The Effects of Labor Migration and OFW Remittances on the Level of Poverty in the Philippines

Global labor mobility and Overseas Filipino workers have been a topic of interest due to its rapid growth and its apparent links with development goals. Among the 197 countries in the world, the Philippines has one of the highest rates of migration. In this paper, the researchers have examined the statistical relationship between migration and poverty through a study, using panel data from the years 2006, 2008, 2012, 2015, and 2018 in the Philippines. Specifically, the paper examined the degree of impact of migration on poverty using the GINI coefficient and GRDP as determinants for poverty, whilst Remittances is the constant variable used. The study aimed to determine whether remittances reduce poverty as Overseas Filipino Workers continue to increase yearly. The end results showed that there is a relationship amongst poverty, international labor migration, and remittances via the fixed panel data done but show a low significance level among the said variables. Thus, there is a relationship within the variables but a low significance level to the poverty in the Philippines.

Arduino Based Solar Tracking System for Energy Improvement of PV Solar Panel

Solar energy is a clean, easily accessible and abundantly available alternative energy source in nature. Getting solar energy from nature is very beneficial for power generation. Using a fixed Photovoltaic panels extract maximum energy only during 12 noon to 2 PM in Nigeria which results in less energy efficiency. Therefore, the need to improve the energy efficiency of PV solar panel through building a solar tracking system cannot be over-emphasized. Photovoltaic panels must be perpendicular with the sun in order to get maximum energy. The methodology employed in this work includes the implementation of an Arduino based solar tracking system. Light Dependent Resistors (LDRs) are used to sense the intensity of sunlight and hence the PV solar panel is adjusted accordingly to track maximum energy. The mechanism uses servo motor to control the movement of the solar panel. The microcontroller is used to control the servo motor based on signals received from the LDRs. The result of this work has clearly shown that the tracking solar panel produces more energy compared to a fixed panel.

Single Axis Solar Tracker for Maximizing Power Production and Sunlight Overlapping Removal on the Sensors of Tracker

This paper presents the design and execution of a solar tracker system devoted to photovoltaic (PV) conversion panels. The proposed single-axis solar tracker is shifted automatically based on the sunlight detector or tracking sensor. This system also removes incident sunlight overlapping from sensors that are inside the sunlight tracking system. The Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) is used as a sensor to sense the intensity of light accurately. The sensors are placed at a certain distance from each other in the tracker system to avoid sunlight overlapping for maximum power production. The total system is designed by using a microcontroller (PIC16F877A) as a brain to control the whole system. The solar panel converts sunlight into electricity. The PV panel is fixed with a vertical axis of the tracker. This microcontroller will compare the data and rotate a solar panel via a stepper motor in the right direction to collect maximum photon energy from sunlight. From the experimental results, it can be determined that the automatic (PV solar tracker) sun tracking system is 72.45% more efficient than fixed panels, where the output power of the fixed panel and automatically adjusted panel are 8.289 watts and 14.287 watts, respectively.

Importance and Antimicrobial Resistance of Mycoplasma bovis in Clinical Respiratory Disease in Feedlot Calves

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is an important viral and/or bacterial disease that mainly affects feedlot calves. The involvement of Mycoplasma bovis in BRD can lead to chronic pneumonia poorly responsive to antimicrobial treatment. Caseonecrotic bronchopneumonia is a pulmonary lesion typically associated with M. bovis. In Spain, M. bovis is widely distributed in the feedlots and circulating isolates are resistant to most antimicrobials in vitro. However, the role of this species in clinical respiratory disease of feedlot calves remains unknown. Furthermore, available data are relative to a fixed panel of antimicrobials commonly used to treat BRD, but not to the specific set of antimicrobials that have been used for treating each animal. This study examined 23 feedlot calves raised in southeast Spain (2016–2019) with clinical signs of respiratory disease unresponsive to treatment. The presence of M. bovis was investigated through bacteriology (culture and subsequent PCR), histopathology and immunohistochemistry. The pathogen was found in 86.9% (20/23) of the calves, mainly in the lungs (78.26%; 18/23). Immunohistochemistry revealed M. bovis antigens in 73.9% (17/23) of the calves in which caseonecrotic bronchopneumonia was the most frequent lesion (16/17). Minimum inhibitory concentration assays confirmed the resistance of a selection of 12 isolates to most of the antimicrobials specifically used for treating the animals in vivo. These results stress the importance of M. bovis in the BRD affecting feedlot calves in Spain.

