Measure Of Inefficiency Research Articles

Blame work and the scapegoating mechanism in market status-quo

This study explores the tenacity of the plastics market and reveals blame work to explain market status quo. Anti-plastic advocates accuse corporations and regulators of inefficient measures deployed to control the omnipresence, hazardous effects, and indestructability of plastic. Regulators focus on single-use plastic and recycling to mitigate the omnipresence of plastic and delegate responsibility to other actors for its hazardous effects and indestructability. Plastic producers and distributors avoid blame by developing alternatives to single-use plastic. Consumers locally and sporadically blame policy makers and corporations for plastic problems but lack resources and social organization to effect broad changes in the market. From all these dynamics of blame emerges a scapegoat: consumers accepting responsibility for plastic problems. Dynamics of blame help maintain boundaries of power and interest and contribute to consumer responsibilization, reinforce power imbalances, hinder collaboration among actors with different interests in plastic, and, as such, help maintain market status quo.

Quantile regression approach for measuring production inefficiency with empirical application to the primary production sector for the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China

We propose a new method to measure production inefficiency by estimating the target and production technology of individual units using quantile regression. This method not only measures inefficiency in total factor productivity but also inefficiencies in input utilizations. We also propose two methods for decomposing the estimated inefficiency. We apply this proposed method for measuring the inefficiency of primary sector production for the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China to clarify its usefulness and advantages. We specify the capital stock using the area sown and other inputs to estimate the production function with the restriction of constant returns-to-scale. Results indicate that lower labor inputs make production inefficient, and the inefficiency of labor utilization makes a large contribution to the mean and variance of total inefficiency. We also compare the proposed inefficiency measure to those employing corrected ordinary least squares and data envelopment analysis. The estimated efficiencies obtained are similar to those for existing methods. However, the proposed method provides additional advantages, including information on the inefficiencies in input utilization.

Performance and validation of a radiation model coupled with a transient bubbling fluidized bed combustion model

None of the transient bubbling fluidized bed combustor (BFBC) models couples the solution of radiative transfer equation with the solution of conservation equations of other transport processes although thermal radiation is of considerable importance in such systems, as such an objective requires both accurate and computationally efficient methods for not only the solution of radiative transfer but also the estimation of radiative properties of particle-laden combustion gases. Therefore, in this study, a 1-D transient comprehensive system model for combustion of lignite is coupled with a 3-D radiation model based on method of line solution of discrete ordinates method utilizing one gas spectral line-based weighted sum of gray gases for spectral gas properties, Mie theory for gray particle properties, and gray wall properties. Predictive accuracy of the model is validated against (i) predictions of a computationally inefficient spectral radiation model and (ii) measurements of transient temperature and concentrations of the species O2 and CO obtained from METU 0.3 MWt atmospheric bubbling fluidized bed combustion test rig firing lignite. The outcome of this study provides a comprehensive, accurate, and computationally efficient tool for simulation of transient BFBCs and highlights the significant impact of radiative heat transfer in modeling of industrial boilers.

Technical and allocative efficiency in European banking

This paper specifies an empirical framework for estimating both technical and allocative efficiency, which is applied to a large panel of European banks over the years 1996 to 2003. Our methodology allows for self-consistent measurement of technical and allocative inefficiency, in an effort to address the issue known in the literature as the Greene problem. The results suggest that, on average, European banks exhibit constant returns to scale, that technical and allocative efficiency are close to 80% and 75% respectively, and that overall economic efficiency shows a clearly improving trend. We also show through the comparison of various estimators that models incorporating only technical efficiency tend to overestimate it.

A Composite Index for Measuring Stock Market Inefficiency

Market inefficiency is a latent concept, and it is difficult to be measured by means of a single indicator. In this paper, following both the adaptive market hypothesis (AMH) and the fractal market hypothesis (FMH), we develop a new time‐varying measure of stock market inefficiency. The proposed measure, called composite efficiency index (CEI), is estimated as the synthesis of the most common efficiency measures such as the returns’ autocorrelation, liquidity, volatility, and a new measure based on the Hurst exponent, called the Hurst efficiency index (HEI). To empirically validate the indicator, we compare different European stock markets in terms of efficiency over time.

