Quasi purchasing power parity: Structural change in the Mexican peso/us dollar real exchange rate

This paper analyzes whether the real exchange-rate of the Mexican peso/US dollar revert to a long-run equilibrium value, and whether this value is unique. We use a method for testing stationarity, that allows for an unknown number of structural breaks in the level of the series. Using a long span of annual data covering the period 1925-1994, our results provide evidence favouring long-run Quasi-Purchasing Power Parity. In particular, we find that the real peso/dollar exchange rate has fluctuated stationarily around a 70 year long-run level, perturbed by a series of events, both domestic and external, in or around 1981.

A first checklist of the lichen-forming fungi of the Venezuelan Andes

Basing on an evaluation of the literature and some unpublished collections, 745 taxa of lichen forming-fungi are reported from the Venezuelan Andes, including 10 infraspecific taxa. Of these taxa 37 are new records for Venezuela: Actinoplaca vulgaris (Müll. Arg.) Vezda & Poelt, Asterothyrium decipiens (Rehm) R. Sant., Calopadia foliicola (Fée) Vezda, C. fusca (Müll. Arg.) Vezda, C. phyllogena (Müll. Arg.) Vezda, Chrysothrix chlorina (Ach.) J. R. Laundon, Cystocoleus ebeneus (Dillwyn) Thwaites, Diploschistes scruposus (Schreb.) Norm., Echinoplacaleucotrichoides (Vain.) R. Sant., Fellhanerabouteillei (Desm.) Vezda, F.dominicana (Vain.) Vezda, F. fuscatula (Müll. Arg.) Vezda, F. sublecanorina (Nyl.) Vezda, Gyalectidium filicinum Müll. Arg., Lecidea limosa Ach., Lepraria neglecta Auct., Ochrolechia africana Vain., Peltigera vainioi Gyelnik, Phyllobathelium nigrum R. Sant. & Tibell, Phyllophialealba R. Sant., Polymeridiumalbidum (Müll. Arg.) R. C. Harris, Porina epiphylla (Fée) Fée, Racodium rupestre Pers., Ramalina asahinae W. Culb. & C. Culb., R. calcarata Krog & Swinsc., R. puiggarii Müll Arg., R. rectangularis Nyl., Rhizoplaca melanophthalma (DC.) Leuckert & Poelt, Strigula antillarum (Fée) Müll. Arg., S. platypoda (Müll. Arg.) R. C. Harris, Tapellaria epiphylla (Müll. Arg.) R. Sant., T.nana (Fée) R. Sant., Tephromela aglaea (Sommerf.) Hertel & Rambold, Tricharia vainioi R. Sant., Trichothelium epiphyllum Müll. Arg., T. bipindense F. Schill. and Vezdaea foliicola Sérusiaux. Another 4 species are new records only for the Venezuelan Andes: Dimerellaepiphylla (Müll. Arg.) Malme, Porinaatrocoerulea Müll. Arg., Ramalina peruviana Ach. and Woessia apiahica (Müll. Arg.) Sérus. A list of synonyms used in the consulted literature is added. Four new combinations are proposed: Dictyonema zahlbruckneri (Schiffn.) V. Marcano, Heterodermia tropica (Kurok.) Sipman, Parmelinopsis cleefii (Sipman) V. Marcano & Sipman and Phyllobaeislinearis (De Vries) V. Marcano & Sipman

Media Structure and Neoconservatism: Rupert Murdoch and his Media Arrival in the USA

Estados Unidos, prestando atención a las relaciones establecidas con el movimiento conservador y el Partido Republicano, y a las repercusiones de esta conexión sobre el panorama ideológico de los medios de comunicación estadounidenses. Se tienen en cuenta los antecedentes empresariales de Murdoch, así como su procedencia y el proceso de adquisición de medios de comunicación en Estados Unidos. También analizamos la forma en que ciertos medios de Murdoch han funcionado como una voz mediática para ciertas facciones de la derecha estadounidense, siendo el canal de televisión Fox News paradigmático al respecto. El apoyo de Murdoch a candidatos republicanos en las elecciones presidenciales de 2000, 2004 y 2008 se considera una extensión política de su apoyo ideológico a la derechaThis paper analyzes the media arrival of media mogul Rupert Murdoch in the United States. We focus on the ties with the American conservative movement and the Republican Party, and on those ties’ consequences regarding the ideological landscape of American media. Murdoch’s business past is taken into account, as well as the country Murdoch comes from, and the process of media acquisition in the United States. We also focus on the way certain media owned by Murdoch have worked as a media voice for certain factions of the American right. In this regard, Fox News Channel can be cited as a paradigmatic mass medium. Murdoch’s support for Republican candidates in the presidential elections of 2000, 2004, and 2008, is regarded as a political extension of his ideological support for the right-wing

