This paper evaluates the impact of a training voucher program on establishments’ investments in further training. The voucher program that was implemented in the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia increased training incentives for employees in small and medium-sized establishments by reducing training costs by 50%. The estimation is based on a quasi-experimental research design expl...

Many invasive plant species strongly alter ecosystem processes by producing leaf litter that decomposes faster and releases N more quickly than that of native species. However, while most studies of invasive species litter impacts have only considered the decomposition of species in monoculture, forest litter layers typically contain litter from many species. Many litter mixtures decompose in a...

The increase in the line complexity, confi guration and the power transmitted has introduced a number of problems in relation to protection. New techniques have become necessary to tackle these problems. Firstly it has become necessary to see that lines are not unnecessarily disconnected, but at the same time shorter operating times from protective relays are demanded on faulted sections to pre...

In The Lancet, Benjamin Voight and colleagues use mendelian randomisation analysis to invest igate the relation between HDL cholesterol and coronary heart disease. High HDL cholesterol concentration is associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease in observational studies, but whether the association is causal cannot be unequivocally ascertained from these studies alone, and whether ra...

Th is study was undertaken to investigate the antifungal eff ect of DL-limonene on yeasts using disk diff usion and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Th e eff ect of DL-limonene on ethyl alcohol fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae was also investigated. According to disk diff usion results, the development of an inhibition zone was observed in all microorganisms tested. Th e inhi...

Following the notion of skill-biased FDI fl ows from developed to less developed regions, high-skilled workers are likely to benefi t from FDI to a larger extent. They earn a productivity advantage that potentially transfers into a skilled wage premium. This gives rise to distributional confl ict that might turn into heterogeneous attitudes toward FDI infl ows in line with skill. In this paper ...

This paper investigates whether new health information aff ects smoking behavior. Interpreting three distinct categories of health events as diff erent information, the paper also tests whether behavioral change depends on the type of information received. Based on retrospectively reported data on smoking behavior from the Swiss Household Panel, a linear probability model is applied to estimate...

In The Lancet today, Jonathan Green and colleagues report results from a multisite randomised trial in children with autism. The investigators compared a parent-training technique that targeted enhancement of the child’s social-communication skills (two of the three core defi cits in autism) with treatment as usual. The primary outcome was the social-communication score from the Autism Diagnost...

Infl ammation eff ectively increases the activation of opioid receptors on peripheral terminals of sensory neurons. Th e resulting infl ammatory hyperalgesia responds to local treatment with opioid analgesics by decreasing its intensity. Comparatively, much less is known about the effi ciency of opioid peptides administered peripherally at the infl ammation site. Th e study examined the antihyp...

Th e Colorado Potato Beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) (Col.: Chrysomelidae), is a pre-eminent pest on solanaceous crops worldwide, and much research has focused on the diff erent components of its variable population dynamics. L. decemlineata has developed resistance to insecticides used for its control. Consequently, alternative methods are needed urgently for the control of this ...