Sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunoassays for detecting lipoarabinomannan (LAM) and ESAT-6 in urine and serum from tuberculosis patients.

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) infection was responsible for an estimated 1.3 million deaths in 2017. Better diagnostic tools are urgently needed. We sought to determine whether accurate TB antigen detection in blood or urine has the potential to meet the WHO target product profiles for detection of active TB.Materials and methodsWe developed Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunoassays for Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) and ESAT-6 detection with detection limits in the pg/ml range and used them to compare the concentrations of the two antigens in the urine and serum of 81 HIV-negative and -positive individuals with presumptive TB enrolled across diverse geographic sites.ResultsLAM and ESAT-6 overall sensitivities in urine were 93% and 65% respectively. LAM and ESAT-6 overall sensitivities in serum were 55% and 46% respectively. Overall specificity was ≥97% in all assays. Sensitivities were higher in HIV-positive compared to HIV-negative patients for both antigens and both sample types, with signals roughly 10-fold higher on average in urine than in serum. The two antigens showed similar concentration ranges within the same sample type and correlated.ConclusionsLAM and ESAT-6 can be detected in the urine and serum of TB patients, regardless of the HIV status and further gains in clinical sensitivity may be achievable through assay and reagent optimization. Accuracy in urine was higher with current methods and has the potential to meet the WHO accuracy target if the findings can be transferred to a point-of-care TB test

A general equilibrium analysis of the effects of the 2014-2020 European Cohesion policy in the Portuguese regions

We analyse the impact of the investments related to the European Cohesion policy in Portugal over the 2014-2020 programming period. We use the spatial dynamic general equilibrium model RHOMOLO to identify the direct and indirect effects stemming from a variety of spending categories and economic channels. The policy interventions are modelled with both demand and supply side shocks exerting short and long run effects, the latter being related to changes in labour productivity, transport costs, and total factor productivity. An important part of the analysis deal with the spillovers spreading the effects of the policy outside the borders of the regions in which the investments take place. Our results show that the €30 billion of Cohesion policy investments can increase Portugal’s GDP by 3.5% at the end of the implementation period, and that additional benefits in terms of GDP and employment continue to materialise after the end of the monetary injections. Moreover, we present region-, Fund-, and field-of-intervention-specific results to give a complete picture of the impact of Cohesion policy in Portugal.JRC.B.7 - Innovation Policies and Economic Impac

The economic implications of Smart Specialisation governance: a general equilibrium analysis for Italy 2014-2020

This paper provides insights on the potential macroeconomic impact of the European innovation policy for Smart Specialisation governance. We use original empirical data on the governance of the policy, funded through a dedicated financial envelope of the 2014-2020 EU cohesion policy, in a spatial macroeconomic modelling framework capable of gauging the general equilibrium effects of varying degrees of governance quality. Our contribution aims at narrowing the gap between the abstraction of ex-ante impact assessment exercises based on macroeconomic simulations and the reality of how policy interventions may take place. By using data for all Italian NUTS 2 regions, we find that the measured quality of Smart Specialisation governance could increase the pure investment-related impact of the policy by 23 to almost 40 percent. At the same time, we estimate that further potential GDP gains – in the order of an additional 40-50 percent over what was achieved with current levels of governance – would not materialize because of the comparatively low quality of governance in some regions.JRC.B.7 - Innovation Policies and Economic Impac

Job creation and destruction in the digital age: Assessing heterogeneous effects across European Union countries

Do investments in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) create jobs? The literature suggests that, even if innovations are labour saving, there may be compensating mechanisms that lead to a positive employment effect. We investigate this issue using country-level data for the European Union from 1995 to 2019. The results suggest an average positive net effect of ICT investment on total employment. An increase of €100,000 in the ICT investment stock is associated with an average increase of 3.3 jobs in the European Union. However, the magnitude of the impact is heterogeneous across countries. The differences are explained by the country-specific characteristics of ICT investment (non-machine versus machine-based) and the existing skill endowment of the labour force. Moreover, the rate of return on investment expressed in terms of net job creation tends to decline over time, as the share of high-skilled workers in the market increase

Technologically related diversification: One size does not fit all European regions

Building on the case of European Union (EU) regions, we study the macroeconomic impact of related diversification. We use an indicator of technological related variety in combination with stochastic frontier estimation and a well-established general equilibrium model to assess the rationale for related diversification and to understand the relevance of different region-specific policies. The results suggest that related diversification has a greater potential for less advanced regions than for more advanced ones. This has interesting implications for industrial policy, calling for a differentiated approach depending on the technological space and level of development of different region

The Cohesion spirit and EU policies: A scenario analysis

The Committee of the Regions (CoR) recently deliberated on the costs of enhancing cohesion across the European Union (EU) through the various EU policies. This Insight presents JRC scientific evidence on the impact and feasibility of enhancing cohesion based on two quantitative scenarios focusing on investments in firms and training. The results show that substantial amounts of funding in less developed regions would be needed in order to meet ambitious cohesion targets. This may be mitigated through initial investments to improve institutional quality and developing a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation. Subsequently lower levels of investment may indeed propagate cohesion to get closer to the desired targets.JRC.B.7 - Knowledge for Finance, Innovation and Growt

On the road to regional ‘Competitive Environmental Sustainability’: the role of the European structural funds

We construct a novel indicator of regional competitive sustainability based on the movements over time of employment sectoral shares across all the regions of the European Union. The indicator accounts for shifts in employment towards greener and more productive sectors over the 2008–2018 period. The mapping of the indicators shows considerable regional heterogeneity in terms of both competitiveness and environmental sustainability, as well as interesting dynamics over time. We also present an econometric analysis of the determinants of these sectoral shifts. It appears that the European structural funds are positively associated with the transition to a more competitive and sustainable economy at the regional level. This is particularly true for the competitive dimension of the transition, with the funds being positively associated with a regional employment restructuring towards more productive sector