Adult T cell- leukemia/lymphoma associated with HTLV-1 presenting as giant mass of the face

A 30-year-old Arabic woman of low socio-economic status, without medical history of HIV infection, presented to our department for neglected giant mass of the face evolving for 2 years. She was treated for long time with herbal traditional treatments, which explains the delay of consultation. Physical examination revealed a bulky tumor, of reddish-brown color, occupying the entire face below the franc, more lateralised on the left side. The right eye had restricted movement, while the left eye was fixed (Panel A,B). CT scan showed a nasal cavity tumour with orbital and maxillary sinus invasion, without intra cranial extension or distant metastasis. Laboratory testing was positive for HTLV I/II and she was negative for HIV. Surgical biopsy with histo-pathological study established the diagnosis of HTLV-1 associated adult lymphoma/leukaemia, with strong CD4 and CD25 antibody staining. She received chemotherapy with CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) regimen, but she died after two cycles.

Effectiveness of bail-out mechanisms in the Eurozone: Global vs. pandemic crisis

This paper analyses the effectiveness of bail-out mechanisms after the global crisis in comparison to Covid-19 pandemic crisis in the selected Eurozone economies. It seems that in the circumstances of global instability, laissez-faire rules in economy are not enough, meaning that government interventions are desirable and unavoidable. In the Eurozone, the implementation of bail-out programs is related with the problem of a new "impossible trinity" and no-bail out clause. However, the adopted clause on non-use of the bail-out mechanism has had to be ignored several times in the past, and those implementations of bail-outs are focus of this paper. The research is based on descriptive statistical analysis and fixed panel model specification using available data in relation to the bail-out programs in the period 2011-2020 in selected Eurozone economies. The research shows that governments appear to have learned at least three lessons from the global crisis in relation to the bail-out mechanisms: (a) the need for quick implementation of emergency measures, (b) the bail-out mechanism was effective in reducing the fiscal deficit, however, caused an increase in the public debt, and (c) strengthening the fiscal framework of the Eurozone economies by defining supranational fiscal rules remains the essence of a stronger Eurozone and the European Union.

Environmental Regulations and Corporate Green Investment: Evidence From Heavy Polluting Companies in China

With the rapid development of the global economy, environmental pollution has become one of the main problems facing. As the main carriers of social production, companies create value for the whole society and also occupy the main resources. Heavy polluting companies have serious pollution discharge. They should bear more environmental protection responsibilities. Green investment of heavy polluting companies is the focus of social concern. Therefore, this paper selects 243 listed companies in China’s heavy polluting industry as samples to explore the impact of environmental regulations on corporate green investment. This study calculates the green investment amount of companies through the “content analysis method”, and divides the environmental regulation into formal environmental regulation and informal environmental regulation. A fixed panel model is constructed for research. The empirical results show that market-incentive environmental regulation and informal environmental regulation have a significantly positive impact on corporate green investment. There is no significant relationship between command-andcontrol environmental regulation and corporate green investment. According to this conclusion, this paper proposes some suggestions about green finance.

The efficacy of a dual-axis solar tracking device in tropical climate

The demand for energy and the pressure for reducing environmental impacts is increasing in developing countries, mainly in agricultural areas. The generation of electricity from photovoltaic panels can be economically and environmentally advantageous as a source of renewable energy and the ability to reach remote consumers. The present study aimed to evaluate the performance of a photovoltaic system equipped with a sun-tracking device, comparing to a fixed panel. The test compared two panels of a photovoltaic cell system, one used a rotation module in two-axis, and the other a fixed one (control), for capturing solar energy throughout the day in a tropical region of Brazil. Solar energy data were obtained in the two photovoltaic panels with data continuously recorded six months, with a weather characteristic of high cloudiness and rainfall indexes. The commissioning of the tested photovoltaic panels was done on bright days. Power results indicated that the two-axis tracker system was useful during the test, presenting an increase of 26% when compared to the fixed panel. It was found that when the cloudiness and the rain index are very high, the sun tracking system might not be as efficient as foreseen. Rainfall and cloudiness index are essential factors for determining the feasibility of using a tracker device in tropical regions.

Financial development and income inequality

This paper analyses the influence of financial development on income inequality. Throughout this work, one may find the overview of theoretical and empirical literature as well as the empirical model using fixed panel data method. This research paper tries to disentangle the opposing views on the relationship between finance and income distribution, by evaluating the impact of the different dimensions of financial development on the level of income inequality. The important added value of this research is the usage of quintiles of income distribution as a dependent variable that may help to recognise the effect of financial development on the poorest and richest. Another novelty of the paper is the consideration of the effects of financial variables on Gini coefficient in the long and short run. The main results of the analysis using dataset from 2003 to 2014 indicate that financial access decreases income inequality.