnal arthropods form the prey base for many predators and are an integral part of complex food webs. However, there is limited understanding of the mechanisms influencing invertebrates at urban water bodies and the potential flow-on effects to their predators. This study aims to: (i) understand the importance of standing water bodies for nocturnal flying insect orders, including the landscape- and local-scale factors driving these patterns; and (ii) quantify the relationship between insects and insectivorous bats. We investigated nocturnal flying insects and insectivorous bats simultaneously at water bodies (n = 58) and non-water body sites (n = 35) using light traps and acoustic recorders in Melbourne, Australia. At the landscape scale, we found that the presence of water and high levels of surrounding greenness were important predictors for some insect orders. At the water body scale, low levels of sediment pollutants, increased riparian tree cover and water body size supported higher insect order richness and a greater abundance of Coleopterans and Trichopterans, respectively. Most bat species had a positive response to a high abundance of Lepidopterans, confirming the importance of this order in the diet of insectivorous bats. Fostering communities of nocturnal insects in urban environments can provide opportunities for enhancing the prey base of urban nocturnal insectivores.DFG, 414044773, Open Access Publizieren 2019 - 2020 / Technische Universität Berli

Kinetics of Grain Size Reduction in Minerals Undergoing Ball Milling

This work focuses on the grain size reduction induced by ball milling in individual minerals and binary mixtures containing quartz and a softer mineral. All the investigated minerals and mineral mixtures undergo a significant monotonic grain size decrease upon mechanical processing. The rate at which the process occurs in individual minerals decreases with the hardness of the mineral phase. Hardness is shown to play a crucial role also in the case of mineral mixtures. The final grain size attainable by the softer mineral as well as the rate of the grain size reduction process depend, indeed, on the amount of quartz in the mixture. A kinetic model allows rationalizing the observed behaviour based on the intensity of mechanical stresses generated during individual impacts

The serotonin 1A receptor modulates the social behaviour within groups of a cooperatively-breeding cichlid.

The neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) reduces aggressive behaviour in a number of vertebrates, and the 5-HT1A receptor is known to be involved in this regulation. However, the role of this receptor in the modulation of sociopositive behaviour remains largely unknown. Here we investigated the role of the 5-HT1A receptor in the regulation of aggressive, submissive and affiliative behaviour in the cooperatively-breeding cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher. In two experiments, we performed intramuscular injections of a 5-HT1A agonist (8-OH-DPAT) and antagonist (Way-100635) followed by recordings of social behaviour of injected fish within their social groups. We determined the concentrations and post-injection times when the drugs had the greatest effect on social behaviour. We recorded spontaneous social behaviour in both experiments. In the second experiment we also recorded behaviour after social groups received a territorial challenge by live presentations of either conspecifics or egg predators. The 5-HT1A agonist caused an increase in aggression and a decrease in submission and affiliation, whereas the antagonist had the opposite effects. Thus, the 5-HT1A receptor plays an important regulatory role not only for aggressive but also sociopositive behaviour

Does better, cheaper day care make for more satisfied parents?

Following the major expansion of day care provision in Germany in recent years, the quality of these programs has increasingly also been the subject of public debate. When evaluating the quality of German day care centers, experts have frequently concluded that there is considerable room for improvement. Apart from considering expert opinions, it is also interesting to look at how parents rate the quality of day care centers and whether this differs according to level of income or education. The present article primarily focuses on parental satisfaction with various quality aspects. To determine this, data from an extension study are analyzed for the first time, surveying parents from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) study and the Families in Germany (Familien in Deutschland, FiD) study whose children attend a day care center. We examine satisfaction with different aspects related to organization, equipment and resources, pedagogic staff, activities with the children, cooperation with parents, and, specifically, cost. A supplementary analysis on potential willingness to pay, depending on household income, provides us with additional information on the extent to which parents would be prepared to pay more for a day care place for their child. [...