Hasil untuk "Trade associations"

P. Tuominen

K. Chan, M. Shaw, D. R. Cameron et al.

Despite increasing attention to the human dimension of conservation projects, a rigorous, systematic methodology for planning for ecosystem services has not been developed. This is in part because flows of ecosystem services remain poorly characterized at local-to-regional scales, and their protection has not generally been made a priority. We used a spatially explicit conservation planning framework to explore the trade-offs and opportunities for aligning conservation goals for biodiversity with six ecosystem services (carbon storage, flood control, forage production, outdoor recreation, crop pollination, and water provision) in the Central Coast ecoregion of California, United States. We found weak positive and some weak negative associations between the priority areas for biodiversity conservation and the flows of the six ecosystem services across the ecoregion. Excluding the two agriculture-focused services—crop pollination and forage production—eliminates all negative correlations. We compared the degree to which four contrasting conservation network designs protect biodiversity and the flow of the six services. We found that biodiversity conservation protects substantial collateral flows of services. Targeting ecosystem services directly can meet the multiple ecosystem services and biodiversity goals more efficiently but cannot substitute for targeted biodiversity protection (biodiversity losses of 44% relative to targeting biodiversity alone). Strategically targeting only biodiversity plus the four positively associated services offers much promise (relative biodiversity losses of 7%). Here we present an initial analytical framework for integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services in conservation planning and illustrate its application. We found that although there are important potential trade-offs between conservation for biodiversity and for ecosystem services, a systematic planning framework offers scope for identifying valuable synergies.

R. Eccles

K. Eisenhardt

Nancy C. Johnson

E. Nøhr, M. Vaeth, Jennifer L Baker et al.

Mengke Yu, Jinxiao Lian, Sarah Morag McGhee et al.

Abstract Background To estimate health utility decrements associated with correctable and uncorrectable vision impairment (VI) in community-dwelling older adults in Hong Kong using the EQ-5D-5 L and time trade-off (TTO), and to compare the sensitivity of these utility instruments in detecting VI's quality-of-life impacts. Methods A random sample of 999 older adults, previously screened in a community-based eye care programme between 2015 and 2017 and not referred for eye specialist care, completed follow-up eye examinations and questionnaire surveys between 2022 and 2024. Distance VI was defined as presenting visual acuity worse than 6/12 in the better-seeing eye, and categorized as correctable (due to uncorrected refractive error, URE) or uncorrectable (due to pathology), based on best-corrected visual acuity. Health utility was measured using the EQ-5D-5 L questionnaire and the TTO method. Associations between VI type and utility scores were analyzed using multivariable linear regression. Results The prevalence of VI was 19.1%, with 15.4% correctable and 3.7% uncorrectable. Mean EQ-5D-5L utility scores were 0.91 (standard deviation [SD] = 0.15) for those without VI, 0.90 (SD = 0.12) for correctable VI, and 0.85 (SD = 0.22) for uncorrectable VI (p < 0.05). Mean TTO scores followed a similar pattern: 0.95 (SD = 0.14), 0.94 (SD = 0.15), and 0.89 (SD = 0.22), respectively. In adjusted models, uncorrectable VI was significantly associated with a 0.052 decrease in TTO utility (95% confidence interval: −0.103 to −0.002; p < 0.05), while correctable VI showed no significant utility loss in either measure. Conclusions There were generally lower utility values for community dwelling elders with VI compared to no VI, with significant reductions of uncorrectable VI due to eye diseases in health utility among older adults living in the community. In contrast, correctable VI due to URE did not significantly affect utility values, suggesting that generic instruments like EQ-5D-5 L and TTO may lack sensitivity to detect the burden of milder, reversible vision loss. These findings provide essential data for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of community eye care programs and highlight the need for more targeted quality-of-life measures in vision research.

Romain Cosson, Federico Fusco, Anupam Gupta et al.

