Productivity, demand and the home market effect

The causality between international trade and industrialization is still ambiguous. We consider a model of international trade with the Home Market Effect - with differences in income and productivity between sectors and between countries - in order to identify additional channels for determining the effects of international trade on industrialization. Introducing non-homothetic preferences and differences in productivity aids in the interpretation of any apparent paradoxes within international trade, such as the commercial relations between more populated countries like China and India and large economies such as the U.S. Population size, demand composition and productivity levels constitute the three main channels for determining the effects of international trade. Interactions among these channels define the results obtained in terms of industrialization, while welfare levels are always higher in relation to autarky.

Perfeccionismo, metas de logro 2 ?? 2 y regulaciones motivacionales en el contexto de la educaci??n f??sica

Resumen tomado de la publicaci??n

Lenguaje y Teoría de la mente: una aproximación multidimensional

El propósito de este trabajo es realizar una puesta al día sobre las relaciones entre el desarrollo del lenguaje y el desarrollo de la Teoría de la Mente. Entre las hipótesis propuestas para conceptualizar dichas relaciones, realizamos un examen más exhaustivo de aquellos modelos que apoyan una implicación directa entre lenguaje y Teoría de la Mente. En este contexto, en primer lugar subrayamos la necesidad de ampliar dicha noción para incluir habilidades anteriores y posteriores a la comprensión de la falsa creencia. En segundo lugar, examinamos las diferentes hipótesis acerca de los aspectos del lenguaje más vinculados al desarrollo sociocognitivo, y las principales evidencias empíricas que las sustentan. Finalmente, discutimos un modelo de causalidad recíproca donde los vínculos entre lenguaje y Teoría de la Mente variarán según el momento del desarrollo considerado

Estudi interlingüístic de les construccions que expressen estats patològics en català i en mandinga

La tesi de Crous (2009) descriu les característiques de les estructures gramaticals del català i del mandinga que expressen malalties, signes i símptomes, trets físics i psíquics, etc. (com ser diabètic, estar refredat, tenir febre, tenir un bony (a la cama), tenir mal de panxa o tenir mal a la panxa, venir un atac de tos, agafar febre o fer mal el cap). La tesi demostra que la conceptualització i la categorització dels estats patològics, la manera com els parlants perceben alguns aspectes dels estats (com la temporalitat, l'abast corporal, la causalitat o el grau d'afectació) i les relacions entre aquests estats i els altres dos participants de la situació d'afectació (una persona i les seves parts del cos), no només es posa de manifest en els mots d'una llengua sinó que també intervé en la construcció i en la distribució dels diferents participants dins d'una oració.

La feminització de la infermeria causalitat i estratègies per a la formació de professionals

L'objectiu de la investigació ha estat conèixer perquè el col·lectiu d'infermeria no percep la seva professió al mateix nivell que unes altres acadèmicament similars i que es veu imbuït per una invisibilitat consentida pel mateix, per altres professionals de la salut, per les institucions i per la pròpia societat. Ens ha interessat esbrinar si això té a veure amb la presència majoritària de la dona en la infermeria. Estudi transversal quantitatiu i qualitatiu. Les estratègies utilitzades són la combinació i la triangulació. Els professionals de la infermeria la consideren vocacional, amb poca identitat professional, socialment secundària, amb responsabilitat, gran potencial de projecció i baixa consideració del propi professional respecte al rol autònom i la dependència mèdica. Important impregnació d'estereotips consentits pels mateixos professionals. La causalitat s'atribueix a la feminització. Els resultats de l'estudi comporten l'elaboració i implantació d'estratègies formatives en l'àmbit de la formació universitària i en el laboral.

O controlo de álcool e drogas e a sinistralidade laboral nos comboios de Portugal: tratamento dos dados

Embora o objectivo de redução de acidentes laborais seja frequentemente invocado para justificar uma aplicação preventiva de testes de álcool e drogas no trabalho, há poucas evidências estatisticamente relevantes do pressuposto nexo de causalidade e correlação negativa entre a sujeição aos testes e os posteriores acidentes. Os dados dos testes e dos acidentes ocorridos com os colaboradores de uma empresa transportadora portuguesa, durante anos recentes, são explorados, em busca de relações entre estas e outras variáveis biográficas. Os resultados preliminares obtidos sugerem que a sujeição a testes aleatórios no local de trabalho está associada a menos acidentes posteriores que os ocorridos na ausência desses testes, e que existe uma frequência óptima de testes acima da qual não se verifica redução de acidentes que justifique o investimento em aumento de testes. - Although the aim of reducing occupational accidents is frequently cited to justify preventive drug and alcohol testing at work, there is little statistically significant evidence of the assumed causality relationship and negative correlation between exposure to testing and subsequent accidents. Data mining of tests and accidents involving employees of a Portuguese transportation company, during recent years, searches for relations between these and other biographical variables. Preliminary results indicate that being subjected to random testing in the workplace is associated with fewer subsequent accidents that occur in the absence of such tests, and also that there is an optimum frequency of tests, above which there is no reduction of accidents to justify an increase of investment in testing.

