There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

다중혈관 관상동맥 환자에서 y-문합을 이용하여 양쪽 내흉동맥만을 사용한 우회술의 조기 성적

Output per worker varies enormously across countries. Why? On an accounting basis, our analysis shows that differences in physical capital and educational attainment can only partially explain the variation in output per worker--we find a large amount of variation in the level of the Solow residual across countries. At a deeper level, we document that the differences in capital accumulation, productivity, and therefore output per worker are driven by differences in institutions and government policies, which we call social infrastructure. We treat social infrastructure as endogenous, determined historically by location and other factors captured in part by language.

/pdf/why-do-some-countries-produce-so-much-more-output-per-worker-r25pge75qn.pdf

Why Do Some Countries Produce so Much More Output Per Worker than Others

Output per worker varies enormously across countries. Why? On an accounting basis our analysis shows that differences in physical capital and educational attainment can only partially explain the variation in output per worker—we find a large amount of variation in the level of the Solow residual across countries. At a deeper level, we document that the differences in capital accumulation, productivity, and therefore output per worker are driven by differences in institutions and government policies, which we call social infrastructure. We treat social infrastructure as endogenous, determined historically by location and other factors captured in part by language. In 1988 output per worker in the United States was more than 35 times higher than output per worker in Niger. In just over ten days the average worker in the United States produced as much as an average worker in Niger produced in an entire year. Explaining such vast differences in economic performance is one of the fundamental challenges of economics. Analysis based on an aggregate production function provides some insight into these differences, an approach taken by Mankiw, Romer, and Weil [1992] and Dougherty and Jorgenson [1996], among others. Differences among countries can be attributed to differences in human capital, physical capital, and productivity. Building on their analysis, our results suggest that differences in each element of the production function are important. In particular, however, our results emphasize the key role played by productivity. For example, consider the 35-fold difference in output per worker between the United States and Niger. Different capital intensities in the two countries contributed a factor of 1.5 to the income differences, while different levels of educational attainment contributed a factor of 3.1. The remaining difference—a factor of 7.7—remains as the productivity residual. * A previous version of this paper was circulated under the title ‘‘The Productivity of Nations.’’ This research was supported by the Center for Economic Policy Research at Stanford and by the National Science Foundation under grants SBR-9410039 (Hall) and SBR-9510916 (Jones) and is part of the National Bureau of Economic Research’s program on Economic Fluctuations and Growth. We thank Bobby Sinclair for excellent research assistance and colleagues too numerous to list for an outpouring of helpful commentary. Data used in the paper are available online from http://www.stanford.edu/,chadj.

/pdf/why-do-some-countries-produce-so-much-more-output-per-worker-4zwsdbv6gk.pdf

Why do Some Countries Produce So Much More Output Per Worker than Others

http://experimentationlab.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/AFMImages/butt_AFM.pdf

Force measurements with the atomic force microscope: Technique, interpretation and applications

In Bangladesh, micro credit programs have positive socioeconomic impact on the rural women borrowers. However, it is perceived that the micro credit programs help the rural women borrowers to survive only and do not help them to develop entrepreneurial capabilities. Hence, this paper aims at identifying the factors related to the development of entrepreneurship among the rural women borrowers through micro credit programs. A multivariate analysis technique like Factor Analysis was conducted to identify the entrepreneurship development related factors. Structural equation modeling was used to develop a model of micro credit program and the development of rural women entrepreneurship in Bangladesh. Results show that the financial management skills and the group identity of the women borrowers have significant relationship with the development of rural women entrepreneurship in Bangladesh. The experience from the parent’s family of the borrowers and the option limit may also lead to the rural women borrowers to be entrepreneurial.

/pdf/a-multivariate-model-of-micro-credit-and-rural-women-2eqdnguzum.pdf

A Multivariate Model of Micro Credit and Rural Women Entrepreneurship Development in Bangladesh

An empirical analysis of nanotechnology research domains

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of information and communication technology (ICT) adoption on hotel performance in Thailand.Design/methodology/approach – The elements for measuring the level of ICT adoption include: availability of ICT components, integration of ICT components, and intensity of ICT usage. Operational productivity and customer satisfaction were used for measuring hotel performance. To control for the influence of location and employee and management characteristics on hotel productivity, data were collected solely from three star hotels operating in the same location, Phuket, Thailand. Operational productivity was calculated by using data envelopment analysis. A five‐point Likert type scale was employed to measure customer satisfaction. Multiple regression analysis was utilized to assess the relationship between ICT adoption and hotel performance.Findings – The findings indicate that ICT adoption has a significant positive relationship with hotel perform...

Does ICT adoption enhance hotel performance

Nanotechnology innovation system: Understanding hidden dynamics of nanoscience fusion trajectories

Alginate is one of the natural polymers that are often used in drug- and protein-delivery systems. The use of alginate can provide several advantages including ease of preparation, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and nontoxicity. It can be applied to various routes of drug administration including targeted or localized drug-delivery systems. The development of alginates as a selected polymer in various delivery systems can be adjusted depending on the challenges that must be overcome by drug or proteins or the system itself. The increased effectiveness and safety of sodium alginate in the drug- or protein-delivery system are evidenced by changing the physicochemical characteristics of the drug or proteins. In this review, various routes of alginate-based drug or protein delivery, the effectivity of alginate in the stem cells, and cell encapsulation have been discussed. The recent advances in the in vivo alginate-based drug-delivery systems as well as their toxicities have also been reviewed.

/pdf/current-status-of-alginate-in-drug-delivery-2se9ybr45n.pdf

Nazrul Islam

Papers

A Multivariate Model of Micro Credit and Rural Women Entrepreneurship Development in Bangladesh

An empirical analysis of nanotechnology research domains

Does ICT adoption enhance hotel performance

Nanotechnology innovation system: Understanding hidden dynamics of nanoscience fusion trajectories

Current Status of Alginate in Drug Delivery