177 research outputs found
Why is unemployment so high in Bulgaria?
Get PDFThe author seeks to determine the main factors behind poor labor market outcomes in Bulgaria. Unemployment in Bulgaria is high and of long duration. The accumulation of the unemployment stock has been caused by relatively high inflows into unemployment coupled with limited outflows. These features of the Bulgarian labor market are typical of other transition economies in Central Europe and exploring their sources is of broad interest. The author focuses on determinants of and constraints to job creation. He uses data on job creation and job destruction from a survey of employment in all registered firms. He finds that the source of large inflows into unemployment is intensive enterprise restructuring associated with a high pace of job reallocation. However, job creation falls short of job destruction. Three main factors account for the limited job creation and hiring, and thus for low outflows from unemployment: a) The unfriendly business environment, reflected by a low rate of new firm formation, and a relatively small, small and medium enterprise sector. b) Labor market rigidities, including excessive hiring and firing costs. c) Skill and spatial mismatches brought about by enterprise restructuring, as well as low skills and marginalization of the long-term unemployed who cannot successfully compete for new jobs. The author recommends a three pronged strategy to improve labor market performance: (1) removing bureaucratic constraints to entry and expansion of firms; (2) enhancing labor market flexibility through lowering hiring and firing costs; and (3) improving the educational system so as to equip workers with broad and portable skills.Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Policies,Labor Markets,Public Health Promotion,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Markets,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Labor Standards,Banks&Banking Reform
Patterns of Retirement as Reflected in Income Tax Records for Older Workers
Get PDFIf retirement means a substantial and sustained reduction in the time spent working for pay or profit, measurement requires a definition of substantial and sufficient observations of the same individuals to determine whether a transition from “working” to “retired” status has occurred. Using the Statistics Canada Longitudinal Administrative Databank, a 20 percent sample of the individual income tax returns of all tax filers since 1980, we identify those with significant labour force attachment at ages 50-52, and follow them year by year. If retired means having no income from employment, the median age of retirement is about 63 for men, 62 for women. That is true for all cohorts. If earning up to half of one’s previous employment income is deemed consistent with being retired, the median age is about 60 for both men and women. Results obtained in this way are consistent with calculations based on Labour Force Survey data.retirement, older workers
Magnetizer
No full textComputes time and radial dependent magnetic fields for a sample of galaxies in the output of a semi-analytic model of galaxy formation. The magnetic field is obtained by numerically solving the galactic dynamo equations throughout history of each galaxy. Stokes parameters and Faraday rotation measure can also be computed along a random line-of-sight for each galaxy
GalMag
No full textGalMag is a Python package for computing galactic magnetic fields based on mean field dynamo theory. The code computes solutions to the mean field dynamo equation for the choices of parameters and galaxy rotation curves specified by the user
Comparison of short- and long-term function and radiographic osteoarthrosis in dogs after postoperative physical rehabilitation and tibial plateau leveling osteotomy or lateral fabellar suture stabilization
No full textObjectives— To compare short- and long-term functional and radiographic outcome of cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) injury in dogs treated with postoperative physical rehabilitation and either tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) or lateral fabellar suture stabilization (LFS).
Study Design— Prospective observational clinical study.
Animals— Medium to large breed dogs with naturally occurring CrCL injury (n=65).
Methods— Dogs with CrCL injury were treated with either TPLO or LFS and with identical physical rehabilitation regimes postoperatively. Limb peak vertical force (PVF) was measured preoperatively and at 3, 5, and 7 weeks, and 6 months and 24 months postoperatively. Stifles were radiographically assessed for osteoarthrosis (OA) preoperatively and 24 months postoperatively.
Results— Thirty-five dogs had LFS and 30 dogs had TPLO. Radiographic OA scores were significantly increased at 24 months compared with preoperative scores in all dogs. Radiographic OA scores preoperatively and at 24 months were not significantly different between treatment groups. PVF was significantly increased from preoperative to 24 months among both treatment groups but not significantly different between treatment groups preoperatively or at 3, 5, 7 weeks, 6, or 24 months.
Conclusion— No significant difference in outcome as determined by ground reaction forces or radiographic OA scores were found between dogs with CrCL injury treated with LFS or TPLO.
Clinical Relevance— LFS and TPLO remain good options for stabilizing stifles with CrCL injury with all dogs showing significant functional improvement. This study does not support the superiority of either surgical technique
Comparison of lateral fabellar suture and tibial plateau leveling osteotomy techniques for treatment of dogs with cranial cruciate ligament disease
No full textObjective—To compare 1-year outcomes after lateral fabellar suture stabilization (LFS) and tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) for the treatment of dogs with cranial cruciate ligament disease.
Design—Randomized blinded controlled clinical trial.
Animals—80 dogs with naturally occurring unilateral cranial cruciate ligament disease.
Procedures—All dogs were randomly assigned to undergo LFS (n = 40) or TPLO (40). Clinical data collected included age, weight, body condition score, history information, stifle joint instability, radiographic findings, surgical findings, and complications. Outcome measures were determined prior to surgery and at 6 and 12 weeks and 6 and 12 months after surgery, including values of pressure platform gait analysis variables, Canine Brief Pain Inventory scores, owner satisfaction ratings, thigh circumference, and stifle joint goniometry values.
