Spur Productivity Research Articles

Ostrogi krzesłowate w okresie wpływów rzymskich – stan i potrzeby badań

In the Roman Iron Age can be observed the development of spurs production by the barbarian communities in Central Europe. Spurs were disseminated by Celts, then were gladly used and modified by local people. Their initial form were certainly bow-shaped spurs. But there were also chair-shaped spurs, which were derived from bow-shaped form. Through the work of numerous researchers we have more and vaster, but still incomplete knowledge about these monuments. With a high degree of certainty we can talk about development of forms of these monuments. Their development from bow-shaped forms perfectly shows spurs with three circular plates, so called Dreikreisplattensporen. First items of this type come from the fifth / fourth decade of the first century BC, which makes them the oldest form of rivet spurs. Their genetic zone is connected with area occupied by the Celtic tribe of Treveri. They are therefore not, as previously thought, germanic, but celtic product. However, thanks to the Elbe Germanic these spurs disseminated in the area covered by the settlement of tribes belonging to the Germanic circle of civilization. However, must be noted that in Treveri area at the same time we have to deal with three wholly distinct communities – Terveri (Celts), Suebi (Germans) and Romans. So it is not obvious who had the idea to initiate production of rivet spurs. Detailed analysis of these early forms of spurs, could bring measurable effects for our understanding of real origin of this monuments. It could also help to point trails which these monuments were further redistributed into the Germanic zone, and thus also the areas of the Polish lands. From the land occupied by the Przeworsk culture, there are two specimens of so called Dreikreisplattensporen, from Korytnica, grave 4 and Zakrzewo, grave 14. They can be classified as a Geoblingen-Thur type by Bockius. They are found mainly in Treveri area, but similar also occur in the area of the Grossromstedt culture. Here are considered as the imitation rather than Celtic import. The issue of provenience of these spurs is still unresolved. In the Roman Iron Age significantly increased the number and diversity of chairshaped spurs produced in the Germania Magna. Their development during this period is no doubt related to the germanic communities, which inhabited the area extending along an axis running from the Jutland Peninsula to the Elbe River basin, where these monuments are the most common. An interesting phenomenon is the presence of imitation parts of chair-shaped spurs observed in the bow-shaped spurs. Such similarity is visible between the chair-shaped spurs with highly separate prick and bow-shaped spurs of Wielbark culture. In conclusion, currently, despite the existence of several separate classifications of chair-shaped spurs, using them is significantly hampered. These difficulties are due to e.g. no longer current findings. This is caused by increase of data base or deficiencies such as the presentation of incomplete catalog. Difficulties in classifying stem not only from restrictions on the use of existing typologies, but also from a large variety of chairshaped spurs. Correct classification of these monuments, the ability to precisely determine their chronology and the creation of their full catalog is the basis for comprehensive research, covering the entire area of distribution of chair-shaped spurs. They would give the opportunity to lead the direction of the distribution of spurs; trails, which reach among others on the Polish lands. This research would show the directions of interregional contacts. Next step would be thinking of which social processes led to the dissemination of this type of findings on the Elbe and southern Scandinavia areas and further spreading of such spurs in the East.

Branch bending affected floral bud development and nutrient accumulation in shoot terminals of ‘Fuji’ and ‘Gala’ apples

Branch bending has been practiced for decades in China to induce flower buds in ‘Fuji’ apple. However, the optimum bending angle is yet to be elucidated. The main objectives of this study were to compare the effect of branch bending angles (70°, 90° and 110°) on the flowering and nutrient accumulation of 1-year-old shoots of ‘Fuji’ and ‘Gala’ apples and to determine the optimum branch bending angle for each cultivar. In both cultivars, the production of spurs and terminal flower buds, and the total sugar concentration and the carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio in the shoot terminals increased, whereas the N concentration decreased with increasing bending angles. The nutrient concentration was significantly higher in spurs than in medium and long shoots. The distinction between the changing patterns of C and N concentrations in the bent shoots during the growing season in our study suggested the competition of these two nutrients caused by vegetative and reproductive growth at different growing times. In ‘Fuji’ apple, the proportion of flowering buds appeared to increase more rapidly with the increase of bending angle from 70° to 110° than that in ‘Gala’ apple, and particularly a higher proportion of spurs was observed on ‘Fuji’ branches bent at a larger angle. The increase in the total sugar concentration and the C/N ratio in the shoot terminals of the bent branches might be involved in inducing floral buds after bending. The optimum bending angle was about 90° for ‘Gala’ apple and 110° for ‘Fuji’ apple, respectively. Bending could help farmers to reduce the severity of biennial fruiting in ‘Fuji’ apple.

