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.

Why are we fat? Discussions on the socioeconomic dimensions and responses to obesity

This paper draws together contributions to a scientific table discussion on obesity at the European Science Open Forum 2008 which took place in Barcelona, Spain. Socioeconomic dimensions of global obesity, including those factors promoting it, those surrounding the social perceptions of obesity and those related to integral public health solutions, are discussed. It argues that although scientific accounts of obesity point to large-scale changes in dietary and physical environments, media representations of obesity, which context public policy, pre-eminently follow individualistic models of explanation. While the debate at the forum brought together a diversity of views, all the contributors agreed that this was a global issue requiring an equally global response. Furthermore, an integrated ecological model of obesity proposes that to be effective, policy will need to address not only human health but also planetary health, and that therefore, public health and environmental policies coincide.

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.

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.

Lehen Hezkuntzan autoezagutza fisikoa, emozionala eta soziala lantzeko proposamen didaktiko baten diseinua eta esku-hartzea

[eus] Autoezagutza ez akademikoa pertsonaren garapenaren pilare funtsezkoenetariko bat kontsideratzen da. Aldaketaren bat eragiteko asmoz, Lehen Hezkuntzako hirugarren mailako neska eta mutilei zuzenduta dauden ekintza batzuk diseinatu eta praktikan jarri dira. Adin honetako neska eta mutilak, haien nortasuna eta batez ere autoezagutzaren garapenaren erdian aurkitzen dira. Horregatik, “ad hoc” diseinatu diren pretest eta postest baten bitartez, ekintza hauek espero ziren aldaketak sorrarazi dituzten ebaluatu da.

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.