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Music and language in the crib: Early cross‐domain effects of experience on categorical perception of prominence in spoken language
In: Developmental science, Volume 26, Issue 5
ISSN: 1467-7687
AbstractRhythm perception helps young infants find structure in both speech and music. However, it remains unknown whether categorical perception of suprasegmental linguistic rhythm signaled by a co‐variation of multiple acoustic cues can be modulated by prior between‐ (music) and within‐domain (language) experience. Here we tested 6‐month‐old German‐learning infants' ability to have a categorical perception of lexical stress, a linguistic prominence signaled through the co‐variation of pitch, intensity, and duration. By measuring infants' pupil size, we find that infants as a group fail to perceive co‐variation of these acoustic cues as categorical. However, at an individual level, infants with above‐average exposure to music and language at home succeeded. Our results suggest that early exposure to music and infant‐directed language can boost the categorical perception of prominence.Research Highlights
6‐month‐old German‐learning infants' ability to perceive lexical stress prominence categorically depends on exposure to music and language at home.
Infants with high exposure to music show categorical perception.
Infants with high exposure to infant‐directed language show categorical perception.
Co‐influence of high exposure to music and infant‐directed language may be especially beneficial for categorical perception.
Early exposure to predictable rhythms boosts categorical perception of prominence.
PROBLEMS, RISKS AND PROSPECTS OF DIGITALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN ARMENIA IN THE EYES OF STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND EXPERTS
In: Herald of Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University: humanities and social sciences, Issue 4, p. 124-137
Why a Global Carbon Policy Could Have a Dramatic Impact on the Pattern of the Worldwide Livestock Production
In: Applied economic perspectives and policy, Volume 33, Issue 4, p. 584-605
ISSN: 2040-5804
AbstractThe taxation of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) represents an efficient means of achieving climate change mitigation, and this is often the starting point in any discussion of long run global GHG reduction. However, the direct effects of such a tax, or equivalently, an emissions trading scheme, will vary across countries and sectors according to the emissions intensity of the sector. We report, for the first time, estimates of such livestock emissions intensities for all regions of the world and decompose the intensities to understand the sources of regional variation. Our findings indicate that most of the variation is due to differences in the value of output per animal in different regions, which in turn is due to regional differences in output per animal (yield) and dollar per unit output (price). Animals with relatively low annual output values tend to be characterized by higher economic emissions intensities. We find this to be the case in many developing countries. Livestock activity in these high emissions intensity regions are hit especially hard by an emissions tax, resulting in disproportionate reductions in output and consumption in many regions already suffering from malnutrition.
Trade and the Greenhouse Gas Emissions from International Freight Transport
In: NBER Working Paper No. w17117
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Mandatory Non-financial Disclosure and Its Influence on CSR: An International Comparison
International audience ; The article examines the effects of non-financial disclosure (NFD) on corporate social responsibility (CSR). We conceptualise trade-offs between two ideal types (government regulation and business self-regulation) in relation to CSR. Whereas self-regulation is associated with greater flexibility for businesses to develop best practices, it can also lead to complacency if firms feel no external pressure to engage with CSR. In contrast, government regulation is associated with greater stringency around minimum standards, but can also result in rigidity owing to a 'one size fits all' approach. Given these potential trade-offs, we ask how mandatory non-financial disclosure has been shaping CSR practices and examine its potential effectiveness as a regulatory instrument. Our analysis of 24 OECD countries using the Asset4 database shows that firms in countries that require non-financial disclosure adopt significantly more CSR activities. However, we also find that NFD regulation does not lead to lower levels of corporate irresponsibility. Furthermore, our analysis demonstrates that, over time, the variation in CSR activities declines as firms adopt increasingly similar practices. Our study thereby contributes to understanding the impact of government regulation on CSR at firm level. We also discuss the limits of mandatory NFD in addressing regulatory trade-offs between stringency and flexibility in the field of corporate social responsibility.
