Growth in emerging economies: is there a role for education?

We study the relationship between human capital and growth using a model which encompasses previous specifications and estimates the short and the long-run effects of human capital accumulation. We adopt an empirical framework which accounts for countries’ heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence in a dynamic panel. Results for a sample of 14 Asian countries reveal a large and positive long-run impact of human capital on growth in the 1960-2013 period. Looking at different types of education we find that the diffusion of primary and secondary education has a positive long-run impact, while the long-run effect of tertiary education is negative. Low proportion of people educated at the tertiary level, lack of opportunities for highly educated workers and the brain drain phenomenon could explain this result. These results support policies directed towards increasing investments in primary and secondary education rather than focusing on a minority educated at the tertiary level

Certified and uncertified skills and productivity growth performance: cross-country evidence at industry level

We analyse the relationship between human capital and productivity growth using a five-country multi-industry dataset together with a measure of human capital which accounts for both certified skills (educational qualifications) and uncertified skills acquired through on-the-job training and experience. We find evidence of positive human capital effects on growth in average labour productivity, particularly when using our composite human capital measure. We also find some tentative evidence that multi-factor productivity (MFP) growth is positively related to the use of high-skilled labour. However, externalities of this kind are largely confined to industries which make intensive use of university graduates. (abstract as appears on publisher website

Birds, Ilha Grande, state of Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil

We provide a list of bird species from our primary surveys and secondary data for an island (Ilha Grande) insoutheastern Brazil. The information derives mainly from primary data collected since 1995, particularly in the oceanicside of the island. The methodologies included capture-mark-recapture studies using mist nets, transects (visual andvocal records) and supplementary observations. Our total species list from primary data is 175 species (127 captured)and 47 species were added from secondary data. This represents 222 species from 58 families. Of this total, 44 areendemic to Atlantic forest and nine are threatened with extinction. Our results are discussed comparing our study areawith another large island included in the Serra do Mar corridor (Ilha de São Sebastião), and also a nearby continentalarea (Paraty). The results indicate the importance of Ilha Grande as a reservoir of bird species of Atlantic forest

Design and advancement status of the Beam Expander Testing X-ray facility (BEaTriX)

The BEaTriX (Beam Expander Testing X-ray facility) project is an X-ray apparatus under construction at INAF/OAB to generate a broad (200 x 60 mm2), uniform and low-divergent X-ray beam within a small lab (6 x 15 m2). BEaTriX will consist of an X-ray source in the focus a grazing incidence paraboloidal mirror to obtain a parallel beam, followed by a crystal monochromation system and by an asymmetrically-cut diffracting crystal to perform the beam expansion to the desired size. Once completed, BEaTriX will be used to directly perform the quality control of focusing modules of large X-ray optics such as those for the ATHENA X-ray observatory, based on either Silicon Pore Optics (baseline) or Slumped Glass Optics (alternative), and will thereby enable a direct quality control of angular resolution and effective area on a number of mirror modules in a short time, in full X-ray illumination and without being affected by the finite distance of the X-ray source. However, since the individual mirror modules for ATHENA will have an optical quality of 3-4 arcsec HEW or better, BEaTriX is required to produce a broad beam with divergence below 1-2 arcsec, and sufficient flux to quickly characterize the PSF of the module without being significantly affected by statistical uncertainties. Therefore, the optical components of BEaTriX have to be selected and/or manufactured with excellent optical properties in order to guarantee the final performance of the system. In this paper we report the final design of the facility and a detailed performance simulation.Comment: Accepted paper, pre-print version. The finally published manuscript can be downloaded from http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.223895

Tetraferrocenylporphyrins as active components of self-assembled monolayers on gold surface.

Novel tetraferrocenylporphyrins-containing self-assembled monolayers were prepared employing two different approaches. Self-assembled monolayers were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry (CV) whereas their photoelectrochemical properties were investigated by photocurrent generation (PG) experiments

Dynamical charge density fluctuations pervading the phase diagram of a Cu-based high-Tc superconductor

Charge density waves are a common occurrence in all families of high critical temperature superconducting cuprates. Although consistently observed in the underdoped region of the phase diagram and at relatively low temperatures, it is still unclear to what extent they influence the unusual properties of these systems. Using resonant x-ray scattering we carefully determined the temperature dependence of charge density modulations in (Y,Nd)Ba$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-{\delta}}$ for three doping levels. We discovered short-range dynamical charge density fluctuations besides the previously known quasi-critical charge density waves. They persist up to well above the pseudogap temperature T*, are characterized by energies of few meV and pervade a large area of the phase diagram, so that they can play a key role in shaping the peculiar normal-state properties of cuprates.Comment: 34 pages, 4 figures, 11 supplementary figure

Development of a Novel Snom Probe for in Liquid Biological Samples

This work is focused on the study and implementation of a novel method for the development of probes for Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy (SNOM). The proposed approach is based on the mechanical impedance matching between the optical fiber tip and the resonating tuning fork. This methodology allowed an increase of the quality factor of the piezoelectric resonator used as atomic force transducer in the SNOM probe, thus increasing its overall sensitivity. This kind of probes are often used on biological soft samples in liquid. The presence of water medium has a strong dumping effect on probe sensitivity. Experimental validation of the proposed methodology showed an increase of robustness of SNOM probes also for in liquid samples

Electronic properties of mono-substituted tetraferrocenyl porphyrins in solution and on a gold surface: Assessment of the influencing factors for photoelectrochemical applications

Two unsymmetric meso-tetraferrocenyl-containing porphyrins of general formula Fc3(FcCOR)Por (Fc=ferrocenyl, R=CH3 or (CH2)5Br, Por=porphyrin) were prepared and characterized by a variety of spectroscopic methods, whereas their redox properties were investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) approaches. The mixed-valence [Fc3(FcCOR)Por]n+ (n=1,3) were investigated using spectroelectrochemical as well as chemical oxidation methods and corroborated with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Inter-valence charge-transfer (IVCT) transitions in [Fc3(FcCOR)Por]+ were analyzed, and the resulting data matched closely previously reported complexes and were assigned as Robin–Day class II mixed-valence compounds. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of a thioacetyl derivative (Fc3(FcCO(CH2)5SCOCH3)Por) were also prepared and characterized. Photoelectrochemical properties of SAMs in different electrolyte systems were investigated by electrochemical techniques and photocurrent generation experiments, showing that the choice of electrolyte is critical for efficiency of redox-active SAMs

Proteome-wide observation of the phenomenon of life on the edge of solubility

To function effectively proteins must avoid aberrant aggregation, and hence they are expected to be expressed at concentrations safely below their solubility limits. By analyzing proteome-wide mass spectrometry data of Caenorhabditis elegans, however, we show that the levels of about three-quarters of the nearly 4, 000 proteins analyzed in adult animals are close to their intrinsic solubility limits, indeed exceeding them by about 10% on average. We next asked how aging and functional self-assembly influence these solubility limits. We found that despite the fact that the total quantity of proteins within the cellular environment remains approximately constant during aging, protein aggregation sharply increases between days 6 and 12 of adulthood, after the worms have reproduced, as individual proteins lose their stoichiometric balances and the cellular machinery that maintains solubility undergoes functional decline. These findings reveal that these proteins are highly prone to undergoing concentration-dependent phase separation, which on aging is rationalized in a decrease of their effective solubilities, in particular for proteins associated with translation, growth, reproduction, and the chaperone system