A Fundamental Contradiction in Standard Rent Theory: A Case Study on Varian's "Intermediate Microeconomics"

In this paper, I examine Varian’s treatment of rent in his textbook on Microeconomics. I argue that he holds contradictory conceptions: sometimes rent is defined as surplus over cost whereas sometimes it is defined as cost, as the opportunity cost of fixed factors. I start by arguing that the distinction between fixed and variable factors is not the key for the definition of rent; ultimately, it is monopoly. Varian’s conception of rent is, essentially, Ricardo’s: rent is extraordinary profit turned rent. On the basis of a selfinconsistent notion of opportunity cost, Varian introduces the idea that rent is the opportunity cost of land, when what he actually defines is the opportunity cost of not renting the land. I also critically examine the related notion of “producer’s surplus”, and show that Varian’s treatment repeats the same contradiction as in rent.

The Metabolic Core and Catalytic Switches Are Fundamental Elements in the Self-Regulation of the Systemic Metabolic Structure of Cells

19 p.

Modelling rail corrugation with specific track parameters focusing on ballasted track and slab track

The objective of this paper is to compare 3 types of track (high performance ballasted track, STEDEF and AFTRAV) from the corrugation growth point of view. This work has considered different vehicle speeds and track radii, and the results have taken into account the four wheels of a bogie. These tracks have been studied using Finite Elements with Nastran-Patran and RACING, a tool developed in Matlab by the authors which estimates the corrugation growth tendency. The tracks are studied using the Finite Strip Method and the Periodic Structure Theory. Lateral and vertical receptances for track and vehicle have been obtained, as well as the corrugation growth functions. In the paper the tracks are ranked according to corrugation development.

Respuesta a la sequía de Pinus radiata D. Don y su implicación en los procesos de tolerancia

160 p. (Bibliogr. 141-160)

Serie Vídeos tutoriales para fonética. Video 9. Praat: doing phonetics by computer (Parte 5: Propiedades lingüísticas observables en curvas de frecuencia fundamental y de intensidad)

Esta es una colección de 10 vídeos tutoriales que pueden ser empleados como material educativo en los cursos de fonética básica en el ámbito universitario. Los vídeos 1-3 tratan aspectos relacionados con la grabación: el tipo de micrófonos que se emplean, las clases de espacios en las que se suelen llevar a cabo la captura de señales de audio y las grabadoras que se suelen emplear. El vídeo 4 explora técnicas de captura y observación de datos de flujo y presión en fonética aerodinámica. Los vídeos 5-10 presentan información sobre los principales usos que se le brindan al programa Praat (Boersma y Weenink, 2014) en los estudios actuales de fonética acústica, desde la clase de información sobre modos de articulación de las consonantes que se puede identificar en oscilogramas hasta la creación de señales sonoras sintetizadas por medio de unos procedimientos que tiene el programa para tal propósito, los cuales son susceptibles de ser empleados en experimentos de percepción auditiva.

Bihotz-biriketako berpizte masajeak EKG-an eta bular-inpedantzian eragindako interferentziaren azterketa

[EU]Proiektu honetan bihotz-biriketako berpizte masajearen bular-sakadek elektrokardiograman eta bular-inpedantziaren seinaleetan eragindako interferentziaren azterketa egiten da. Helburu nagusia bi interferentzia hauen arteko erlazioa aztertzea da, horretarako tresna garatuz. Erlazio hau definitzeak interferentziaren eragina txikitzeko modua aurkitzen lagunduko luke, eta honek berpizteko aukerak handituko lituzke. Proiektua gauzatzeko ospitalez kanpoko geldialdien erregistro multzo batetik abiatuta datu-base propioa garatu da ezarritako irizpide batzuk jarraituz. Datu-base berri hau 37 pazienteren 237 mozketak osatzen dute, 10 segundotako luzera minimoarekin non pazienteek asistolia bitarteko kanpoko bular masajea jasotzen duten. Bestalde, interferentzia ezaugarritzeko interfaze grafiko bat garatu da, elektrokardiograma eta bular-inpedantziaren seinaleak denboran eta maiztasunean erakutsi eta hauen parametro esanguratsuak automatikoki zein eskuz ateratzeko aukera ematen duena. Parametroak seinaleen sakada bakoitzeko maximo eta minimoak, beraien kokapenak eta oinarrizko maiztasuna, bere harmonikoak eta hauen anplitudeak dira. Tresna hau erabiliz aipatutako datu-baseko episodioen prozesaketa egin da. Bukatzeko, lortutako emaitzak tratatzeko bigarren interfaze grafiko bat garatu da, non emaitzen banaketa estatistikoa eta hauen arteko erlazio lineala aztertzen diren. Proiektuaren ekarpen nagusia, beraz, bihotz-biriketako berpizte masajeak eragindako interferentzia aztertzeko tresna ahaltsuaren garapena da, jatorri desberdineko bestelako berpizte episodioak aztertzeko ere balio duena.

Mercados financieros: análisis fundamental y técnico

Explicación de conceptos claves relacionados con los mercados financieros desde una perspectiva simple y dirigida a personas sin grandes conocimientos de la materia.

A uniform phase representation for the harmonic model in speech synthesis applications

Feature-based vocoders, e.g., STRAIGHT, offer a way to manipulate the perceived characteristics of the speech signal in speech transformation and synthesis. For the harmonic model, which provide excellent perceived quality, features for the amplitude parameters already exist (e.g., Line Spectral Frequencies (LSF), Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC)). However, because of the wrapping of the phase parameters, phase features are more difficult to design. To randomize the phase of the harmonic model during synthesis, a voicing feature is commonly used, which distinguishes voiced and unvoiced segments. However, voice production allows smooth transitions between voiced/unvoiced states which makes voicing segmentation sometimes tricky to estimate. In this article, two-phase features are suggested to represent the phase of the harmonic model in a uniform way, without voicing decision. The synthesis quality of the resulting vocoder has been evaluated, using subjective listening tests, in the context of resynthesis, pitch scaling, and Hidden Markov Model (HMM)-based synthesis. The experiments show that the suggested signal model is comparable to STRAIGHT or even better in some scenarios. They also reveal some limitations of the harmonic framework itself in the case of high fundamental frequencies.

