bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Natural history of soy allergy and/or intolerance in children, and clinical use of soy‐protein formulas
Authors: Cantani Arnaldo , Lucenti Patrizia 
Published: June 2007

Atopic diseases of infants and children are common, debilitating, chronic and sometimes even life‐threatening. Several well‐conducted studies in high risk babies have demonstrated a significant reduction in the prevalence and severity of atopic diseases with dietary and environmental manipulations. The currently available cow's milk (CM) substitutes for infants are soy protein (SP) formulas (SPFs), hydrolyzed formulas (HF), and home‐made meat‐based formulas. Soybeans have been cultivated in Eastern countries for many centuries and were first used to feed US babies with CM allergy (CMA) in 1929. Since then, SPFs containing purified SP, a mixture of vegetable oils, and purified carbohydrate have been developed. From a nutritional point of view, SPFs are adequate, support normal growth, protein status, bone mineralization, are well accepted, and economical.SPFs are used for different conditions including CMA, lactose and galactose intolerance and in the management of severe gastroenteritis, and some studies show that feeding SPFs for the first six months of life significantly reduces the prevalence of atopic diseases in high risk babies. Although gastrointestinal symptoms and atopic dermatitis (AD) may occur in some SPF‐fed children, anaphylaxis following the ingestion of soybean is extremely rare in children. However, in the past few years the antigenicity/allergenicity of SPFs has been over‐emphasized in the medical literature. In this paper on the natural history of soy antigenicity/allergenicity we discuss all the pros and cons of SPFs, their composition and nutritional value, the basic immune definitions, chemistry and characterization of SPs. We then discuss the antigenicity and allergenicity of SPFs in animals, recent data on the use of SPFs and the incidence of soy allergy in children, clinical reactions to SPFs, and the clinical relevance of skin testing and IgE antibodies to soy, challenge test procedure, clinical indication of SPFs, and their relevance in the prevention of atopy. We have meta‐analyzed 17 different studies and conclude that history‐based SPF allergy incidence totals 27%, in skin prick tests (SPT) RAST‐oral food challenge (OFC)/double‐blind food challenge (DBFC)‐based epidemiological studies attains 3%, and in challenge test studies 4%. We suggest that double‐blind placebocontrolled food challenge (DBPCFC) studies in larger cohorts of babies may establish a more reliable prevalence of SPF allergy in different disorders associated with CMA.
Determinants of total and specific IgE in infants with atopic dermatitis
Authors: Warner J. O. 
Published: June 2007

ETAC (Early Treatment of the Atopic Child), a multi‐centre predominantly European study to investigate the potential for cetirizine to prevent the development of asthma in infants with atopic dermatitis has completed enrolment: 817 children have been randomised to 18 months' treatment with either active or placebo and a subsequent 18 months of post‐treatment follow‐up. Results of the therapeutic effects will not be available for some time, but the study has provided an opportunity to investigate influences on sensitization to allergens in a large cohort of 1‐2 years olds with already established atopic dermatitis, resident in different countries and in different environments.The study shows that in infants with atopic dermatitis, raised serum total IgE has significantly different determinants from that a specific allergen sensitization. In infancy, increased total IgE is more affected by factors increasing risk of intercurrent infection and non‐specific airway inflammation, such as environmental tobacco smoke exposure (p < 0.001) and the use of gas cookers (p=0.02). Specific allergen sensitization as represented by detectable IgE antibodies is influenced primarily by allergen exposure. In Sweden, low level exposure to allergens is associated with reduced specific allergen sensitization rates even though the infants already have atopic dermatitis.
Modelling of Statistical Investigation
Authors: Tamura Hirokuni 
Published: June 2007

