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Potential Gains (potential + gain)
Selected AbstractsLinkage analysis with sequential imputationGENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 1 2003Zachary Skrivanek Abstract Multilocus calculations, using all available information on all pedigree members, are important for linkage analysis. Exact calculation methods in linkage analysis are limited in either the number of loci or the number of pedigree members they can handle. In this article, we propose a Monte Carlo method for linkage analysis based on sequential imputation. Unlike exact methods, sequential imputation can handle large pedigrees with a moderate number of loci in its current implementation. This Monte Carlo method is an application of importance sampling, in which we sequentially impute ordered genotypes locus by locus, and then impute inheritance vectors conditioned on these genotypes. The resulting inheritance vectors, together with the importance sampling weights, are used to derive a consistent estimator of any linkage statistic of interest. The linkage statistic can be parametric or nonparametric; we focus on nonparametric linkage statistics. We demonstrate that accurate estimates can be achieved within a reasonable computing time. A simulation study illustrates the potential gain in power using our method for multilocus linkage analysis with large pedigrees. We simulated data at six markers under three models. We analyzed them using both sequential imputation and GENEHUNTER. GENEHUNTER had to drop between 38,54% of pedigree members, whereas our method was able to use all pedigree members. The power gains of using all pedigree members were substantial under 2 of the 3 models. We implemented sequential imputation for multilocus linkage analysis in a user-friendly software package called SIMPLE. Genet Epidemiol 25:25,35, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Gain,bandwidth limitations of microwave transistorINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RF AND MICROWAVE COMPUTER-AIDED ENGINEERING, Issue 6 2002Filiz Güne Abstract This work enables one to obtain the potential gain (GT) characteristics with the associated source (ZS) and load (ZL) termination functions, depending upon the input mismatching (Vi), noise (F), and the device operation parameters, which are the configuration type (CT), bias conditions (VDS, IDS), and operation frequency (f). All these functions can straightforwardly provide the following main properties of the device for use in the design of microwave amplifiers with optimum performance: the extremum gain functions (GT max, GT min) and their associated ZS, ZL terminations for the Vi and F couple and the CT, VDS, IDS, and f operation parameters of the device point by point; all the compatible performance (F, voltage,standing wave ratio Vi, GT) triplets within the physical limits of the device, which are F , Fmin, Vi , 1, GT min , GT , GT max, together with their ZS, ZL termination functions; and the potential operation frequency bandwidth for a selected performance (F, Vi, GT) triplet. The selected performance triplet and termination functions can be realized together with their potential operation bandwidth using the novel amplifier design techniques. Many examples are presented for the potential gain characteristics of the chosen low-noise or ordinary types of transistor. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 12, 483,495, 2002. Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mmce.10049 [source] Forecasting key macroeconomic variables from a large number of predictors: a state space approachJOURNAL OF FORECASTING, Issue 4 2010Arvid Raknerud Abstract We use state space methods to estimate a large dynamic factor model for the Norwegian economy involving 93 variables for 1978Q2,2005Q4. The model is used to obtain forecasts for 22 key variables that can be derived from the original variables by aggregation. To investigate the potential gain in using such a large information set, we compare the forecasting properties of the dynamic factor model with those of univariate benchmark models. We find that there is an overall gain in using the dynamic factor model, but that the gain is notable only for a few of the key variables. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Regulated Firms with Transboundary Pollution: Does International Competition Improve Efficiency?JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMIC THEORY, Issue 3 2003Isabelle Péchoux We consider a model of strategic trade and environmental policies with transboundary pollution. A regulated monopoly produces in each country and emits pollution. Under complete information, opening borders leads to a reallocation of the production from the large country to the small one. Total production increases, leading to an increase in the total level of pollution. The creation of a common market sometimes leads to a deterioration of total welfare. Under asymmetric information, the international competition generated by the common market decreases the informational rents of the firms, thereby reinforcing the potential gain to open markets to international competition. [source] PRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY IN THE IVORIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY USING A DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS APPROACHTHE DEVELOPING ECONOMIES, Issue 4 2005KARINE CHAPELLE The African industrial structure is characterized by firm-size heterogeneity with the coexistence of small, if not micro, enterprises in the informal sector and large formal organizations operating with modern technology. In this paper, using the Data Envelopment Analysis production frontier methodology, we investigate the technical efficiency of Ivorian manufacturing