Disparities in entrepreneurship indicators across EU countries

The levels and characteristics of entrepreneurship differ widely across EU member countries due to diverse cultural, educational, economic-financial and institutional reasons. Taking as reference data provided by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), this paper analyzes the disparities in entrepreneurship indicators among the EU member countries in 2007 and 2013, highlighting the most significant changes occurred during the Great Recession. For this purpose, some of the major indices of inequality have been calculated, namely the Gini, Theil and Atkinson indices. In addition, the change in the Gini coefficient between these two years is additively decomposed into mobility and progressivity components, and growth incidence curves of some key indicators of entrepreneurial activity are estimated. Overall, we find that inequality among countries in most entrepreneurial attitude and aspiration indicators tends to diminish over the period 2007-2013. For all indicators the reduction is more generalized across the efficiency-driven economies than across the innovation-driven economies.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Entrepreneurship and Economic Liberalization in the OECD Countries

Entrepreneurship displays remarkable differences across countries because of diverse factors. In this sense, it is frequently argued that economic liberalization encourages entrepreneurship. In this paper we address the extent to which economic freedom, understood as market economy oriented institutions and policies, matters for entrepreneurial activity through a panel data analysis for 78 countries during the period 2001-2012. We examine the relationship between the Fraser Institute’s economic freedom index and its five areas, and three entrepreneurial activity indicators from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, namely total entrepreneurial activity, necessity entrepreneurship and opportunity entrepreneurship. Economic freedom seems to increase opportunity entrepreneurship and decrease necessity entrepreneurship. Focusing on the OECD countries, we highlight that economic freedom is positively associated with entrepreneurship. In terms of entrepreneurship motivation, we find that a more flexible regulation of credit, labor and business, as well as entrepreneurial attitudes, may contribute to enhance opportunity entrepreneurshipUniversidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Clay-slate evolution. Onset of metamorphism

Conferencia invitada donde se presenta el estado de conocimiento en el momento de la publicación, sobre el tránsito Diagenesis-metamorfismo en rocas detríticas y los principales métodos de estudio Invited conference where the state of the art, at the time of publication, on the diagenesis-metamorphism transit in detrital rocks and their main study methods are presente

X-RAY DIFFRACTION PARAMETERS IN VERY LOW-GRADE METAMORPHISM SEEN IN THE “LIGHT” OF TEM

Methods based on X-ray diffraction commonly used to decipher diagenetic/low- grade metamorphic conditions are revised and evaluated according to our current knowledge of related geological processes obtained via transmission electron microscopy. A lack of evident qualitative changes in phyllosilicates, including their mineral chemistry, from deep diagenetic to low-epizone conditions explains the scarcity of valid grade criteria. Throughout this range of diagenetic-metamorphic conditions a progressive increase in the crystalline domain size together with a decrease in the number of defects are the only significant changes to be observed. Therefore indices related to crystallinity still remain the most successful methods based on the crystal- chemical characteristics of phyllosilicates.Se revisan y evalúan los métodos basados en difracción de rayos X comúnmente usados para conocer las condiciones diagenéticas/metamórficas de bajo grado, de acuerdo con el conocimiento actual de los procesos geológicos relacionados obtenido por microscopía electrónica de transmisión. La falta de cambios cualitativos evidentes en los filosilicatos, incluida su química mineral, desde condiciones diagenéticas profundas hasta condiciones de epizona débil, explica la escasez de criterios de grado válidos. En toda esta gama de condiciones diagenético-metamórficas, un aumento progresivo en el tamaño del dominio cristalino junto con una disminución en el número de defectos son los únicos cambios significativos que se pueden observar. Por lo tanto, los índices relacionados con la cristalinidad siguen siendo los métodos basados en características cristaloquímicas de los filosilicatos más adecuados

Examinig the roloe of economic liberalization in entrepeneurship: a cross-country study

