Search

This paper examines the effect of the government college loan program in Korea on student academic performance, dropout decisions and loan defaults. While fairness in educational opportunities has been guaranteed to some degree through this program, which started in 2009, there has been a great deal of controversy over its effectiveness. Empirical findings suggest that recipients of general student loan (GSL) lower academic performance than those who received income contingent loan (ICL). Moreover, for students attending private universities, a higher number of loans received increased the probability of a dropout decision, and students from middle-income households had a higher probability of being overdue than students from low-income households. These findings indicate that expanding the ICL program within the allowance of the government budget is necessary. Furthermore, providing opportunities for students to find various jobs and introducing a rating system for defaulters are two necessary tasks.

This study empirically analyzes changes in production patterns of farmers by agricultural disaster insurance. The aim of this project is to achieve stability of farm management by paying insurance in case of a natural disaster. However, it causes farmers to change production patterns in the direction of increasing production, and leads the crop price to drop. This can be explained by producers’ risk reduction through the disaster insurance. The empirical analysis is based on Ⅳ approach with using two stage least squares method. The first stage estimates by difference-in-differences methodology indicate that the production of insurable crops increases more about 80,000ton on average than that of non-insurable crops. In addition, to solve the endogeneity problem caused by general supply and demand model, I use the first stage estimates and find that the price index of the crops drops about 2.3% according to the production increase by 10,000ton. The credibility of these results is also attained by various robustness checks. These findings suggest that it is necessary for government to analyze the whole economy which consists of producer and consumer welfare when it determines the policy. Besides, it implies that it is essential to develop a new market to cope with the unintended effect.

The objective of this study was to devise effective safety management systems for enclosed living modified organism (LMO) fields regulated by the Ministry of Environment (MOE), achieved through an assessment of the impact of LM crops on the surrounding flora. A combination of conventional survey methods and cutting-edge drone-based monitoring systems was employed, with a keen focus on their efficacy. Our investigation spans three distinct zones (forest, non-forest, and enclosed field), involving vegetation surveys, biodiversity index analyses, and drone-powered aerial observations to study topographical shifts. Over time, wild plants adjacent to the enclosed LMO field exhibited stability in terms of species composition. Nevertheless, disparities in growth patterns emerged across various areas. Predominantly, herbs thrived in enclosed and non-forest areas, while trees and shrubs flourished in forested regions. Annual plants predominantly populated the non-forest regions, whereas perennials dominated the forested areas. To this end, drones captured aerial photographs of a 31.65-hectare expanse with 40% coverage overlap, furnishing a real-time vegetation map that transcends the capacities of conventional methods. By combining vegetation surveys, drone-generated vegetation mapping, and dynamic monitoring of topographical changes, our research endeavors to facilitate the formulation of a robust safety management framework for LMO confined fields overseen by the MOE. This holistic approach aspires to prevent ecosystem contamination and establish a resilient, enduring system that averts LMO leakage, thereby safeguarding the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2010.03.026 Byline: Youfeng Yang, Sung Min Han, Michael A. Miller Keywords: MSP; MAP kinase; Oocyte maturation; Shp; RasGAP; Ras; Fertilization; SOD1; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; VAPB; Reactive oxygen species Abstract: The MSP domain is a conserved immunoglobulin-like structure that is important for C. elegans reproduction and human motor neuron survival. C. elegans MSPs are the most abundant proteins in sperm, where they function as intracellular cytoskeletal proteins and secreted hormones. Secreted MSPs bind to multiple receptors on oocyte and ovarian sheath cell surfaces to induce oocyte maturation and sheath contraction. MSP binding stimulates oocyte MPK-1 ERK MAP Kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation, but the function and mechanism are not well understood. Here we show that the Shp class protein-tyrosine phosphatase PTP-2 acts in oocytes downstream of sheath/oocyte gap junctions to promote MSP-induced MPK-1 phosphorylation. PTP-2 functions in the oocyte cytoplasm, not at the cell surface to inhibit multiple RasGAPs, resulting in sustained Ras activation. We also provide evidence that MSP promotes production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which act as second messengers to augment MPK-1 phosphorylation. The Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase SOD-1, an enzyme that catalyzes ROS breakdown in the cytoplasm, inhibits MPK-1 phosphorylation downstream of or in parallel to ptp-2. Our results support the model that MSP triggers PTP-2/Ras activation and ROS production to stimulate MPK-1 activity essential for oocyte maturation. We propose that secreted MSP domains and Cu/Zn superoxide dismutases function antagonistically to control ROS and MAPK signaling. Author Affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA Article History: Received 27 October 2009; Revised 12 March 2010; Accepted 31 March 2010

Do voters punish left‐wing parties that pursue neo‐liberal policies? We address the question in the context of post‐communist countries, where the left implemented significant and painful market‐oriented reforms. For the left, owning these reforms means backing away from its popular image and policy platform and plausibly generates two electorally consequential outcomes: a 'brand dilution' effect that weakens voters' attachment to left parties and is magnified by the economic vulnerability of the left's core constituency; and an 'expectations effect' that increases demand for right‐wing politicians. Overall, the left should lose votes, particularly when voters can easily attribute responsibility for policies. Our analysis uses updated data on the vote shares for all parties and elections in post‐communist democracies from 1991 to 2010. We find support for the theory: Incumbent left‐wing parties of the chief executive are punished at the ballot box for moving to the right on economic policy. This, likely, comes from a 'brand dilution' effect, as we find that such vote losses feed the fortunes of non‐incumbent left‐wing and populist parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]