Economics breeds culture

Several recent papers document the influence and long lasting effects of technology on preferences. Simultaneously, cultural factors are often invoked to explain heterogeneity in preferences. These two ideas suggest that culture determines the short run equilibrium values of economic variables, but, in the long run, culture changes in response to the underlying economic fundamentals. We build a model in which preferences are endogenous and the diversity in preferences (the "cultural" diversity) is explained by the variation in the relevant economic fundamentals. This can help explain observed differences in labor market attachment among groups defined e.g., by citizenship, ethnicity or gender.

Study of selenocompounds from selenium-enriched culture of edible sprouts

Selenium is recognised as an essential micronutrient for humans and animals. One of the main sources of selenocompounds in the human diet is vegetables. Therefore, this study deals with the Se species present in different edible sprouts grown in Se-enriched media. We grew alfalfa, lentil and soy in a hydroponic system amended with soluble salts, containing the same proportion of Se, in the form of Se(VI) and Se(IV). Total Se in the sprouts was determined by acidic digestion in a microwave system and by ICP/MS. Se speciation was carried out by enzymatic extraction (Protease XIV) and measured by LC-ICP/MS. The study shows that the Se content of plants depends on the content in the growth culture, and that part of the inorganic Se was biotransformed mainly into SeMet. These results contribute to our understanding of the uptake of inorganic Se and its biotransformation by edible plants.

A lower bound in Nehari's theorem on the polydisc

By theorems of Ferguson and Lacey ($d=2$) and Lacey and Terwilleger ($d>2$), Nehari's theorem is known to hold on the polydisc $\D^d$ for $d>1$, i.e., if $H_\psi$ is a bounded Hankel form on $H^2(\D^d)$ with analytic symbol $\psi$, then there is a function $\varphi$ in $L^\infty(\T^d)$ such that $\psi$ is the Riesz projection of $\varphi$. A method proposed in Helson's last paper is used to show that the constant $C_d$ in the estimate $\|\varphi\|_\infty\le C_d \|H_\psi\|$ grows at least exponentially with $d$; it follows that there is no analogue of Nehari's theorem on the infinite-dimensional polydisc.

Non aerated seaweed culture tank with rotating flow

Postprint (published version)

From urban political economy to the cultural political economy : rethinking culture and economy in and beyond the urban

Discussions about the culture-economy articulation have occurred largely within theconfines of economic geography. In addition, much attention has been diverted intocaricaturized discussions over the demise of political economy or the invalidity ofculturalist arguments. Moving the argument from the inquiry on the ¿nature¿ of theeconomy itself to the transformation of the role of culture and economy inunderstanding the production of the urban form from an urban political economy (UPE)this paper focuses on how the challenges posed by the cultural turn have enabled urbanpolitical economy to participate constructively in interdisciplinary efforts to reorientpolitical economy in the direction of a critical cultural political economy.

Ager Tarraconensis 5. Paisatge, poblament, cultura material i història = Landscape, Settlement, Material Culture and History Proceedings of the International Symposium

Aquesta obra recull 28 comunicacions presentades al Simposi internacional «L’ager Tarraconensis. Paisatge, poblament, cultura material i història», celebrat a Tarragona el 27 i 28 d’octubre del 2010, organitzat per l’Institut Català d’Arqueologia Clàssica a la seu de l’Institut i a la Diputació de Tarragona. Les aportacions al simposi se centren en l'evolució del paisatge al Camp de Tarragona i en altres regions del món romà, en la varietat de les primeres estratègies de control romà del territori, en les tipologies i evolució dels establiments, en aspectes econòmics i en la dinàmica del poblament, sense faltar-hi alguna aportació de l'epigrafia. Tot plegat fa referència molt especialment al territori de Tarraco, tot i que el simposi també va comptar amb comunicacions sobre altres territoris de l'àrea catalana i saguntina i d'altres províncies romanes, com la Lusitània, les Gàl·lies i la Transpadana; les comparacions entre diferents regions han donat una riquesa notable al debat. Entre els resultats més suggerents comptem amb la constatació de la similitud en els models de romanització del territori en les diferents àrees d'àmbit català i valencià, que contrasten significativament amb els models de territoris d'Andalusia, França i Portugal.

When culture does (not) matter: role models and self-efficacy as drivers of entrepreneurial behavior

The correlation between facets of national culture and startup activities has received confirmation in empirical research while many mechanisms behind the correlation remain unclear. We study the interplay between the individualism-collectivism orientation of national culture, the incidence of entrepreneurial role models and selfefficacy understood as the perception of possessing relevant skills and knowledge to become a successful entrepreneur. We find that exposure to entrepreneurial role models offsets self-efficacy as a driver of entrepreneurial intentions. The effect is magnified by the individualistic character of the national culture. Key words: entrepreneurial intentions, role models, self-efficacy, individualism, multilevel regressions

Coming from outside the Academy. Values of 2.0 culture in higher education

This article reflects on how some values, interests, and particularities of 2.0 culture enter on higher and postgraduate education institutions. Through theidentification of the features of 2.0, this document visualizes some of the resistances, obstacles, possibilities, and opportunities detected in these institutions, many of them focusing on the core of the higher education and postgraduate institutions (i.e. strategic vision, methodology, role of teachers and students, relation between formal and informal learning, contents and assessment). Responsibility in the training and updating of current and future professionals places these institutions under the discussion and decision-making process related to the role that 2.0 tools should play. We wonder if it implies a crossroad which affects the whole set of attitudes and values on the role of training institutions in the context of the construction of socialized knowledge.

¿Crisis de la cultura? = Crisis of the culture?

Culture has several meanings: civilization, creation, knowledge, life… We analyze how each one suffers the so-called crisis of culture. Civilization lives the crisis as «liquidity», according to Bauman’s diagnosis, with significant negative impact on education. The creation and enjoyment of cultural products, such as museums, suffer its crisis as fragility resulting from the civilization crisis, notably in the form of consumerist banality or pure entertainment. Culture as knowledge and as life is analyzed under the joint notion «humanistic culture». This, which in turn is creation, knowledge and life has its specific corruption in the elitist knowledge, merely theoretical. The hallmark of genuine humanism contains an essential component, the dimension of ethical and political commitment. The crisis in the humanistic studies, noted by Nussbaum, threats the values of humanistic culture; in particular is a political risk, because democracy is a system that needs to sustain and improve the values of humanistic culture. In the background, and beyond the differences between the cultural meanings, there is a unique cultural crisis, a crisis of ethics and politics at a time