World chemical outlook

World chemical outlook

Towards a Prosperous and Productive Chiapas: Institutions, Policies, and Public-Private Dialog to Promote Inclusive Growth

Since the Zapatista revolution of January 1994, enormous amount of resources coming from the federal government have poured over Chiapas. The gap in years and quality of education has been reduced significantly; and road, port and airport infrastructure have undergone a dramatic transformation. And yet, the income gap between Chiapas and the rest of Mexico has only widened. To understand why, a multi-disciplinary team of twelve experts have devoted significant time and resources to study different aspects of the development dynamic of Chiapas. As a result, 5 base documents have been published analyzing Chiapas: – Complexity profile – Growth Diagnostic – Institutional Diagnostic – Poverty profile – Pilot of productive dialogs and inclusive growth in an indigenous community This report resumes the findings from these and articulates their corresponding recommendations into a policy plan. According to our hypothesis, Chiapas is wedged in a low productivity trap. A modern production system, responsible for productivity increases, income and development elsewhere in the world, requires a number of complementary inputs or capacities that are absent in Chiapas. As a result, its economy consists of a few primary products of little or no technological sophistication, and a vibrant service industry fueled by public expenditure in its larger cities. In this situation, there are no incentives to acquire additional education or skills because there is no demand for them in the economy. As we have proved, the few that manage to emigrate earn salaries elsewhere in Mexico slightly above other migrants with similar qualifications. As it turns out, it is not about the Chiapanecos, it is about Chiapas. To overcome the current dilemmas and spark the engine of growth, Chiapas needs to resolve its issues of coordination, connectivity and gradually promote economic activities of higher complexity. Yazaki, one of the few manufacturers present in Chiapas, is an example of the role of the state in helping the economy to overcome the chicken-and-egg dilemmas, providing the public goods required – in an initial push – by a more complex economy. Our recommendations are based in identifying the productive capabilities embedded within the current productive structure of Chiapas four largest urban agglomerations, and leveraging on them to board on different potential, more complex industries that use a similar base of knowledge. To conquer those industries and diversify its economy, Chiapas needs a public-private agency empowered to iteratively solve the issues and bottlenecks these potential industries face in each particular place. Public transport and housing policy can be used as means to incorporating the surrounding communities into the increasingly modern economies of urban centers. Special economic zones and agro-industrial parks can be used to spur productivity in those areas where labor and appropriability are the most binding constrains.

Productivity growth and catching up: a technology gap explanation

This paper seeks to explain why some countries have managed to catch up in terms of labor productivity over the period 1993–2007 in 76 countries. By integrating the technology gap research within the standard growth-accounting approach, we introduce a methodology which allows us to split total factor productivity (TFP) change into two components: conditional technical inefficiency and the magnitude of the technology gap. We find that labor productivity growth depends both on investment in fixed capital and TFP. Fast emerging economies exhibit patterns of growth based in particular on the reduction of the technology gap, confirming the role of investment in technological capabilities to spur productivity catch-up. Looking at change in the distribution of labor productivity, emerging countries managed to shift from low productivity toward a medium level of productivity thanks to technology accumulation. Less advanced countries cannot rely only on technology diffusion and learning by doing, policies for technological capabilities accumulation are necessary.

Lights, P450, action! Metabolite formation in chloroplasts.

