Estimating cross-industry cross-country models using benchmark industry characteristics

International industry data permits testing whether the industry-specific impact of cross-countrydifferences in institutions or policies is consistent with economic theory. Empirical implementationrequires specifying the industry characteristics that determine impact strength. Most of the literature has been using US proxies of the relevant industry characteristics. We show that usingindustry characteristics in a benchmark country as a proxy of the relevant industry characteristicscan result in an attenuation bias or an amplification bias. We also describe circumstances allowingfor an alternative approach that yields consistent estimates. As an application, we reexamine theinfluential conjecture that financial development facilitates the reallocation of capital from decliningto expanding industries.

Synopsis of the genus Exalphus Restello, Iannuzzi & Marinoni (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae), with description of a new species and new country records

Synopsis of the genus Exalphus Restello, Iannuzzi & Marinoni (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae), with description of a new species and new country records. A synopsis of Exalphus Restello et al., 2001 is presented. Exalphus solangeae sp. nov. is described from Brazil (Amazonas). A key to identification with illustrations for 14 species of the genus is provided, and notes on distribution with new records are included for nine species: E. biannulatus (Aurivillius, 1921), E. calvifrons (Bates, 1872), E. colasi (Lane, 1965), E. foveatus (Marinoni & Martins, 1978), E. gounellei (Lane, 1973), E. guaraniticus (Lane, 1955), E. leuconotus (Thomson, 1860), E. malleri (Lane, 1955) and E. spilonotus Restello, Iannuzzi & Marinoni, 2001.

Notes on distributions for Argentinean Pentatomidae (Heteroptera: Pentatomoidea), with new records in the country

ABSTRACTIn this contribution, we present new distributional records from Argentina of 63 pentatomid species; three genera (Caonabo, Cromata and Taurocerus) and 14 species (Marmessulus brasiliensis, Podisus crassimargo, Cromata ornata, Acledra haematopa, Caonabo pseudocylax, Dichelops avilapiresi, Euschistus cribarius, E. paranticus, Mormidea maculata, Rio indistinctus, Banasa lanceolata, B. nigrifrons, Pallantia macunaima, and Taurocerus edessoides) are reported for the first time from Argentina; also we provided 81 new province records of another 49 species.

Prevalence of hyperuricemia and relation of serum uric acid with cardiovascular risk factors in a developing country.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of hyperuricemia has rarely been investigated in developing countries. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of hyperuricemia and the association between uric acid levels and the various cardiovascular risk factors in a developing country with high average blood pressures (the Seychelles, Indian Ocean, population mainly of African origin). METHODS: This cross-sectional health examination survey was based on a population random sample from the Seychelles. It included 1011 subjects aged 25 to 64 years. Blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, total and HDL cholesterol, serum triglycerides and serum uric acid were measured. Data were analyzed using scatterplot smoothing techniques and gender-specific linear regression models. RESULTS: The prevalence of a serum uric acid level >420 micromol/L in men was 35.2% and the prevalence of a serum uric acid level >360 micromol/L was 8.7% in women. Serum uric acid was strongly related to serum triglycerides in men as well as in women (r = 0.73 in men and r = 0.59 in women, p < 0.001). Uric acid levels were also significantly associated but to a lesser degree with age, BMI, blood pressure, alcohol and the use of antihypertensive therapy. In a regression model, triglycerides, age, BMI, antihypertensive therapy and alcohol consumption accounted for about 50% (R2) of the serum uric acid variations in men as well as in women. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the prevalence of hyperuricemia can be high in a developing country such as the Seychelles. Besides alcohol consumption and the use of antihypertensive therapy, mainly diuretics, serum uric acid is markedly associated with parameters of the metabolic syndrome, in particular serum triglycerides. Considering the growing incidence of obesity and metabolic syndrome worldwide and the potential link between hyperuricemia and cardiovascular complications, more emphasis should be put on the evolving prevalence of hyperuricemia in developing countries.

Journal and country rankings in instrumentation and ocean engineering

The purpose of this paper is to highlight scientific information resources that list journal and country rankings. These databases usually focus on the use of citation counts and number of publications to evaluate the interest, visibility and impact of research performance. The exposed resources are platforms that provide added value to authors improving their knowledge about research trends and also where to submit their papers.

Overuse of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in a country with open-access endoscopy: a prospective study in primary care.

BACKGROUND: This prospective observational study was aimed at evaluating the appropriateness of use of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGE) in primary care in a country with open access to and high availability of the procedure. METHODS: Outpatients were consecutively included in two clinical settings: Setting A (20 primary care physicians during 4 weeks) and B (university-based outpatient clinic during 3 weeks). In patients undergoing UGE, appropriateness of referral was judged by explicit Swiss criteria developed by the RAND/UCLA panel method. RESULTS: Patient visits (8135) were assessed. Six hundred eleven patients complained of upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Physicians decided to perform UGE in 63 of these patients. Twenty-five (40%) of the endoscopies were rated appropriate, 7 (11%) equivocal, and 31 (49%) inappropriate. Overuse of UGE occurred in 5.1% (setting A: 4.7%; setting B:6.5%; p = 0.39) of the patients who presented with upper gastrointestinal symptoms. The decision to perform UGE in previously untreated dyspeptic patients was the most common clinical situation resulting in overuse. CONCLUSIONS: Inappropriate use of UGE is high in Switzerland. However, to better reflect primary care decision making, overuse should be related not only to patients referred for a medical test, but also to the number of patients who complain of the symptoms that would be investigated by the procedure.