We study repeated bilateral trade when the valuations of the sellers and the buyers are contextual. More precisely, the agents' valuations are given by the inner product of a context vector with two unknown $d$-dimensional vectors -- one for the buyers and one for the sellers. At each time step $t$, the learner receives a context and posts two prices, one for the seller and one for the buyer, and the trade happens if both agents accept their price. We study two objectives for this problem, gain from trade and profit, proving no-regret with respect to a surprisingly strong benchmark: the best omniscient dynamic strategy. In the natural scenario where the learner observes \emph{separately} whether the agents accept their price -- the so-called \emph{two-bit} feedback -- we design algorithms that achieve $O(d\log d)$ regret for gain from trade, and $O(d \log\log T + d\log d)$ regret for profit maximization. Both results are tight, up to the $\log(d)$ factor, and implement per-step budget balance, meaning that the learner never incurs negative profit. In the less informative \emph{one-bit} feedback model, the learner only observes whether a trade happens or not. For this scenario, we show that the tight two-bit regret regimes are still attainable, at the cost of allowing the learner to possibly incur a small negative profit of order $O(d\log d)$, which is notably independent of the time horizon. As a final set of results, we investigate the combination of one-bit feedback and per-step budget balance. There, we design an algorithm for gain from trade that suffers regret independent of the time horizon, but \emph{exponential} in the dimension $d$. For profit maximization, we maintain this exponential dependence on the dimension, which gets multiplied by a $\log T$ factor.

Amanda J. Rose, Wendy Carlson, Erika M. Waller

Diana Ferreira, Luis M. San‐Jose, Alexandre Roulin et al.

Abstract The selective pressure from pathogens on individuals can have direct consequences on reproduction. Genes from the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are central to the vertebrate adaptive immune system and pathogen resistance. In species with biparental care, each sex has distinct reproductive roles and levels of investment, and due to a trade‐off with immunity, one can expect different selective regimes acting upon the MHC of each parent. Here, we addressed whether couples combine each other's variation at MHC loci to increase their breeding success. Specifically, we used a 23‐year dataset from a barn owl population (Tyto alba) to understand how MHC class Iα and IIβ functional divergence and supertypes of each parent were associated with clutch size and fledging success. We did not detect associations between MHC diversity and supertypes with the clutch size or with the fledging success. In addition, to understand the relative contribution from the MHC of the genetic parents and the social parents, we analyzed the fledging success using only a cross‐fostered dataset. We found several associations of weak‐to‐moderate effect sizes between the father's MHC and fledging success: (i) lower MHC‐Iα divergence in the genetic father increases fledging success, which might improve paternal care during incubation, and (ii) one and two MHC‐IIβ DAB2 supertypes in the social father decrease and increase, respectively, fledging success, which may affect the paternal care after hatching. Furthermore, fledging success increased when both parents did not carry MHC‐IIβ DAB1 supertype 2, which could suggest conditional effects of this supertype. Although our study relied on a substantial dataset, we showed that the associations between MHC diversity and reproductive success remain scarce and of complex interpretation in the barn owl. Moreover, our results highlighted the need to incorporate more than one proxy of reproductive success and several MHC classes to capture more complex associations.

Liam P. Langley, Sam L. Cox, Samantha C. Patrick et al.

ABSTRACT Coloniality is strongly shaped by aspects of social foraging behaviour. For example, colonies may be important sources of information, while food competition may increase foraging efforts and limit colony size. Understanding foraging ecology considering these apparent trade‐offs is required to develop a better understanding of colonial living. We combined animal‐borne GPS, cameras and dive recorders to study social foraging in breeding adult northern gannets Morus bassanus—a wide‐ranging colonial seabird. We first tested for indirect evidence of prey depletion around the colony by estimating dive location, depth and duration. Next, we tested for sociality during different behaviours (commuting, foraging and resting) and distance from the colony. Finally, we quantified flocks of inbound and outbound birds to compare social foraging between outbound and inbound legs of the commute. Dive probability and depth (n = 46 individuals; n = 1590 dives) increased with distance from the colony, creating dive clusters at ~100 and 180 km consistent with conspecific prey depletion. Camera stills (n = 8 individuals; n = 7495 images) show gannets are highly social, but this varied among behaviours. Sociality was highest during foraging and commuting; especially inbound and social foraging was more likely far from the colony. Gannets were equally likely to be solitary or social when leaving the colony but returning birds were more likely in larger flocks. In summary, despite experiencing intraspecific competition for food, gannets engage in dynamic, context‐dependent social foraging associations. Conspecifics aggregated far from the colony possibly because of a prey depletion halo closer to home, but this provided potential benefits via local enhancement and by returning to the colony in flocks. Our results therefore illustrate how competition may, paradoxically, facilitate some aspects of group foraging in colonial animals.

Oleg E. Grishin, Alexander V. Kanushkin

The study examines the problems of German trade unions related to the ongoing confrontation with the young party of the right-wing spectrum “Alternative for Germany” for several years. Despite the fact that the AfD is an irreconcilable ideological opponent of trade unions, their members show sympathy for the party. The severity of the situation is due not only to the fact that more than a tenth of supporters of professional associations support the AfD in elections, but also to the fact that, as a percentage, trade union members vote more actively for this party than the average German voter. The reasons for the growth of right-wing sentiments among the class of employees are considered. The methods used by trade unions in the ideological struggle are shown, up to direct prohibitions for their supporters on parallel membership in the AfD. In this situation, the trade unions have clearly demonstrated themselves as an independent political actor, but, in our opinion, they have become the losing side in the fight against the AfD. The authors complement existing approaches to the study of the problems of the functioning of German trade unions in the political process in Germany.