SummaryThe conventional approach for introducing statistics to beginning students is to start with descriptive measures such as histograms, means and standard deviations, followed by other technical notions. The problem of such an approach is lack of motivation. It is useful to introduce students, at an early stage, to an overview of the statistical approach used to obtain the desired information. Accordingly, schematic models for the purpose of introducing two fundamental designs for statistical investigation are presented in this article.
Unemployment in Spain: Its Causes and the Policy Response
Authors: Fina Lluís 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT: One of the basic premises of this paper is that the loss of jobs in Spain is basically the reverse side of the specific characteristics of Spanish economic growth in the second half of the Franco years. The first section is dedicated to a general description of this period, and the second describes the loss of jobs which began in the mid‐Seventies, identifying the main sectors of the economy and examining the many reasons which explain the evolution of employment in each of them. The two following sections discuss the factors which explain the job loss: the third examines the permanent or 'structural’factors which may have had a negative effect on employment and discusses the extent to which they should be considered as given by the new situation and whether they can or should be altered while the fourth section examines the other, temporary factors, which have also had a negative effect on employment.The fifth section examines some of the supply side factors. Although these factors have had a relatively minor influence on unemployment, they cannot be overlooked when attempting to get a complete picture of the situation and particularly of the prospects of the Spanish labour market.The sixth and last section discusses how Spain's economic policy is responding to the problems examined in the earlier sections of this paper. Not every aspect of the economic policy can be examined in detail, and so the analysis is limited to a mention of the major objectives of the macroeconomic policy and then proceeds to examine the principal labour market policies, and those which are specifically aimed at solving the main problems identified earlier in the paper. Finally, a concluding section reviews and summarizes the main arguments and points out some policy implications.
A New Method of Indexing Wages in Italy
Authors: Faustini Gino 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT: Wage indexing, which has been in operation in Italy since 1946, never gave rise to any perplexities for a long time, until the innovations introduced in 1975. At this point, numerous criticisms were raised by both politicians and economists, and following this, the system was modified, starting from 1986.In this article the author illustrates these modifications and redimensions the criticisms which he retains excessive. It was only during its first years of being applied, between 1976 and 1978, that there was a high level of indexation, and then it subsequently decreased.After various resistances and contestations, the decision to reduce the degree of indexation was also accepted by the trade unions, and thus it was possible to attenuate the inflation expectations, and bring inflation under control.
Ten Years of Unionization in Italy (1977‐1986)
Authors: Santi Ettore 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT: This paper is an analysis of unionization in Italy between 1977 and 1986, with particular reference to the evolution of the three major Italian trade union confederations: the CGIL (Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro), with a communist majority and socialist minority; the CISL (Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori), originally linked to the Christian Democrat party, but increasingly autonomous and politically pluralistic; and the UIL (Unione Italiana del Lavoro), with a socialist majority and strong social democrat and republican minorities.After a brief review of earlier studies on the subject, the author traces (for the first time since the seventies) the changes that have taken place in union representation at the sectoral and territorial levels, basing his findings on new classification and methodological criteria.The four principal results that emerge from this study are: a) the overall maintenance of union membership levels over the decade, due to a sharp drop in membership among wage and salary‐earners and a parallel increase among pensioners; b) the considerable decrease of unionization rates, especially in the more industrialized north; c) the limited membership in the services sector, where employment growth is strongest; d) the marked redistribution of each confederation's relative weight, to the benefit of the UIL.Based on this, the author concludes by suggesting that the uneven influence of the economic cycle on unionization at both sectoral and territorial levels, can be explained by the continuing existence of a variety of representation models.
Small and Large Establishments, Employment Growth and Structural Change
Authors: Boeri Tito 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT: This paper develops some simple descriptive techniques for analysing the relation between firm size, employment growth and structural change, in the light of the current availability in several OECD countries of longitudinal data on business firms. The methods proposed seem to perform well in defining the borderline between statistical artifacts, and genuine tendencies of the job generation process, especially as far as the contribution of small and large firms to employment growth is concerned. Based on the application of the aforementioned methodology to data on establishments in Germany in the period 1977‐87, the study finds that:1)Changes in the scale of continuing establishments do not seem to contribute in the medium term to employment growth; net job creation (destruction) is mainly due to the pace of establishments entries (exits).2)Especially manufacturing units grow or decline in a way which is largely independent of the employment performance of the sector to which they belong, i. e., there is a fairly large degree of heterogeneity in the behaviour of establishments producing the same kind of goods.3)A large component of the observed positive employment performance of small business units is accounted for by statistical phenomena, such as the sample selection induced by exits from the population of business units, and the tendency of continuing establishments to regress to the mean size.4)The size of continuing establishments is relatively stable over time, and, contrary to common biological analogies on the life‐cycle of the firms, it seems to be more likely that an establishment starts out being large than that it starts out being small and gradually becomes large.
Determinants of Unemployment Duration for Displaced Workers
Authors: Dell'Aringa Carlo , Lodovici Manuela Samek 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT: In this paper we use survival analysis to estimate a reduced form model of the determinants of unemployment and unemployment registration durations. The variables considered in the analysis include personal characteristics, local demand conditions, unemployment income, and the time spent unemployed. The data set was collected both through personal interviews and Employment Service files and includes information on the individual history of a sample of displaced workers who were laid off during 1983 because of plant closings and job cuts in some industrial districts of the metropolitan area of Milan.The parametric models included in the analysis are based on the Weibull, Log‐logistic and Log‐normal distributions. The results do not show the existence of negative time dependence.
Pay and Industrial Relations in the UK Public Sector
Authors: Bailey Rachel 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT: A decade of Thatcherism has produced a range of measures that directly and indirectly have had a significant impact on industrial relations institutions and outcomes. Economic growth in the private sector has been attributed in part to the development of a new era of industrial relations, one in which former patterns of job control, pay determination, strikes, and union membership have altered significantly and probably permanently. It was unlikely that the public sector would remain immune from such changes, particularly given the notoriety that industrial relations in this sector achieved during the 1970s.This paper will examine the main developments in public sector industrial relations over the last two decades, concentrating on pay, and its associated outcomes, and on the performance of the institutions through which pay is determined. Throughout, the emphasis will be on assessing how far the changes that have occurred have tackled the perceived problems of the 1970s, or met the new requirements of the 1980s.By way of introduction, section 1 summarises the main features of the UK public sector which relate to pay. Data on pay outcomes for the period 1970‐88 for the main occupational groups are provided in Section 11. A description of the evolution of pay determination machinery is given in Section 111, which concludes with a brief look at one indicator of the success or failure of these institutional arrangements, namely strikes. The fourth section deals with the criteria by which pay has been determined over the last twenty years, noting the interaction between these and the institutional arrangements. Finally, we look briefly at one other outcome, productivity, as one indicator of how well public sector industrial relations are geared to improving organizational performance.
The Principal Statistical Sources for the Labour Market in Italy
Authors: Guama Caterina , Tarquini Maurizio , Turatto Renzo 
Published: June 2007