Convergence in Spanish provinces

This paper analyses to what extent the Spanish provinces have shown a convergence process since 1980 to nowadays. The application of the Phillips-Sul methodology to the HDI recently developped by IVIE lead us to show that we cannot admit the exitence of a unique convergence process between them. Rather, we can observe the exis- tence of di¤erentiated clubs up to 2007. Higher school education and creativity plays determinant roles in explaining the evolution of these clubs. Im- provements in these variables are vital for the provinces to move to the clubs with highest HDI values

Multi-source change-point detection over local observation models

In this work, we address the problem of change-point detection (CPD) on high-dimensional, multi-source, and heterogeneous sequential data with missing values. We present a new CPD methodology based on local latent variable models and adaptive factorizations that enhances the fusion of multi-source observations with different statistical data-type and face the problem of high dimensionality. Our motivation comes from behavioral change detection in healthcare measured by smartphone monitored data and Electronic Health Records. Due to the high dimension of the observations and the differences in the relevance of each source information, other works fail in obtaining reliable estimates of the change-points location. This leads to methods that are not sensitive enough when dealing with interspersed changes of different intensity within the same sequence or partial missing components. Through the definition of local observation models (LOMs), we transfer the local CP information to homogeneous latent spaces and propose several factorizations that weight the contribution of each source to the global CPD. With the presented methods we demonstrate a reduction in both the detection delay and the number of not-detected CPs, together with robustness against the presence of missing values on a synthetic dataset. We illustrate its application on real-world data from a smartphone-based monitored study and add explainability on the degree of each source contributing to the detection.This work has been partly supported by Spanish government (AEI/MCI) under grants RTI2018-099655-B-100, PID2021-123182OB-I00, PID2021-125159NB-I00, and TED2021-131823B-I00, by Comunidad de Madrid under grant IND2018/TIC-9649, IND2022/TIC- 23550, by the European Union (FEDER) and the European Research Council (ERC) through the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant 714161, and by Comunidad de Madrid and FEDER through IntCARE-CM

Double-pass technique and compensation-comparison method in eyes with cataract

PURPOSE To clinically assess the objective scatter index (OSI) obtained from double-pass images and the log(s) parameter measured with the direct compensation-comparison psychophysical technique in eyes with cataract. SETTING Ophthalmology Service, Terrassa Hospital, Barcelona, Spain. DESIGN Prospective observational case series. METHODS The analysis comprised eyes diagnosed with nuclear, cortical, or posterior subcapsular cataracts and healthy eyes (control group). Patient examinations included assessment of the manifest subjective refraction, corrected distance visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and cataract grade using the Lens Opacities Classification System III (LOCS III) score. The protocol also included the straylight (log[s]) measured by the C-Quant device, measurement of the objective optical quality (Strehl ratio and modulation transfer function cutoff frequency), and the OSI (HD Analyzer). RESULTS Significant correlations with LOCS III classification were found in terms of log(s) and OSI, although they were slightly stronger with OSI for all cataract types, which could be attributable to higher-order aberrations. The OSI and log(s) shared approximately 44% of the scattering estimation and to coincide on the visual function decline with scattering for the 3 cataract types evaluated. Limits to discriminate between healthy and cataractous eyes and sensitivity and specificity values were 1.15 (sensitivity 91%, specificity 100%) for log(s) and 1.18 (sensitivity 89%, specificity 100%) for OSI (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS Both instruments provide complementary information to diagnose cataracts and follow patients. Although backscattered light from deeper retinal layers can have an effect on OSI, the double-pass image provides information to grade different types of cataract when assessing cataractous eyes for treatment.Preprin

The firm under the spotlight: How stakeholder scrutiny shapes corporate social responsibility and its influence on performance

Since stakeholders cannot directly observe corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts, companies attempt to back up their increasing sustainability claims by sending CSR signals. The environment in which signaling takes place influences the credibility of the signals. Among the factors that make up the signaling environment, the overall exposure of the company to different stakeholders (i.e., stakeholder scrutiny) has been neglected by the literature. Using signaling and stakeholder theories, we argue how stakeholder scrutiny shapes CSR signals' credibility. We empirically analyze a sample of 5762 firms across several sectors from 23 developed countries from 2013 to 2017. Stakeholder scrutiny exercises a positive effect on the credibility of CSR signals through a mediated-moderated impact of CSR (across environmental, social, and governance dimensions) on firm performance

Zeolite/iron oxide composite as sorbent for magnetic solid-phase extraction of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes from water samples prior to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

