Effectiveness of interventions to prevent motorcycle injuries: systematic review of the literature

Globally, 49% of deaths from traffic crashes occur among vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists. Approximately, a quarter of those killed are motorcyclists. The authors carried out a systematic review of the literature to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to prevent motorcycle crashes and the associated morbidity and mortality. The studies included in this review provide evidence for the effectiveness of helmet use, protective clothing, training, and penalties for alcohol consumption and speeding in preventing injury and death to motorcyclists. The use of helmets is effective, especially if it is universally required by law for drivers and passengers. Training to obtain a license also has positive effects but not when it is totally voluntary. There is limited but consistent evidence that strengthening laws for penalties related to alcohol consumption or speeding has an impact on risk. Traffic calming interventions could help reduce crashes in urban areas. In jurisdictions where there is limited regulation or adherence to effective measures, such as the use of helmets, efforts should be directed primarily at expanding such practices. In other areas, efforts can focus on approaches based on alternative effective measures or on more innovative interventions adapted to local conditions.     

Returning to flight: simulation‐based training for the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Space Shuttle Mission Management Team*

Following the tragic loss of Columbia in early 2003, executives at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration implemented a simulation‐based training program to facilitate the development of the Space Shuttle Mission Management Team (MMT). This article discusses the findings from an evaluation of two multi‐day simulation training events. The results of both evaluations suggested that MMT members: (1) possessed shared beliefs in their joint capabilities to execute their corecompetencies; (2) were motivated and ready for their Return to Flight mission; (3) achieved targeted levels of team performance during the simulations; and (4) were both satisfied with the training program and found it useful for facilitating performance improvements. This note concludes with a discussion of lessons learned.     

Optimal Structure of the Ginning Industry in the Southern High Plains of Texas

This study addresses the optimal structure of the cotton ginning industry in the Southern High Plains of Texas, assuming a monopolistically competitive market structure. Employing survey, regression, simulation, and mathematical programming techniques, the study determines the optimal structure of the ginning industry. Results indicate that a restructuring of the ginning industry in the Southern High Plains of Texas could save the industry about $15 million per season.     

International and Institutional R&D Spillovers: Attribution of Benefits among Sources for Brazil's New Crop Varieties

Reported rates of return to agricultural R&D are generally high, but they are likely to be biased, particularly because of attribution problems—mismatching research benefits with costs. The importance of attribution biases is illustrated here with new evidence for Brazil. During 1981–2003, varietal improvements in upland rice, edible beans, and soybeans yielded benefits of $14.8 billion in present value (1999 prices) terms. Attributing all of the benefits to Embrapa, a public research corporation accounting for more than half of Brazil's agricultural R&D spending, the benefit-cost ratio would be 78:1. Under alternative attribution rules, the ratio drops to 16:1.     

Why So Small? Explaining the Size of Firms in Latin America

On average, Latin American firms are small with respect to world patterns, both in terms of the quantity of assets they control and the amount of employment they generate. We examine data on firm size from developed and developing countries around the world to assess the influence of demand, supply and institutional factors on the size of the largest firms in each country. We find that, besides the size of the economy and the level of income per capita, the key determinants of the size of firms are trade openness, stock market capitalisation and physical infrastructure. Our simulations suggest that if the gaps with respect to the best Latin American performer were closed in each of these three areas, firm size in the countries of the region would – on average – reach world patterns.     

Model uncertainty in cross‐country growth regressions

We investigate the issue of model uncertainty in cross‐country growth regressions using Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA). We find that the posterior probability is spread widely among many models, suggesting the superiority of BMA over choosing any single model. Out‐of‐sample predictive results support this claim. In contrast to Levine and Renelt ( 1992 ), our results broadly support the more ‘optimistic’ conclusion of Sala‐i‐Martin ( 1997b ), namely that some variables are important regressors for explaining cross‐country growth patterns. However, care should be taken in the methodology employed. The approach proposed here is firmly grounded in statistical theory and immediately leads to posterior and predictive inference. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Non-Cooperative Public-Good Provision and Productivity Differentials

We explore the generality of a Rotten Spouse Theorem in Konrad and Lommerud (1995). While the result holds for an arbitrary number of agents, it fails to hold for general technologies. Some of the implications for models of CO₂ emissions are discussed.     

New evidence on the monetary approach of exchange rate determination in Mexico 1994–2007: A cointegrated SVAR model

We provide empirical evidence supporting the validity of both short and long run versions of the Monetary Approach of Exchange Rate determination for the Mexican peso–U.S. dollar exchange rate from 1994 to 2007 using a cointegrated SVAR model. We estimate not only the long-run relationship, between the variables of the monetary model for the exchange rate, but also the very short run effects which have been often ignored in previous empirical work. We show that there are robust short and long-run relationships between the Mexican monetary aggregates and the exchange rate, which ultimately responds to what Bilson's variant of MAER predicts.