ABSTRACT: The state of disequilibrium which the labour market in Italy (as in all the major industrialised countries) presents, has been the centre of debate in political and economic circles for many years now. How should this disequilibrium be interpreted, considering the complexity of the phenomena found in the labour area? Can they be modeled into global explanatory schemas of general economic theory? The authors believe the complexity of these phenomena can neither be ignored nor simplified, but accepted as a distinguishing feature of the labour market, and thus have to be interpreted on the basis of numerous and often contradictory control variables.This paper hence outlines the principle sources of Italian labour market data available, in order to provide a rational and critical guide to interpreting the available indicators. The sources examined are both institutional (the ISTAT and Ministry of Labour surveys) and private (the employers associations of Confindustria, Assolombarda and Federmec‐canica). The paper outlines the areas covered, the methodology, and the qualities and drawbacks that these surveys present.
An Explanation of the Occupational Structure of Sectors of Industry
Authors: Dekker Ron , Grip Andries De , Heijke Hans 
Published: June 2007

Abstract. This study has been carried out by the Research Centre for Education and Labour Market (ROA) as part of a long‐range research project commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Sciences. The objective of the project is to develop an education/labour‐market information system to help secondary and university students choose the right type of school and/or occupation (ROA 1988).The study reported on here sets out to disclose the factors underlying the development of the occupational pattern. The shares of occupational classes in each economic sector are taken as points of departure. The explanatory variables are technological progress and cyclical and structural sectoral developments. For each occupational class, an estimation is made with the help of a linear model, the estimation method being that of Weighted Least Squares. To permit several variables to be included in the equation, the data have been pooled over sectors and time. In two fifths of all cases, a model with explanatory variables has been chosen; in the remaining instances a sector‐dummy model was found to suffice.
The Future of Labour Relations in the Public Service
Authors: Treu Tiziano , Felice A. De. 
Published: June 2007

Abstract. During the last decade, labour relations in the public service have been subject to pressures for change, less direct, given their protected character, than in the private sector, but not less strong.The main factors of change are (only) in part common to those operating in private sector labour relations: economic constraints and budgetary restrictions, coupled with a general reaction toward the ‘public’ in general have put pressure on employment whose costs represent the major part of public expenditures; the need for greater productivity and efficiency has been increasing in order to reduce labour costs and (possibly) meet the growing demand for (social) services; technological innovations (office automation. computerization and the like) are spreading; the impact of the international competition has begun to be felt not only indirectly via constraints on the state budgets but directly in those sectors of public services which can be somehow ‘transportable’ across borders and hence exposed to foreign initiatives (public works, TLC, to some extent health services.All these factors are emphasized by the European unification process which has already introduced limits in the monetary and financial autonomy of the member states.
Pension Schemes Comparison between EEC Countries*
Authors: de Falleur Marc , Guillaume Yvan , Meulders Danièle , Dispersyn Michel , Van der Vorst Pierre 
Published: June 2007

