Total Factor Productivity in the Contiguous United States, 1977–1986

A linear programming technique is used to measure total factor productivity change in the contiguous 48 states during the period 1977 to 1986. The technique allows the decomposition of productivity change into its constituent parts: technological change, changes in pure technical efficiency, and changes in scale economies. This decomposition is used to identify "innovative" states that are pushing out the production frontier as opposed to states that are primarily in the process of 'catching-up.'     

Debates over Palaeolithic chronology – the reliability of C is confirmed

The debate about the complex issues of human development during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition period (45–35 ka BP) has been hampered by concerns about the reliability of the radiocarbon dating method. Large ¹⁴C anomalies were postulated and radiocarbon dating was considered flawed. We show here that these issues are no longer relevant, because the large anomalies are artefacts beyond plausible physical limits for their magnitude. Previous inconsistencies between ¹⁴C radiocarbon datasets have been resolved, and a new radiocarbon calibration curve, IntCal09 (Reimer et al., 2009), was created. Improved procedures for bone collagen extraction and charcoal pre-treatment generally result in older ages, consistent with independently dated time markers.     

Formgeschichtliche und sprachliche beobachtungen zu psalm 57

Usually, Ps 57 is seen as formcritically mixed, but the exact interrelation between personal lament und thanksgiving song has not yet been established. Philological observations (especially, verbal forms and sentence structures) and formcritical deliberations make it clear, that 2-6 is a lament and 7(!)-12 a thanksgiving song. Therefore, 7 is interpreted as a retrospect of the trouble (7ab) and as a report of the deliverance (7cd). The tricola 8abc and 9abc have the same structure: a citation of a song (ab) followed by a speech-action (c). The structure of the psalm with its two stanzas and the closing refrains support this interpretation. By means of different poetic elements (refrain, the word "heaven" etc.) the two genres are interrelated, resulting in an organic whole.