Audit report on the Iowa Water Pollution Control Works Financing Program and the Iowa Drinking Water Facilities Financing Program, joint programs of the Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for the year ended June 30, 2007

Audit report on the Iowa Water Pollution Control Works Financing Program and the Iowa Drinking Water Facilities Financing Program, joint programs of the Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for the year ended June 30, 2007

Foreign ownership and productivity dynamics

In analyzing the distinctive contribution of foreign subsidiaries anddomestic firms to productivity growth in aggregate Belgian manufacturing,this paper shows that foreign ownership is an important source of firmheterogeneity affecting productivity dynamics. Foreign firms havecontributed disproportionately large to aggregate productivity growth,but more importantly reallocation processes differ significantly betweenthe groups of foreign subsidiaries and domestic firms.

Geographical deviations in foreign trade statistics: A study into European trade with Latin American Countries, 1925

We have analyzed the spatial accuracy of European foreign trade statistics compared to Latin American. We have also included USA s data because of the importance of this country in Latin American trade. We have developed a method for mapping discrepancies between exporters and importers, trying to isolate systematic spatial deviations. Although our results don t allow a unique explanation, they present some interesting clues to the distribution channels in the Latin American Continent as well as some spatial deviations for statistics in individual countries. Connecting our results with the literature specialized in the accuracy of foreign trade statistics; we can revisit Morgernstern (1963) as well as Federico and Tena (1991). Morgernstern had had a really pessimistic view on the reliability of this statistic source, but his main alert was focused on the trade balances, not in gross export or import values. Federico and Tena (1991) have demonstrated howaccuracy increases by aggregation, geographical and of product at the same time. But they still have a pessimistic view with relation to distribution questions, remarking that perhaps it will be more accurate to use import sources in this latest case. We have stated that the data set coming from foreign trade statistics for a sample in 1925, being it exporters or importers, it s a valuable tool for geography of trade patterns, although in some specific cases it needs some spatial adjustments.

A Importância do Ecoturismo no Património Arquitectónico de Cabo Verde das Potencialidades à Prática

Desde a última década do séc. XX, o turismo em Cabo Verde tem sido um dos sectores que mais cresce, atraindo maior investimento directo estrangeiro. Contudo, este crescimento gerou também maior pressão sobre os recursos existentes, com impactes negativos a vários níveis. Tem-se reflectido e discutido a sustentabilidade do turismo em território nacional, com objectivos claros de valorização do destino turístico cabo-verdiano, através da conservação e melhoria do ambiente natural, social e cultural. A aposta das autoridades cabo-verdianas no incremento do turismo para o séc. XXI levou a eleição do ecoturismo como a actividade de futuro, com o objectivo de melhorar a competitividade da oferta turística, ser uma alternativa no sector. Uma actividade que pode ser implementada em qualquer ilha, desde que bem aproveitada a vasta oferta de produtos existentes, envolva e forme a população da importância da conservação da biodiversidade e contribua para a erradicação da pobreza ao gerar recursos económicos para as comunidades locais. Deste modo, se requer pensar que arquitectura para o planeamento e realização de infra- estruturas físicas para o adequado desenvolvimento do ecoturismo em Cabo Verde. Os actores directos como os arquitectos, engenheiros civis e planeadores têm uma enorme responsabilidade ao desenhar e executar obras para o turismo, sobre tudo em ecossistemas de grande fragilidade como os que caracterizam as áreas naturais. Sendo um assunto relativamente recente no país, ainda não se criaram normas, regras, directivas claras para o desenvolvimento deste tipo de infra-estruturas turísticas. Em muitos casos, são os próprios desenhadores e construtores, bem como aos seus clientes, quando demonstram alguma sensibilidade na conservação e preservação de áreas de significação ecológica, estabelecem os seus próprios critérios de desenho e códigos éticos que garantam o mínimo de impacte ambiental e uma interacção harmoniosa e sustentável entre a obra física e os espaços circundantes. O presente trabalho tem como objectivo discutir e analisar qual a importância do ecoturismo no panorama arquitectónico cabo-verdiano e se este turismo sustentável será apenas uma ideia teórica, um modelo ideal de actividade ou passível de ser aplicável, de se observar na prática.

