Transfers, social safety nets and economic growth

The role of social safety nets in the form of redistributional transfersand wage subsidies is analyzed using a simple model of criminal behavior. Itis argued that public welfare programs act as a crime--preventing ordisruption--preventing devices because they tend to increase the opportunitycost of engaging in crime or disruptive activities. It is shown that, in thepresence of a leisure choice, wage subsidies may be better than pure transfers. Using a simple growth model, it is shown that it is not optimal for the governmentto try to fully eliminate crime. The optimal size of the public welfare programis found and it is argued that public welfare should be financed with income(not lump--sum) taxes, despite the fact that income taxes are distortionary.The intuition for this result is that income taxes act as a user fee oncongested public goods and transfers can be thought of as {\it productive}public goods {\it subject to congestion}. Finally, using a cross-section of 75 countries, the partial correlation betweentransfers and growth is shown to be significantly positive.

Factor prices and productivity growth during the British Industrial Revolution

This paper presents new estimates of total factor productivity growth in Britain for the period1770 1860. We use the dual technique and argue that the estimates we derive from factorprices are of similar quality to quantity-based calculations. Our results provide further evidence,calculated on the basis of an independent set of sources, that productivity growth duringthe British Industrial Revolution was relatively slow. The Crafts Harley view of theIndustrial Revolution is thus reinforced. Our preferred estimates suggest a modest accelerationafter 1800.

Frequency and Type of Side Effects of Immunomodulating Medication in the Swiss Inflammatory Bowel Disease Cohort

Background: Medical treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is becoming more and more complex, as several classes of immuno-modulating drugs (IMD) are often used simultaneously. Thus, the probability of adverse effects is greatly increased. Most studies reporting on adverse effects focus on single therapy, and studies providing a global survey of side effects for multiple treatments are lacking. Aim: To assess the type and frequency of adverse events in IBD patients treated with single and multiple IMD therapy. Methods: Analysis of data from the Swiss IBD Cohort Study (SIBDCS) that collects data on a large sample of IBD patients from hospitals and private practices across Switzerland. The following IMD categories were analyzed: 5-ASA, azathioprine (Aza), 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP), methotrexate (MTX), anti-TNF (infliximab, adalimumab, certolizumab-pegol), cyclosporine, tacrolimus, and steroids. The following side effects were assessed: hepatitis, pancreatitis, leucopenia, thrombopenia, nephritis, allergic reaction, pneumonitis, infections (including tuberculosis), osteoporosis, abdominal pain/diarrhea (unrelated to IBD activity), cataract, diabetes, exanthema, hirsutism, lupus-like syndrome, myalgias, depression/psychosis, tumor development. Results: A total of 1,961 patients were analyzed (977 [50%] female, mean age 42.1 ± 14.4 years): 1,119 with Crohn's disease (CD), 800 with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 42 with indeterminate colitis (IC). Three-hundred eighteen (16.2%) patients were not treated with any of the above-mentioned medications, while 650 (33.2%), 569 (29%) and 424 (21.6%) patients had one-, two-, and three- or more- IMD therapy, respectively. Of the 1,643 patients treated with IMD, 535 (32.6%) patients reported at least one side effect. We found a significant correlation between the number of drugs used by a patient and the frequency of side effects (17.4% side effects for one drug, 29% for 2 drugs, and 60.6% for three or more drugs, p < 0.001). The frequency of side effects for the different IMD classes were as follows: 5-ASA (n = 980 treated patients) 10.8%, Aza/6-MP (n = 636) 51.9% (pancreatitis in 57 = 9%, hepatitis in 17 = 2.7% of treated patients), MTX (n = 146) 42.5% (hepatitis in 4 = 2.7% of treated patients), anti-TNF (n = 255) 23.1%, cyclosporine (n = 49) 10.2%, tacrolimus (n = 5) 20%, steroids (systemic or topical, n = 1,150) 9.6%. Conclusion: IBD treatment is associated with a significant number of side effects. A direct correlation between the number of IMD used simultaneously and the frequency of side effects was observed. The results of this study indicate that treating physicians should be vigilant for the occurrence of side effects in IBD patients under single and/or multiple drug therapy.

Externalities and interdependent growth: Theory and evidence

I formulate and estimate a model of externalities within countriesand technological interdependence across countries. I find that externalreturns to scale to physical capital within countries are 8 percent; thata 10 percent increase of total factor productivity of a country's neighborsraises its total factor productivity by 6 percent; and that a 2 percentannual growth rate of labor productivity can be explained as an endogenousresponse to an exogenous 0.2 percent annual growth rate of total factorproductivity in the steady--state.

