The effects of uncertainty avoidance on brand performance: Marketing creativity, product innovation and the brand duration

This paper investigates the link between brand performance and cultural primes in high-risk,innovation-based sectors. In theory section, we propose that the level of cultural uncertaintyavoidance embedded in a firm determine its marketing creativity by increasing the complexityand the broadness of a brand. It determines also the rate of firm product innovations.Marketing creativity and product innovation influence finally the firm marketingperformance. Empirically, we study trademarked promotion in the Software Security Industry(SSI). Our sample consists of 87 firms that are active in SSI from 11 countries in the period1993-2000. We use the data coming from SSI-related trademarks registered by these firms,ending up with 2,911 SSI-related trademarks and a panel of 18,213 observations. We estimatea two stage model in which first we predict the complexity and the broadness of a trademarkas a measure of marketing creativity and the rate of product innovations. Among severalcontrol variables, our variable of theoretical interest is the Hofstede s uncertainty avoidancecultural index. Then, we estimate the trademark duration with a hazard model using thepredicted complexity and broadness as well as the rate of product innovations, along with thesame control variables. Our evidence confirms that the cultural avoidance affects the durationof the trademarks through the firm marketing creativity and product innovation.

Understanding the effects of government spending on consumption

Recent evidence suggests that consumption rises in response to an increase in government spending. That finding cannot be easily reconciled with existing optimizing business cycle models. We extend the standard new Keynesian model to allow for the presence of rule-of-thumb consumers. We show how the interaction of the latter with sticky prices and deficit financing can account for the existing evidence on the effects of government spending.

Forecasting the effects of global warming on biodiversity

The demand for accurate forecasting of the effects of global warming on biodiversity is growing, but current methods for forecasting have limitations. in this article, we compare and discuss the different uses of four forecasting methods: (1) models that consider species individually, (2) niche-theory models that group species by habitat (more specifically, by environmental conditions under which a species can persist or does persist), (3) general circulation models and coupled ocean-atmosphere-biosphere models, and (4) specics-area curve models that consider all species or large aggregates of species. After outlining the different uses and limitations of these methods, we make eight primary suggestions for improving forecasts. We find that greater use of the fossil record and of modern genetic studies would improve forecasting methods. We note a Quaternary conundrum: While current empirical and theoretical ecological results suggest that many species could be at risk from global warming, during the recent ice ages surprisingly few species became extinct. The potential resolution of this conundrum gives insights into the requirements for more accurate and reliable forecasting. Our eight suggestions also point to constructive synergies in the solution to the different problems.

The effects of tax deductibility on the mix of property taxes and use charges: an empirical analysis of the spanish case

This paper tests some hypothesis about the determinants of the local tax structure. In particular, we focus on the effects that the property tax deductibility in the national income tax has on the relative use of the property tax and user charges. We deal with the incentive effects that local governments face regarding the different sources of revenue by means of a model in which the local tax structure and the level of public expenditure arise as a result of the maximizing behaviour of local politicians subject to the economic effects of the tax system. We attempt to test the hypothesis developed with data corresponding to a set of Spanish municipalities during the period 1987-9l. We find that tax deductibility provides incentives to raise revenues from the property tax but does not introduce a biass against user charges or in favor of overall spending growth

The effects of tax deductibility on the mix of property taxes and use charges: an empirical analysis of the spanish case

This paper tests some hypothesis about the determinants of the local tax structure. In particular, we focus on the effects that the property tax deductibility in the national income tax has on the relative use of the property tax and user charges. We deal with the incentive effects that local governments face regarding the different sources of revenue by means of a model in which the local tax structure and the level of public expenditure arise as a result of the maximizing behaviour of local politicians subject to the economic effects of the tax system. We attempt to test the hypothesis developed with data corresponding to a set of Spanish municipalities during the period 1987-9l. We find that tax deductibility provides incentives to raise revenues from the property tax but does not introduce a biass against user charges or in favor of overall spending growth

The effects of monetary policy on stock market bubbles: Some evidence

We estimate the response of stock prices to exogenous monetary policy shocks usinga vector-autoregressive model with time-varying parameters. Our evidence points toprotracted episodes in which, after a a short-run decline, stock prices increase persistently in response to an exogenous tightening of monetary policy. That responseis clearly at odds with the "conventional" view on the effects of monetary policy onbubbles, as well as with the predictions of bubbleless models. We also argue that it isunlikely that such evidence be accounted for by an endogenous response of the equitypremium to the monetary policy shocks.