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Mandatory Non-financial Disclosure and Its Influence on CSR: An International Comparison
International audience ; The article examines the effects of non-financial disclosure (NFD) on corporate social responsibility (CSR). We conceptualise trade-offs between two ideal types (government regulation and business self-regulation) in relation to CSR. Whereas self-regulation is associated with greater flexibility for businesses to develop best practices, it can also lead to complacency if firms feel no external pressure to engage with CSR. In contrast, government regulation is associated with greater stringency around minimum standards, but can also result in rigidity owing to a 'one size fits all' approach. Given these potential trade-offs, we ask how mandatory non-financial disclosure has been shaping CSR practices and examine its potential effectiveness as a regulatory instrument. Our analysis of 24 OECD countries using the Asset4 database shows that firms in countries that require non-financial disclosure adopt significantly more CSR activities. However, we also find that NFD regulation does not lead to lower levels of corporate irresponsibility. Furthermore, our analysis demonstrates that, over time, the variation in CSR activities declines as firms adopt increasingly similar practices. Our study thereby contributes to understanding the impact of government regulation on CSR at firm level. We also discuss the limits of mandatory NFD in addressing regulatory trade-offs between stringency and flexibility in the field of corporate social responsibility.
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Agritourism Development Issues In Rural Places: Evidence From Armenia
In: SocioEconomic challenges: SEC, Volume 4, Issue 4, p. 29-38
ISSN: 2520-6214
The following paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issues of agritourism development issues in rural places. Agritourism development is a good source for rural development, as it will contribute to the investments in villages, increase rural income, emlpoyment, etc. The main purpose of the article is to analyze agritourism development opportunities and issues in Armenian rural places. The analysis was carried out in Armenian two regions: Lori and Tavush. The investigation of the topic and the results of the analysis state that Armenian regions Lori and Tavush have opportunities to develop different types of tourism based on existing resource potential: historical-cultural, eco, agro, gastronomic, adventure, etc. The research empirically confirms and theoretically proves the existing problems that hinder agritourism development. For the analysis a survey and observation methods were used. Survey was done among village heads and local population-hosts. The main results of the research are then analyzed via SWOT analysis, based on which some suggestions were made. The main conclusion is that it is necessary to implement various actions for agritourism development, such as: involving investments, improving roads and infrastructures, improving legislation and statistics, organizing trainings for hosts and farmers, improving marketing, etc. The development of agritourism will contribute to the development of the community and the whole country, will increase incomes, spread and preserve culture, increase motivation to live in villages, will form a civil society, as constant contact with tourists, continuous development of business skills and aspirations, will enlarge the worldview of population and will contribute to their understanding of the most important problem of preserving the Armenian culture. The results of the research can be useful for the state and municipal organs, private sector, also for researchers of tourism sphere.
Keywords: agritourism, infrastructures, marketing, rural places, tourism, villages.
Regulating Self-Regulation? The Politics and Effects of Mandatory CSR Disclosure in Comparison
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Working paper
The Role of Behavioral Responses in the Total Economic Consequences of Terrorist Attacks on U.S. Air Travel Targets
In: Risk analysis: an international journal, Volume 37, Issue 7, p. 1403-1418
ISSN: 1539-6924
U.S. airports and airliners are prime terrorist targets. Not only do the facilities and equipment represent high‐value assets, but the fear and dread that is spread by such attacks can have tremendous effects on the U.S. economy. This article presents the methodology, data, and estimates of the macroeconomic impacts stemming from behavioral responses to a simulated terrorist attack on a U.S. airport and on a domestic airliner. The analysis is based on risk‐perception surveys of these two scenarios. The responses relate to reduced demand for airline travel, shifts to other modes, spending on nontravel items, and savings of potential travel expenditures by U.S. resident passengers considering flying domestic routes. We translate these responses to individual spending categories and feed these direct impact results into a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of the U.S. economy to ascertain the indirect and total impacts on both the airline industry and the economy as a whole. Overall, the estimated impacts on GDP of both types of attacks exceed $10B. We find that the behavioral economic impacts are almost an order of magnitude higher than the ordinary business interruption impacts for the airliner attack and nearly two orders of magnitude higher for the airport attack. The results are robust to sensitivity tests on the travel behavior of U.S. residents in response to terrorism.