The capacity of plants to convert light into sugar and, consequently, to build specialized compounds of vast complexity is a well-established phenomenon. In their study in this issue of Journal of Experimental Botany, Gnanasekaran et al. (pages 2495–2506) show that the most versatile catalysts of specialized metabolism can be fueled directly by photosynthetic electron flow. This finding might have great implications for future plant metabolic engineering endeavors. Plants, being sessile organisms, rely on myriad chemicals as the means of interaction with their environment. Collectively referred to as ‘specialized compounds’, they comprise structurally variable metabolites from diverse classes, such as terpenoids, phenylpropanes and alkaloids, to name only a few major groups. Besides helping plants to attract pollinators or deter enemies, many of these compounds have become directly important to us. Applied as fragrances, flavors, fine chemicals or medicines, they are being extracted in large amounts, traded and widely utilized – they have been rightly dubbed ‘plant natural products’ (PNPs). Understanding the biosynthetic capacity behind specialized compound accumulation and exploiting this natural ‘warehouse’ has, therefore, become a major scientific goal. Ultimately, elucidation of metabolite formation will facilitate targeted engineering of pathways – modifying plants to spur production of compounds of interest in defined amounts and at desired time points and, further, generate novel structures (Staniek et al., 2013). Dhurrin, the metabolite in question in the study of Gnanasekaran et al. (2016) is a cyanogenic glucoside originating from Sorghum spp. Although probably of no direct use to people, it confers enormous advantage to its host plants by deterring feeding insects (Tattersall et al., 2001). For delineation of plant metabolism the pathway leading to dhurrin seems to provide an ideal playground. First, it takes only three enzymatic steps (from tyrosine, the primary metabolism-derived amino acid) to yield the final product, making it a relatively short and straightforward metabolic route. Second, the pathway enzymes have to act in a tightly regulated and choreographed manner. Since intermediates on the way from tyrosine to dhurrin are toxic to the cell, the catalysts need to operate in a kind of ‘bucket chain’, handing over the product of one reaction to the following actor, thereby minimizing leakage and preventing toxicity. While unequivocally demonstrated for dhurrin biosynthesis, the so-called metabolon principle is postulated to be relevant to many more pathways (Moller, 2010). Third, the three actors in this short pathway are members of large enzyme families – cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (‘P450s’) and UDP-glucosyl transferases – whose relatives can be found in almost all pathways of plant metabolism. Therefore, the findings of Gnanasekaran et al. could possibly be extrapolated to numerous PNP pathways and might help engineer synthetic metabolic pathways for enhanced product formation.

Will Reducing Oil Taxes Spur Production? The Critical Question in Alaska's FY 2014 Budget Process

Among western states, Alaska is the most dependent on oil/gas taxes. In late 2012 and early 2013 the its counter-cyclical economy puttered along while oil production (taxes from which provide 87 percent of the state general fund budget) continued to decline. The main fiscal issue during the 2013 legislative session was oil severance taxes, with Governor Parnell making his second attempt (with Republican support) to lower them in hope that the industry would increase its investment in the state, thereby increasing production. A solid Republican bias on the state's redistricting board led to the electoral defeat of Democrats in the Bipartisan Working Group that had fouled the governor's previous attempt. In April 2013 the legislature adopted the governor's plan. Inter-branch and government-public discussions about the operating, capital and supplemental budgets were generally congenial, with a decline in growth of the operating budget and a significant cutback in the capital budgets.

Financing Productivity- and Innovation-Led Growth in Developing Asia: International Lessons and Policy Issues

Growth in developing Asia will need to rely more on improvements in productivity growth and less on capital deepening. Although there is no single reform path to spur productivity growth, financial system deepening is central to a more efficient allocation of capital across sectors and can facilitate innovation and technology transfer. But malfunctioning financial systems can also result in the misallocation of resources, making it important that policymakers focus less on increasing the size of the financial sector and more on improving its intermediation function. The paper discusses the general policy priorities for further financial development in Asia based on financial sector realities in the region and the level of country income. Steps to mobilize Asia’s ample private savings for long-term financing, especially to tackle the region’s infrastructure deficit and improve access to financing for small and medium enterprises, can help raise productivity. Further, as many countries in Asia shift from a development model based on technology absorption to one that promotes innovation, specialized finance and investors can play a critical role in allowing innovative firms to conduct research, adopt technologies necessary for inventions, and ultimately commercialize innovations.

Academic productivity before and after tenure: the case of the 'specialist'

Studies suggest research productivity falls after tenure. We have limited choice-theoretic understanding of why this should occur. We rationalize this as follows. Some scholars are assumed to be ‘specialists’: their research productivity consists of transforming dissertation chapters into publishable papers. We show how a department that hired such a scholar provides incentives to maximize research productivity. We show that his research productivity paths are characterized by a ‘bang-bang’ solution, that is, he works with either maximum or minimum effort. The department sets the scholar’s wages proportional to their impatience to spur productivity and only succeeds if he turns out to be more impatient than the department. We also examine career development after tenure is granted: there occurs a clear polarization in terms of academic reputation and promotion prospects between the Specialist and other staff. The article provides a novel perspective on academic productivity and the tenure system.