Audit report on the Evansdale Municipal Water Works, Evansdale, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2008

Audit report on the Evansdale Municipal Water Works, Evansdale, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2008

The timing of foreign direct investment under uncertainty: Evidence from the Spanish banking sector

This paper investigates the timing of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the banking sector. The importance of this issue would arise from the existence of differential benefits associated to be the first entrant in a foreign location. Nevertheless, when uncertainty is considered, the existence of some Ownership-Location-Internalization (OLI) advantages can make FDI less reversible and/or more delayable and therefore it may be optimal for the firm to delay the investment until the uncertainty is resolved. In this paper, the nature of OLI advantages in the banking sector has been examined in order to propose a prognostic model of the timing of foreign direct investment. The model is then tested for the Spanish case using duration analysis.

Trade liberalization in Uruguay: Domestic and foreign firms

The reallocation of resources is one of the main impacts of tradeliberalization processes. In the case of manufacturing industries resourceswill be reallocated from import--competing sectors to export--orientedsectors. This paper studies the effects that a more open economic environmenthas had on the entry conditions for foreign and domestic firms in Uruguayanmanufacturing industries. We find significant differences in the behaviorof foreign and domestic firms, both when they are incumbents or when theyact as potential entrants. In general, foreign firms seem to be moresuccessful in applying entry deterring strategies, due to advantages inforeign markets, deeper financial resources or better technological capabilities.They also appear to be more responsive to entry conditions when theyface the prospects of entering a given industry.

Foreign direct investments and spillovers through workers' mobility

We analyze a model where a multinational firm can use its superiortechnology in a foreign subsidiary only after appropriate trainingof local managers. Technological spillovers from foreign directinvestment arise when such managers are later hired by a localfirm. Benefits for the host economy may also take the form of therent that trained managers receive by the foreign affiliate toprevent them from moving to local competitors. We study conditionsunder which technological spillovers occur. We also show that undercertain circumstances the multinational firm might find it optimalto resort to export instead of foreign direct investment, to avoiddissipation of its intangible assets.

Audit report on the Iowa Water Pollution Control Works Financing Program and the Iowa Drinking Water Facilities Financing Program, joint programs of the Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for the year ended June 30, 2008

Audit report on the Iowa Water Pollution Control Works Financing Program and the Iowa Drinking Water Facilities Financing Program, joint programs of the Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for the year ended June 30, 2008

The Middle East in the American quest for world order : ideas of power, economics, and social development in United States foreign policy, 1953-1961

Doctoral dissertation, University of Tampere

High activity of Fosfomycin and Rifampin against methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus biofilm in vitro and in an experimental foreign-body infection model.

Increasing antimicrobial resistance reduces treatment options for implant-associated infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We evaluated the activity of fosfomycin alone and in combination with vancomycin, daptomycin, rifampin, and tigecycline against MRSA (ATCC 43300) in a foreign-body (implantable cage) infection model. The MICs of the individual agents were as follows: fosfomycin, 1 μg/ml; daptomycin, 0.125 μg/ml; vancomycin, 1 μg/ml; rifampin, 0.04 μg/ml; and tigecycline, 0.125 μg/ml. Microcalorimetry showed synergistic activity of fosfomycin and rifampin at subinhibitory concentrations against planktonic and biofilm MRSA. In time-kill curves, fosfomycin exhibited time-dependent activity against MRSA with a reduction of 2.5 log10 CFU/ml at 128 × the MIC. In the animal model, planktonic bacteria in cage fluid were reduced by <1 log10 CFU/ml with fosfomycin and tigecycline, 1.7 log10 with daptomycin, 2.2 log10 with fosfomycin-tigecycline and fosfomycin-vancomycin, 3.8 log10 with fosfomycin-daptomycin, and >6.0 log10 with daptomycin-rifampin and fosfomycin-rifampin. Daptomycin-rifampin cured 67% of cage-associated infections and fosfomycin-rifampin cured 83%, whereas all single drugs (fosfomycin, daptomycin, and tigecycline) and rifampin-free fosfomycin combinations showed no cure of MRSA cage-associated infections. No emergence of fosfomycin resistance was observed in animals; however, a 4-fold increase in fosfomycin MIC (from 2 to 16 μg/ml) occurred in the fosfomycin-vancomycin group. In summary, the highest eradication of MRSA cage-associated infections was achieved with fosfomycin in combination with rifampin (83%). Fosfomycin may be used in combination with rifampin against MRSA implant-associated infections, but it cannot replace rifampin as an antibiofilm agent.

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.

Audit report on the Evansdale Municipal Water Works, Evansdale, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2009

Audit report on the Evansdale Municipal Water Works, Evansdale, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2009