Petroleum is a complex mixture of lipophilic chemicals, some of which are likely to be substrates for the microsomal mixed function oxygenases. Petroleum retailers, by virtue of their occupational exposure potential, are a group likely to receive relatively heavy exposure to petroleum products in comparison with the general public. Urinary thioether output may provide a simple, non-invasive tec...

C hina’s future role in international agricultural trade continues to be a puzzle. Part of this puzzle, namely that related to grains, has received far more attention than has livestock trade, which has been relatively neglected. China is a net exporter of livestock products, although over the last two decades imports have been increasing faster than exports. Figure 1 shows the time path of net...

In this paper, we explore the relationship between innovation activity, productivity, and exports using a panel of Spanish manufacturing firms for 1990-1998. Our results – based on nonparametric tests – suggest that firm innovation status is critical in explaining the positive export-productivity association documented in prior research. For the sample of small innovating firms, we find no sign...

Today the Arab countries of the Middle East face a challenge familiar to all South Africans: to create jobs for the large cohort of young people reaching working age. Over the next decade or so, the region may experience population growth of 150 million people—the equivalent of adding two Egypts (table 1). In demographic terms, the task is similar to that facing South Africa—only larger. Rising...

This paper examines the effect of value-added taxes (VATs) on international trade. Destination-based VATs are commonly thought to encourage exports, since exports are exempt from tax while imports are taxed. Economic theory implies that exchange rate adjustment prevents destination-based VATs from affecting exports and imports, since exchange rate appreciation completely undoes the effects of i...

Commodities (rural and non-rural) account for a significant proportion of Australia’s exports. Even though tourism and manufactured exports have grown strongly in recent years, earnings from commodities were around two thirds of total export earnings from goods and services in 1991/92. This was despite the cyclically low level of prices. Furthermore, the volatility of commodity prices is an imp...

Indiana exports reached $3.98 billion in the third quarter of 2000. That represents a 14.8% increase when compared to the third quarter of 1999. Over the first three quarters of 2000 Indiana exports totaled $12.3 billion, about $2 billion more than sales during the same period in 1999. If this pace continues in the final quarter, Indiana exports would exceed $16 billion for the year — the highe...