Efficiency linkages between cryptocurrencies, equities and commodities at different time frames

This paper examines pricing efficiency of cryptocurrencies and some traditional assets measuring the level of market efficiency with Adjusted Market Inefficiency Measure. The patterns of several cryptocurrencies’ price dynamics over the last 4 years are compared with those of traditional assets. Correlation and mutual information matrices for AMIM are obtained using different estimation intervals. The results across different time scales are tested for noise using permutation entropy technique, empirical estimations are represented in statistical complexity plane to show the structure of efficiency links. Usage of AMIM in short window estimation is justified. Efficiency levels seem to be closely connected if judged from the standpoint of information theory at all time frames. Efficiency linkages become more linear at larger analysis periods. Cryptocurrencies seem to be more closely connected to equities, especially S&P500. Bursts of inefficiency on cryptocurrencies markets spread to equity markets and are possibly mediated in bank system. Commodities seem to be more independently priced.

Do Protected Areas influence populations of the threatened red alga Phyllophora crispa along the southwestern coast of Crimea (the Black Sea)?

The perennial sciaphilous alga Phyllophora crispa (Phyllophoraceae, Rhodophyta) belongs to the main community-forming species of the Black Sea but due to the catastrophic degradation of its populations, it has been listed as an endangered species in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation. Phyllophora crispa off the southwestern coast of Crimea is preserved within six Protected Areas (PAs) established between 1972 and 2017, which include the narrow 300-m-wide strips of coastal waters ranging from 0.0597 km2 to 0.208 km2 in area. Despite a long existence, the degeneration of P. crispa assemblages has been shown in some of them that may indicate inefficient measures aimed at conserving bottom communities in Marine PAs (MPAs) and the need to optimise the regional PA network. Therefore, this study addresses assessing the effectiveness of the preservation of P. crispa in MPAs along the southwestern coast of Crimea, and it aims at two main objectives: to compare the status of P. crispa populations in the study area at present and before the MPA establishment, and to assess their current state in the marine protected and unprotected areas. In 2015–2020, the density, biomass, weight and length of P. crispa thalli were determined in five MPAs ranged in age 33–48 years of protection and in 16 unprotected water areas, at depths from 0.5 m to 20 m. A comparison of the obtained and published data for the 5 m to 20 m depth range showed that from 1964–1967 until 2015–2020, the P. crispa biomass in the study area decreased on average 2.7-fold, the density 1.5-fold and the thallus weight 2.0-fold. Evaluating the decline of the populations of P. crispa along the depth range of 5–15 m showed that it was most pronounced at a 15-m depth, being statistically significant in biomass and thallus weight. At the same time, an analysis of variance showed no effect of protection on the between-year change in P. crispa population parameters. In addition, in 2015–2020, there was no statistically significant difference in the average biomass and density of this species inside and outside the MPAs. The average weight and length of thalli did not differ due to protection either, except for a depth of 10 m where values of these parameters were, respectively, 3.3 times and 1.4 times higher inside than outside MPAs. One explanation for the non-significant MPA effect on the state of populations of P. crispa could be a lack of statistical power in our study. Another one was the small area and low width of MPAs, which makes the seaweed communities vulnerable to negative impacts near the MPA borders. To improve the effectiveness of the conservation of P. crispa in the southwestern Crimea, it was recommended to increase the MPA coverage, create buffer zones around MPAs and take measures resulting in environmental improvement throughout the region.

