Foreign Direct Investment, Technology Diffusion, and Host Country Productivity Growth

The principal objective of this paper is to ascertain whether foreign direct investment (FDI) has statistically significant effects on host countries\u27 economic performance, such as total factor productivity. Such effects are often referred to as FDI externalities or spillover effects. This paper attempts to evaluate whether these spillover effects depend on the sending countries\u27 income levels. Our empirical analysis shows that FDI exerts positive impacts on less developed countries. Further, we determine that the impacts of FDI from developed countries are more prevalent. So-called North-South effects were confirmed; however, we do not detect South-South effects. We also investigated the other channel, imports, and demonstrate its significant impacts on total factor productivity. © 2011 by Asian Development Bank

HLA heterozygosity contributes to susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis.

We have investigated the role of HLA-DR genotypes in 184 patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in 46 patients with Felty syndrome, to establish the relative contribution of the RA-associated subtypes of DR4 (Dw4, Dw14, and Dw15). There was an excess of DR4 homozygotes, particularly Dw4/Dw14 compound heterozygotes (relative risk [RR] 49). The risk associated with Dw4 depended on the other allele present--Dw4/DR1 (RR 21), Dw4/Dw4 (RR 15), and Dw4/DRX (RR 6). There was a significant risk from Dw4/Dw14 compared with Dw4/Dw4, both in those with severe RA (RR 2.9; P less than .02) and in those with Felty syndrome (RR 4.2; P less than .02). In contrast, in a further 63 known DR4 homozygotes with RA, not selected for severe disease, the excess of Dw4/Dw14 was much less striking (RR 1.4; not significant), suggesting that this genotype may be particularly associated with more severe disease. We also found four cases with the rare Dw4/Dw15 genotype (expected less than or equal to 0.5; P less than or equal to .02). Since the Dw4, Dw14, Dw15, and DR1 molecules have similar antigen-binding sites and since combinations of these alleles particularly predispose to severe RA, we suggest that synergistic mechanisms are involved. These could include an effect on T-cell repertoire selection