On the Dynamics of the Adenylate Energy System: Homeorhesis vs Homeostasis

Biochemical energy is the fundamental element that maintains both the adequate turnover of the biomolecular structures and the functional metabolic viability of unicellular organisms. The levels of ATP, ADP and AMP reflect roughly the energetic status of the cell, and a precise ratio relating them was proposed by Atkinson as the adenylate energy charge (AEC). Under growth-phase conditions, cells maintain the AEC within narrow physiological values, despite extremely large fluctuations in the adenine nucleotides concentration. Intensive experimental studies have shown that these AEC values are preserved in a wide variety of organisms, both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Here, to understand some of the functional elements involved in the cellular energy status, we present a computational model conformed by some key essential parts of the adenylate energy system. Specifically, we have considered (I) the main synthesis process of ATP from ADP, (II) the main catalyzed phosphotransfer reaction for interconversion of ATP, ADP and AMP, (III) the enzymatic hydrolysis of ATP yielding ADP, and (IV) the enzymatic hydrolysis of ATP providing AMP. This leads to a dynamic metabolic model (with the form of a delayed differential system) in which the enzymatic rate equations and all the physiological kinetic parameters have been explicitly considered and experimentally tested in vitro. Our central hypothesis is that cells are characterized by changing energy dynamics (homeorhesis). The results show that the AEC presents stable transitions between steady states and periodic oscillations and, in agreement with experimental data these oscillations range within the narrow AEC window. Furthermore, the model shows sustained oscillations in the Gibbs free energy and in the total nucleotide pool. The present study provides a step forward towards the understanding of the fundamental principles and quantitative laws governing the adenylate energy system, which is a fundamental element for unveiling the dynamics of cellular life.

Propiedades básicas de materiales soporte y parámetros de control en biofiltración.

[ES]En la problemática medioambiental generada por la contaminación atmosférica hay tres aspectos que marcan las directrices de actuación institucional: la presión social, la legislación vigente y la tecnología disponible. En cuanto a este último aspecto, la biofiltración es una tecnología eficaz, asequible y sostenible basada en la actividad biodegradadora de microorganismos específicos adheridos a la superficie de un material soporte que constituye el lecho del biofiltro. La elección de un material soporte adecuado es de especial importancia para asegurar el correcto funcionamiento de los biofiltros. Esta decisión está basada en las propiedades intrínsecas del material que deben ser analizadas previamente a su uso. En este proyecto se ha seleccionado cuales son estas propiedades básicas a partir de una revisión bibliográfica, destacando la capacidad de retención de humedad, superficie específica, porosidad, y estabilidad física y química del material. En este trabajo, también se han fijado los parámetros de control que deben ser medidos de forma rutinaria en un biofiltro para asegurar la eficacia del tratamiento de descontaminación. En base a la información bibliográfica recopilada, se ha concluido que los parámetros básicos son pH, temperatura, contenido de humedad del lecho y pérdidas de carga. A nivel experimental, se han medido las pérdidas de carga generadas en biofiltros empacados con tres materiales soportes que son de especial interés para una investigación posterior a desarrollar por el grupo Biofiltración de la Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU). Durante el período de arranque inicial de los tres biofiltros, las pérdidas de carga medidas fueron muy bajas en los tres casos, aunque algo superiores cuando la alimentación era en sentido ascendente frente al flujo descendente. Sin embargo, cuando se midieron las pérdidas de carga bajo condiciones de encharcamiento del lecho, que es una de las situaciones más problemáticas en un biofiltro, todos los soportes presentaron un aumento puntual de la pérdida de carga aunque la tendencia en los días posteriores fue claramente descendente, recuperando valores de operación habituales. La comparativa del comportamiento frente a las pérdidas de carga permitió seleccionar el soporte más idóneo de los tres analizados, aunque los otros dos podrían ser alternativas viables en caso de sustitución.

Acústica del Acordeón

320 p.

Distribution theory and fundamental solutions of differential operators

The objective of this dissertation is to study the theory of distributions and some of its applications. Certain concepts which we would include in the theory of distributions nowadays have been widely used in several fields of mathematics and physics. It was Dirac who first introduced the delta function as we know it, in an attempt to keep a convenient notation in his works in quantum mechanics. Their work contributed to open a new path in mathematics, as new objects, similar to functions but not of their same nature, were being used systematically. Distributions are believed to have been first formally introduced by the Soviet mathematician Sergei Sobolev and by Laurent Schwartz. The aim of this project is to show how distribution theory can be used to obtain what we call fundamental solutions of partial differential equations.

Spectroscopic study of galaxies in the Herschel Reference Sample

Galaxies are clusters of millions and billions of stars dynamically stable, with gas, dust and dark matter. They are the biggest isolated objects known in the Universe . Even though they are very complex systems, today we have a clear knowledge about their evolution and about their physical phenomena. Aside from the stellar component there is a gaseous component, principally neutral Hydrogen (HI), and dust that, although is not a significant component in terms of the mass, plays an important role on the absorption phenomena. Finally, cinematic and other kind of observations suggest the existence of a spheric dark matter halo, dominant in terms of mass and more extensive than the barionic component.