Results—Signalment and data for possible confounding variables were similar between groups. Peak vertical force of affected hind limbs at a walk and trot was 5% to 11% higher for dogs in the TPLO group versus those in the LFS group during the 12 months after surgery. Canine Brief Pain Inventory, goniometry, and thigh circumference results indicated dogs in both groups improved after surgery, but significant differences between groups were not detected. Owner satisfaction ratings at 12 months after surgery were significantly different between groups; 93% and 75% of owners of dogs in the TPLO and LFS groups indicated a satisfaction score ≥ 9 (scale, 1 to 10), respectively.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Kinematic and owner satisfaction results indicated dogs that underwent TPLO had better outcomes than those that underwent LFS
Vietnam labour market and informal economy in a time of crisis and recovery 2007-2009 : main findings of the Labour Force Surveys (LFS)
No full textIn 2007 the General Statistics Office (GSO) launched a joint research program with the French Institute of Research for Development (IRD) to measure and analyzes the informal sector in Vietnam. Two kinds of surveys were conducted in 2007: a national Labour Force Survey (LFS) which, in a first for Vietnam classified labour by institutional sector thereby separating out the informal sector; and two specific surveys in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) which were grafted onto the LFS2007 to find out more about the characteristics of household businesses (HB) in general and especially the informal sector (HB&IS2007). This brief presents the main findings (both methodological and analytical) of these two rounds of LFS as regards the labour market and the informal economy in Vietnam. In the context of the global crisis, it looks at the dynamics of the main labour market indicators with a special focus on informal sector and informal employment between 2007 and 2009.For the first time ever in Vietnam, it is possible measure precisely the evolution of the informal economy and to check for the robustness of the estimates provided. In the conclusion the author outline some of the implications of the findings in terms of survey design and economic and social policies.ou
Properties of Gypsum Mortars Dosed with LFS for Use in the Design of Prefabricated Blocks
No full textThe aim of the present investigation is to determine the suitability of gypsum mortars with mineral additions of ladle furnace slags (LFS) for use in the manufacture of prefabricated blocks. Different dosages of gypsum mortars are designed, and the corresponding tests for their characterization are performed, with the objective of determining their properties, in both the fresh and the hardened state, in accordance with applicable standards. A suitable dosage is then chosen, bearing in mind the optimization criterion on the use of waste in gypsum mixtures, seeking a balance between the quantity of slag that is used and the quality of its properties. Completing the study, a series of complementary tests are performed related to its behaviour in the presence of heat, fire, and both thermal and acoustic transmission. The results showed that the gypsum mortar designs presented similar properties to the conventional mortars and can be approved for use in construction, either as gypsum mortars or as raw material for the manufacture of prefabricated blocks, in compliance with the requirements established in current European standards. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd
Special Education: LIBRAS and LFS, an Interactive Translator for Brazilians and French
Get PDFA new social conscience is created, which will be used by a net society, at local and global levels, crossing both informatics and education contexts. So, this work proposes the construction of a tool for communication between listeners and speakers through the Brazilian Sign Language (LIBRAS) and the French Sign Language (LFS), making a simultaneous translation between the Brazilian written language and the French written language integrated through a web application, with the aid of the recognition of signals by techniques of image recognition and use of webservices. In addition, it raises a bibliography of the struggle of disabled people, the importance of non-verbal communication in human life, as well as an analysis of several translators available in the electronic mean, raising their strengths and weaknesses by comparing them in standard color, structure and navigation used. At the end of the study, a general evaluation is carried out on the application of a questionnaire to the users and a case study with TRADUZ
Constraints on galaxy formation models from the galaxy stellar mass function and its evolution
Get PDFWe explore the parameter space of the semi-analytic galaxy formation model Galform, studying the constraints imposed by measurements of the galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF) and its evolution. We use the Bayesian Emulator method to quickly eliminate vast implausible volumes of the parameter space and zoom in on the most interesting regions, allowing us to identify a set of models that match the observational data within model uncertainties. We find that the GSMF strongly constrains parameters related to quiescent star formation in discs, stellar and AGN feedback and threshold for disc instabilities, but weakly restricts other parameters. Constraining the model using local data alone does not usually select models that match the evolution of the GSMF well. Nevertheless, we show that a small subset of models provides acceptable match to GSMF data out to redshift 1.5. We explore the physical significance of the parameters of these models, in particular exploring whether the model provides a better description if the mass loading of the galactic winds generated by starbursts (β0,burst) and quiescent disks (β0,disc) is different. Performing a principal component analysis of the plausible volume of the parameter space, we write a set of relations between parameters obeyed by plausible models with respect to GSMF evolution. We find that while β0,disc is strongly constrained by GSMF evolution data, constraints on β0,burst are weak. Although it is possible to find plausible models for which β0,burst=β0,disc, most plausible models have β0,burst>β0,disc, implying – for these – larger SN feedback efficiency at higher redshifts
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