Measurement of Environmental Efficiency Based on Stochastic Directional Distance Function: A Metafrontier Approach

This study measures environmental efficiency (EE) based on CO₂ emissions for five groups of countries between 1998 and 2018, using the stochastic metafrontier directional distance function. The model estimates environmental efficiency scores for a panel of 163 countries using data on GDP and CO₂ emissions as economic growth and the consumption of fossil fuels lead to increased CO₂ emissions. Moreover, meta inefficiency and technical gap differences (TGD) are compared, and the findings indicate that most countries have higher mean TGDs than their group’s average inefficiency measures. Furthermore, except for the low-income group, the OECD group is closest to the meta environmental frontier, suggesting that the OECD countries have advanced technologies to govern the environment. Alternatively, the findings also showed that upper-middle-income countries have the worst meta efficiency, implying that this group of countries sustain a high pollution growth path. Finally, we compare the difference between the stochastic metafrontier method and the pooling method and show that the pooling approach underestimates the severity of environmental problems.

Technical efficiency of public middle schools in New York City

Using panel data and a “true” fixed effect stochastic frontier model, we estimate persistent and transient technical inefficiency in mathematics (Math) and English Language Arts (ELA) test score gains in New York City public middle schools from 2014 to 2016. We compare several measures of transient technical inefficiency and show that around 58% of New York City middle schools are efficient in Math gains, while 16% are efficient in ELA gains. Multivariate inference techniques are used to determine subsets of efficient schools, providing actionable decision rules to help policymakers target resources and incentives.

Macroeconomic news announcements and market efficiency: Evidence from the U.S. Treasury market

• This paper investigates the impact of scheduled macroeconomic news announcements on the U.S. Treasury market’s efficiency. • This paper employs a robust method to construct market inefficiency measures using intraday data and controlling for microstructure noise. • The U.S. Treasury market is less efficient in the five-minute interval before news arrival. • Investor heterogeneity provides a possible explanation for the decreased market efficiency before scheduled news announcements. We investigate the impact of scheduled macroeconomic news announcements on the U.S. Treasury market’s efficiency. Using intraday data and controlling for microstructure noise, we employ a robust method to construct market inefficiency measures. We find that the U.S. Treasury market is less efficient in the five-minute interval before news arrival. Our findings are robust for different sample periods, macroeconomic news announcements, and market inefficiency measures. We find that investor heterogeneity provides a possible explanation for the decreased market efficiency before scheduled news announcements.

Emergence and Re-emergence of Human Coronaviruses: Spike Protein as the Potential Molecular Switch and Pharmaceutical Target.

Recent emergence of COVID-19 caused by a new human coronavirus (CoV) strain (SARS-CoV-2), which originated from China, poses the future emergence of additional CoVs. In most of the cases of emergence of human CoVs, bats, palm civets, raccoon dogs and camels have been identified as the sources of human infections and as reservoir hosts. A review of comparative genomic and phenotypic characteristics of human CoV strains vis-à-vis their comparison with the corresponding animal isolates shall provide clues regarding the potential genomic, phenotypic and molecular factors responsible for host-switching, which may lead to prospective emergence and re-emergence of human CoV outbreaks in the future. The seven known human strains of CoV were analyzed for the host and viral factors responsible for human outbreaks. The molecular factors responsible for host-susceptibility, virulence and pathogenesis were reviewed to predict the emergence and re-emergence of additional human CoV strains. CoV spike protein was evaluated as a potential viral receptor for host switching and the target for pharmaceutical design. A review of the factors associated with host-susceptibility, virulence and pathogenesis of seven known human CoV strains presents significant possibilities for the emergence of new CoV strain(s), leading to more human outbreaks. Continuous exposure of animals' handlers to the infected animals, environmental changes, improper sanitations, non-disposal of the solid waste and resumption of exotic animals markets provides favorable conditions for "host switching" and the emergence of new and potentially more virulent human CoV strains. Mutations in target genes (like spike protein), which facilitate the viral entry into the host-cells, provide a potential "molecular switch" for preferences of new host-receptors, genetic diversity, genetic-recombination and high virulence. Additionally, the clinical and environmental factors, asymptomatic carriers, the paucity of efficacious vaccines & therapeutics, inefficient disease management and infection control measures, lack of public awareness, and effective communication of information about more virulent human-adapted virus isolates are critical for the emergence of new and virulent SARS-CoV strains with high mortality and varied incubation period in the near future. Small molecules binding with conserved druggable regions of the CoV spike proteins may be effective against multiple strains of CoVs. High propensity of mutations and "molecular adaptations" in coronaviruses creates the hot spots and high potential for "host switching", leading to the emergence of more virulent strains of human CoVs. The public/global health agencies, medical communities and research scientists should be prepared for the emergence and re-emergence of new human CoV strain(s) leading to potential disease outbreaks. The inhibitors binding with conserved druggable regions of spike proteins from multiple strains CoV may have utility as broad-spectrum antiviral drugs to combat future emergence of CoVs.