Plasma Gear Manufacturing Thermal Aspects

The goal of the submitted paper is to provide information on gear production by means of non-conventional technology to rise production effectiveness. The work is aimed to innovative methods at production of spurs by means of assisting non-conventional technology of laser, plasma and water jet cutting. On the base of an analysis of material cutting, an optimal non-conventional technology for gear manufacturing was chosen, i.e. plasma cutting. The application of the mentioned technology influences a change of the structure of the cutting surface material, which has an impact on the cutting quality and following gear manufacturing processes. The intention of the experimental research was to look for elimination of thermal impact on structure of material used for gear manufacturing.

Lepidozia bragginsiana, a new species from New Zealand (Marchantiopsida)

Molecular and morphological data support the recognition of a new Lepidozia species related to L. pendulina and also endemic to New Zealand, which we dedicate to Dr John Braggins. Lepidozia bragginsiana can be distinguished from closely related and other similar species by its bipinnate branching, the narrow underleaf lobes, typically uniseriate toward their tip on both primary and secondary shoots, the asymmetric underleaves on primary shoots that are usually narrower than the stem and also possess basal spines and spurs, the production of spurs and spines, or even accessory lobes, on the postical margin of primary and secondary shoot leaves; and by the relatively small leaf cells with evenly thickened walls. Lepidozia bragginsiana is an inhabitant of hyper-humid forest habitats where it occupies elevated microsites on the forest floor. A lectotype is proposed for L. obtusiloba.

Fearless Feedback Boosts Trust While Replacing Traditional Performance Appraisal at Independent Living, Inc.

The leaders of Independent Living, Inc., a consumer‐directed, cross‐disability advocacy and service organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for persons with disabilities, recognized the need to enable management and staff to achieve organizational excellence under increasing cost pressures and funding challenges while becoming ever more responsive to the changing and increasingly demanding needs of a growing clientele. Analysis revealed that the organization's performance management system was hampering its effectiveness and that a new process for improving trust and developing capable leaders at every level was needed. Grounded in systems thinking, a fearless feedback approach was implemented to fully engage staff and spur both productivity and innovation. The results after four years show dramatic improvements in the value of workplace conversations, the level of trust, individual and team performance, leadership skills, and the ability of employees and managers to develop work‐related skills, accomplish goals, communicate more effectively with each other, and learn. Overwhelmingly, ILI staff members identified fearless feedback as an improvement over the traditional performance appraisal program previously employed. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Nutrient Subsidies from Iteroparous Fish Migrations Can Enhance Stream Productivity

Migratory animals often transfer nutrients between ecosystems, enhancing productivity in the subsidized system. Most research on nutrient subsidies by migratory fishes has focused on Pacific salmon, whose semelparous life history is unusual among migratory fishes. To test whether iteroparous species can provide ecologically important nutrient inputs to stream ecosystems, we experimentally blocked the migration of suckers (Catostomidae) midway up an oligotrophic tributary of Lake Michigan. Comparing reaches upstream of the barrier to downstream reaches containing thousands of breeding fish, we found that suckers elevated phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations three- to five-fold. Algal accrual was doubled and caddisflies grew 12% larger in subsidized reaches relative to reference reaches. An enclosure experiment demonstrated that caddisflies with access to a fish carcass rapidly became enriched in 15N and 13C, and experimental carcass additions were rapidly colonized by high densities of caddisflies. However, under natural conditions below the experimental barrier, caddisflies became enriched in 15N but not 13C, indicating that fish-derived nutrients entered the stream food web primarily through indirect pathways rather than direct consumption of carcasses or gametes. At pupation, an average of 18% of caddisfly tissue N below the barrier was sucker-derived. In comparison to our focal stream, a reference stream with few suckers showed no seasonal or longitudinal patterns in nutrients and stable isotopes. These results demonstrate that iteroparous fish migrations can spur productivity via nutrient subsidies, despite low mortality rates. Thus, concerns about negative ecosystem-level consequences of blocking migrations of semelparous fishes are also applicable to iteroparous species when migrations are large.

