The Tuscany Interregional Input-Output Model (TIM): Mathematical Structure and Preliminary Results

Specialization is one of the foremost traits of modern industrial development. Technical and commercial factors have interacted to make large-scale production more profitable than earlier. This process has been concomitant with a regional concentration of production activities according to the prevailing comparative advantages. Even large, and strong, economic regions tend to have an insufficiently differentiated economy. In Tuscany, Italy, it is the leather, footwear, and textile industries that constitute the economic backbone of the region. They are complemented by, and competitive with, the traditional tourist industry. Technical progress and the development of factor costs have entailed a shift in international and interregional comparative advantages. Those industries demanding only low-skilled labor have expanded in low cost countries or regions. How these factors will affect the long-term development is a general problem of strongly specialized regions in industrialized countries. Such questions are also at the core of the case study of systems analysis for regional industrial development undertaken by the Regional Development Group, IIASA, in collaboration with the Regional Institute for Economic Planning of Tuscany (IRPET). A third party in this collaboration is the Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IASI) of the National Research Council, Rome. In the case study, a system of economic forecasting and policy evaluation models that address the above-mentioned development issues are being built. The models have a stronger emphasis on interregional and international dependencies than earlier regional studies. Moreover, the role of the regional authorities in policy generation and evaluation is more clearly designed here than elsewhere. The aim of the work is to develop a computerized model system for more or less permanent use, with a direct applicability to other urbanized regions of the Tuscany type. The Tuscany interregional input-output model (TIM) described in this paper forms the core of the economic forecasting and policy-evaluation model system. TIM is a linear static recursive system of equations of small dimensions that is intended as a tool for analyzing the trade relations of Tuscany. Tuscany and the Rest-of-Italy are considered as two regions in TIM. Each one is linked to the rest of the world where exports are exogenously determined. Foreign trade is taken into account by distinguishing between national and international flows. Complementarity and competitiveness of imports are considered in this model

Mixed Estimation of Survey-Based Input-Output Models

This paper is concerned with the estimation problems of national and regional static input-output (I-O) models. It is argued that often what are really needed in I-O analysis are the coefficients of an I-O model and not the flows of the I-O table. An econometric estimate of "columns only" coefficients is suggested as a means of obtaining unbiased estimates and a measure of their reliability. Another important feature of the approach suggested is the attention given to extraneous information and judgment. Different estimators are given for the various situations that may occur. Results of a tentative partial application of this approach to a sector of the I-O model of the Veneto region are given

Estimation of Parameters of Dynamic Input-Output Models with Limited Information

This paper deals with the problems of the estimation of capital coefficients of dynamic (closed with respect to investment) input-output models when the information available is limited

TENT-T Priority Projects. Where do we Stand?

TEN-T is intended to provide the single market with integrated modern transport networks, but infrastructure investment per se has other important effects. Besides reviewing the different reasons that justify public investment in infrastructure capital, the paper focuses the existing obstacles to a full implementation of TEN-T and, in particular, the funding gap, which has always been the most evident obstacle of them. Prospects and possible remedies are also briefly considered.peer-reviewe

The Impact of Railway Stations on Residential and Commercial Property Value: A Meta-analysis

Railway stations function as nodes in transport networks and places in an urban environment. They have accessibility and environmental impacts, which contribute to property value. The literature on the effects of railway stations on property value is mixed in its finding in respect to the impact magnitude and direction, ranging from a negative to an insignificant or a positive impact. This paper attempts to explain the variation in the findings by meta-analytical procedures. Generally the variations are attributed to the nature of data, particular spatial characteristics, temporal effects and methodology. Railway station proximity is addressed from two spatial considerations: a local station effect measuring the effect for properties with in 1/4 mile range and a global station effect measuring the effect of coming 250 m closer to the station. We find that the effect of railway stations on commercial property value mainly takes place at short distances. Commercial properties within 1/4 mile rang are 12.2% more expensive than residential properties. Where the price gap between the railway station zone and the rest is about 4.2% for the average residence, it is about 16.4% for the average commercial property. At longer distances the effect on residential property values dominate. We find that for every 250 m a residence is located closer to a station its price is 2.3% higher than commercial properties. Commuter railway stations have a consistently higher positive impact on the property value compared to light and heavy railway/Metro stations. The inclusion of other accessibility variables (such as highways) in the models reduces the level of reported railway station impact. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