Label-Free Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Proteomic Analysis of the Urinary Proteome for Measuring the Escitalopram Treatment Response From Major Depressive Disorder.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common mental disorder that can cause substantial impairments in quality of life. Clinical treatment is usually built on a trial-and-error method, which lasts ~12 weeks to evaluate whether the treatment is efficient, thereby leading to some inefficient treatment measures. Therefore, we intended to identify early candidate urine biomarkers to predict efficient treatment response in MDD patients. In this study, urine samples were collected twice from 19 respondent and 10 non-respondent MDD patients receiving 0-, 2-, and 12-week treatments with escitalopram. Differential urinary proteins were subsequently analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Our two pilot tests suggested that the urine proteome reflects changes associated with major depressive disorder at the early stage of treatment measures. On week 2, 20 differential proteins were identified in the response group compared with week 0, with 14 of these proteins being associated with the mechanisms of MDD. In the non-response group, 60 differential proteins were identified at week 2, with 28 of these proteins being associated with the mechanisms of MDD. In addition, differential urinary proteins at week 2 between the response and non-response groups can be clearly distinguished by using orthogonal projection on latent structure-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). Our small pilot tests indicated that the urine proteome can reflect early effects of escitalopram therapy between the response and non-response groups since at week 2, which may provide potential early candidate urine biomarkers to predict efficient treatment measures in MDD patients.

Potential Improvements in a Non-Radial Inefficiency Measurement

Potential Improvements in a Non-Radial Inefficiency Measurement

Dual Problem of FPTP Electoral Systems: Evidence from the Indian States


 Democracy across the world has witnessed the evolution of the electoral system. First-Past-The-Post (FPTP), practiced in India has certain disadvantages in terms of disproportionate representation. This paper aims to construct the Gallagher Index, Gini Coefficient, and Generalized Entropy Index to measure and analyse the political concentration and inefficiency that characterise such disproportionate representation. The Gallagher Index measures the disproportionality between seat share and vote share; as it captures the disproportionality between votes received and seats won in the house. This can be viewed as a measure of inefficiency in representing the population, inasmuch as parties with a low vote share can have a high seat share. In other words, even though voters are not preferring the particular party or set of parties, these parties can still get enough seats to govern the particular state. Further, this paper tries to build the association between inefficient representation and concentration of power. We show that the high level of inefficiency in representation observed in the Indian State Assemblies is associated with the concentration of power at the state government level. We suggest that since FPTP in Indian democracy is associated with the dual problems of inefficiency and concentration, alternatives to FPTP should be considered.