Abstract. A lot of research has been made on macroeconomic spending on the financing of retirement, most of it taking into account demographic evolution. On the other hand, little research has gone into international comparisons that shed more light on the standards of living that are guaranteed after retirement, and on the flexibility and accessibility of public pension schemes. It is a study of this type that we have carried out for 11 member‐states of the EEC (Greece having been left out because of its lack of statistics).In this article, we construct an index that reflects the levels of protection that are offered to the aged by the “first pillar” and under the most general conditions. On the basis of a series of important criteria (conditions for access, flexibility, intervention levels, etc.), we calculated an average of the scores for each criterion. These averages are then used to obtain a general score for each country, ranking them against each other relative to the quality of their respective pension schemes.
Public Policy toward Employee Benefits in the United States, Canada and Taiwan:Lessons for European Integration
Authors: Mitchell Daniel J.B. , Peng Hsueh‐yu , Zaidi Mahmood A. 
Published: June 2007

Abstract. Most governments intervene in the labor market to promote the provision of certain merit goods such as retirement income and health insurance. As economic integration has progressed within the European Community, questions have arisen concerning the harmonization of such benefits. Using case studies from three non‐EC countries—the US., Canada, and Taiwan—the authors show that benefit structures and decisions reflect institutions which are difficult to change and whose patterns do not seem to reflect a simple economic determinism.The U.S. and Canada, two similar countries with integrated product markets, have adopted very different health insurance policies, but similar pension policies. Taiwan, despite its different stage of development, has a Canadian‐style health insurance system and is currently grappling with how to arrange its pensions. A key outcome of the benefit‐decision process is whether entitlements are external to the firm or contingent on maintaining a specific job attachment.An important factor in modifying benefit arrangements is the degree of social concertation present in national political systems. Benefits systems are best designed or reformed when institutions permit discussion of macro pressures. EC countries, now considering harmonization of economic institutions, have the opportunity to modernize their benefit arrangements.A related paper was presented to the Ninth World Congress of the International Industrial Relations Associations and its associated Study Group on Economic Policy and Social Concertation, Sydney, Australia, August 30‐September 4, 1992.
Consequences of the Disarmament Process for the Labour Market in Germany
Authors: Blien Uwe 
Published: June 2007

AbstractIn Germany the international peace process has important consequences for the economy, especially for the labour market. The German armed forces will be reduced from 520,000 to 370,000. Nearly three quarters of the approximately 830,000 foreign soldiers stationed in Germany are in the process of leaving the country. Parallel to this there will be a reduction of about 100,000 jobs for civil employees.There are strong indicators showing that the market of civil employees is an “internal market” (of the type often described by labour market segmentation theory) and there are high barriers against the mobility of workers.Measures of active labour market policy (especially of the German Federal Office of Labour) supports the transition of civil workers into new jobs. These provisions are assisted by measures of regional policy in regions with relatively high unemployment rates, where the dissolution and reduction of garrisons affect the prosperity of entire regions. In conglomerates with high growth rates, however, positive consequences of the disarmament process can be expected.
The Need for a New Theory of Production in Economics
Authors: Eaton Jack 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe article argues that there is a need for a new theory of production economics. The premise is that the only extant theory of production in orthodox discourse depends on the maximising model of human behaviour. Adam Smith's bifurcation of economic theory into the province of self‐interest and that of justice also blocked off the potential for germinating a theory of production that would draw on motives other than self‐interest. The foundations for such an approach have already been set out by Bray in a neglected study. He suggested that mathematical economics was held back, rather than advanced, by its bondage to static equilibrium analysis.
Temporary Employment in France: A Decade Statement
Authors: Michon François , Ramaux Christophe 
Published: June 2007

AbstractOne of the more important aspects of French labour market changes since the mid‐1970s is the growth of temporary work; fixed‐term contracts and interim contracts. With a survey of French literature since the early 1980s, this article analyses explanatory factors of temporary work: macroeconomic factors: institutional framework, workforce supply to user firms, economic fluctuations; microeconomic factors: firm/ plant characteristics, economic and social firm strategies. Models of firms supplying temporary jobs are presented.
Testing for Independence of Wage Drift and Minimum Contractual Wage: An Empirical Investigation Using Italian Aggregate Time Series
Authors: Lupi Claudio , Ordine Patrizia 
Published: June 2007

AbstractA theoretical two‐stage bargaining model for wage drift and minimum contractual wage is discussed and its implication in terms of Granger‐causality between the two variables is tested by using Italian aggregate time series. Empirical evidence suggests rejecting the independence of the two series. This result has, in turn, implications for policy analysis. Our findings seem to indicate the appropriateness of a policy oriented towards decentralized wage setting.