Sea state monitoring by ship motion measurements onboard a research ship in the antarctic waters

A parametric wave spectrum resembling procedure is applied to detect the sea state parameters, namely the wave peak period and significant wave height, based on the measurement and analysis of the heave and pitch motions of a vessel in a seaway, recorded by a smartphone located onboard the ship. The measurement system makes it possible to determine the heave and pitch acceleration spectra of the reference ship in the encounter frequency domain and, subsequently, the absolute sea spectra once the ship motion transfer functions are provided. The measurements have been carried out onboard the research ship “Laura Bassi”, during the oceanographic campaign in the Antarctic Ocean carried out in January and February 2020. The resembled sea spectra are compared with the weather forecast data, provided by the global-WAM (GWAM) model, in order to validate the sea spectrum resembling procedure

Effects of Impact and Target Parameters on the Results of a Kinetic Impactor: Predictions for the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft will impact into the asteroid Dimorphos on 2022 September 26 as a test of the kinetic impactor technique for planetary defense. The efficiency of the deflection following a kinetic impactor can be represented using the momentum enhancement factor, β, which is dependent on factors such as impact geometry and the specific target material properties. Currently, very little is known about Dimorphos and its material properties, which introduces uncertainty in the results of the deflection efficiency observables, including crater formation, ejecta distribution, and β. The DART Impact Modeling Working Group (IWG) is responsible for using impact simulations to better understand the results of the DART impact. Pre-impact simulation studies also provide considerable insight into how different properties and impact scenarios affect momentum enhancement following a kinetic impact. This insight provides a basis for predicting the effects of the DART impact and the first understanding of how to interpret results following the encounter. Following the DART impact, the knowledge gained from these studies will inform the initial simulations that will recreate the impact conditions, including providing estimates for potential material properties of Dimorphos and β resulting from DART’s impact. This paper summarizes, at a high level, what has been learned from the IWG simulations and experiments in preparation for the DART impact. While unknown, estimates for reasonable potential material properties of Dimorphos provide predictions for β of 1–5, depending on end-member cases in the strength regime

Intracellular Trafficking of Guanylate-Binding Proteins Is Regulated by Heterodimerization in a Hierarchical Manner

Guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs) belong to the dynamin family of large GTPases and represent the major IFN-γ-induced proteins. Here we systematically investigated the mechanisms regulating the subcellular localization of GBPs. Three GBPs (GBP-1, GBP-2 and GBP-5) carry a C-terminal CaaX-prenylation signal, which is typical for small GTPases of the Ras family, and increases the membrane affinity of proteins. In this study, we demonstrated that GBP-1, GBP-2 and GBP-5 are prenylated in vivo and that prenylation is required for the membrane association of GBP-1, GBP-2 and GBP-5. Using co-immunoprecipitation, yeast-two-hybrid analysis and fluorescence complementation assays, we showed for the first time that GBPs are able to homodimerize in vivo and that the membrane association of GBPs is regulated by dimerization similarly to dynamin. Interestingly, GBPs could also heterodimerize. This resulted in hierarchical positioning effects on the intracellular localization of the proteins. Specifically, GBP-1 recruited GBP-5 and GBP-2 into its own cellular compartment and GBP-5 repositioned GBP-2. In addition, GBP-1, GBP-2 and GBP-5 were able to redirect non-prenylated GBPs to their compartment in a prenylation-dependent manner. Overall, these findings prove in vivo the ability of GBPs to dimerize, indicate that heterodimerization regulates sub-cellular localization of GBPs and underscore putative membrane-associated functions of this family of proteins