John M. Polimeni

Effectiveness of Financial Incentives for Off-Peak Deliveries to Restaurants in Manhattan, New York

The fundamental tenet of this paper is that moving deliveries by trucks to off-peak hours requires the implementation of comprehensive policies targeting the critical components of the supply-chain process. This is so because by far the most decisions concerning time of travel of commercial trucks in urban areas are either made by the receivers or made jointly by the receiver and the carrier. In this context, without receivers able and willing to accept off-peak deliveries, the ability of trucking companies to move out of normal hours is severely hampered. This paper analyzes the receptiveness of an important group of receivers, the restaurant sector in Manhattan, New York City, to policies aimed at fostering off-peak deliveries. This study focused on restaurants for several reasons. First, in-depth interviews with private-sector executives indicated that the restaurant sector could be a good candidate for off-peak deliveries. Second, and more important, the relatively high number of restaurants and drinking places in Manhattan (exceeding 6,500 establishments) generates an estimated minimum of 20,000 truck trips per day. These numbers suggest there would be a significant payoff if a significant portion of these truck trips were switched to the off-peak hours. The analyses are based on a small attitudinal survey used to evaluate the effectiveness of four different policies involving financial incentives to the restaurants accepting off-peak deliveries. Despite the small sample size, the key findings from these analyses are consistent with the estimates from behavioral models based on a larger data set. These preliminary results show that financial incentives may be effective in fostering off-peak deliveries.

Structural Adjustment Intensity, Vulnerability and Poverty in Africa

Nigeria has implemented structural adjustment policies for the past twenty years, with the intensity of reforms increasing each year. However, there is an ongoing debate as to whether strong adjustment is more effective than weak reforms in alleviating poverty in African economies. In this article, we use primary socio-economic data collected from two surveys, one conducted in 2001 and the other in 2007, of residents in the village of Umulwe in Southeastern Nigeria, to examine whether the intensity of structural adjustment policies has led to poverty reduction in the village. Specifically, we use changes in the poverty headcount index and the poverty gap index, as well as non-income measures to analyze the dynamics of poverty in the village. A cross-sectional OLS regression on the survey data does not indicate a direct link between structural adjustment and the poverty reduction observed in the village over time. By linking structural adjustment to changes in household behaviour, the article provides a micro-foundation for the analysis of the impact of structural adjustment on poverty.

Lactate dehydrogenase as a biomarker for early renal damage in patients with sickle cell disease.

Among many complications of sickle cell disease, renal failure is the main contributor to early mortality. It is present in up to 21% of patients with sickle cell disease. Although screening for microalbuminuria and proteinuria is the current acceptable practice to detect and follow renal damage in patients with sickle cell disease, there is a crucial need for other, more sensitive biomarkers. This becomes especially true knowing that those biomarkers start to appear only after more than 60% of the kidney function is lost. The primary purpose of this study is to determine whether lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) correlates with other, direct and indirect bio-markers of renal insufficiency in patients with sickle cell disease and, therefore, could be used as a biomarker for early renal damage in patients with sickle cell disease. Fifty-five patients with an established diagnosis of sickle cell disease were recruited to in the study. Blood samples were taken and 24-h urine collection samples were collected. Using Statcrunch, a data analysis tool available on the web, we studied the correlation between LDH and other biomarkers of kidney function as well as the distribution and relationship between the variables. Regression analysis showed a significant negative correlation between serum LDH and creatinine clearance, R (correlation coefficient) = -0.44, P = 0.0008. This correlation was more significant at younger age. This study shows that in sickle cell patients LDH correlates with creatinine clearance and, therefore, LDH could serve as a biomarker to predict renal insufficiency in those patients.

Spatial Distribution of Key Macroeconomic Growth Indicators in the EU-27: A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation

Convergence, both nominal and real, is occurring in the EU, especially for new members. Among the macroeconomic variables and correlations closely related to the convergence process are inflation, per capita GDP, the natural rate of unemployment and the inflation-unemployment relationship. This study concentrates on empirical analyses of the spatial distribution of these macroeconomic variables for the EU-27. Moreover, taking into account that the current level of productivity is implicitly influenced by the current unemployment rate, a simple estimate for “pure” productivity is proposed as a solution. Pure productivity must be neutral to short-run changes in employment, but in the long run it is affected by factors including general technological progress, rising education levels, growth of the R&D system and the expansion of the “new economy”. The estimated changes in the pure productivity level are compared to the dynamics of the natural rate of unemployment.

Residential Location Theory, Modeling, and Scenario Analysis of Urban Growth and Planning

This chapter presents projections of residential development in Wappinger Creek watershed of Dutchess County, New York in the Hudson River Valley. A spatial econometric model is developed based on data from a geographical information system (GIS) of county-level socio-economic trends, tax parcel attributes, town-level zoning restrictions, location variables, and bio-geophysical constraints including slope, soil type, riparian and agricultural zones. Monte Carlo simulation is employed to distribute spatially explicit projections of land-use change under various residential development scenarios. Scenario analysis indicates the likelihood of continued residential, decentralized development patterns in formerly agricultural and forested parcels. Policy scenarios demonstrate possible courses of action to direct development and protect watershed health.

John Polimeni, Kozo Mayumi, Mario Giampietro & Blake Alcott, The Jevons Paradox and the Myth of Resource Efficiency Improvements

Foreword by Joseph A. Tainter * Introduction * Historical Overview of the Jevons Paradox in the Literature * The Jevons Paradox: The Evolution of Complex Adaptive Systems and the Challenge for Scientific Analysis * Empirical Evidence for the Jevons Paradox * Conclusion * Index

Assessment of Macro-Level Socioeconomic Factors That Impact Waterborne Diseases: The Case of Jordan

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is an example of a country that suffers from high water scarcity. Additionally, due to the economic drivers in the country, such as phosphate and potash extraction and pharmaceutical production, the little fresh water that remains is generally polluted. The infrastructure, often antiquated in urban areas and non-existent in rural areas, also contributes to poor water conditions and to the spread of waterborne diseases. This paper examines the socioeconomic factors that contribute to diarrhea and hepatitis A on a macro level in Jordan and discusses the public-policies that government officials could use to abate those problems. Ordinary least squares time series models are used to understand the macro-level variables that impact the incidence of these diseases in Jordan. Public health expenditure has a significant impact on reducing their incidence. Furthermore, investment in sanitation facilities in rural regions is likely to reduce the number of cases of hepatitis A. Perhaps the most surprising outcome is that importation of goods and services likely results in a decrease in cases of hepatitis A. However, income has little impact on the incidence of diarrhea and hepatitis A.

Off-Peak Freight Deliveries to New York City

This paper focuses on the identification of the key challenges and the definition of the fundamental components of policies aimed at increasing off-peak deliveries to New York City. The paper provides a characterization of the economic activities in Manhattan and estimates of the geographic distribution of truck trips generated. The paper analyzes the data collected by an Internet survey targeting the various components of the supply chain. The paper also analyzes the potential impacts that performing off-peak deliveries would have on carriers and receivers, concluding that while carriers stand to benefit from the higher productivity at the off peak hours; receivers are likely to face additional costs in terms of staff, security and others. The paper concludes that, in order to induce a significant shift of truck traffic to the off-peak hours, receivers must be willing to accept off-peak deliveries. Since receivers are likely to face additional costs, it follows that financial incentive to receivers must be offered to them to make off-peak deliveries a reality. The paper discusses other policy components such as providing incentives to large traffic generators with centralize receive stations that could implement off-peak deliveries without major problems.