This study reports a new composite based on ZSM-5 zeolite decorated with iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles as a valuable sorbent for magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE). A proposal is made to determine benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) as model analytes in water samples using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A two-step multivariate optimization strategy, using Plackett⬜Burman and circumscribed central composite designs, was employed to optimize experimental parameters affecting MSPE. The method was evaluated under optimized extraction conditions (i.e., amount of sorbent, 138 mg; extraction time, 11 min; sample pH, pH of water (i.e., 5.5⬜6.5); eluent solvent volume, 0.5 mL; and elution time, 5 min), obtaining a linear response from 1 to 100 μg L↙1 for benzene; from 10 to 100 μg L↙1 for toluene, ethylbenzene and o-xylene; and from 10 to 75 μg L↙1 for m,p-xylene. The repeatability of the proposed method was evaluated at a 40 μg L↙1 spiking level and coefficients of variation ranged between 8 and 11% (n = 5). Limits of detection were found to be 0.3 μg L↙1 for benzene and 3 μg L↙1 for the other analytes. These values satisfy the current normative of the Environmental Protection Agency and European Union for BTEX content in waters for human consumption. Finally, drinking water, wastewater and river water were selected as real water samples to assess the applicability of the method. Relative recoveries varied between 85% and 114% showing negligible matrix effects.The authors would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (project no. CTQ2011-23968), Generalitat Valenciana (Spain) (projects nos. GVA/2014/096 and PROMETEO/2013/038) for the financial support. E. Fernández also thanks Ministry of Education for her FPU grant (FPU13/03125)

Agronomic performance of blackberry cultivars in environmental protection area

The demand for blackberry has been increasing due to the results of studies on its nutraceutical properties. Moreover, the rusticity of its plants allows its cultivation with reduced use of pesticides, becoming feasible to grow it in areas of environmental protection (APA). As a non-traditional crop in the country and its requirement in specific climatic conditions, there is a lack of studies about management techniques and the adaptability of cultivars in different regions. Thus, it is necessary to study phenological behavior and fruit quality in potential regions. Therefore, this work aimed to verify the adaptability of blackberry cultivars in environmental protection area in Pinhais – PR (Brazil), with no use of pesticides, as well as to evaluate the quality of the fruits produced under this condition, focusing on the recommendation of the cultivars more adapted and the best destination of fruits produced. For this, the phenological and productive performance of seven blackberry cultivars: Tupy, Guarani, Cherokee, Xavante, Brazos, Choctaw, and Arapaho were observed during the cycles of 2017/2018 and 2018/2019. Brazos cultivar had the earliest harvest period, Guarani and Xavante cultivars were intermediate and Tupy and Cherokee cultivars were later in the region. The highest yields were obtained with the cultivars Tupy, Guarani, Xavante, Cherokee, and Brazos. The harvest period extended from November to January. Tupy cultivar produces larger fruits and is the most recommended for marketing as fresh fruit. Other cultivars are recommended for industrialization.The demand for blackberry has been increasing due to the results of studies on its nutraceutical properties. Moreover, the rusticity of its plants allows its cultivation with reduced use of pesticides, becoming feasible to grow it in areas of environmental protection (APA). As a non-traditional crop in the country and its requirement in specific climatic conditions, there is a lack of studies about management techniques and the adaptability of cultivars in different regions. Thus, it is necessary to study phenological behavior and fruit quality in potential regions. Therefore, this work aimed to verify the adaptability of blackberry cultivars in environmental protection area in Pinhais – PR (Brazil), with no use of pesticides, as well as to evaluate the quality of the fruits produced under this condition, focusing on the recommendation of the cultivars more adapted and the best destination of fruits produced. For this, the phenological and productive performance of seven blackberry cultivars: Tupy, Guarani, Cherokee, Xavante, Brazos, Choctaw, and Arapaho were observed during the cycles of 2017/2018 and 2018/2019. Brazos cultivar had the earliest harvest period, Guarani and Xavante cultivars were intermediate and Tupy and Cherokee cultivars were later in the region. The highest yields were obtained with the cultivars Tupy, Guarani, Xavante, Cherokee, and Brazos. The harvest period extended from November to January. Tupy cultivar produces larger fruits and is the most recommended for marketing as fresh fruit. Other cultivars are recommended for industrialization

Ciclo de Literatura Latino-Americana Comparada

O Projeto de extensão Ciclo de Literatura Latino-Americana Comparada consiste na realização de palestras sobre temas relacionados à Literatura Latino-Americana com o fim de promover a divulgação, para a comunidade acadêmica e para a comunidade externa, de pesquisas voltadas à compreensão dos fenômenos literários e estéticos em nosso continente. Até o momento, foram realizadas as seguintes palestras: a) “Tela, trilha, território: favela e mobilidades globais” com a Profa. Dra. Bianca Freire-Medeiros, realizada no dia 27/06/2018; b) “Os mapas jornalísticos sobre as Unidades de Polícia Pacificadora como representação visual do favelismo” com o Prof. Me. Liebert Rodrigues, realizada no dia 27/06/2018; c) “História, corpo e maternidade negra na obra um defeito de cor de Ana Maria Goncalves” com a Profa. Dra. Maria Aparecida Lopes, realizada no dia 05/07/2018; d) “Imaginários de Barro: para uma discussão sobre identidade, comunidade e latino-americanismo hoje” com a Profa. Dra. Débora Cota. Aproximadamente 100 pessoas participaram das atividades do projeto até o momento, todos foram certificados, assim como os(as) docentes que realizaram as palestras. Também foi desenvolvido um site na internet no qual estão todas as informações do projeto – https://ciclodeliteraturalatinoamericanacomparada.wordpress.com/