Retribution in a cheap-talk experiment

We use a two-person 3-stage game to investigate whether people chooseto punish or reward another player by sacrificing money to increase or decrease the other person's payoff. One player sends a message indicating an intended play, which is either favorable or unfavorable to the other player in the game. After the message, the sender and the receiver play a simultaneous 2x2 game. A deceptive message may be made, in an effort to induce the receiver to make a play favorable to the sender. Our focus is on whether receivers' rates of monetary sacrifice depend on the process and the perceived sender's intention,as is suggested by the literature on deception and proceduralsatisfaction. Models such as Rabin (1993), Sen (1997), and Charnessand Rabin (1999) also permit rates of sacrifice to be sensitive to the sender's perceived intention, while outcome-based models such as Fehr and Schmidt (1999) and Bolton and Ockenfels (1997) predict otherwise. We find that deception substantially increases the punishment rate as a response to an action that is unfavorable to the receiver. We also find that a small but significant percentage of subjects choose to reward a favorable action choice made by the sender.

Creació de cartelleria via web

Projecte d'aplicació real de generació i impressió de cartelleria. Encara que el seu disseny s'ha fet de la manera més general possible, la finalitat d'aquest és que sigui funcional.

Les Tecnologies de la informació i la comunicació i la seva aplicació a l'aula

L’objectiu d’aquest treball és generar un document mitjançant el qual, un dissenyador pugui portar a terme gràficament les instruccions que s’hi donen i aplicar-les en un suport digital. I, es tracta d’implementar noves propostes d’aprenentatge que explicarem al llarg del treball. Com també explicarem més endavant, les TIC brinden moltes oportunitats, i cada vegada més, és fa ús dels suports digitals, tant de manera quotidiana com a l’aula, és per aquest motiu que ens trobem en l’època de la “generació digital” en la qual tots els alumnes de les escoles i instituts es troben perfectament integrats en l’àmbit tecnològic i l’ús de dispositisu electrònics. Fins i tot, comptant amb les generacions vinents, que no tan sols es trobaran en perfecta simbiosi amb les noves tecnologies sinó que, treballar sense aquestes suposarà un problema que causarà molt més fracàs escolar.

Estudio comparado de la génesis de espeleotemas silíceos en granitoides de climas semiáridos y templados húmedos

Silica speleothems take differenr forms such as cylindrical stems growing from either the floor or the ceiling in granitic caves. Mineralogically they are opal-A and accumulate in successive layers with a whiskery druse tip formed by gypsum crystals. Initially they are porous but progressively become infilled by opal precipitation. This results in formation of solid speleothems. their size is only a few millimetres long. Bacterial activity accelerate quartz dissolution

Aplicació web per la secció de waterpolo del Club Natació Terrassa

Aquest projecte consisteix en realitzar una pàgina web per a la secció de waterpolo del Club Natació Terrassa, de fàcil manteniment, per a que qualsevol dels responsables de la secció pugui dur a terme la seva actualització.

Aplicación y asistente web para la gestión del catálogo de un fabricante de herramientas

Desarrollada dentro de la empresa fabricante de herramientas de corte Myfhe, S.A., esta aplicación web multilingüe cataloga el amplio programa de productos de este exportador mundial. Se presentan también una interfaz asistida (para usuarios noveles) así como otra interfaz manual (para usuarios expertos) que permiten generar el desglose de productos, el plano acotado de estos mismos ensamblados y otra información técnica una vez el usuario completa un sencillo cuestionario. De esta manera, se consigue automatizar – mejorando en tiempo y en calidad – una tarea que es imprescindible realizar siempre que se compran los productos de esta empresa y antes de la puesta en marcha de estos en el taller.

Note on the blocking flow shop problem

We present some results attained with different algorithms for the Fm|block|Cmax problem using as experimental data the well-known Taillard instances.