In the last few decades some authors have underlined the role of institutions and policies for entrepreneurship. North (1990) underlines that entrepreneurs are the main agents of change and that organizations, such as firms set up by entrepreneurs, adapt their activities and strategies to fit the opportunities and limitations provided through formal and informal institutional frameworks. Baumol (1990) hypothesizes that entrepreneurial individuals channel their efforts in different directions depending on the quality of prevailing economic, political, and legal institutions. Sobel (2008) asserts that better institutions have both more productive entrepreneurship and also less unproductive entrepreneurship. He stresses that the best path to foster entrepreneurship is through institutional reforms that constrain or minimize the role of government. In this context, economic freedom may be seen as a significant aspect for entrepreneurial activity and it is frequently argued that economic liberalization encourages entrepreneurship. In this paper we address the extent to which economic freedom, understood as market economy oriented institutions and policies, matters for entrepreneurial activityUniversidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Chemical and textural characterisation of diagenetic to low-grade metamorphic phyllosilicates in turbidite sandstones of the South Portuguese Zone: A comparison between metapelites and sandstones

22 páginas, 13 figuras, 5 tablas.-- Nombre actual de la revista "Swiss Bulletin of Mineralogy and Petrology".The intercalation at the meter scale of shales and sandstones in the incipient metamorphic sequence of the South Portuguese Zone allows to compare the evolution from diagenesis to low metamorphic grade in both of these lithologies. Data from X-ray diffraction, optical, scanning and transmission electron microscopy as well as wholerock chemical analysis from the sandstones have been obtained and are compared with previously published data from the shales. Obvious textural differences are present from the outcrop scale to the low-magnification TEM scale; phyllosilicate packets in sandstones are clearly randomly oriented, with high-angle boundaries contrasting with the usual sub-parallel orientation in shales. But no differences have been found between the phyllosilicates of the two rocks types when comparing lattice-fringe images, polytypes, chemical composition or crystalline-domain size. Consequently, illite crystallinity and traditional crystal-chemical parameters, such as d001 and b cell dimension of K-white mica, produce equivalent and inter-changeable information between the sandstones and shales. The chemical compositions of the phyllosilicates are characterised by a general lack of homogeneity at the sample level. The phengitic vector is mainly responsible for the scattering of compositions, with a minor influence from the illitic vector. The grain size of very low-grade metamorphic turbidite sequences such as these should not be a limiting criterion in the sampling, because samples with intermediate characteristics between metapelites and sandstones may also provide valid results.Financial support was supplied bv Research Project n° BT 2000-0582 and FPI research grant to I.A., both of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology and Research Group RNM-0179 of the Junta de Andalucía.Peer reviewe

Myocardial Function Maturation in Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants and Development of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

Background: Myocardial function in very-low-birth-weight infants (VLBWIs) develops during early postnatal life, but different patterns of temporal evolution that might be related to the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) are not completely understood. Methods: A prospective cohort study including VLBWIs admitted to our NICU from January 2015 to 2017 was conducted. Plasma N-terminal pro B type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) levels were measured, and echocardiograms were performed at 24 and 72 h of life and weekly thereafter until 36 weeks of postmenstrual age (PMA). We measured the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) by M-mode; the lateral tricuspid E', A', and S' waves; and the myocardial performance index (MPI) by tissue doppler imaging (TDI). The subjects were divided into non-BPD and BPD groups. Results: We included 101 VLBWIs. The TAPSE and E', A', and S' waves increased while MPI-TDI decreased over time. Birth gestational age (GA) and postnatal PMA impacted these parameters, which evolved differently in those who developed BPD compared to those in the non-BPD group. The NTproBNP levels at 14 days of life and different echocardiographic parameters were associated with the development of BPD in different multivariate models. Conclusion: TAPSE and TDI values depend on GA and PMA and follow a different temporal evolution that is related to the later development of BPD. Combined biochemical and echocardiographic biomarkers can help identify which VLBWIs are at higher risk of developing BDP

Solución sólida en micas sintetizadas hidrotermlamente a partir de caolinita a 400ºC