Does FDI Spur Productivity, Knowledge Sourcing and Innovation by Incumbent Firms? Evidence from Manufacturing Industry in Estonia

AbstractDoes FDI affect knowledge sourcing activities, innovation and productivity growth of domestic firms? This study employs firm‐level panel data from Estonia’s manufacturing sector to investigate different channels through which FDI affects domestic firms. Based on instrumental variables approach, I find no evidence of an effect of FDI entry on local incumbents’ short‐term productivity growth. However, there is positive association between the entry of FDI and the more direct measures of spillovers. FDI inflow to a sector is associated with more knowledge flows to domestic firms and increase in their innovation activities.

Spur behaviour in almond trees: relationships between previous year spur leaf area, fruit bearing and mortality

In mature almond (Prunus dulcis) orchards, the majority of crop is borne on spurs (short, proleptic shoots) that can live for several years and can produce from one to five fruits. Previous research has led to the hypothesis that spur longevity is related to spur light exposure, cropping and age. However, limited quantitative data are available to substantiate these hypotheses. The objective of this study was to determine spur characteristics that were most highly correlated with spur productivity and longevity in mature, bearing almond trees. Previous year spur leaf area was strongly related to spur viability and flowering; the greater the leaf area in the previous year, the higher the probability of spur survival into the next year and the higher the probability for the spur to bear one or more flowers. Previous year bearing also appeared to influence viability and return bloom, especially in spurs with low leaf area. These results suggest that spur source-sink balance is basic to the life cycle of almond spurs. Furthermore, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that spurs are semi-autonomous organs with respect to carbohydrate balance for much of the growing season. Finally, this information provides general thresholds for maintaining spur viability and productivity that will be useful for developing and evaluating tree training systems and orchard management practices.

Rising oil prices spur production of greener alternative

Rising oil prices spur production of greener alternative

Growth and Renewal in the United States: Retooling America's Economic Engine*

New research by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) examines the growth challenge facing the United States and explores how U.S. business and government can contribute to the economy's renewal by reinvigorating their drive toward higher productivity.As baby boomers retire and the female participation rate plateaus, the U.S. economy will receive significantly less lift from increases in the labor force and will have to rely increasingly on productivity gains to fuel growth. The report finds that the United States needs a 34% acceleration in productivity growth if it is to match the GDP growth rates of the past 20 years—and that this is possible.Three‐quarters of the necessary productivity growth acceleration can come from the efforts of private‐sector companies operating within the current regulatory and business environment. Even the best‐performing companies and sectors still have headroom to boost productivity by emulating the best practice of others and tapping into new innovations, and coming up with new innovations of their own. The remaining one‐quarter—and more—can come from government and business working together to address barriers that now limit growth.MGI lays out a seven‐point agenda for action to spur productivity.

Competition and Productivity: A Review of Evidence

Does competition spur productivity? And if so, how does it accomplish this? These have long been regarded as central questions in economics. This article reviews the literature that makes progress toward answering both questions.

Tax Incentives for Affordable Housing: The Low Income Housing Tax Credit

The Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) represents a novel tax expenditure program that employs “investable†tax credits to spur production of low-income rental housing. While it has grown into the largest source of new affordable housing in the U.S. and its structure is now being replicated in other programs, the LIHTC has also drawn skepticism and calls for its repeal. We provide estimates of tax expenditures under this program and discuss pricing, efficiency, and distributional effects of the program. We also consider the impacts of the recent financial crisis on the LIHTC program and explore implications of resulting policy changes and proposals.

Investable Tax Credits: The Case of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit

The Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) represents a novel tax expenditure program that employs tax credits to spur production of low-income rental housing. While it has grown into the largest source of new affordable housing in the U.S. and its structure is now being replicated in other programs, the LIHTC has also drawn skepticism and calls for its repeal. This paper outlines a conceptual framework for exploring the conditions under which investable tax credits may be the most effective mechanism to deliver a production subsidy and discusses the desirability of employing investable tax credits in other policy domains. Estimates of tax expenditures under this program are provided and efficiency costs, distributional issues, and the likely effects of reforms to tax provisions such as the AMT are considered.