Aplicação de Data Mining à Segurança do Trabalho Ferroviário

Embora o objectivo de redução de acidentes laborais seja frequentemente invocado para justificar uma aplicação preventiva de testes de álcool e drogas no trabalho, há poucas evidências estatisticamente relevantes das pressupostas causalidade e correlação negativa entre a sujeição aos testes e os posteriores acidentes. Os dados de testes e dos acidentes ocorridos com os colaboradores de uma transportadora ferroviária portuguesa de âmbito nacional, durante anos recentes, começam agora a ser explorados, em busca de relações entre estas e outras variáveis biográficas. - Although the aim of reducing occupational accidents is frequently cited to justify preventive drug and alcohol testing at work, there is little statistically significant evidence of the assumed causality and negative correlation between exposure to testing and subsequent accidents. Data mining of tests and accidents involving employees of a Portuguese national wide railway transportation company, during recent years, is now beginning in search of relations between these and other biographical variables.

Tributo a la calidad institucional. Un desafío para la sociología jurídica latinoamericana (Tema Central)

El principal desafío de América Latina consiste en encontrar el modo de afrontar la fragmentación social, el individualismo extremo y las inequidades oprobiosas en el marco del más absoluto respeto a las instituciones. El Estado aún tiene en sus manos dos herramientas formidables: la educación y el sistema tributario. La insistencia en el cumplimiento de las obligaciones tributarias contribuye decisivamente a formar una conciencia ciudadana, fundamento, a su vez, de una mayor calidad institucional. Y, en una suerte de causalidad circular, el correcto funcionamiento de las instituciones legitima el reclamo de cumplimiento de las obligaciones tributarias a un habitante que va, así, tomando creciente conciencia de los deberes y derechos emergentes de su condición de ciudadano. Para comprender el modo en que pueden darse estos procesos en la región, es preciso contar con una nueva disciplina: la sociología de las finanzas públicas.

Solar influences on dynamical coupling between the stratosphere and troposphere

We use a simplified atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) to investigate the response of the lower atmosphere to thermal perturbations in the lower stratosphere. The results show that generic heating of the lower stratosphere tends to weaken the sub-tropical jets and the tropospheric mean meridional circulations. The positions of the jets, and the extent of the Hadley cells, respond to the distribution of the stratospheric heating, with low latitude heating displacing them poleward, and uniform heating displacing them equatorward. The patterns of response to the low latitude heating are similar to those found to be associated with solar variability in previous observational data analysis, and to the effects of varying solar UV radiation in sophisticated AGCMs. In order to investigate the chain of causality involved in converting the stratospheric thermal forcing to a tropospheric climate signal we conduct an experiment which uses an ensemble of model spin-ups to analyse the time development of the response to an applied stratospheric perturbation. We find that the initial effect of the change in static stability at the tropopause is to reduce the eddy momentum flux convergence in this region. This is followed by a vertical transfer of the momentum forcing anomaly by an anomalous mean circulation to the surface, where it is partly balanced by surface stress anomalies. The unbalanced part drives the evolution of the vertically integrated zonal flow. We conclude that solar heating of the stratosphere may produce changes in the circulation of the troposphere even without any direct forcing below the tropopause. We suggest that the impact of the stratospheric changes on wave propagation is key to the mechanisms involved.

The role of eddies in driving the tropospheric response to stratospheric heating perturbations

A simplified general circulation model has been used to investigate the chain of causality whereby changes in tropospheric circulation and temperature are produced in response to stratospheric heating perturbations. Spinup ensemble experiments have been performed to examine the evolution of the tropospheric circulation in response to such perturbations. The primary aim of these experiments is to investigate the possible mechanisms whereby a tropospheric response to changing solar activity over the 11-yr solar cycle could be produced in response to heating of the equatorial lower stratosphere. This study therefore focuses on a stratospheric heating perturbation in which the heating is largest in the tropics. For comparison, experiments are also performed in which the stratosphere is heated uniformly at all latitudes and in which it is heated preferentially in the polar region. Thus, the mechanisms discussed have a wider relevance for the impact of stratospheric perturbations on the troposphere. The results demonstrate the importance of changing eddy momentum fluxes in driving the tropospheric response. This is confirmed by the lack of a similar response in a zonally symmetric model with fixed eddy forcing. Furthermore, it is apparent that feedback between the tropospheric eddy fluxes and tropospheric circulation changes is required to produce the full model response. The quasigeostrophic index of refraction is used to diagnose the cause of the changes in eddy behavior. It is demonstrated that the latitudinal extent of stratospheric heating is important in determining the direction of displacement of the tropospheric jet and storm track.

