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.

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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

Readymade Garment Industry is the most important sector of earning foreign currencies that strengthen the economy of Bangladesh for the last couple of decades. At the same time this industry opened a new door of employment for the rural marginal people. The working environment of the garment factories is not congenial to health and the income level of the workers in this industry is very poor to keep up their minimum living requirements in the society. As a result, the workers in the readymade garment industry are not physically and mentally sound to do the work efficiently. Keeping this in mind, the study has been conducted to identify the major health problems of the workers in the garment industry of Bangladesh. In this study 265 workers have been interviewed personally and collected data have been analyzed through factor analysis to identify the major health problems of the workers derived from the working environment and the nature of their job. This study identified fourteen major health problems of the workers. They are pain in body muscles, complexity arises from abortion, food poisoning, pruritus, eye strain, neck pain, hepatitis, frequent headache, cut injury, fatigue, common cold, numbness and tingling of fingers and arms, gastric pain and helminthiasis. The government along with other concern bodies should take necessary action to overcome the health problems of the workers so that they can contribute more for the development of the readymade garment industry of Bangladesh.

/pdf/physical-and-mental-health-of-the-workers-in-the-readymade-2irfzc41zk.pdf

Physical and Mental Health of the Workers in the Readymade Garment Industry of Bangladesh

This study investigated a systematic approach for producing ibuprofen (IBF) particles with leucine by wet milling. Using a high shear homogenizer, the particles size of the IBF was reduced. Prepared IBF microparticles were freeze-dried and characterized by using Mastersizer, SEM, DSC, XRD, ATR-FTIR, and TGA. The drug saturation solubility and in-vitro dissolution performance were carried out in phosphate buffer solution (PBS, pH 7.4) at 37°C temperature and IBF were determined using a validated HPLC method. The wet-milled method reduced the particle size from 71.3 to 1.7 μm. The minimum particle size of IBF was obtained in 0.05% Tween 80 solution homogenized at 17,000 rpm for 15 min. The saturated solubility (168.7 µg/mL) of the micronized IBF particles with leucine showed higher compared to that of the original IBF (147.4 µg/mL) in PBS solution. The prepared IBF particles containing 2.5–6.25% leucine showed significantly higher IBF release (100%) compared to that of original drug particles (55.9%) in 120 min. The excipient leucine played a major role in enhancing the solubility and dissolution profile of the prepared IBF particles probably by the formation of hydrogen bonding. The developed wet milling was an efficient and robust technique for reducing the particle size of IBF and could be a useful method for manufacturing drug particles with enhanced solubility and dissolution.

Robust Wet Milling Technique for Producing Micronized Ibuprofen Particles with Improved Solubility and Dissolution

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Indications for insulin pump therapy (IPT) in children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are relatively non-specific and therefore subject to provider discretion. Health professionals' perceptions of which people will have difficulty with IPT, for example, those with higher hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c ), may not be correct. This study examined the effect of IPT on HbA1c , and the role of pre-pump HbA1c on this effect. METHODS All children with T1D started on IPT at British Columbia Children's Hospital from January 2011 through June 2016 were included if they had HbA1c values available both before and after IPT (n = 125). Generalized estimating equations was used to estimate the effects of IPT on HbA1c , stratified by pre-pump HbA1c levels (good: 9.0% [>75 mmol/mol]). RESULTS After adjusting for potential confounders, mean HbA1c decreased by 0.48% [5.2 mmol/mol] (95% confidence interval: -0.64, -0.33% [-7.0, -3.6 mmol/mol]; P < 0.0001) after IPT initiation. The adjusted mean HbA1c decreased by 0.14% [1.5 mmol/mol] (-0.35, 0.07% [-3.8, 0.8 mmol/mol]; P = 0.188), 0.54% [5.9 mmol/mol] (-0.74, -0.34% [-8.1, -3.7 mmol/mol]; P < 0.0001), and 1.08% [11.8 mmol/mol] (-1.69, -0.46% [-18.5, -5.0 mmol/mol]; P = 0.0006) after pump initiation in the good, moderate, and poor pre-pump metabolic control groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Pre-pump HbA1c appears to play a significant role in the effects of IPT on HbA1c , with the largest decrease in HbA1c seen in the poor pre-pump HbA1c group. Eligibility and consideration for IPT should be expanded to routinely include these children.

Insulin pump therapy, pre-pump hemoglobin A1c and metabolic improvement in children with type 1 diabetes at a tertiary Canadian children's hospital.

Digital Marketplace is the online platform where all organizations can use to find and buy cloud based services. Businesses leverage digital channels such as, Google search, social media, email, and their websites to connect with their current and prospective customers. Digital Marketplace uses digital technologies, mainly on the Internet but also uses mobile phones, and other digital medium. Due to increase in use and rapid growth of digital marketplaces in the world, it became essential to establish regulatory measures and standards in order to protect the rights of the consumers for the regulatory bodies of any country. The expansion of this market is due to the consumer’s choice between a digital and a physical transaction which is governed by the (i) benefits of examining a good in person, (ii) the relative hassle costs between search online and offline, (iii) the benefit of instant product availability, (iv) differences in assortment, and (v) the barriers of regulations. In a world where digital devices are ubiquitous, transactions with not-in-person component, such as flight or hotel purchases, will naturally take place digitally. On the other hand, purchases like furniture, where examining goods in person is valuable that is impossible to check through online. The growth in digital transactions can be driven by innovation spurred by competition between the marketplaces. Digital marketplace also increases the competitiveness of peer sellers and enhances the assortment of options available to the consumers. Now, millions of consumers are involved around the world with these opportunities due to the rapid growth of internet, mobile phones and other digital technologies. However, along with the growth of online activities of the consumers, some serious challenges are created by which consumers are now often cheated and becoming the victims. Therefore, question has been raised from different corners regarding the fraud, deception, and sufferings of the innocent consumers all over the world through online transactions in digital marketplace.

Making Digital Marketplaces Fairer

Global technological change has significant impact on lower skilled female textile and garment workers in Thailand, as it brings new machines and manufacturing processes into the company. This study aims at identifying the factors of global technological change on female textile and garment workers in Thailand. It covers three impact areas such as, job security, job satisfaction and work relations. 10 variables were identified from job security, 36 from job satisfaction and 10 from work relations’ areas. Multivariate analysis such as, Factor Analysis and Multiple Regression was used to analyze the data. Factor Analysis has been performed to identify the factors of the technological change on the female workers. Using Multiple Regression analysis, the overall impact of the technological change on female textile and garment workers has been assessed. The results show that the impact factors are frustration, skill demands, downsizing, meaningful work, pride in job, supervision, benefits, bureaucracy, unclear work assignments, recognition, fairness in pay, workload, the change process, strikes, and personal control. Among these factors, frustration and downsizing are concerned with job security; benefits, bureaucracy are related to job satisfaction; and the work processes and personal control are concerned with work relations. These factors are significantly related to the overall impact of the technological change on Thai female textile and garment workers. Factors concerning job security, job satisfaction, work relations together are significantly related to the overall socioeconomic lives of female and garment workers in Thailand.

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Nazrul Islam

Papers

Physical and Mental Health of the Workers in the Readymade Garment Industry of Bangladesh

Robust Wet Milling Technique for Producing Micronized Ibuprofen Particles with Improved Solubility and Dissolution

Insulin pump therapy, pre-pump hemoglobin A1c and metabolic improvement in children with type 1 diabetes at a tertiary Canadian children's hospital.

Making Digital Marketplaces Fairer

Global technological change impact on female textile and garment workers in thailand