Measuring network effects on trade: are Japanese affiliates distinctive?

This paper examines network effects on trade by comparing the trade patterns of foreign affiliates in the United States with the trade patterns of U.S.-owned firms. The evidence strongly supports the following hypotheses: 1) foreign affiliates behave differently from U.S. firms in their trade patterns; 2) in particular, foreign affiliates display strong home biases in their trade patterns; and 3) among the foreign affiliates, Japanese affiliates demonstrate by far the strongest home bias in their trade patterns. Controlling for income and distance effects, foreign affiliates from Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland traded on average 17 times more with their respective home countries and those from the United Kingdom traded 30 times more with the United Kingdom, while Japanese affiliates traded a whopping 130 times more with Japan.Network effects, Foreign affiliates, Trade patterns

Assessing foreign direct investment relationships between Japan, the People's Republic of China, and the United States

The People's Republic of China (PRC) has received enormous inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) in recent years, including significant flows from Japan and the United States (US). We examine these investment flows in detail to gain perspectives on their relative importance for the three countries involved. We also analyze the industrial composition of FDI flows over time. US FDI flows to the PRC have been less concentrated in manufacturing than average for investors in the PRC while Japan's FDI flows have been much more concentrated in manufacturing, particularly in transport, electrical, and machinery industries in recent years. Using survey data from American and Japanese affiliates, we compare the employment patterns and sales destinations of American and Japanese affiliates in the PRC. We find a much higher degree of export-orientation for Japanese affiliates than American affiliates, with the latter tending to make the vast majority of their sales in the PRC's market. Over time, however, we find a tendency towards convergence in the sales destinations of Japanese and American affiliates

Rapid Onset Pressor Response During Isometric Exercise in Postmenopausal Hypertensive Women

Please view abstract in the attached PDF file

Changes in colorectal cancer screening intention among people aged 18–49 in the United States

Background: To determine whether exposure to a peer-led intervention focused on colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, physical activity, and multi-vitamin intake can lead to increased intentions to be screened for CRC once age eligible among adults under the age of 50. Methods: Participants were residents of low-income housing sites, and CRC screening intentions were assessed at baseline and at follow-up (approximately 2 years later) to determine changes in screening intentions and factors associated with changes in intentions. Results: Participants (n = 692) were 78.4% female, 42.6% Hispanic and 50.8% black. At follow-up, 51% maintained their intention to be screened and 14.6% newly intended to get screened. Individuals newly intending to get screened were more likely to have participated in the intervention, be older, male, and born in Puerto Rico or the United States compared to those who maintained their intention not to get screened (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Exposure to CRC prevention messages before the age of 50 can increase screening intentions among individuals who did not initially intend to get screened. Peer-led interventions to promote CRC screening should include individual less than 50 years of age, as this may contribute to increased screening at the recommended age threshold

Designing Audience-Centered Interactive Voice Response Messages to Promote Cancer Screenings Among Low-Income Latinas

Introduction: Cancer screening rates among Latinas are suboptimal. The objective of this study was to explore how Latinas perceive cancer screening and the use and design of interactive voice response (IVR) messages to prompt scheduling of 1 or more needed screenings. Methods: Seven focus groups were conducted with Latina community health center patients (n = 40) in need of 1 or more cancer screenings: 5 groups were of women in need of 1 cancer screening (breast, cervical, or colorectal), and 2 groups were of women in need of multiple screenings. A bilingual researcher conducted all focus groups in Spanish using a semistructured guide. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed, and translated into English for analysis. Emergent themes were identified by using thematic content analysis. Results: Participants were familiar with cancer screening and viewed it positively, although barriers to screening were identified (unaware overdue for screening, lack of physician referral, lack of insurance or insufficient insurance coverage, embarrassment or fear of screening procedures, fear of screening outcomes). Women needing multiple screenings voiced more concern about screening procedures, whereas women in need of a single screening expressed greater worry about the screening outcome. Participants were receptive to receiving IVR messages and believed that culturally appropriate messages that specified needed screenings while emphasizing the benefit of preventive screening would motivate them to schedule needed screenings. Conclusion: Participants’ receptiveness to IVR messages suggests that these messages may be an acceptable strategy to promote cancer screening among underserved Latina patients. Additional research is needed to determine the effectiveness of IVR messages in promoting completion of cancer screening

Trade and employment in the formal and informal sectors : a natural experiment from Cambodia

To assess how trade affects employment in the formal and informal sectors, we exploit a natural experiment from Cambodia; the EU’s reform in rules of origin for duty-free market access provided a positive export shock to the garment industry and a negative import shock to the textile industry. We use a unique dataset on both formally registered and unregistered establishments in Cambodia. We find that the trade shocks caused large positive employment effects on formal garment establishments and large negative employment effects on formal textile establishments, with little employment effects on informal establishments in these industries. The positive employment effects predominantly involve female workers in locally owned incumbent firms

Quantum fluctuations of D5dD_{5d} polarons on C60C_{60} molecules

The dynamic Jahn-Teller splitting of the six equivalent $D_{5d}$ polarons due to quantum fluctuations is studied in the framework of the Bogoliubov-de Gennes formalism. The tunneling induced level splittings are determined to be $^2 T_{1u} \bigoplus ^2 T_{2u}$ and $^1 A_g \bigoplus ^1 H_g$ for $C_{60}^{1-}$ and $C_{60}^{2-}$, respectively, which should give rise to observable effects in experiments.Comment: REVTEX 3.0, 13 pages, to be published in Phys. Rev.