International commodity prices, growth and the outbreak of Civil War in Sub-Saharan Africa

To learn more about the effect of economic conditions oncivil war, we examine whether Sub-Saharan civil wars aremore likely to start following downturns in the internationalprice of countries main export commodities. The data showa robust effect of commodity price downturns on the outbreakof civil wars. We also find that Sub-Saharan countries aremore likely to see civil wars following economic downturnsin their main OECD export destinations.

The economic tragedy of the XXth Century: Growth in Africa

The dismal growth performance of Africa is the worst economic tragedy ofthe XXth century. We document the evolution of per capita GDP for thecontinent as a whole and for subset of countries south of the Saharadesert. We document the worsening of various income inequality indexesand we estimate poverty rates and headcounts. We then analyze some ofthe central robust determinants of economic growth reported bySala-i-Martin, Doppelhofer and Miller (2003) and project the annual growthrates Africa would have enjoyed if these key determinants had taken OECDrather than African values. Expensive investment goods, low levels ofeducation, poor health, adverse geography, closed economies, too muchpublic expenditure and too many military conflicts are seen as keyexplanations of the economic tragedy.

Estimadores compuestos en estadística regional: aplicación para la tasa de variación de la ocupación en la industria

This work is part of a project studying the performance of model basedestimators in a small area context. We have chosen a simple statisticalapplication in which we estimate the growth rate of accupation for severalregions of Spain. We compare three estimators: the direct one based onstraightforward results from the survey (which is unbiassed), and a thirdone which is based in a statistical model and that minimizes the mean squareerror.

Did colonization matter for growth? An empirical exploration into the historical causes of Africa's underdevelopment

We investigate the impact of 20th--century European colonizationon growth in Africa. We find that in the 1960--88 period growth has beenfaster for dependencies than for colonies; for British and Frenchcolonies than for Portuguese, Belgian and Italian ones; and for countrieswith less economic penetration during the colonial period. On average,African growth accelerates after decolonization. Proxies for colonialheritage add explanatory power to growth regressions and make indicatorsfor human capital, political and ethnic instability lose significance.Colonial variables capture the same effects of a sub--Saharan dummy andreduce its significance when jointly included in a cross sectionalregression with 98 countries.

Patentes, regulación de precios e innovación en la industria farmacéutica

The trade-off between property rights/price regulation and innovation depends on countrycharacteristics and drug industry specificities. Access to drugs and innovation can bereconciled by seven ways that, among others, include: public health strengthening in thecountries with the largest access problems (those among the poor with the weakestinstitutions); public and private aid to make attractive R&D on neglected diseases; pricediscrimination with market segmentation; to require patent owners to choose eitherprotection in the rich countries or protection in the poor countries (but not both).Regarding price regulation, after a review of theoretical arguments and empirical evidence,seven strategies to reconcile health and industrial considerations are outlined, including:mitigation of the medical profession dependence on the pharmaceutical industry; considerationof a drug as an input of a production process; split drug authorization from public fundingdecisions; establish an efficiency minimum for all health production inputs; and stop theEuropean R&D hemorrhagia.

Características geológicas y geotécnicas de los lodos de flotación de la Sierra Minera de Cartagena-La Unión (SE España)

We present the results of a geological and geotechnical characterization of the metallurgic waste from the Sierra Minera de Cartagena-La Union. We have studied eight tailings dams from which we collected and analysed 42 samples of metallurgic waste. We measured grainsize distribution, the specific gravity of solid particles, plasticity index, permeability, both in situ and in the laboratory, direct shear characteristicsand moisture content. According to size distribution the tailings can be classified as sandy silt. Their plasticity index ranges from medium to nil. The internal friction angle varies between 28 and 42 degrees. Cohesion is between 0 and 2.2 t/m2. The specific gravity of the solid particles ranges widely from 1.8 to 4 g/cm3. The saturated hydraulic conductivity values vary between 1.3x 10-5 and 3.2x 10-9 m/s.The water content measured in situ shows that the degree of saturation remains relatively high despite low rainfall and high evaporation rates. Several tailings dams have failed. The leading causes of tailings-dam failure are: 1) slope instability; 2) overflow; 3) erosion; and 4) subsidence or collapse. The main factor leading to dam failure is that the tailings stored in the ponds are highly saturated

Improving energy access in rural sub-Saharan Africa

XVII Convocatòria d’ajuts a accions de cooperació - 2009GRECDH – UPC. Improving Energy Access In Rural sub- Saharan Africa. O-006/09. Informe

La industria editorial frente al libro electrónico

El libro, la lectura y la industria editorial están experimentando cambios motivados por el progreso tecnológico. Los contenidos se han desvinculado del soporte y, en consecuencia, la industria editorial ha necesitado transformar su estructura logística, basada hasta hace poco en la distribución física. La impresión digital y las librerías virtuales cubren nuevas necesidades: han aumentado las posibilidades de visibilidad y de difusión de la producción editorial, y han eliminado barreras geográficas y físicas.