firms in four sectors of economic activity: textiles and garments, metal products, food processing, and wood and furniture. Efficiency scores are adjusted to take into account the impact of the external operating environment. These scores are then broken down into three elements: the purely managerial effect, the impact of the scale of production, and a technological effect capturing the potential gain that could result from the adoption of modern technology by small informal organizations. Not only formal activities prove to be more efficient in scaling their production but also, they greatly benefit from their modem technology. [source] SHOULD OIL PRICES RECEIVE SO MUCH ATTENTION?ECONOMIC INQUIRY, Issue 4 2008AN EVALUATION OF THE PREDICTIVE POWER OF OIL PRICES FOR THE U.S. ECONOMY This paper evaluates the potential gains from using oil prices to forecast a variety of measures of inflation, economic activity, and monetary policy,related variables. With a few exceptions, oil prices do not have any predictive content for these variables. This finding is robust to the use of rolling forecast windows, the use of industry-level data, changes in the forecast horizon, and allowing for nonlinearities. (JEL Q43, E37, C32) [source] Targeting fuel poverty in England: is the government getting warm?FISCAL STUDIES, Issue 3 2002Tom Sefton Abstract This paper examines the cost-effectiveness of the new Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (HEES), a key component of the UK government's Fuel Poverty Strategy. The impact on the fuel poverty gap is simulated using data on a large-scale and representative sample of households in England. The scope for improving the scheme's targeting is considered by examining the optimal allocation of grants between households. The extent to which these potential gains might be achieved in practice using pragmatic criteria for distributing grants, and the implications of taking into account the dynamics of fuel poverty and the self-selection of grant applicants, are also explored. The current scheme is unlikely to have a very significant impact on fuel poverty, and considerable gains could be achieved by redesigning HEES, although the paper also highlights the difficulties involved in efficient targeting, including some additional complications not encountered in the analysis of more traditional anti-poverty measures. [source] TIME-INCONSISTENCY AND WELFARE PROGRAM PARTICIPATION: EVIDENCE FROM THE NLSY,INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 4 2009Hanming Fang We empirically implement a dynamic structural model of labor supply and welfare program participation for agents with potentially time-inconsistent preferences. Using panel data on the choices of single women with children from the National Longitudinal Surveys (NLSY) 1979, we provide estimates of the degree of time-inconsistency, and of its influence on the welfare take-up decision. With these estimates, we conduct counterfactual experiments to quantify a measure of the utility loss stemming from the inability to commit to future decisions, and the potential gains from commitment mechanisms such as welfare time limits and work requirements. [source] Revisiting the Lemons MarketINTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 1 2001Anke S. Kessler This article extends the standard competitive adverse selection model by allowing for qualitatively different information structures of agents on the informed side of the market. Using the stylized framework of the market for used cars, we examine the welfare properties of equilibria under the assumption that a fraction of the sellers remains uninformed about a parameter that is relevant for their own transaction. Whether market performance increases or decreases in the number of uninformed sellers is shown to depend on (1) the potential gains from trade in the market and (2) the average quality of the sellers' information structure. [source] International liquidity swaps: is the Chiang Mai Initiative pooling reserves efficiently?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FINANCE & ECONOMICS, Issue 4 2008E. Kohlscheen Abstract We analyse the network of bilateral liquidity swaps (BSAs) among the ASEAN+3 countries. We find that the network has taken the correlation of capital flows in the region into account, in the sense that countries with lower correlation of reserve growth have engaged in larger BSAs. All else equal, a decimal point increase in the correlation of international reserve growth decreases the size of a bilateral swap agreement between 18% and 27%. Moreover, we find that the approximately $ 60,bn of BSAs have had a limited impact, if any, on government bond spreads so far. Finally, we identify potential gains from inter-regional BSAs. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Impact of Affective Reactions on Risky Decision Making in Accounting ContextsJOURNAL OF ACCOUNTING RESEARCH, Issue 5 2002Kimberly Moreno In this study we examine whether managers' affective reactions influence their risk,taking tendencies in capital budgeting decisions. Prior research on risky decision making indicates that decision makers are often risk averse when choosing among alternatives that yield potential gains, and risk taking when the alternatives yield losses. The results reported here indicate that negative or positive affective reactions can change this commonly found risky behavior. Managers were generally risk avoiding (taking) for gains (losses) in the absence of affective reactions, as predicted by prospect theory. However, when affect was present, they tended to reject investment alternatives that elicited negative affect and accept alternatives that elicited positive affect, resulting in risk taking (avoiding) in gain (loss) contexts. The results also indicate