New Digital Source of Statistical Information about Population ; Новый цифровой источник статистической информации о населении
The article presents the authors' views on using «Big Data» to gain new information on population and to study various social and economic phenomena and processes on its basis. As the foreign experience clearly demonstrates, with the development of information industry and the ubiquitous mobile communications penetration, one of the most promising sources of «Big Data» in terms of population coverage (using population as an object of statistical observation) and efficiency in obtaining information on it, is data from mobile operators. The paper also notes Russian experience in this field, especially since 2014, when Russia managed to implement the «Geoanalysis» project on using data from mobile operators in managerial activities of the Moscow Government. The authors outline the history and development of the new digital data source for population statistics, which is based on technical data of cellular networks. The paper covers baselines to Russian innovation methodological developments and algorithms for converting radio frequency events from base stations of mobile operators into statistical indicators of number, density and dynamics of population movements with full coverage of study area and high level of space- time specification. This article pays particular attention to issues concerning protection of subscribers' personal data, legality of collecting and processing the information received from mobile operators in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation. The authors thoroughly examined directions for applying statistical indicators, based on data from mobile operators, in the field of economy, trade, culture, transport modeling, urban planning and management. ; В статье дается изложение авторского понимания вопросов использования больших данных в целях получения новых знаний о населении и исследовании на их основе различных социально-экономических явлений и процессов. Указывается, что с развитием информационной индустрии и повсеместным проникновением мобильной связи, как показывает зарубежный опыт, одним из наиболее перспективных источников больших данных с точки зрения полноты охвата населения как объекта статистического наблюдения и оперативности получения информации о нем являются данные сотовых операторов. Авторы подробно рассматривают отечественный опыт в этой области. В частности, еще в 2014 г. в России удалось реализовать проект «Геоаналитика» по практическому применению данных операторов в управленческой деятельности органов исполнительной власти Правительства Москвы. Авторами освещается история возникновения и развития нового цифрового источника статистической информации о населении, в основе которого лежат технические данные сотовых сетей. Излагаются основы инновационных российских методологических разработок и алгоритмов преобразования радиочастотных событий базовых станций операторов сотовой связи в статистические показатели численности, плотности и динамики перемещений населения с полным охватом исследуемой территории и высоким уровнем пространственно-временной детализации. Особое внимание в статье уделяется вопросам защиты персональных данных абонентов, легальности процессов сбора и обработки информации, получаемой от операторов сотовой связи, в соответствии с требованиями законодательства Российской Федерации. Детально рассматриваются направления практического применения статистических показателей, сформированных на основе данных сотовых операторов, в области экономики, торговли, культуры, транспортного моделирования, сферах городского планирования и управления.
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Improving Methods for Measuring Quality of Care: A Patient-Centered Approach in Chronic Disease
In: Medical care research and review, Volume 66, Issue 2, p. 147-166
ISSN: 1552-6801
As health care systems seek to provide patient-centered care as a cornerstone of quality, how to measure this aspect of quality has become a concern. Previous development of quality indicators for treating individual chronic disease has rarely included patient perspectives on quality of care. Using epilepsy as an exemplar, the authors sought to develop an approach to measuring patient-centered quality of care. They conducted six focus groups with adults with epilepsy. Using qualitative methods, the authors initially identified 10 patient-generated quality indicators, 5 of which were subsequently rated, along with literature-based quality indicators, by an expert panel using a modified RAND appropriateness methodology. The authors discuss similarities and differences in aspects of care patients and providers value as essential for good quality. The process presented in this article may serve as a model for incorporating patient perceptions of quality into the future development of quality indicators for chronic diseases.