Industria ósea y arte mueble de los niveles auriñacienses de la cueva de El Castillo (Puente Viesgo, Santander).

Los niveles auriñacienses de la Cueva del Castillo han arrojado en los últimos años un conjunto de elementos sobre materias duras animales que presentamos en este trabajo. Entre los efectivos recuperados destaca la presencia de utensilios de diversas tipologías así como elementos de arte mueble. La industria ósea de la Cueva del Castillo tiene el interés de confirmar que las bases del comportamiento humano durante el Paleolítico Superior respecto al aprovechamiento de las materias duras animales están definidas ya desde las fases iniciales del Auriñaciense. Además, algunos de los elementos representados en la muestra se cuentan entre los útiles más representativos de estas fases iniciales del Paleolítico Superior que van a mantenerse después a lo largo de toda la secuencia superopaleolítica.

A Reply to comments by D. Bar-Yosef M. Stiner on "Prehistoric exploitation of marine resources in Southern Africa with particular reference to shellfish gathering: opportunities and continuities"

I am very grateful to Daniella E. Bar-Yosef Mayer and Mary Stiner for their comments on an article I published in the previous issue of Pyrenae. Having spent many years working with coastal sites in South Africa and now settling in the Mediterranean academic landscape, I value the feedback from these two well-known archaeologists who have dedicated years of hard work in this later part of the world. Their opinions are very much appreciated for they allow me to bring new contexts to some of the (old) questions I have pursued in South Africa, an exercise that would help me with the process of broadening my research interests to the Mediterranean region.

Apéndice. Análisis de la industria lítica de "Els Ermitons"

Después de la amplia exposición general que precede a nuestro estudio, no vamos a extendernos más en describir, en conjunto, los materiales de cada estrato. Nos hemos limitado a revisar a fondo todas y cada una de las piezas extraídas de la excavación; con anterioridad habían sido inventariadas y marcadas con un número correspondientes al fondo del Museo Arqueológico Provincial de Gerona, al que nosotros hacemos ahora referencia. Independientemente cada número de éstos abarca, en algunos casos, más de un útil, al aludir a un conjunto de piezas de una zona determinada, por lo que hemos procedido a marcar, a partir de 1, en cada caso, los útiles incluidos bajo una de las cifras de Gerona. En nuestra revisión hemos separado lo que ha sido considerado como útiles paleolíticos. La pobreza de estos materiales ha quedado ya suficientemente explicitada con anterioridad, tanto en su aspecto de utillaje como en el de la materia prima. En efecto, el total de útiles analizados, pertenecientes casi en su totalidad a los estratos III, IV Y V, es de 143. El método utilizado para la descripción del utillaje lítico ha sido el de la tipología analítica (Laplace, 1972). Somos plenamente conscientes de que su aplicación a una industria considerada como Paleolítico Medio es algo nuevo y que quizá sea aventurado, pero hemos de decir que la mera descripción de los útiles se puede enmarcar perfectamente en el campo de esta nueva metodología desde el punto de vista de una exposición objetiva de los retoques que conforman cada pieza. Nuestra decisión al decantarnos por la tipología analítica en nuestro estudio, es la de exponer simplemente las piezas, omitiendo al máximo las ambigüedades derivadas de las listas-tipo anteriores.

Revisión de la industria lítica de los niveles solutrenses de la cueva del Parpalló

El objeto de este artículo es el de dar a conocer, en la medida de lo posible, los resultados derivados de la revisión y nuevo estudio tipológico de los materiales líticos de la industria de los niveles solutrenses de la cueva del Parpalló. No es un dilema de fácil resolución el que se le presenta a un estudioso de la Prehistoria, y más concretamente del Paleolítico, a la hora de elegir su rama de estudio concreta; en nuestro caso particular abordamos la problemática de la tipología de la industria lítica paleolítica, que es en verdad tema extenso y trabajado por muchos investigadores. Las dos líneas hoy más en boga entre los paleolitistas son la propugnada por Mme. D. Sonneville-Bordes y J. Perrot (D. Sonneville-Bordes y J. Perrot, 1954-55-56) y por G. Laplace (Laplace, 1966, 1968, 1972 Y 1974 a) que no vamos a comentar aquí. La búsqueda de la mayor objetividad posible es la que, en nuestra opinión, debería decidir ya a los estudiosos del Paleolítico, sobre todo Superior, por el sistema tipológico analítico.

