The Relative Efficiency of Automatic and Discretionary Industrial Aid

For the last two decades, the primary instruments for UK regional policy have been discretionary subsidies. Such aid is targeted at “additional” projects - projects that would not have been implemented without the subsidy - and the subsidy should be the minimum necessary for the project to proceed. Discretionary subsidies are thought to be more efficient than automatic subsidies, where many of the aided projects are non-additional and all projects receive the same subsidy rate. The present paper builds on Swales (1995) and Wren (2007a) to compare three subsidy schemes: an automatic scheme and two types of discretionary scheme, one with accurate appraisal and the other with appraisal error. These schemes are assessed on their expected welfare impacts. The particular focus is the reduction in welfare gain imposed by the interaction of appraisal error and the requirements for accountability. This is substantial and difficult to detect with conventional evaluation techniques.

Industrial Structure, Trade and Regional Economics : Market Segmentation

We consider a general equilibrium model a la Bhaskar (Review of Economic Studies 2002): there are complementarities across sectors, each of which comprise (many) heterogenous monopolistically competitive firms. Bhaskar's model is extended in two directions: production requires capital, and labour markets are segmented. Labour market segmentation models the difficulties of labour migrating across international barriers (in a trade context) or from a poor region to a richer one (in a regional context), whilst the assumption of a single capital market means that capital flows freely between countries or regions. The model is solved analytically and a closed form solution is provided. Adding labour market segmentation to Bhaskar's two-tier industrial structure allows us to study, inter alia, the impact of competition regulations on wages and - financial flows both in the regional and international context, and the output, welfare and financial implications of relaxing immigration laws. The analytical approach adopted allows us, not only to sign the effect of policies, but also to quantify their effects. Introducing capital as a factor of production improves the realism of the model and refi nes its empirically testable implications.

Joint estimates of automatic and discretionary fiscal policy for the OECD

Official calculations of automatic stabilizers are seriously flawed since they rest on the assumption that the only element of social spending that reacts automatically to the cycle is unemployment compensation. This puts into question many estimates of discretionary fiscal policy. In response, we propose a simultaneous estimate of automatic and discretionary fiscal policy. This leads us, quite naturally, to a tripartite decomposition of the budget balance between revenues, social spending and other spending as a bare minimum. Our headline results for a panel of 20 OECD countries in 1981-2003 are .59 automatic stabilization in percentage-points of primary surplus balances. All of this stabilization remains following discretionary responses during contractions, but arguably only about 3/5 of it remains so in expansions while discretionary behavior cancels the rest. We pay a lot of attention to the impact of the Maastricht Treaty and the SGP on the EU members of our sample and to real time data.

Joint estimates of automatic and discretionary fiscal policy: the OECD 1981-2003

Official calculations of automatic stabilizers are seriously flawed since they rest on the assumption that the only element of social spending that reacts automatically to the cycle is unemployment compensation. This puts into question many estimates of discretionary fiscal policy. In response, we propose a simultaneous estimate of automatic and discretionary fiscal policy. This leads us, quite naturally, to a tripartite decomposition of the budget balance between revenues, social spending and other spending as a bare minimum. Our headline results for a panel of 20 OECD countries in 1981-2003 are .59 automatic stabilization in percentage-points of primary surplus balances. All of this stabilization remains following discretionary responses during contractions, but arguably only about 3/5 of it remains so in expansions while discretionary behavior cancels the rest. We pay a lot of attention to the impact of the Maastricht Treaty and the SGP on the EU members of our sample and to real time data.

Joint estimates of automatic and discretionary fiscal policy: the OECD 1981-2003

Official calculations of automatic stabilizers are seriously flawed since they rest on the assumption that the only element of social spending that reacts automatically to the cycle is unemployment compensation. This puts into question many estimates of discretionary fiscal policy. In response, we propose a simultaneous estimate of automatic and discretionary fiscal policy. This leads us, quite naturally, to a tripartite decomposition of the budget balance between revenues, social spending and other spending as a bare minimum. Our headline results for a panel of 20 OECD countries in 1981-2003 are .59 automatic stabilization in percentage-points of primary surplus balances. All of this stabilization remains following discretionary responses during contractions, but arguably only about 3/5 of it remains so in expansions while discretionary behavior cancels the rest. We pay a lot of attention to the impact of the Maastricht Treaty and the SGP on the EU members of our sample and to real time data.