Entanglement of a pair of quantum emitters via continuous fluorescence measurements: a tutorial

We discuss recent developments in measurement protocols that generate quantum entanglement between two remote qubits, focusing on the theory of joint continuous detection of their spontaneous emission. We consider a device geometry similar to that used in well-known Bell state measurements, which we analyze using a conceptually transparent model of stochastic quantum trajectories; we use this to review photodetection, the most straightforward case, and then generalize to the diffusive trajectories from homodyne and heterodyne detection as well. Such quadrature measurement schemes are a realistic two-qubit extension of existing circuit QED experiments, which obtain quantum trajectories by homodyning or heterodyning a superconducting qubit’s spontaneous emission, or an adaptation of existing optical measurement schemes to obtain jump trajectories from emitters. We mention key results, presented from within a single theoretical framework, and draw connections to concepts in the wider literature on entanglement generation by measurement (such as path information erasure and entanglement swapping). The photon which-path information acquisition, and therefore the two-qubit entanglement yield, is tunable under the homodyne detection scheme we discuss, at best generating equivalent average entanglement dynamics as in the comparable photodetection case. In addition to deriving this known equivalence, we extend past analyses in our characterization of the measurement dynamics: we include derivations of bounds on the fastest possible evolution toward a Bell state under joint homodyne measurement dynamics and characterize the maximal entanglement yield possible using inefficient (lossy) measurements.

Charging a quantum battery with linear feedback control

Energy storage is a basic physical process with many applications. When considering this task at the quantum scale, it becomes important to optimise the non-equilibrium dynamics of energy transfer to the storage device or battery. Here, we tackle this problem using the methods of quantum feedback control. Specifically, we study the deposition of energy into a quantum battery via an auxiliary charger. The latter is a driven-dissipative two-level system subjected to a homodyne measurement whose output signal is fed back linearly into the driving field amplitude. We explore two different control strategies, aiming to stabilise either populations or quantum coherences in the state of the charger. In both cases, linear feedback is shown to counteract the randomising influence of environmental noise and allow for stable and effective battery charging. We analyse the effect of realistic control imprecisions, demonstrating that this good performance survives inefficient measurements and small feedback delays. Our results highlight the potential of continuous feedback for the control of energetic quantities in the quantum regime.

Sustainable Feasibility of the Environmental-Friendly Policies on Agriculture and Its Related Sectors in India

In terms of economic development and feeding the world’s populations, the importance of the agricultural sector is well known. However, agriculture and its related sectors are also known for contributing more than one-quarter of the world’s GHG emissions. To address this issue, we evaluate the performance of agriculture and its related firms in India from 2013 to 2019 with its environmental efficiency under the paradigm shift promoted by the National Agroforestry Policy in 2014. To evaluate the feasibility of this paradigm shift in agricultural policy, the non-radial slack-based measure (SBM) is utilized in the first stage, and Tobit regressions are used to assess the determinants of efficiency (or sources of inefficiency) measures at the second stage. The results from non-radial SBM show that Indian agricultural firms (foreign direct investment, private, and public) show huge potential with 32.2% on average to enhance their performance if they move toward the frontier of the production possibility curve. This suggests that Indian policymakers should regulate much stronger regulations for firms, especially for the use of agricultural inputs such as energy (fertilizers), with performance-oriented financial measures for sustainable agriculture. To determine the strategic variables for these firms to enhance their performance, Tobit regressions showed that fertilizers use (−3.350%) appears to have the highest negative impact on environmental efficiency. On the other hand, credit access (2.710%) has the highest positive impact on environmental efficiency, implying that policymakers should provide subsidies to firms in the form of soft loans (or credit access) for the purchase of high-quality fertilizers and to adopt energy-saving equipment/technology to minimize the use of chemical fertilizers in India.

Satellite-derived long-term estimates of full-coverage PM1 concentrations across China based on a stacking decision tree model