Inter-agency coordination of mental health and psychosocial support for refugees and people displaced in Syria
In: Intervention, Volume 11, Issue 3, p. 340-348
Estimates of Potential Output and the Neutral Rate for the U.S. Economy
In: IMF Working Paper No. 18/152
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Search for heavy resonances decaying to tau lepton pairs in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV
BMWFW (Austria) ; FWF (Austria) ; FNRS (Belgium) ; FWO (Belgium) ; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) ; Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) ; Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) ; Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) ; MES (Bulgaria) ; CERN ; CAS (China) ; MoST (China) ; NSFC (China) ; COLCIENCIAS (Colombia) ; MSES (Croatia) ; CSF (Croatia) ; RPF (Cyprus) ; SENESCYT (Ecuador) ; MoER (Estonia) ; ERC IUT (Estonia) ; ERDF (Estonia) ; Academy of Finland (Finland) ; MEC (Finland) ; HIP (Finland) ; CEA (France) ; CNRS/IN2P3 (France) ; BMBF (Germany) ; DFG (Germany) ; HGF (Germany) ; GSRT (Greece) ; OTKA (Hungary) ; NIH (Hungary) ; DAE (India) ; DST (India) ; IPM (Iran) ; SFI (Ireland) ; INFN (Italy) ; MSIP (Republic of Korea) ; NRF (Republic of Korea) ; LAS (Lithuania) ; MOE (Malaysia) ; UM (Malaysia) ; BUAP (Mexico) ; CINVESTAV (Hungary) ; CONACYT (Hungary) ; LNS (Hungary) ; SEP (Hungary) ; UASLP-FAI (Mexico) ; MBIE (New Zealand) ; PAEC (Pakistan) ; MSHE (Poland) ; NSC (Poland) ; FCT (Portugal) ; JINR (Dubna) ; MON (Russia) ; RosAtom (Russia) ; RAS (Russia) ; RFBR (Russia) ; MESTD (Serbia) ; SEIDI (Spain) ; CPAN (Spain) ; Swiss Funding Agencies (Switzerland) ; MST (Taipei) ; ThEPCenter (Thailand) ; IPST (Thailand) ; STAR (Thailand) ; NSTDA (Thailand) ; TUBITAK (Turkey) ; TAEK (Turkey) ; NASU (Ukraine) ; SFFR (Ukraine) ; STFC (United Kingdom) ; DOE (U.S.A.) ; NSF (U.S.A.) ; Marie-Curie program ; European Research Council ; EPLANET (European Union) ; Leventis Foundation ; A.P. Sloan Foundation ; Alexander von Humboldt Foundation ; Belgian Federal Science Policy Office ; Fonds pour la Formation a la Recherche dans l'Industrie et dans l'Agriculture (FRIA-Belgium) ; Agentschap voor Innovatie door Wetenschap en Technologie (IWT-Belgium) ; Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) of the Czech Republic ; Council of Science and Industrial Research, India ; HOMING PLUS program of the Foundation for Polish Science ; European Union ; Regional Development Fund ; Mobility Plus program of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education ; National Science Center (Poland) ; Thalis program - EU-ESF ; Aristeia program - EU-ESF ; National Priorities Research Program by Qatar National Research Fund ; Programa Clarin-COFUND del Principado de Asturias ; Rachadapisek Sompot Fund for Postdoctoral Fellowship (Thailand) ; Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) ; Chulalongkorn Academic into Its 2nd Century Project Advancement Project (Thailand) ; Welch Foundation ; Thalis program - Greek NSRF ; Aristeia program - Greek NSRF ; Science and Technology Facilities Council ; National Science Center (Poland): 2014/14/M/ST2/00428 ; National Science Center (Poland): Opus 2013/11/B/ST2/04202 ; National Science Center (Poland): 2014/13/B/ST2/02543 ; National Science Center (Poland): 2014/15/B/ST2/03998 ; National Science Center (Poland): Sonatabis 2012/07/E/ST2/01406 ; Welch Foundation: C-1845 ; Science and Technology Facilities Council: ST/K001256/1 ; Science and Technology Facilities Council: ST/N000250/1 ; Science and Technology Facilities Council: GRIDPP ; Science and Technology Facilities Council: CMS ; A search for heavy resonances that decay to tau lepton pairs is performed using proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV. The data were collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 2.2 fb(-1). The observations are in agreement with standard model predictions. An upper limit at 95% confidence level on the product of the production cross section and branching fraction into tau lepton pairs is calculated as a function of the resonance mass. For the sequential standard model, the presence of Z' bosons decaying into tau lepton pairs is excluded for Z/ masses below 2.1 TeV, extending previous limits for this final state. For the topcolor-assisted technicolor model, which predicts Z' bosons that preferentially couple to third-generation fermions, Z' masses below 1.7 TeV are excluded, representing the most stringent limit to date.
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