Intraobserver and interobserver variability of ascending aorta diameter measurements as assessed by ECG-gated MDCT : automatic versus manual measurements : P15

Purpose: Revolutionary endovascular treatments are on the verge of being available for management of ascending aortic diseases. Morphometric measurements of the ascending aorta have already been done with ECG-gated MDCT to help such therapeutic development. However the reliability of these measurements remains unknown. The objective of this work was to compare the intraobserver and interobserver variability of CAD (computer aided diagnosis) versus manual measurements in the ascending aorta. Methods and materials: Twenty-six consecutive patients referred for ECG-gated CT thoracic angiography (64-row CT scanner) were evaluated. Measurements of the maximum and minimum ascending aorta diameters at mid-distance between the brachiocephalic artery and the aortic valve were obtained automatically with a commercially available CAD and manually by two observers separately. Both observers repeated the measurements during a different session at least one month after the first measurements. Intraclass coefficients as well the Bland and Altman method were used for comparison between measurements. Two-paired t-test was used to determine the significance of intraobserver and interobserver differences (alpha = 0.05). Results: There is a significant difference between CAD and manual measurements in the maximum diameter (p = 0.004) for the first observer, whereas the difference was significant for minimum diameter between the second observer and the CAD (p <0.001). Interobserver variability showed a weak agreement when measurements were done manually. Intraobserver variability was lower with the CAD compared to the manual measurements (limits of variability: from -0.7 to 0.9 mm for the former and from -1.2 to 1.3 mm for the latter). Conclusion: In order to improve reproductibility of measurements whenever needed, pre- and post-therapeutic management of the ascending aorta may benefit from follow-up done by a unique observer with the help of CAD.

Automatic front-crawl temporal phase detection using adaptive filtering of inertial signals

This study introduces a novel approach for automatic temporal phase detection and inter-arm coordination estimation in front-crawl swimming using inertial measurement units (IMUs). We examined the validity of our method by comparison against a video-based system. Three waterproofed IMUs (composed of 3D accelerometer, 3D gyroscope) were placed on both forearms and the sacrum of the swimmer. We used two underwater video cameras in side and frontal views as our reference system. Two independent operators performed the video analysis. To test our methodology, seven well-trained swimmers performed three 300 m trials in a 50 m indoor pool. Each trial was in a different coordination mode quantified by the index of coordination. We detected different phases of the arm stroke by employing orientation estimation techniques and a new adaptive change detection algorithm on inertial signals. The difference of 0.2 +/- 3.9% between our estimation and video-based system in assessment of the index of coordination was comparable to experienced operators' difference (1.1 +/- 3.6%). The 95% limits of agreement of the difference between the two systems in estimation of the temporal phases were always less than 7.9% of the cycle duration. The inertial system offers an automatic easy-to-use system with timely feedback for the study of swimming.

Automatic DVB signal analyser

El problema de controlar les emissions de televisió digital a tota Europa pel desenvolupament de receptors robustos i fiables és cada vegada més significant, per això, sorgeix la necessitat d’automatitzar el procés d’anàlisi i control d’aquests senyals. Aquest projecte presenta el desenvolupament software d’una aplicació que vol solucionar una part d’aquest problema. L’aplicació s’encarrega d’analitzar, gestionar i capturar senyals de televisió digital. Aquest document fa una introducció a la matèria central que és la televisió digital i la informació que porten els senyals de televisió, concretament, la que es refereix a l’estàndard "Digital Video Broadcasting". A continuació d’aquesta part, l’escrit es concentra en l’explicació i descripció de les funcionalitats que necessita cobrir l'aplicació, així com introduir i explicar cada etapa d’un procés de desenvolupament software. Finalment, es resumeixen els avantatges de la creació d’aquest programa per l’automatització de l’anàlisi de senyal digital partint d’una optimització de recursos.

Segmentation of brain structures in presence of a space-occupying lesion.

Brain deformations induced by space-occupying lesions may result in unpredictable position and shape of functionally important brain structures. The aim of this study is to propose a method for segmentation of brain structures by deformation of a segmented brain atlas in presence of a space-occupying lesion. Our approach is based on an a priori model of lesion growth (MLG) that assumes radial expansion from a seeding point and involves three steps: first, an affine registration bringing the atlas and the patient into global correspondence; then, the seeding of a synthetic tumor into the brain atlas providing a template for the lesion; finally, the deformation of the seeded atlas, combining a method derived from optical flow principles and a model of lesion growth. The method was applied on two meningiomas inducing a pure displacement of the underlying brain structures, and segmentation accuracy of ventricles and basal ganglia was assessed. Results show that the segmented structures were consistent with the patient's anatomy and that the deformation accuracy of surrounding brain structures was highly dependent on the accurate placement of the tumor seeding point. Further improvements of the method will optimize the segmentation accuracy. Visualization of brain structures provides useful information for therapeutic consideration of space-occupying lesions, including surgical, radiosurgical, and radiotherapeutic planning, in order to increase treatment efficiency and prevent neurological damage.