that affective reactions can influence managers to choose alternatives with lower economic value, suggesting that managers consider both financial data and affective reactions when evaluating the utility of a decision alternative. These findings point to the importance of considering affective reactions when attempting to understand and predict risky decision making in accounting contexts. [source] Scan profiles for neutron spectrometers.JOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, Issue 5 2003The recent development of neutron collimators with rectangular transmission profiles (intensity versus angular divergence) extends hope of improved count rates on neutron scattering instruments. It is usually assumed that a more effective use of beam angular spread in these devices should increase count rates by about a factor of two. However, real beams have both angular and wavevector spread and both these spreads are governed by the allowed collimation. In this extended view, the gains from ideal rectangular-profile elements (angle filters) are shown to be much larger (about a factor of four). The mirror reflections used to achieve the rectangular profiles in real devices complicate the resolution effects. Specifically, the reflections disturb the wavevector,angular divergence correlation in the beams, leading to unusual peak shapes characterized by triple peaks on powder diffractometers. Thus, these reflecting collimators are likely to be universally useful only before the monochromator and immediately preceding the detector, where wavevector,angle correlations have no effect. This reduces the potential gains to a factor of two or so. Note that the gains are as previously expected but for quite different reasons than imagined. This remains a very significant gain in a field where most work is intensity-limited. [source] COMBINING REVEALED AND STATED PREFERENCE DATA TO ESTIMATE THE NONMARKET VALUE OF ECOLOGICAL SERVICES: AN ASSESSMENT OF THE STATE OF THE SCIENCEJOURNAL OF ECONOMIC SURVEYS, Issue 5 2008John C. Whitehead Abstract This paper reviews the marketing, transportation and environmental economics literature on the joint estimation of revealed preference (RP) and stated preference (SP) data. The RP and SP approaches are first described with a focus on the strengths and weaknesses of each. Recognizing these strengths and weaknesses, the potential gains from combining data are described. A classification system for combined data that emphasizes the type of data combination and the econometric models used is proposed. A methodological review of the literature is pursued based on this classification system. Examples from the environmental economics literature are highlighted. A discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of each type of jointly estimated model is then presented. Suggestions for future research, in particular opportunities for application of these models to environmental quality valuation, are presented. [source] Trade facilitation, regulatory quality and export performance,JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2007Tomasz Iwanow Abstract The objective of this paper is to quantify the potential gains in trade performance from the implementation of trade facilitation reform. The study applies a gravity model augmented with trade facilitation, regulatory quality and infrastructure indicators to assess the impact of trade facilitation and other trade-related constraints on export performance. Quantitatively, our results suggest that a 10 per cent improvement in trade facilitation would yield an increase in exports of about 5 per cent. Identical percentage improvements in the regulatory environment and in the quality of infrastructure provision would result in increases of 9,11 per cent and 8 per cent, respectively. The results confirm that while trade facilitation can contribute to improved export performance, improvements in the quality of the regulatory environment and the basic transport and communications infrastructure are equally or more important, in facilitating export growth. The conclusion is that trade facilitation alone is unlikely to result in a significant improvement in export performance. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The effects of one night of sleep deprivation on known-risk and ambiguous-risk decisionsJOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH, Issue 3 2007BENJAMIN S. MCKENNA Summary Sleep deprivation has been shown to alter decision-making abilities. The majority of research has utilized fairly complex tasks with the goal of emulating 'real-life' scenarios. Here, we use a Lottery Choice Task (LCT) which assesses risk and ambiguity preference for both decisions involving potential gains and those involving potential losses. We hypothesized that one night of sleep deprivation would make subjects more risk seeking in both gains and losses. Both a control group and an experimental group took the LCT on two consecutive days, with an intervening night of either sleep or sleep deprivation. The control group demonstrated that there was no effect of repeated administration of the LCT. For the experimental group, results showed significant interactions of night (normal sleep versus total sleep deprivation, TSD) by frame (gains versus losses), which demonstrate that following as little as 23 h of TSD, the prototypical response to decisions involving risk is altered. Following TSD, subjects were willing to take more risk than they ordinarily would when they were considering a gain, but less risk than they ordinarily would when they were considering a loss. For ambiguity preferences, there seems to be no direct effect of TSD. These findings suggest that, overall, risk preference is moderated by TSD, but whether an individual is willing to take more or