Fine particles with aerodynamic diameters less than 1 μm (PM1) often exert a greater threaten on human health, and thus it is highly imperative to accurately characterize the spatiotemporal variation of PM1 concentrations and to assess the potential health risks. Our study attempted to predict the long-term full-coverage PM1 concentrations across China during 2004–2018 using a stacking decision tree model based on satellite data, meteorological variables, and other geographical covariates. The result suggested that the stacking model captured strong prediction capability with a higher cross-validation (CV) R2 value (0.64), and the lower root-mean-square error (RMSE: 18.60 μg/m3) and mean absolute error (MAE: 11.96 μg/m3) compared with the individual model. The higher PM1 concentrations were mainly concentrated on North China Plain (NCP), Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and Sichuan Basin due to intensive anthropogenic activities and poor meteorological conditions especially in winter. The annual mean PM1 concentration in China exhibited a remarkable increase during 2004–2007 by 1.34 μg/m3/year (p < 0.05), followed by a gradual decrease during 2007–2018 by −1.61 μg/m3/year (p < 0.05). After 2013, the mean PM1 concentration at the national scale experienced a dramatic decrease by −2.96 μg/m3/year (p < 0.05). The persistent increase of PM1 concentration across China during 2004–2007 was mainly caused by the rapid increases of energy consumption and inefficient emission control measures, while the dramatic decrease since 2013 was attributed to increasingly strict control measures, particularly the implementation of the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan (the Action Plan). The long-term PM1 estimates obtained here provide a key scientific basis and data support for epidemiological research and air pollution mitigation.

Persistent and Transient Inefficiency of Australian States and Territories in Providing Public Hospital Services: An Application of Bayesian Stochastic Finite Mixture Frontier Analysis

Current literature on public hospital efficiency in Australia only reveals information on how efficient public hospitals are in the short run. The presence of persistent technical inefficiency arising from long‐term systemic problems and government‐related regulatory constraints does not appear to have been addressed. Using the aggregated hospital panel data for the period 2002–2018 on eight Australian states and territories, this study incorporates the measure of both transient and persistent technical inefficiency while controlling for unobserved heterogeneity to obtain a more precise measure of technical efficiency. This study’s findings estimate the national average transient efficiency to be 0.96. In contrast, the national average persistent efficiency is estimated to be 0.83. Further, Queensland (0.67), Victoria (0.66) and New South Wales (0.60) posted the lowest overall technical efficiency driven by the high level of persistent inefficiency. On the other hand, Northern Territory (0.96), Australian Capital Territory (0.95) and Tasmania (0.95) are the top performers. This study’s findings call on policy‐makers and regulators to disclose hospital‐level data to researchers to gain further insight into the causes of persistence in inefficiency, especially among bigger states, which will help formulate more targeted policy interventions.

Complicaciones por infección de Covid-19 en mujeres embarazadas y neonatos en el año 2020

The Covid-19 infection has become a public health emergency, almost a year after its appearance it has left millions of deaths, the maternal-fetal pairing is vulnerable to this risk and care for this group is a service essential that requires adherence to prevention measures, and economic inequality; the access and capacity of health services are transcendent in this pandemic. Objective. Describe the complications and main symptoms related to Covid-19 infection in pregnant women and neonates worldwide and the number of cases reported in Mexico.Methodology. A systematic review was performed in Cochrane, MEDLINE, PubMed, NCBI, Scielo, and Google Scholar. pages of the WHO, Secretary of Health of Mexico, (FEMECOG), 3 books about Coronavirus, 2020, information for the determination of fetal maternal morbidity and mortality and symptoms due to COVID-19 infection from December 19, 2019 to July, 2020 Regarding Mexican epidemiology, updated sources from October 2020 were reviewed. Results. Pregnant women with Covid-19 infection are at high risk of experiencing obstetric and neonatal complications: miscarriage, preterm delivery, intrauterine growth restriction, admission to the intensive care unit, need for mechanical ventilation and pneumonia. In Covid-19 infection, the most common clinical characteristics were fever, cough, and fatigue. Until October 18, 2020, a total of 6,761 pregnant and / or postpartum women and 1,387 positive newborns confirmed to Covid-19 have been registered in Mexico. Conclusion. Comorbidity in pregnant women is a determining factor in the evolution, behavior and complications of Covid-19 infection and inefficient prevention measures, if this continues, the results will undoubtedly be negative.