La transformación de caolinita en mica dioctaédrica ha sido descrita y sintetizada en diferentes condiciones de temperatura, pH y ambientes químicos (Chermark y Rimstidt, 1990; Huang, 1993; Bauer et al., 1998; Bentabol et al., 2003, 2006a). Sin embargo, la transformación de la caolinita en micas trioctaédricas no ha sido estudiada. No obstante, la biotita se ha sintetizado a partir de geles a altas temperaturas (Hewitt y Wones, 1975; Frank-Kamenetskii et al., 1990; Papin et al., 1997; Boukili et al., 2015). El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido investigar la sustitución de Al por Mg en la capa octaédrica de las micas sintetizadas a 400ºC a partir de caolinita, utilizando soluciones con diferente contenido en Mg2+ y en Na+ y/o K+. Los resultados obtenidos mediante DRX y TEM son coherentes y complementarios, ya que el TEM permite, además, discriminar aspectos composicionales y confirma que en la asociación mica+serpentina- Al+caolinita-Mg obtenida a partir de la caolinita a 400 ºC, las micas neoformadas se caracterizan por una composición muy variada (Tabla 2). El incremento del contenido en Mg2+ en solución causó un incremento de la relación serpentina/mica en los productos de las reacciones, sin embargo, parece que no afecta de manera importante a las composiciones de la mica ni de la serpentina. El aumento de la relación Na/K en los sistemas ensayados con Na+K causó un relativo descenso en la presencia de los términos ricos en K.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Textural and chemical changes in slate-forming phyllosilicates across the external-internal zones transition in the low-grade metamorphic belt of the NW Iberian Variscan Chain

18 páginas, 11 figuras, 4 tablas.-- Nombre actual de la revista "Swiss Bulletin of Mineralogy and Petrology".Differences in the chemistry and texture of slate-forming phyllosilicates representative of foreland and hinterland rocks of the Iberian Variscan Orogenic Belt have been determined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Based on a previous X-ray diffraction study, representative samples of both internal and external domains were selected revealing clearly different characteristics. The two samples corresponding to the foreland rocks have similar texture, showing a mixture of sedimentary and metamorphic features at the backscattered electron scale, independently of their respective epizone and anchizone illite crystallinity indices. At the crystalline lattice level, mica and chlorite packets form subparallel low-angle intergrowths and show strain features, more obvious in chlorite than in mica. The only difference justifying their different crystallinity indices concerns quantitative characteristics such as crystallite size and frequency of defects. The two hinterland samples are very similar and are formed by perfect, defect-free micrometer-size phyllosilicates in a typically metamorphic parallel orientation. The foreland samples are chemically heterogeneous, with each individual analysis being affected by variable degrees of illitic, phengitic and ferrimuscovitic substitutions. In contrast, the hinterland samples have evolved to more homogeneous compositions approaching the end-member muscovite. The effect of tectonic strain was fundamental both in the development of a metamorphic texture and the approach to chemical equilibrium.This research was supported by Research Projects nos BT2000-0582 and BTE2000-1490-C02-01 and FPI research grant to I. A., all from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology and Research Group RNM-0179 of the Junta de Andalucía.Peer reviewe

Inmigrants in the television series Aída and La que se avecina. Between parody and prejudice

Uno de los fenómenos más impactantes y noticiosos en España en las últimas décadas ha sido el número de personas extranjeras llegadas en pocos años y su impacto en el ámbito sociodemográfico, económico y cultural. Este proyecto pretende analizar el tratamiento de dicho fenómeno en los medios a través del análisis de los personajes inmigrantes de dos series de televisión de gran audiencia en España: Aída y La que se avecina. Los resultados exponen, más allá de la parodia, una visión crítica del trato de los españoles hacia los inmigrantes y de la representación estereotipada de la inmigración.One of the phenomena which have caused most impact in Spanish media during the last decades has been the influx of immigrant populations and their contribution on all areas of society, from the strictly demographic to the economy and culture. In this project we aim to analyse the treatment of this phenomenon in the media, above all, through the analysis of the profile of immigrants of two of the highest audience rated TV series in Spain; Aída and La que se avecina. The results go beyond mere parody providing a critical vision of how the Spanish treat immigrants and offering a stereotyped representation of immigration