Trade, extent of the market and economic growth 1960-1996

We find that trade and domestic market size are robust determinants of economic growth overthe 1960-1996 period when trade openness is measured as the US dollar value of imports andexports relative to GDP in PPP US$ ('real openness'). When trade openness is measured asthe US dollar value of imports and exports relative to GDP in exchange rate US$ ('nominalopenness') however, trade and the size of domestic markets are often non-robust determinantsof growth. We argue that real openness is the more appropriate measure of trade and that ourempirical results should be seen as evidence in favor of the extent-of-the-market hypothesis.

Native homing endonucleases can target conserved genes in humans and in animal models.

In recent years, both homing endonucleases (HEases) and zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) have been engineered and selected for the targeting of desired human loci for gene therapy. However, enzyme engineering is lengthy and expensive and the off-target effect of the manufactured endonucleases is difficult to predict. Moreover, enzymes selected to cleave a human DNA locus may not cleave the homologous locus in the genome of animal models because of sequence divergence, thus hampering attempts to assess the in vivo efficacy and safety of any engineered enzyme prior to its application in human trials. Here, we show that naturally occurring HEases can be found, that cleave desirable human targets. Some of these enzymes are also shown to cleave the homologous sequence in the genome of animal models. In addition, the distribution of off-target effects may be more predictable for native HEases. Based on our experimental observations, we present the HomeBase algorithm, database and web server that allow a high-throughput computational search and assignment of HEases for the targeting of specific loci in the human and other genomes. We validate experimentally the predicted target specificity of candidate fungal, bacterial and archaeal HEases using cell free, yeast and archaeal assays.

Composition of weight gain during the neonatal period and longitudinal growth follow-up in premature babies.

Changes in the rate of growth and adiposity index (Quetelet index), calculated as weight/(length)2, kg/m2, were monitored from birth to 3 years in 19 premature babies (post-conceptional age 31.2 +/- 2 weeks) who were subjected during rapid growth (16 +/- 4 g/kg.day) to initial metabolic balance studies in the first weeks of life. These studies showed that the rate of fat accretion in these infants (3.3 +/- 0.9 g/kg.day) was substantially greater than that observed in fetuses of the same gestational age (2 g/kg.day) but the adiposity index was lower (9.6 +/- 1 kg/m2) than intrauterine values (11 kg/m2). Since at 6 months of age (corrected for gestational age at birth) the adiposity index was close to normality (103% of standard), the greater rate of fat accretion in early life contributed to progressively restore total body fat in premature babies. It is concluded that despite substantial fat deposition during the first weeks of life, the future evolution of these premature babies is favourable as judged from the normalization of adiposity index within the first 2 years of life.

Phosphorus and root distribution and corn growth as related to long-term tillage systems and fertilizer placement

Soil and fertilizer management during cultivation can affect crop productivity and profitability. Long-term experiments are therefore necessary to determine the dynamics of nutrient and root distribution as related to soil profile, as well as the effects on nutrient uptake and crop growth. An 18-year experiment was conducted at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul State (UFRGS), in Eldorado do Sul, Brazil, on Rhodic Paleudult soil. Black oat and vetch were planted in the winter and corn in the summer. The soil management methods were conventional, involving no-tillage and strip tillage techniques and broadcast, row-and strip-applied fertilizer placement (triple superphosphate). Available P (Mehlich-1) and root distribution were determined in soil monoliths during the corn grain filling period. Corn shoot dry matter production and P accumulation during the 2006/2007 growing season were determined and the efficiency of P utilization calculated. Regardless of the degree of soil mobilization, P and roots were accumulated in the fertilized zone with time, mainly in the surface layer (0-10 cm). Root distribution followed P distribution for all tillage systems and fertilizer treatments. Under no-tillage, independent of the fertilizer placement, the corn plants developed more roots than in the other tillage systems. Although soil tillage systems and fertilizer treatments affected P and root distribution throughout the soil profile, as well as P absorption and corn growth, the efficiency of P utilization was not affected.

Front and domain growth in the presence of gravity

Front and domain growth of a binary mixture in the presence of a gravitational field is studied. The interplay of bulk- and surface-diffusion mechanisms is analyzed. An equation for the evolution of interfaces is derived from a time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation with a concentration-dependent diffusion coefficient. Scaling arguments on this equation give the exponents of a power-law growth. Numerical integrations of the Ginzburg-Landau equation corroborate the theoretical analysis.

Predicting the growth response to thinning for Scots pine stands using individual-tree growth models

Summary