Abdulaziz Aldegheishem

The global economy has reported an unprecedented increase in growth rates over the last 2 decades, due to rapid evolution in transportation and communications. The rapid growth of international trade has increased the demand for fossil fuel, leading to exacerbated environmental risks. Air transportation is an essential operational practice in trade openness and has many economic benefits. However, its effect on CO2 emissions is not well understood. Studies on the causal relationships between air transportation, trade openness, economic growth, and CO2 emissions are lacking, especially across Middle Eastern countries. This study targets Saudi Arabia, one of the largest countries in the Middle East region in terms of economic capabilities and geographical area, to investigate the impact of air transportation, trade openness, and economic growth on CO2 emissions. To this end, data was derived from the World Development Indicators (WDI) established by the World Bank for the period 1991–2023. An autoregressive, distributed lag autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model was used to analyze associations among the study variables; the empirical findings confirm that air transportation, trade openness, and economic growth have positive and statistically significant effects on CO2 emissions in both long- and short-run scenarios. However, the results illustrate that economic growth alone is unable to sufficiently reduce CO2 emissions in Saudi Arabia, indicating a lack of connection between economic policies and environmental goals. Thus, these results indicate that the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis is not valid for Saudi Arabia. In addition, this study provides useful insights for policymakers to mitigate CO2 emissions. Suggestions include attracting foreign investment, modifying the structure of trade, mitigating the reliance on imports and enhancing exports, while focusing on green strategies for economic growth, replacing fossil fuels with clean and renewable sources, subsidizing environmentally friendly technologies, and enacting decarbonizing regulations.

Matthew I. Jones

We introduce a new framework to study the group dynamics and game-theoretic considerations when voters in a committee are allowed to trade votes. This model represents a significant step forward by considering vote-for-vote trades in a low-information environment where voters do not know the preferences of their trading partners. All voters draw their preference intensities on two issues from a common probability distribution and then consider offering to trade with an anonymous partner. The result is a strategic game between two voters that can be studied analytically. We compute the Nash equilibria for this game and derive several interesting results involving symmetry, group heterogeneity, and more. This framework allows us to determine that trades are typically detrimental to the welfare of the group as a whole, but there are exceptions. We also expand our model to allow all voters to trade votes and derive approximate results for this more general scenario. Finally, we emulate vote trading in real groups by forming simulated committees using real voter preference intensity data and computing the resulting equilibria and associated welfare gains or losses.

Nicola Borri, Yukun Liu, Aleh Tsyvinski et al.

The European Union Emission Trading System is a prominent market-based mechanism to reduce emissions. While the theory is well understood, we are the first to study the whole cap-and-trade mechanism as a financial market. Analyzing the universe of transactions in 2005-2020 (more than one million records of granular transaction data), we show that this market features significant inefficiencies undermining its goals. First, about 40% of firms never trade in a given year. Second, many firms only trade during surrendering months, when compliance is immediate and prices are predictably high. Third, a number of operators engage in speculative trading, exploiting private information.

Catalina M Jaramillo, Paul Squires, Julian Togelius

Fairness,the impartial treatment towards individuals or groups regardless of their inherent or acquired characteristics [20], is a critical challenge for the successful implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in multiple fields like finances, human capital, and housing. A major struggle for the development of fair AI models lies in the bias implicit in the data available to train such models. Filtering or sampling the dataset before training can help ameliorate model bias but can also reduce model performance and the bias impact can be opaque. In this paper, we propose a method for visualizing the biases inherent in a dataset and understanding the potential trade-offs between fairness and accuracy. Our method builds on quality-diversity optimization, in particular Covariance Matrix Adaptation Multi-dimensional Archive of Phenotypic Elites (MAP-Elites). Our method provides a visual representation of bias in models, allows users to identify models within a minimal threshold of fairness, and determines the trade-off between fairness and accuracy.

Vittoria Colamesta, Laura Marchini, Giuliano Bertazzoni et al.