Building the niche through time: using 13,000 years of data to predict the effects of climate change on three tree species in Europe

Aim Species distribution models (SDMs) based on current species ranges underestimate the potential distribution when projected in time and/or space. A multi-temporal model calibration approach has been suggested as an alternative, and we evaluate this using 13,000 years of data. Location Europe. Methods We used fossil-based records of presence for Picea abies, Abies alba and Fagus sylvatica and six climatic variables for the period 13,000 to 1000yr bp. To measure the contribution of each 1000-year time step to the total niche of each species (the niche measured by pooling all the data), we employed a principal components analysis (PCA) calibrated with data over the entire range of possible climates. Then we projected both the total niche and the partial niches from single time frames into the PCA space, and tested if the partial niches were more similar to the total niche than random. Using an ensemble forecasting approach, we calibrated SDMs for each time frame and for the pooled database. We projected each model to current climate and evaluated the results against current pollen data. We also projected all models into the future. Results Niche similarity between the partial and the total-SDMs was almost always statistically significant and increased through time. SDMs calibrated from single time frames gave different results when projected to current climate, providing evidence of a change in the species realized niches through time. Moreover, they predicted limited climate suitability when compared with the total-SDMs. The same results were obtained when projected to future climates. Main conclusions The realized climatic niche of species differed for current and future climates when SDMs were calibrated considering different past climates. Building the niche as an ensemble through time represents a way forward to a better understanding of a species' range and its ecology in a changing climate.

Meta-analysis of the effects of MI training on clinicians' behavior.

MI-based interventions are widely used with a number of different clinical populations and their efficacy has been well established. However, the clinicians' training has not traditionally been the focus of empirical investigations. We conducted a meta-analytic review of clinicians' MI-training and MI-skills findings. Fifteen studies were included, involving 715 clinicians. Pre-post training effect sizes were calculated (13 studies) as well as group contrast effect sizes (7 studies). Pre-post training comparisons showed medium to large ES of MI training, which are maintained over a short period of time. When compared to a control group, our results also suggested higher MI proficiency in the professionals trained in MI than in nontrained ones (medium ES). However, this estimate of ES may be affected by a publication bias and therefore, should be considered with caution. Methodological limitations and potential sources of heterogeneity of the studies included in this meta-analysis are discussed.

The effects of unemployment benefits on migration in lagging regions

[spa] En este trabajo se analizan los efectos sobre la movilidad geográfica de una política pública (SIPTEA) que aumenta la protección por desempleo en Extremadura y Andalucía. Utilizando la discontinuidad geográfica en la política estudiada y datos de los Censos de Población de 1981 y 1991 a nivel municipal, se estima el efecto de SIPTEA en el crecimiento de la población y en las probabilidades de emigrar e inmigrar en áreas rurales que experimentan elevadas tasas de paro y de emigración. Los resultados del trabajo indican que la política mitigó estas pérdidas de población aunque los efectos son cuantitativamente moderados. También se exploran los efectos de dicha política en el ámbito laboral, encontrándose un incremento de la tasa del desempleo asociado a la implementación de la política de entre 10 y 13 puntos porcentuales.

The effects of unemployment benefits on migration in lagging regions

[spa] En este trabajo se analizan los efectos sobre la movilidad geográfica de una política pública (SIPTEA) que aumenta la protección por desempleo en Extremadura y Andalucía. Utilizando la discontinuidad geográfica en la política estudiada y datos de los Censos de Población de 1981 y 1991 a nivel municipal, se estima el efecto de SIPTEA en el crecimiento de la población y en las probabilidades de emigrar e inmigrar en áreas rurales que experimentan elevadas tasas de paro y de emigración. Los resultados del trabajo indican que la política mitigó estas pérdidas de población aunque los efectos son cuantitativamente moderados. También se exploran los efectos de dicha política en el ámbito laboral, encontrándose un incremento de la tasa del desempleo asociado a la implementación de la política de entre 10 y 13 puntos porcentuales.

