Linguistic Polarization and Conflict in the Basque Country

This paper investigates the relationship between linguistic polarization and conflict in the Basque Country. During the 40 years of Franco’s dictatorship the use of the Basque language was banned. Therefore, there may be some linguistic roots underlying the conflict in the Basque Country. We show that at the municipality level, linguistic polarization reduces the level of conflict. This finding is robust to various ways of measuring linguistic and ideological polarization and the inclusion of other covariates. In addition, we find that a high level of the stock of human capital is beneficial for reducing conflict intensity.

The Relationship between Risk and Expected Return in Europe

Revised: 2006-07

Impacto de las políticas crediticias de la banca en los resultados ex post : una aproximación desde las teorías económicas del ciclo crediticio

[ES]Este trabajo se centra en el análisis de la relación entre las políticas crediticias de las entidades de crédito y el comportamiento de las mismas ex post. Se hace una revisión de la teoría que justifica que los mercados crediticios pueden estar sujetos, en determinadas circunstancias, a un componente endógeno más elevado de lo que, en general, se atribuye. Se plantea como hipótesis de trabajo la existencia de una relación entre la intensidad en el crecimiento de la cartera crediticia de los bancos en las fases de expansión crediticia y su comportamiento ex post. Los resultados preliminares presentados confirman la hipótesis de que las entidades que más desvían su crecimiento crediticio respecto del crecimiento del PIB nominal, están sujetas a un peor comportamiento en cuanto a la evolución posterior de sus beneficios, rentabilidades e insolvencias.

Environmental judgment in early childhood and its relationship with the understanding of the concept of living beings

The evidence collected concerning the biocentric judgment that young children express when evaluating human actions on the environment leads some scholars to suggest that an essential understanding of the notion of living beings should appear earlier than previously believed. This research project aims to study that assumption. To this end, young children’s choice when they are put in situation of having to compare and choose the most negative option between environmentally harmful actions and the breaking of social conventions are examined. Afterwards, the results are categorized in relation to those obtained from the study of children’s grasp of the distinction between living beings and inanimate entities. The data is analysed according to the individuals’ age and overall, it suggests a lack of relationship between environmental judgment and the understanding of the concept of living beings. The final results are discussed in keeping with recent research in the field of moral development that underscores the role that unconscious emotional processing plays in the individual’s normative judgment.

Streamflow response of a small forested catchment on different timescales

The hydrological response of a catchment to rainfall on different timescales is result of a complex system involving a range of physical processes which may operate simultaneously and have different spatial and temporal influences. This paper presents the analysis of streamflow response of a small humid-temperate catchment (Aixola, 4.8 km(2)) in the Basque Country on different timescales and discusses the role of the controlling factors. Firstly, daily time series analysis was used to establish a hypothesis on the general functioning of the catchment through the relationship between precipitation and discharge on an annual and multiannual scale (2003-2008). Second, rainfall-runoff relationships and relationships among several hydrological variables, including catchment antecedent conditions, were explored at the event scale (222 events) to check and improve the hypothesis. Finally, the evolution of electrical conductivity (EC) during some of the monitored storm events (28 events) was examined to identify the time origin of waters. Quick response of the catchment to almost all the rainfall events as well as a considerable regulation capacity was deduced from the correlation and spectral analyses. These results agree with runoff event scale data analysis; however, the event analysis revealed the non-linearity of the system, as antecedent conditions play a significant role in this catchment. Further, analysis at the event scale made possible to clarify factors controlling (precipitation, precipitation intensity and initial discharge) the different aspects of the runoff response (runoff coefficient and discharge increase) for this catchment. Finally, the evolution of EC of the waters enabled the time origin (event or pre-event waters) of the quickflow to be established; specifically, the conductivity showed that pre-event waters usually represent a high percentage of the total discharge during runoff peaks. The importance of soil waters in the catchment is being studied more deeply.

A Self-Referencing Intensity Based Polymer Optical Fiber Sensor for Liquid Detection

A novel self-referencing fiber optic intensity sensor based on bending losses of a partially polished polymer optical fiber (POF) coupler is presented. The coupling ratio (K) depends on the external liquid in which the sensor is immersed. It is possible to distinguish between different liquids and to detect their presence. Experimental results for the most usual liquids found in industry, like water and oil, are given. K value increases up to 10% from the nominal value depending on the liquid. Sensor temperature dependence has also been studied for a range from 25 degrees C (environmental condition) to 50 degrees C. Any sector requiring liquid level measurements in flammable atmospheres can benefit from this intrinsically safe technology.

Características antropométricas, condición física y velocidad de lanzamiento en balonmano de élite y amateur

166 p.

The Sustainability of `Sustainable´ Energy Use: Historical Evidence on the Relationship between Economic Growth and Renewable Energy

20 p.

Together we have it all ! Benefits of participation in collective emotional gatherings and communal coping

244 p.

Inserciones Alu y heterogeneidad genética de la población gitana del País Vasco

[ES] En este trabajo se ha analizado un grupo de 6 inserciones Alu autosómicas (ACE, APO, PV92, TPA25, FXIIIB y D1) en una muestra de 56 individuos de etnia gitana residentes en el País Vasco, con el objetivo de estimar la intensidad de los procesos de microdiferenciación experimentados por esta población y su parentesco genético con otras poblaciones europeas y asiáticas. Las inserciones Alu polimórficas son unos marcadores muy útiles en los estudios de evolución humana, entre otras razones porque se conoce su estado ancestral, que es la ausencia de inserción y porque se producen por un único evento mutacional. Son por ello particularmente interesantes para analizar la heterogeneidad genética de poblaciones originarias de diferentes continentes.