Teleconnections between Ethiopian summer rainfall and sea surface temperature: part I. Observation and modelling

In this study, the oceanic regions that are associated with anomalous Ethiopian summer rains were identified and the teleconnection mechanisms that give rise to these associations have been investigated. Because of the complexities of rainfall climate in the horn of Africa, Ethiopia has been subdivided into six homogeneous rainfall zones and the influence of SST anomalies was analysed separately for each zone. The investigation made use of composite analysis and modelling experiments. Two sets of composites of atmospheric fields were generated, one based on excess/deficit rainfall anomalies and the other based on warm/cold SST anomalies in specific oceanic regions. The aim of the composite analysis was to determine the link between SST and rainfall in terms of large scale features. The modelling experiments were intended to explore the causality of these linkage. The results show that the equatorial Pacific, the midlatitude northwest Pacific and the Gulf of Guinea all exert an influence on the summer rainfall in various part of the country. The results demonstrate that different mechanisms linked to sea surface temperature control variations in rainfall in different parts of Ethiopia. This has important consequences for seasonal forecasting models which are based on statistical correlations between SST and seasonal rainfall totals. It is clear that such statistical models should take account of the local variations in teleconnections.

Is agriculture the engine of growth?

We seek to address formally the question raised by Gardner (2003) in his Elmhirst lecture as to the direction of causality between agricultural value added per worker and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. Using the Granger causality test in the panel data analyzed by Gardner for 85 countries, we find overwhelming evidence that supports the conclusion that agricultural value added is the causal variable in developing countries, while the direction of causality in developed countries is unclear. We also examine further the use of the Granger causality test in integrated data and provide evidence that the performance of the test can be increased in small samples through the use of the bootstrap.

Personalised nutrition: status and perspectives

Personalised, genotype-based nutrition is a concept that links genotyping with specific nutritional advice in order to improve the prevention of nutrition-associated, chronic diseases. This review describes the current scientific basis of the concept and discusses its problems. There is convincing evidence that variant genes may indeed determine the biological response to nutrients. The effects of single-gene variants on risk or risk factor levels of a complex disease are, however, usually small and sometimes inconsistent. Thus, information on the effects of combinations of relevant gene variants appears to be required in order to improve the predictive precision of the genetic information. Furthermore, very few associations between genotype and response have been tested for causality in human intervention studies, and little is known about potential adverse effects of a genotype-derived intervention. These issues need to be addressed before genotyping can become an acceptable method to guide nutritional recommendations.

Which drugs cause preventable admissions to hospital? A systematic review

Aim: Previous systematic reviews have found that drug-related morbidity accounts for 4.3% of preventable hospital admissions. None, however, has identified the drugs most commonly responsible for preventable hospital admissions. The aims of this study were to estimate the percentage of preventable drug-related hospital admissions, the most common drug causes of preventable hospital admissions and the most common underlying causes of preventable drug-related admissions. Methods: Bibliographic databases and reference lists from eligible articles and study authors were the sources for data. Seventeen prospective observational studies reporting the proportion of preventable drug-related hospital admissions, causative drugs and/or the underlying causes of hospital admissions were selected. Included studies used multiple reviewers and/or explicit criteria to assess causality and preventability of hospital admissions. Two investigators abstracted data from all included studies using a purpose-made data extraction form. Results: From 13 papers the median percentage of preventable drug-related admissions to hospital was 3.7% (range 1.4-15.4). From nine papers the majority (51%) of preventable drug-related admissions involved either antiplatelets (16%), diuretics (16%), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (11%) or anticoagulants (8%). From five studies the median proportion of preventable drug-related admissions associated with prescribing problems was 30.6% (range 11.1-41.8), with adherence problems 33.3% (range 20.9-41.7) and with monitoring problems 22.2% (range 0-31.3). Conclusions: Four groups of drugs account for more than 50% of the drug groups associated with preventable drug-related hospital admissions. Concentrating interventions on these drug groups could reduce appreciably the number of preventable drug-related admissions to hospital from primary care.

Diet, ageing and genetic factors in the pathogenesis of diverticular disease

Diverticular disease (DD) is an age-related disorder of the large bowel which may affect half of the population over the age of 65 in the UK. This high prevalence ranks it as one of the most common bowel disorders in western nations. The majority of patients remain asymptomatic but there are associated life-threatening co-morbidities, which, given the large numbers of people with DD, translates into a considerable number of deaths per annum. Despite this public health burden, relatively little seems to be known about either the mechanisms of development or causality. In the 1970s, a model of DD formulated the concept that diverticula occur as a consequence of pressureinduced damage to the colon wall amongst those with a low intake of dietary fiber. In this review, we have examined the evidence regarding the influence of ageing, diet, inflammation and genetics on DD development. We argue that the evidence supporting the barotrauma hypothesis is largely anecdotal. We have also identified several gaps in the knowledge base which need to be filled before we can complete