Plantem un arbre

L’objecte de la proposta presentada en el concurs va ser desenvolupar un projecte d’hàbitat accessible per a persones amb paràlisi cerebral o discapacitat física greument afectades que resolgui les necessitats d’autonomia que han de permetre la seva emancipació.La proposta es va definir a partir d’un treball previ de comunicació amb usuaris, familiars, associacions, metges, neuròlegs i cuidadors. Aquest mètode fonamentat en el treball participatiu és la base d’un projecte de qualitat que pugui donar resposta a les necessitats dels usuaris reflectint aquestes inquietuds en els criteris adoptats al programa funcional i millorant els requisits de mínims que estableixen les normatives urbanístiques i sobretot edificatòries. Aquest mètode de treball participatiu i inclusiu és una constant clau durant tot el procés de projecte i posterior direcció de les obres.

Evaluación de la percepción de las competencias del Prácticum de los Grados de Educación Social y de Trabajo Social

El objeto de esta comunicación es presentar el resultado obtenido en la percepción de competencias adquiridas en el Prácticum realizado por nuestros estudiantes de Grado de la Facultad de Educación Social y Trabajo Social Pere Tarrés de la Universidad Ramón Llull (Barcelona), una vez desplegado el cuarto curso de las titulaciones de Grado. Nos centraremos en el Prácticum por ser uno de los ejes principales en el logro de las competencias profesionales de nuestros estudiantes ya que se convierte en el puente entre el mundo académico y el profesional y permite conectar los aprendizajes teóricos con aquellos más prácticos.

Ultrastructural studies of oogenesis in Bolinus brandaris(Gastropoda: Muricidae).

Ultrastructural studies of oogenesis in Bolinus brandaris are described. Although the initial phase of oogenesis is common to most animal species, vitellogenesis can be considered a species-specific characteristic. In the vitellogenesis of B.brandaris, mitochondria and endoplasmic reticula play a relevant role in the formation of myelinised membranous systems. Nuclear envelope, Golgi body and the oocyte plasma membrane invaginations are three possible origins for annulate lamellae. The latter can be considered membranous reservoirs. There are two sources for the vitellum: exogenous (from follicular cells) and endogenous (from the endoplasmic reticulum of the same oocyte).

Cystamine and cysteamine increase brain levels of BDNF in Huntington disease via HSJ1b and transglutaminase

There is no treatment for the neurodegenerative disorder Huntington disease (HD). Cystamine is a candidate drug; however, the mechanisms by which it operates remain unclear. We show here that cystamine increases levels of the heat shock DnaJ-containing protein 1b (HSJ1b) that are low in HD patients. HSJ1b inhibits polyQ-huntingtin¿induced death of striatal neurons and neuronal dysfunction in Caenorhabditis elegans. This neuroprotective effect involves stimulation of the secretory pathway through formation of clathrin-coated vesicles containing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Cystamine increases BDNF secretion from the Golgi region that is blocked by reducing HSJ1b levels or by overexpressing transglutaminase. We demonstrate that cysteamine, the FDA-approved reduced form of cystamine, is neuroprotective in HD mice by increasing BDNF levels in brain. Finally, cysteamine increases serum levels of BDNF in mouse and primate models of HD. Therefore, cysteamine is a potential treatment for HD, and serum BDNF levels can be used as a biomarker for drug efficacy.

El concepto de dignidad humana

La discusión pública en España sobre la legitimidad de la eutanasia puso de manifiesto que el término dignidad humana, tan traído y llevado por todo el mundo, cobija dos conceptos bien distintos de esa dignidad, en el fondo incompatibles. Para unos, aferrados a la concepción católica tradicional, la dignidad común a todos los seres humanos procede de su condición de hijos de Dios y reside en la capacidad de acatar y observar la ley moral, la cual de ninguna manera emana de los humanos mismos. La razón puede conocerla y de hecho la conoce -dicen- pero no la crea ni promulga, porque el deber procede de una instancia ajena, llámese ésta Dios, finalidad de la naturaleza, o como sea. Para otros, por el contrario, la dignidad humana consiste en la capacidad que tenemos los humanos de darnos ley moral a nosotros mismos. En la jerga kantiana, los primeros profesan heteronomía moral (ley de otro), mientras los segundos proclamamos la autonomía moral del ser humano (ley de uno mismo). Consiguientemente, laeutanasia es considerada inmoral por los primeros, en tanto no acata el precepto divino de no matar, mientras para los segundos es legítima una ley que la permita y, sin imponerla a nadie, por supuesto, exija garantías de plena libertad en quien la pida y en quien la lleve a cabo. Es claro que este debate particular ilustra sobre las dos concepciones morales entre las que nos movemos actualmente porque la discusión hace evidente que cuando afrontamos situaciones moralmente dudosas, dos concepciones distintas de la dignidad humana dan lugar a juicios y consecuencias prácticas profundamente divergentes. Remontándomepor tanto a la cuestión de principio, no discutiré aquí ni el problema de la eutanasia ni cualquier otra cuestión concreta.Trataré solamente de esclarecer el concepto de dignidad humana como verdaderamente básico en todas las discusiones morales.