The financial industry is a pivot of the economy and plays an important social role. Goal of this study was to analyze factors associated with the framing level in banking in the province of Pisa. We collected data about age, gender, framing level, workplace and type of bank for bankers in Pisa through trade unionists. We collected data on 2018 workers and we found significant associations between framing level and aged over 40 years (OR = 4.5; 95% CI: 2.9-6.9), workplace in Pisa (OR = 0.30; 95% CI: 0.20-0.44) and male gender (OR = 2.89; 95% CI: 1.98-4.21). The first two factors are explainable with organizational characteristics. In fact for becoming manager you already have to work a number of year and in cities rather than in the surrounding municipalities, consistent with the size of bank. However, the third factor, already known in the literature in other work areas, requires further studies for explaining causes and helping to implement actions to reduce the gender gap.

Erica Briones-Vozmediano, Sergio Andrés-Cabello, Astrid Escrig-Piñol et al.

Resumen: Objetivo: Valorar la influencia de la precariedad laboral y la exclusión social en la salud de hombres y mujeres migrantes que trabajan en el sector agrícola en España. Método: Se recogerán datos cualitativos y cuantitativos en cuatro comunidades autónomas (Cataluña, La Rioja, Murcia y Andalucía) entre 2021 y 2022. En una primera fase se realizarán entrevistas personales semiestructuradas, con un mínimo de 40 informantes clave profesionales o expertos (de ONG, asociaciones, sanidad, servicios sociales, sindicatos, cooperativas agrícolas, política y mediadores culturales). En una segunda fase se combinarán entrevistas personales con técnicas cualitativas participativas (body mapping y photovoice), con 40 hombres y mujeres migrantes jornaleros/as. En una tercera fase se realizará un estudio transversal con una muestra estimada de 400-500 migrantes jornaleros/as basada en la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y la Encuesta de Condiciones de Vida. Abstract: Objective: To assess the influence of job insecurity and social exclusion on the health of migrant men and women working in the agricultural sector in Spain. Method: Qualitative and quantitative data will be collected in four Spanish autonomous regions (Catalonia, La Rioja, Murcia, and Andalusia) between 2021 and 2022. First, semi-structured personal interviews with at least 40 professional key informants or experts (from NGOs, associations, health, social services, trade unions, agricultural cooperatives, politics, and cultural mediators). Second, semi-structured personal interviews combined with participatory techniques (body mapping and photovoice) will be conducted with 40 migrant men and women working in agriculture. Thirdly, a cross-sectional study with an estimated sample of 400–500 migrants working in agriculture, based on the National Health Survey and the Living Conditions Survey.

Sungyong Kim, Jinhyuk Yun

An economic system is an exemplar of a complex system in which all agents interact simultaneously. Interactions between countries have generally been studied using the flow of resources across diverse trade networks, in which the degree of dependence between two countries is typically measured based on the trade volume. However, indirect influences may not be immediately apparent. Herein, we compared a direct trade network to a trade network constructed using the personalized PageRank (PPR) encompassing indirect influences. By analyzing the correlation of the gross domestic product (GDP) between countries, we discovered that the PPR trade network has greater explanatory power on the propagation of economic events than direct trade by analyzing the GDP correlation between countries. To further validate our observations, an agent-based model of the spreading economic crisis was implemented for the Russia-Ukraine war of 2022. The model also demonstrates that the PPR explains the actual impact more effectively than the direct trade network. Our research highlights the significance of indirect and long-range relationships, which have often been overlooked

Carlos Góes, Eddy Bekkers

Geopolitical conflicts have increasingly been a driver of trade policy. We study the potential effects of global and persistent geopolitical conflicts on trade, technological innovation, and economic growth. In conventional trade models the welfare costs of such conflicts are modest. We build a multi-sector multi-region general equilibrium model with dynamic sector-specific knowledge diffusion, which magnifies welfare losses of trade conflicts. Idea diffusion is mediated by the input-output structure of production, such that both sector cost shares and import trade shares characterize the source distribution of ideas. Using this framework, we explore the potential impact of a "decoupling of the global economy," a hypothetical scenario under which technology systems would diverge in the global economy. We divide the global economy into two geopolitical blocs -- East and West -- based on foreign policy similarity and model decoupling through an increase in iceberg trade costs (full decoupling) or tariffs (tariff decoupling). Results yield three main insights. First, the projected welfare losses for the global economy of a decoupling scenario can be drastic, as large as 15% in some regions and are largest in the lower income regions as they would benefit less from technology spillovers from richer areas. Second, the described size and pattern of welfare effects are specific to the model with diffusion of ideas. Without diffusion of ideas the size and variation across regions of the welfare losses would be substantially smaller. Third, a multi-sector framework exacerbates diffusion inefficiencies induced by trade costs relative to a single-sector one.