Direct Fourier Tomographic Reconstruction Image-To-Image Filter

We present an open-source ITK implementation of a directFourier method for tomographic reconstruction, applicableto parallel-beam x-ray images. Direct Fourierreconstruction makes use of the central-slice theorem tobuild a polar 2D Fourier space from the 1D transformedprojections of the scanned object, that is resampled intoa Cartesian grid. Inverse 2D Fourier transform eventuallyyields the reconstructed image. Additionally, we providea complex wrapper to the BSplineInterpolateImageFunctionto overcome ITKâeuro?s current lack for image interpolatorsdealing with complex data types. A sample application ispresented and extensively illustrated on the Shepp-Loganhead phantom. We show that appropriate input zeropaddingand 2D-DFT oversampling rates together with radial cubicb-spline interpolation improve 2D-DFT interpolationquality and are efficient remedies to reducereconstruction artifacts.

How market access shapes human capital investment in a peripheral country

Human capital endowment is one of the main factors influencing the level of development of a region. This paper analyses whether remoteness from economic activity has a negative effect on human capital accumulation and, consequently, on economic development. Making use of microdata this research proves that remoteness from economic activity has contributed to explain the divergences in the level of education observed across Spanish provinces over the last 50 years. The effect is significant even when controlling for the improvement of education supply. Nonetheless, the accessibility effect has been petering out since the 1960s due to the decreasing barriers to mobility.

Returns to Foreign Language Skills in a Developing Country: The Case of Turkey

Foreign language skills represent a form of human capital that can be rewarded in the labor market. Drawing on data from the Adult Education Survey of 2007, this is the first study estimating returns to foreign language skills in Turkey. We contribute to the literature on the economic value of language knowledge, with a special focus on a country characterized by fast economic and social development. Although English is the most widely spoken foreign language in Turkey, we initially consider the economic value of different foreign languages among the employed males aged 25 to 65. We find positive and significant returns to proficiency in English and Russian, which increase with the level of competence. Knowledge of French and German also appears to be positively rewarded in the Turkish labor market, although their economic value seems mostly linked to an increased likelihood to hold specific occupations rather than increased earnings within occupations. Focusing on English, we also explore the heterogeneity in returns to different levels of proficiency by frequency of English use at work, birth-cohort, education, occupation and rural/urban location. The results are also robust to the endogenous specification of English language skills.

Special investigation of the Country Living Care Center in Toledo, Iowa for the period July 1, 2007 through April 30, 2009

Special investigation of the Country Living Care Center in Toledo, Iowa for the period July 1, 2007 through April 30, 2009

Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in a middle-income country and estimated cost of a treatment strategy.

BACKGROUND: We assessed the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a middle-income country in rapid epidemiological transition and estimated direct costs for treating all individuals at increased cardiovascular risk, i.e. following the so-called "high risk strategy". METHODS: Survey of risk factors using an age- and sex-stratified random sample of the population of Seychelles aged 25-64 in 2004. Assessment of CVD risk and treatment modalities were in line with international guidelines. Costs are expressed as USD per capita per year. RESULTS: 1255 persons took part in the survey (participation rate of 80.2%). Prevalence of main risk factors was: 39.6% for high blood pressure (> or =140/90 mmHg or treatment) of which 59% were under treatment; 24.2% for high cholesterol (> or =6.2 mmol/l); 20.8% for low HDL-cholesterol (<1.0 mmol/l); 9.3% for diabetes (fasting glucose > or =7.0 mmol/l); 17.5% for smoking; 25.1% for obesity (body mass index > or =30 kg/m2) and 22.1% for the metabolic syndrome. Overall, 43% had HBP, high cholesterol or diabetes and substantially increased CVD risk. The cost for medications needed to treat all high-risk individuals amounted to USD 45.6, i.e. 11.2 dollars for high blood pressure, 3.8 dollars for diabetes, and 30.6 dollars for dyslipidemia (using generic drugs except for hypercholesterolemia). Cost for minimal follow-up medical care and laboratory tests amounted to 22.6 dollars. CONCLUSION: High prevalence of major risk factors was found in a rapidly developing country and costs for treatment needed to reduce risk factors in all high-risk individuals exceeded resources generally available in low or middle income countries. Our findings emphasize the need for affordable cost-effective treatment strategies and the critical importance of population strategies aimed at reducing risk factors in the entire population.

New multiple matched filter: design and experimental realization

A method of making a multiple matched filter which allows the recognition of different characters in successive planes in simple conditions is proposed. The generation of the filter is based on recording on the same plate the Fourier transforms of the different patterns to be recognized, each of which is affected by different spherical phase factors because the patterns have been placed at different distances from the lens. This is proved by means of experiments with a triple filter which allows satisfactory recognition of three characters.

Is the obesity epidemic exaggerated? Clues from a developing country

Rapid response to: Patrick Basham and John Luik. Is the obesity epidemic exaggerated? Yes. BMJ 2008; 336: 244. doi: 10.1136/bmj.39458.495127.AD