BACKGROUND Nowadays, plants have been considered as powerful agents for treatment of disorders due to their traditional use. Plants have a special role in the treatment of various diseases in Ayurveda. Liver disorders with their devastating outcomes have been discussed in Ayurveda as well. OBJECTIVES In the present study, polyherbal products (L52 and L38) were retrieved from Ayurveda and its ...

BACKGROUND Calcium supplementation of pregnant Gambian women with a low calcium intake results in lower maternal bone mineral content in the subsequent lactation. OBJECTIVE The objective was to investigate whether the lower bone mineral content persists long term. DESIGN All women in the calcium supplementation trial (International Trial Registry ISRCTN96502494) who had been scanned with du...

This paper examines whether receipt of an RSA grant has a causal impact on plant TFP. To tackle the problem of self-selection into the treatment group, propensity score matching is employed. In order to control for the endogeneity of other variables in the model, estimations are performed using the system GMM estimator. The results show that for low technology manufacturing, receipt of an RSA g...

We study whether the effects on registered manufacturing output of dismantling the License Raj — a system of central controls regulating entry and production activity in this sector — vary across Indian states with different labor market regulations. The effects are found to be unequal across Indian states with different labor market regulations. In particular, following delicensing, industries...

We describe the behaviour of a monopolist supplying a vertically di¤erentiated good with network externalities. Assuming a ...xed cost of quality improvements, we show that the presence of network externalities enhances the incentive to expand output associated with scale economies. Although the quality distortion operated by the monopolist increases with network externalities, the output expan...

We examine, in a network market open to competition, various mechanisms of allocating and funding ”universal service obligations” among agents (rival operators and consumers). The obligations we consider are geographic ubiquity and non discrimination. We analyze from efficiency and equity point of view the respective advantages of a ”restricted-entry” system (where the entrant is not allowed to...

The focus of the Japanese local telecommunications policy is moving toward how to solve the problem of the digital divide that accompanies the spread of high-speed and broadband services. This paper estimates the translog cost function of two outputs, the standard telephone service and the leased circuit service, and measures the regional gap of those stand-alone costs and incremental costs. Th...

This paper reviews the recent experience of the UK electricity distribution sector under incentive regulation. The UK has a significant and transparent history in implementing incentive regulation in the period since 1990. We demonstrate the successes of this period in reducing costs, prices and energy losses while maintaining quality of service. We also draw out the lessons for other countries...

We examine the impact of a large number of Japanese government-sponsored research consortia on the research productivity of participating firms by measuring their patenting in the targeted technologies before, during, and after participation. Consistent with the predictions of the theoretical literature on research consortia, we find consortium outcomes are positively associated with the level ...

What is the appropriate degree of centralization in the context of industrial policy? The basic advantage of centralization results from internalization of external e ects. While most of the literature stresses the superior information of regional authorities as a countervailing force, the present paper discusses another argument in favor of decentralization: Delegation of authority to regional...