Psychometric characteristics of the Spanish version of instruments to measure neck pain disability

Background: The NDI, COM and NPQ are evaluation instruments for disability due to NP. There was no Spanish version of NDI or COM for which psychometric characteristics were known. The objectives of this study were to translate and culturally adapt the Spanish version of the Neck Disability Index Questionnaire (NDI), and the Core Outcome Measure (COM), to validate its use in Spanish speaking patients with non-specific neck pain (NP), and to compare their psychometric characteristics with those of the Spanish version of the Northwick Pain Questionnaire (NPQ).Methods: Translation/re-translation of the English versions of the NDI and the COM was done blindly and independently by a multidisciplinary team. The study was done in 9 primary care Centers and 12 specialty services from 9 regions in Spain, with 221 acute, subacute and chronic patients who visited their physician for NP: 54 in the pilot phase and 167 in the validation phase. Neck pain (VAS), referred pain (VAS), disability (NDI, COM and NPQ), catastrophizing (CSQ) and quality of life (SF-12) were measured on their first visit and 14 days later. Patients' self-assessment was used as the external criterion for pain and disability. In the pilot phase, patients' understanding of each item in the NDI and COM was assessed, and on day 1 test-retest reliability was estimated by giving a second NDI and COM in which the name of the questionnaires and the order of the items had been changed.Results: Comprehensibility of NDI and COM were good. Minutes needed to fill out the questionnaires [median, (P25, P75)]: NDI. 4 (2.2, 10.0), COM: 2.1 (1.0, 4.9). Reliability: [ICC, (95%CI)]: NDI: 0.88 (0.80, 0.93). COM: 0.85 (0.75,0.91). Sensitivity to change: Effect size for patients having worsened, not changed and improved between days 1 and 15, according to the external criterion for disability: NDI: -0.24, 0.15, 0.66; NPQ: -0.14, 0.06, 0.67; COM: 0.05, 0.19, 0.92. Validity: Results of NDI, NPQ and COM were consistent with the external criterion for disability, whereas only those from NDI were consistent with the one for pain. Correlations with VAS, CSQ and SF-12 were similar for NDI and NPQ (absolute values between 0.36 and 0.50 on day 1, between 0.38 and 0.70 on day 15), and slightly lower for COM (between 0.36 and 0.48 on day 1, and between 0.33 and 0.61 on day 15). Correlation between NDI and NPQ: r = 0.84 on day 1, r = 0.91 on day 15. Correlation between COM and NPQ: r = 0.63 on day 1, r = 0.71 on day 15.Conclusion: Although most psychometric characteristics of NDI, NPQ and COM are similar, those from the latter one are worse and its use may lead to patients' evolution seeming more positive than it actually is. NDI seems to be the best instrument for measuring NP-related disability, since its results are the most consistent with patient's assessment of their own clinical status and evolution. It takes two more minutes to answer the NDI than to answer the COM, but it can be reliably filled out by the patient without assistance.

Complementarity between human capital and trade in regional technological progress

The effect of openness and trade orientation on economic growth remains a highly contentious issue in the literature. Trade facilitates the spread of knowledge and the adoption of more advanced and efficient technologies, which hastens total factor productivity (TFP) growth and, hence, per capita income. New technologies that spread through trade require a sufficiently skilled labour force to adapt them to the domestic productive environment. Thus, openness and human capital accumulation will lead to TFP growth and the greater the complementarity between both variables, the higher the TFP growth. This paper discusses the implications of these assumptions and tests their empirical validity, using a pool of data for manufacturing industry in Spanish regions in a period in which both the stock of human capital and openness experienced a notable increase.