A comparison of rapid bioassessment protocols used in 2 regions with Mediterranean climates, the Iberian Peninsula and South Africa

Abstract. The ability of 2 Rapid Bioassessment Protocols (RBPs) to assess stream water quality was compared in 2 Mediterranean-climate regions. The most commonly used RBPs in South Africa (SAprotocol) and the Iberian Peninsula (IB-protocol) are both multihabitat, field-based methods that use macroinvertebrates. Both methods use preassigned sensitivity weightings to calculate metrics and biotic indices. The SA- and IB-protocols differ with respect to sampling equipment (mesh size: 1000 lm vs 250 300 lm, respectively), segregation of habitats (substrate vs flow-type), and sampling and sorting procedures (variable time and intensity). Sampling was undertaken at 6 sites in South Africa and 5 sites in the Iberian Peninsula. Forty-four and 51 macroinvertebrate families were recorded in South Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, respectively; 77.3% of South African families and 74.5% of Iberian Peninsula families were found using both protocols. Estimates of community similarity compared between the 2 protocols were .60% similar among sites in South Africa and .54% similar among sites in the Iberian Peninsula (BrayCurtis similarity), and no significant differences were found between protocols (Multiresponse Permutation Procedure). Ordination based on Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling grouped macroinvertebrate samples on the basis of site rather than protocol. Biotic indices generated with the 2 protocols at each site did not differ. Thus, both RBPs produced equivalent results, and both were able to distinguish between biotic communities (mountain streams vs foothills) and detect water-quality impairment, regardless of differences in sampling equipment, segregation of habitats, and sampling and sorting procedures. Our results indicate that sampling a single habitat may be sufficient for assessing water quality, but a multihabitat approach to sampling is recommended where intrinsic variability of macroinvertebrate assemblages is high (e.g., in undisturbed sites in regions with Mediterranean climates). The RBP of choice should depend on whether the objective is routine biomonitoring of water quality or autecological or faunistic studies.

Ursinia nana (Anthemideae, Asteraceae), and adventive from South Africa which is becoming naturalized in the Iberian Peninsula. Observations about its reproductive biology and fruit dispersal mechanism.

The presence of Ursinia nana, an Anthemideae of South-African origin which has been introduced into the NE Iberian Peninsula, is reported for the fi rst time in Europe. The data offered cover its precise location, morphology, chromosome number, ecology and a population census, as well as its life cycle, fl oral structure, reproductive biology and fruit dispersal mechanisms. Of special note are the clear predominance of autogamy (geitonogamy) over xenogamy as a reproductive system and the large number of fruits produced with high and immediate germinative capacity. These characteristics permit rapid colonization by the introduced species, which can become invasive. However, fruit predation by the ant Messor barbarus points to a natural mechanism that helps regulate population growth and makes biological control possible. Finally its possibilities of expansion in the colonized area and of naturalization in the NE Iberian Peninsula are assessed.

Obtención de vidrio a partir de residuos de la minería del estaño en Bolivia

Manufacturing of glass from tin mining tailings in Bolivia Tailings from mining activities in Bolivia represent an environmental problem. In the vicinity of the tin mines of Llallagua,Potosí department, there are large dumps and tailings. We present a study of the use of these wastes as raw materials for the manufacture of glass. This procedure aims to contribute to environmental remediation of mining areas through the vitrification, a process which offers an alternative for stabilization of hazardous waste. In addition, the marketing of the obtained product would provide an additional income to the mining areas. For this study three samples of mining waste, with grain size between sand and silt, were used. The chemical composition of these raw materials, determined by X-ray fluorescence, is granitic, with high contents of heavy metals. On the basis of its composition, glass were made from silica glass by adding CaCO3 and Na2CO3. The thermal cycle has been determined from TDA. Tg values of glass range from 626º to 709 °C. Leaching tests of the obtained glasses confirm their capacity to retain heavy metals.