On the automatic application of inequality indexes in the analysis of the international distribution of environmental indicators

In recent years traditional inequality measures have been used to quite a considerable extent to examine the international distribution of environmental indicators. One of its main characteristics is that each one assigns different weights to the changes that occur in the different sections of the variable distribution and, consequently, the results they yield can potentially be very different. Hence, we suggest the appropriateness of using a range of well-recommended measures to achieve more robust results. We also provide an empirical test for the comparative behaviour of several suitable inequality measures and environmental indicators. Our findings support the hypothesis that in some cases there are differences among measures in both the sign of the evolution and its size. JEL codes: D39; Q43; Q56. Keywords: international environment factor distribution; Kaya factors; Inequality measurement

Central and Cortical Gray Mater Segmentation of Magnetic Resonance Images of the Fetal Brain

Motivation. The study of human brain development in itsearly stage is today possible thanks to in vivo fetalmagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. Aquantitative analysis of fetal cortical surfacerepresents a new approach which can be used as a markerof the cerebral maturation (as gyration) and also forstudying central nervous system pathologies [1]. However,this quantitative approach is a major challenge forseveral reasons. First, movement of the fetus inside theamniotic cavity requires very fast MRI sequences tominimize motion artifacts, resulting in a poor spatialresolution and/or lower SNR. Second, due to the ongoingmyelination and cortical maturation, the appearance ofthe developing brain differs very much from thehomogenous tissue types found in adults. Third, due tolow resolution, fetal MR images considerably suffer ofpartial volume (PV) effect, sometimes in large areas.Today extensive efforts are made to deal with thereconstruction of high resolution 3D fetal volumes[2,3,4] to cope with intra-volume motion and low SNR.However, few studies exist related to the automatedsegmentation of MR fetal imaging. [5] and [6] work on thesegmentation of specific areas of the fetal brain such asposterior fossa, brainstem or germinal matrix. Firstattempt for automated brain tissue segmentation has beenpresented in [7] and in our previous work [8]. Bothmethods apply the Expectation-Maximization Markov RandomField (EM-MRF) framework but contrary to [7] we do notneed from any anatomical atlas prior. Data set &Methods. Prenatal MR imaging was performed with a 1-Tsystem (GE Medical Systems, Milwaukee) using single shotfast spin echo (ssFSE) sequences (TR 7000 ms, TE 180 ms,FOV 40 x 40 cm, slice thickness 5.4mm, in plane spatialresolution 1.09mm). Each fetus has 6 axial volumes(around 15 slices per volume), each of them acquired inabout 1 min. Each volume is shifted by 1 mm with respectto the previous one. Gestational age (GA) ranges from 29to 32 weeks. Mother is under sedation. Each volume ismanually segmented to extract fetal brain fromsurrounding maternal tissues. Then, in-homogeneityintensity correction is performed using [9] and linearintensity normalization is performed to have intensityvalues that range from 0 to 255. Note that due tointra-tissue variability of developing brain someintensity variability still remains. For each fetus, ahigh spatial resolution image of isotropic voxel size of1.09 mm is created applying [2] and using B-splines forthe scattered data interpolation [10] (see Fig. 1). Then,basal ganglia (BS) segmentation is performed on thissuper reconstructed volume. Active contour framework witha Level Set (LS) implementation is used. Our LS follows aslightly different formulation from well-known Chan-Vese[11] formulation. In our case, the LS evolves forcing themean of the inside of the curve to be the mean intensityof basal ganglia. Moreover, we add local spatial priorthrough a probabilistic map created by fitting anellipsoid onto the basal ganglia region. Some userinteraction is needed to set the mean intensity of BG(green dots in Fig. 2) and the initial fitting points forthe probabilistic prior map (blue points in Fig. 2). Oncebasal ganglia are removed from the image, brain tissuesegmentation is performed as described in [8]. Results.The case study presented here has 29 weeks of GA. Thehigh resolution reconstructed volume is presented in Fig.1. The steps of BG segmentation are shown in Fig. 2.Overlap in comparison with manual segmentation isquantified by the Dice similarity index (DSI) equal to0.829 (values above 0.7 are considered a very goodagreement). Such BG segmentation has been applied on 3other subjects ranging for 29 to 32 GA and the DSI hasbeen of 0.856, 0.794 and 0.785. Our segmentation of theinner (red and blue contours) and outer cortical surface(green contour) is presented in Fig. 3. Finally, torefine the results we include our WM segmentation in theFreesurfer software [12] and some manual corrections toobtain Fig.4. Discussion. Precise cortical surfaceextraction of fetal brain is needed for quantitativestudies of early human brain development. Our workcombines the well known statistical classificationframework with the active contour segmentation forcentral gray mater extraction. A main advantage of thepresented procedure for fetal brain surface extraction isthat we do not include any spatial prior coming fromanatomical atlases. The results presented here arepreliminary but promising. Our efforts are now in testingsuch approach on a wider range of gestational ages thatwe will include in the final version of this work andstudying as well its generalization to different scannersand different type of MRI sequences. References. [1]Guibaud, Prenatal Diagnosis 29(4) (2009). [2] Rousseau,Acad. Rad. 13(9), 2006, [3] Jiang, IEEE TMI 2007. [4]Warfield IADB, MICCAI 2009. [5] Claude, IEEE Trans. Bio.Eng. 51(4) (2004). [6] Habas, MICCAI (Pt. 1) 2008. [7]Bertelsen, ISMRM 2009 [8] Bach Cuadra, IADB, MICCAI 2009.[9] Styner, IEEE TMI 19(39 (2000). [10] Lee, IEEE Trans.Visual. And Comp. Graph. 3(3), 1997, [11] Chan, IEEETrans. Img. Proc, 10(2), 2001 [12] Freesurfer,http://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.