less risk than when well-rested depends on whether the decision is framed in terms of gains or losses. [source] Innovation and Conflict Management in Work Teams: The Effects of Team Identification and Task and Relationship ConflictNEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT RESEARCH, Issue 1 2010Helena Syna Desivilya Abstract The current study attempted to elucidate the mechanisms whereby constructive-cooperative conflict management (integrating) fosters innovation in work teams. The proposed conceptual model postulated that the positive function of integrating in precipitating innovation is motivated by prosocial team atmosphere as manifested in team identity, the team's capacity to mitigate the adverse impact of relationship conflict and its capability to maximize the potential gains of task conflict. Specifically, it was hypothesized: (a) integrating would predict innovation. (b) Team identity would be positively related to integrating, and that integrating would mediate the positive relationship between team identity and team innovation. (c) Task conflict would be positively related to integrating whereas relationship conflict would be negatively related to integrating. This research embraced a team-level perspective and analysis. Seventy-seven intact work teams from high-technology companies participated in the study. The findings, by and large, supported the proposed conceptual model, especially the contention that teams' proclivities with respect to conflict management play a pivotal role in their capacity to function in an innovative manner. A team's integrating pattern meaningfully predicted team innovation. The mediating effect of the integrating strategy on the relationship between team identity and team innovation was also demonstrated. Finally, relationship conflict was negatively associated with a team's integrating pattern, while the positive association of task conflict with the cooperative strategy was marginally significant. [source] Next generation of elevated [CO2] experiments with crops: a critical investment for feeding the future worldPLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 9 2008ELIZABETH A. AINSWORTH ABSTRACT A rising global population and demand for protein-rich diets are increasing pressure to maximize agricultural productivity. Rising atmospheric [CO2] is altering global temperature and precipitation patterns, which challenges agricultural productivity. While rising [CO2] provides a unique opportunity to increase the productivity of C3 crops, average yield stimulation observed to date is well below potential gains. Thus, there is room for improving productivity. However, only a fraction of available germplasm of crops has been tested for CO2 responsiveness. Yield is a complex phenotypic trait determined by the interactions of a genotype with the environment. Selection of promising genotypes and characterization of response mechanisms will only be effective if crop improvement and systems biology approaches are closely linked to production environments, that is, on the farm within major growing regions. Free air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiments can provide the platform upon which to conduct genetic screening and elucidate the inheritance and mechanisms that underlie genotypic differences in productivity under elevated [CO2]. We propose a new generation of large-scale, low-cost per unit area FACE experiments to identify the most CO2 -responsive genotypes and provide starting lines for future breeding programmes. This is necessary if we are to realize the potential for yield gains in the future. [source] Beyond nature versus culture: cultural variation as an evolved characteristic,THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, Issue 2 2009Daniel Nettle There is a perceived dichotomy between evolutionary explanations for behaviour and social or cultural ones. In this essay, I attempt to dissolve this dichotomy by pointing out that organisms are susceptible to social or cultural influence because they have evolved mechanisms that make them so. I review two classes of evolutionary explanation for cultural variation, ,evoked' and ,transmitted' culture, and argue that these two classes of mechanism enrich and strengthen existing social science accounts, as well as making new predictions. I suggest a high degree of mutual compatibility and potential gains from trade between the social and biological sciences. Résumé Les explications du comportement opposent deux écoles de pensée, privilégiant les explications par l'évolution (biologique) et par le social ou la culture. Dans cet article, l'auteur tente de résoudre cette dichotomie en montrant que les organismes sont sensibles aux influences sociales et culturelles parce qu'ils ont acquis au cours de leur évolution des mécanismes qui leur confèrent cette sensibilité. Il étudie deux classes d'explications évolutionnistes des variations culturelles, celle de la culture «évoquée » et celle de la culture « transmise », et avance que ces deux types de mécanismes enrichissent et renforcent les comptes-rendus existants, tout en permettant de nouvelles prédictions. L'article suggère qu'il existe une grande compatibilité mutuelle et qu'il y a beaucoup à gagner des échanges entre sciences sociales et naturelles. [source] TASTE FOR VARIETY AND OPTIMUM PRODUCT DIVERSITY IN AN OPEN ECONOMYBULLETIN OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH, Issue 2 2009Javier Coto-Martínez D43; F12 ABSTRACT We extend the Benassy,taste for variety' model to an open economy setting. With the Benassy effect, the market equilibrium is inefficient, openness reduces the varieties provided in the unconstrained optimum and there are potential gains from international coordination. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||