Search results for "Productivity."

Carbon dynamics in highly heterotrophic subarctic thaw ponds

2015

Abstract. Global warming has accelerated the formation of permafrost thaw ponds in several subarctic and arctic regions. These ponds are net heterotrophic as evidenced by their greenhouse gas (GHG) supersaturation levels (CO2 and CH4), and generally receive large terrestrial carbon inputs from the thawing and eroding permafrost. We measured seasonal and vertical variations in the concentration and type of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in five subarctic thaw (thermokarst) ponds in northern Quebec, and explored how environmental gradients influenced heterotrophic and phototrophic biomass and productivity. Late winter DOM had low aromaticity indicating reduced inputs of terrestrial carbon, wh…

Personality predicts social dominance in female zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, in a feeding context.

2011

6 pages; International audience; Although personality has been defined as a suite of correlated behaviours, most studies of animal personality actually consider correlations between a few traits. We examined the repeatability and correlational structure of five potential personality traits (activity, neophobia, exploratory tendencies, risk-taking behaviour and obstinacy), in female zebra finches. In addition, we assessed to what extent personality influenced social dominance in a feeding context in this gregarious species. All personality traits were found to be highly repeatable within individuals. In addition, except for obstinacy, all of them were related to each other, thus defining a b…

Constipation severity is associated with productivity losses and healthcare utilization in patients with chronic constipation

2014

OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the association between constipation severity, productivity losses and healthcare utilization in a national sample of Italian patients with chronic non-organic constipation (CC). METHODS: We enrolled 878 outpatients with CC. Clinical and demographic data were collected by physicians during clinical examinations. Patients completed a self-administered questionnaire (Patient Assessment of Constipation-Symptoms, PAC-SYM; Work Productivity and Activity Impairment; healthcare utilization, and Symptoms Checklist 90 Revised - Somatization Scale, SCL-90 R). RESULTS: Mean PAC-SYM score was 1.62 ± 0.69. Mean weekly sick time due to constipation was 2.7 ± 8.6 h and pro…

P496 Impact of ulcerative colitis on costs, work productivity and quality of life: a prospective study in a single referral centre

2019

Interactions, spillovers de connaissance et croissance des économies modernes. Faut-il préférer la globalisation ou la proximité géographique ?

2009

Globalisation and metropolisation in modern economies induce some locational strategies of knowledge based activities towards cities and deeply increase trade and move of ideas across cities. In that context, we study the way knowledge spillovers have influenced the economic growth of 82 European Metropolises over the 1990-2005 period. We model knowledge spillovers across cities according to three specific interaction patterns depending either on geography or on global advanced services or thought a combination of these patterns. We show that the mixed pattern matters the best for economic growth of cities in Europe.

Perceptions about physical activity and its associated benefits among employees : case study in 12 Multinational Companies in Pakistan

2016

This thesis focus on the perceptions of the employees working in Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in Pakistan, with regards to their physical activity and its associated benefits. Previous research has shown that physical activity is positively associated with on-job productivity and life satisfaction of the employees across the world. With no such research being carried out in Pakistan before, this thesis aims to focus on the same factors, but uses employees’ perceptions rather than employing an intervention study. Furthermore associated benefits of physical activity such as reduced healthcare cost, decrease in exposure to various heath-risks and reduced presenteeism were also addressed w…

Multinationals, R&D and productivity: Evidence for UK Manufacturing firms

2010

In this study, we analyze multinationality (domestic-based firms versus multinationals) and foreignness (foreign versus domestic firms) effects in the returns of R&D to productivity. We follow a two-step strategy. In the first step, we consistently estimate firm's productivity by GMM and numerically compute the sample distribution of the R&D returns. In the second step, we use stochastic dominance techniques to make inferences on the multinationality and foreignness effects. Results for a panel of UK manufacturing firms suggest that multinationality and foreignness effects operate in an opposite way: whilst the multinationality effect enhances R&D returns, the foreignness diminishes them. C…

Promotions and Earnings – Gender or Merit? Evidence from Longitudinal Personnel Data

2017

This study examines the determinants of promotions, performance evaluations and earnings using unique longitudinal data from the personnel records of a large university. The study focuses on the role of gender in remuneration using, first, information on the complexity ratings of job tasks to define promotions on job ladders and, second, information on objective individual productivity. The study finds that individual research productivity was an important determinant of promotions and earnings. The results indicate that gender has no effect on the probability of being promoted, conditional on productivity, nor does it play a role in the performance evaluation of employees. Furthermore, the…

Differences in wage determination in the Eurozone: A challenge to the resilience of the common currency

2019

Abstract Different developments in wages and unit labor costs across countries can reduce the synchronization of business cycles within a currency area and therefore be a potential source of asymmetric shocks and/or asymmetric response to a common shock. In this paper, we use novel econometric methods to identify differences and similarities in wage determination across Eurozone countries. Results show that wages have different determinants across euro area countries, among which two relatively distinct groups can be identified. In particular, wages in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Finland behave more similarly, are less sticky and respond more to macroeconomic …

Impact of plant cover on the cavity-nesting ant Temnothorax crassispinus

2017

1. Plant communities influence the availability of important resources for ants, such as nest sites and food, as well as environmental conditions. Thus, plants affect the abundance and distribution of ants. 2. In a field experiment, the influence of plant cover on the settlement of nest sites and per-capita productivity of sexual individuals by the ant Temnothorax crassispinus was analysed. In July 2014, in five areas with patches of alien balsam Impatiens parviflora, and another five of native balsam I. noli-tangere, transects composed of artificial nests were established; the nest sites were situated inside patches of balsams, and outside of them. Four hundred and forty artificial nests w…