Phenol-Explorer 3.0: a major update of the Phenol-Explorer database to incorporate data on the effects of food processing on polyphenol content

Polyphenols are a major class of bioactive phytochemicals whose consumption may play a role in the prevention of a number of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes and cancers. Phenol-Explorer, launched in 2009, is the only freely available web-based database on the content of polyphenols in food and their in vivo metabolism and pharmacokinetics. Here we report the third release of the database (Phenol-Explorer 3.0), which adds data on the effects of food processing on polyphenol contents in foods. Data on >100 foods, covering 161 polyphenols or groups of polyphenols before and after processing, were collected from 129 peer-reviewed publications and entered into new tables linked to the existing relational design. The effect of processing on polyphenol content is expressed in the form of retention factor coefficients, or the proportion of a given polyphenol retained after processing, adjusted for change in water content. The result is the first database on the effects of food processing on polyphenol content and, following the model initially defined for Phenol-Explorer, all data may be traced back to original sources. The new update will allow polyphenol scientists to more accurately estimate polyphenol exposure from dietary surveys. Database URL: http://www.phenol-explorer.eu

The effects of some variables on CO2 laser-MAG hybrid welding

The CO2-laser-MAG hybrid welding process has been shown to be a productive choice for the welding industry, being used in e.g. the shipbuilding, pipe and beam manufacturing, and automotive industries. It provides an opportunity to increase the productivity of welding of joints containing air gaps compared with autogenous laser beam welding, with associated reductions in distortion and marked increases in welding speeds and penetration in comparison with both arc and autogenous laser welding. The literature study indicated that the phenomena of laser hybrid welding are mostly being studied using bead-on-plate welding or zero air gap configurations. This study shows it very clearly that the CO2 laser-MAG hybrid welding process is completely different, when there is a groove with an air gap. As in case of industrial use it is excepted that welding is performed for non-zero grooves, this study is of great importance for industrial applications. The results of this study indicate that by using a 6 kW CO2 laser-MAG hybrid welding process, the welding speed may also be increased if an air gap is present in the joint. Experimental trials indicated that the welding speed may be increased by 30-82% when compared with bead-on-plate welding, or welding of a joint with no air gap i.e. a joint prepared as optimum for autogenous laser welding. This study demonstrates very clearly, that the separation of the different processes, as well as the relative configurations of the processes (arc leading or trailing) affect welding performance significantly. These matters influence the droplet size and therefore the metal transfer mode, which in turn determined the resulting weld quality and the ability to bridge air gaps. Welding in bead-onplate mode, or of an I butt joint containing no air gap joint is facilitated by using a leading torch. This is due to the preheating effect of the arc, which increases the absorptivity of the work piece to the laser beam, enabling greater penetration and the use of higher welding speeds. With an air gap present, air gap bridging is more effectively achieved by using a trailing torch because of the lower arc power needed, the wider arc, and the movement of droplets predominantly towards the joint edges. The experiments showed, that the mode of metal transfer has a marked effect on gap bridgeability. Transfer of a single droplet per arc pulse may not be desirable if an air gap is present, because most of the droplets are directed towards the middle of the joint where no base material is present. In such cases, undercut is observed. Pulsed globular and rotational metal transfer modes enable molten metal to also be transferred to the joint edges, and are therefore superior metal transfer modes when bridging air gaps. It was also found very obvious, that process separation is an important factor in gap bridgeability. If process separation is too large, the resulting weld often exhibits sagging, or no weld may be formed at all as a result of the reduced interaction between the component processes. In contrast, if the processes are too close to one another, the processing region contains excess molten metal that may create difficulties for the keyhole to remain open. When the distance is optimised - i.e. a separation of 0-4 mm in this study, depending on the welding speed and beam-arc configuration - the processes act together, creating beneficial synergistic effects. The optimum process separation when using a trailing torch was found to be shorter (0-2 mm) than when a leading torch is used (2-4 mm); a result of the facilitation of weld pool motion when the latter configuration is adopted. This study demonstrates, that the MAG process used has a strong effect on the CO2-laser-MAG hybrid welding process. The laser beam welding component is relatively stable and easy to manage, with only two principal processing parameters (power and welding speed) needing to be adjusted. In contrast, the MAG process has a large number of processing parameters to optimise, all of which play an important role in the interaction between the laser beam and the arc. The parameters used for traditional MAG welding are often not optimal in achieving the most appropriate mode of metal transfer, and weld quality in laser hybrid welding, and must be optimised if the full range of benefits provided by hybrid welding are to be realised.