Search results for "PRODUCTIVITY"
showing 10 items of 618 documents
Climate and agriculture: empirical evidence for countries and agroecological zones of the Sahel
2022
International audience; ow heterogenous is the impact of climate change across space and the type of agricultural production? In this paper, we investigate the relationship between climate change and variability, measured by temperature and rainfall, and agricultural production at the country and agroecological zone levels of the Sahel. We consider a crop production index and five cereals (maize, millet, sorghum, wheat and rice). Based on an original climate database and an agricultural production function estimated for the period 1961–2016, we show that average rainfall and temperature during the growing season indeed have highly heterogeneous effects on agricultural production, depending …
Short-time non-work-related computing and creative performance
2014
It has been argued that non-work-related computing (NWRC) takes time away from work and, hence, decreases work productivity. On the other hand, it has also been claimed that short-time non-work-related computing (STNWRC) (a maximum of 15 minutes), has a positive impact on work productivity, including relief from boredom, higher creativity, and the underlying recovery mechanisms. To examine the impact of STNWRC on creative performance, we draw on Fredrickson's broaden-and-build theory, the concept of recovery with mental well-being and low cognitive effort. A 2 × 2 factorial experiment with 40 subjects was conducted. The results indicate that STNWRC has a positive effect on creative performa…
Early Paleocene Paleoceanography and Export Productivity in the Chicxulub Crater
2021
The Chicxulub impact caused a crash in productivity in the world''s oceans which contributed to the extinction of ~75% of marine species. In the immediate aftermath of the extinction, export productivity was locally highly variable, with some sites, including the Chicxulub crater, recording elevated export production. The long-term transition back to more stable export productivity regimes has been poorly documented. Here, we present elemental abundances, foraminifer and calcareous nannoplankton assemblage counts, total organic carbon, and bulk carbonate carbon isotope data from the Chicxulub crater to reconstruct changes in export productivity during the first 3 Myr of the Paleocene. We sh…
Productivity of an Atriplex halimus shrubbery and effects of grazing on lambs
2009
The objectives of this study were to 1) evaluate the productivity and forage quality of Atriplex halimus, 2) investigate modifications to shrub structure induced by grazing, and 3) assess live weight changes in lambs grazing on A. halimus with and without a feed supplement (wheat straw ± barley grain). The results showed that A. halimus had low productivity (approximately 1000 kg DM ha–1) but high tolerance to grazing by lambs, although minor modifications in plant structure due to grazing were observed. Lambs grazing A. halimus as a sole diet lost weight (about 60 g lamb−1 d–1; P < 0.01), probably as a consequence of the high salt content of the forage reducing bot…
Identifying a marine microalgae with high carbohydrate productivities under stress and potential for efficient flocculation
2018
Microalgal biomass represents a potential third generation feedstock that could be utilised as a source of carbohydrates for fermentative production of a range of platform biochemicals. Identifying microalgal strains with high biomass and carbohydrate productivities while also being amenable to downstream processes is key in improving the feasibility of these processes. Utilising marine microalgae capable of growing in seawater will decrease reliance on freshwater resources and improve the sustainability of production. This study screened several marine microalgae believed to accumulate carbohydrates to find new high performing strains. Four strains had high growth rates and accumulated car…
Effects of harvesting timber stands on goshawk nesting in two European areas
2001
We evaluated the effects of harvesting timber stands on goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) nesting in two European areas (central Italy and eastern France), by studying their occupancy and reproductive performance. We found no difference in the productivity of goshawk pairs reproducing in unlogged vs. logged stands. When considering the same nesting stand, before and after timber harvesting, we noted no differences in the number of young per breeding pair nora year effect. We observed that 87.5% of goshawk pairs nesting in logged stands moved away only when the original stand structure was altered by > 30%, and then only to the nearest neighbouring mature stand (maximum distance ca. 1.5 km). The …
Invasive Alien Plants in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review and Synthesis of Their Insecticidal Activities
2021
Despite the cornucopia of agricultural, economic and ecological ramifications of invasive alien plant species (IAPs) in sub-Saharan Africa, studies on their potential use as bio-insecticides have not received adequate attention compared to the burgeoning plethora of literature on their use in ethnomedicine. In the current study, we review the existing, but scattered literature on the insecticidal activity of different parts of some IAPs; specifically those invasive in sub-Saharan Africa but with published literature from Africa and elsewhere. From our literature survey, we found that 69 studies from four continents (Africa, Asia, North America and South America) reported the insecticidal ac…
Blockchain Disrupting Fintech and the Banking System
2021
Nowadays society is profoundly changed by technology, velocity and productivity. While individuals are not yet prepared for holographic connection with banks or financial institutions, other innovative technologies have been adopted. Lately, a new world has been launched, personalized and adapted to reality. It has emerged and started to govern almost all daily activities due to the five key elements that are foundations of the technology: machine to machine (M2M), internet of things (IoT), big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). Competitive innovations are now on the market, helping with the connection between investors and borrowers—notably crowdfunding and peer-to-pe…
Direct and indirect knowledge spillovers and industrial productivity
2016
AbstractThis paper analyses the importance of externalities related to the spread of innovation across sectors. Such spillover effects arise from R&D activities and input–output (IO) linkages among sectors in the country. We borrow Spatial Econometrics techniques to make consistent estimates of the impact of these systematic direct and indirect spillovers on sector’s productivity and the possibility of other types of productivity spillovers in the error term. We find that direct spillovers emanating from IO horizontal linkages determine sector’s productivity, while the indirect effects prove to be negligible. Furthermore, the technological intensity of IO linkages and the productive structu…
Growth and convergence profiles in the Spanish provinces (1965-1997)
2005
. Economic performance in Spanish provinces has led to a considerable improvement in standard of living of their populations. Intense capital accumulation since the 1950s played a key roll in this process. Provincial inequalities may increase or decrease as a result of this growth pattern. This study analyzes the evolution of the disparities by means of distribution dynamics techniques. It explicitly considers economic size of each province and whether spatial spillovers exist. Results indicate that the convergence process has been especially intense for labor productivity, total factor productivity, and capital intensity, while for per capita income the patterns of convergence are less ma…