The expansion and diversification of the export sector and economic growth: the Costa Rican experience

A large body of empirical literature has investigated the linkages between exports and output. Nevertheless, empirical evidence remains inconclusive and the topic remains open to discussion. Additionally, a number of studies have examined the positive effects that export diversification may have on economic growth. Within the Latin America region, Costa Rica has been lauded for its long democratic tradition, relative economic stability, and for evolving from being a small economy heavily reliant on exports of coffee and bananas, to become the largest software exporter per capita in Latin America. This study examined the impact that the expansion and diversification of Costa Rican export supply had on economic growth. The first study provides a historical analysis of the export diversification experience in Costa Rica from the 1965 until the present. For that, a chronological assessment of the main policies and events leading to the transformation of Costa Rican export supply was presented. This paper concludes that Costa Rica was able to move its economy away from commodity dependence because of important amounts of foreign direct investment over the last two decades. Furthermore, export diversification in Costa Rica is characterized by weak linkages between multinational corporations, operating in the free trade zones, and the rest of the economy. The second paper tests the hypothesis of a long-run relationship between export diversification and economic growth in Costa Rica via externalities of learning-by-exporting and learning-by-doing. The period of analysis was from 1965 to 2006, and two types of statistical methodologies were used: the bounds test for cointegration within a distributed lag (ARDL) framework and a dynamic OLS (DOLS) model. Overall, results concluded that export diversification had no long-run effect on economic growth during the study period. The third paper tests the export-led growth (ELG) hypothesis in Costa Rica using a modified version of the Wald test for three different models for the period of 1960 to 2007 and 1965 to 2006. The ELG hypothesis was confirmed only when imports were included in the estimation. Granger-causality was also found running from imports to exports likely due to large amounts of imported inputs for multinational firms

A Simple Risk Assesment Method for Continental Waters, Based on Screening Contaminants of Emerging Concern

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade da Coruña/CISUG[Abstract] With the aim to build a simple alert system that may be of extended use, a screening for contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) is carried out in the Mero-Barcés hydrographic watershed, in Cecebre, A Coruña, NW Spain, which feeds the reservoir that supplies drinking water to ≈400 000 inhabitants in the area. Water samples are collected for five years (2015–2019) at six different sampling points, to assess the presence and potential risk of CECs, including some widely used drugs: clofibric acid, paracetamol carbamazepine, diclofenac, ibuprofen, ofloxacin, ketoprofen, and sotalol; an alkaloid: caffeine; synthetic flavourings: galaxolide and tonalide; and a plasticiser: bisphenol A. The most abundant CECs occurring are ibuprofen (>2µg L−1), diclofenac, caffeine, and galaxolide. Samples of treated drinking water show a certain degree of CECs abatement. The presence of nonpolar substances, banned in the EU nowadays, is confirmed. A snapshot of sediments is sampled in 2018–2019, and PAHs and PCBs are quantified, the former being mainly of pyrogenic origin. Based on known properties of quantifiable substances, a traffic-light system is developed for risk assessment of the state of continental waters, a strategy that may be useful for decission-makers to implement environmental remediation policiesThis research has received support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, through grant TED2021-132667B-I00, funded by the EU NextGeneration EU/PRTR through project MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. Financial support was also provided by the regional government of the Xunta de Galicia through project GRC/ED431C 2023/33. EMALCSA promoted this piece of research and contributed, as well, through project CFIS-ECOPHARMA and through the Cátedra EMALCSA-UDC. Funding to publish this article under open access was provided by Universidade da Coruña/CISUG.Xunta de Galicia; GRC/ED431C 2023/3

Modern Ultrasonics: From Super-Resolution Lens Design to Intraocular Pressure Tester

The aim of this thesis is to lay the foundation for the development of a contactless laser-based tonometer. Tonometers are devices capable of measuring intraocular pressure (IOP). Monitoring intraocular pressure is important for diagnosing glaucoma, which is a condition that may result in blindness and affects 70 million people worldwide. The foundation behind the development of the proposed tonometer, rests on the foundation of four published papers. In the first paper we focused acoustic waves using cylindrical metamaterial lenses. These lenses allow focusing acoustic energy into a beam narrower than half the central wavelength of the wave package. By selecting the speed of sound ratio between the material inside the lens and the surrounding medium, as well as the lens diameter, it is possible to efficiently focus acoustic energy into a jet narrower than half the central wavelength. The generation of said jet involves the focusing of the narrow-bandwidth acoustic waves as they impinge on the lens. The lens’ cylindrical geometry allows the propagation of guided surface waves that tailor the shape of the jet. An alternative approach towards generating a narrow acoustic wave front is the use of a pinhole. A pinhole in an aluminum plate allowed us to direct a shock wave front to a phantom/eye and calculate the intraocular pressure (IOP) from the time-of-flight of the membrane waves. To detect these membrane waves, we used a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV). To understand the challenges of interferometric measurement with an LDV we conducted a study where we mapped the acoustic field on a rotating propeller. The motivation of this study was the importance of quickly monitoring the structural integrity of propellers in situ for the safe operation of aircraft. Aircraft inspection by ultrasonic means typically involves contacting transducers featuring low spatial resolution and slow measurement times. Alternatively, laser ultrasonics allows fast characterization of materials with high resolution and in a contactless manner. The demonstration of the contactless approach detected a flaw on an aluminum propeller that rotated under stroboscopic illumination of a high-power Q-switched laser. The high-power laser generated acoustic waves that travelled through the material and their measurement by an LDV resulted in acoustic maps. The maps allowed the identification as well as reconstruction of the defect on a 3D model of the sample. We further increased the complexity of the sample from a planar propeller to a geometry closer to a human eye, a metal hemisphere. The complexity introduced by the curvature of the sample ranged from the difficulty of focusing an LDV on a curved target to acoustic resonances in the sample. The motivation for choosing these samples was to develop a method to inspect acetabular implants in a contactless manner. In a similar fashion to the propeller study, a metal hemisphere featuring a defect rotated whilst a high-power laser generated acoustic waves. The detection of these acoustic waves and mapping of the acoustic fields allowed a reconstruction of the defect on a 3D model of the hemisphere. Further increasing the complexity of the sample, we studied an ocular phantom (human eye model) as a first step before measuring porcine eyes. In the phantom, the cornea was simulated by a polymer membrane stretched over a water-filled cavity. Adding water to the cavity increases the tension of the membrane and that is equivalent to increasing the intraocular pressure (IOP). To determine the internal pressure of the phantom, an electrical spark generated a shock wave that impinged on the surface of the eye generating membrane waves. These waves propagated in the cornea and an LDV measured their amplitude and propagation time. By relating the time-of-arrival of the acoustic waves to the internal pressure of the phantom we extracted a calibration curve. We further expanded our database by measuring porcine eyes allowing us to compare the IOP readings of our method to those of the leading rebound tonometer, the iCare TA01. The development of a contactless alternative to rebound tonometers will benefit from localized actuation on the cornea by a focusing structure, such as a metamaterial lens. Such a lens would allow actuation on a predetermined spot of the cornea, thus decreasing the uncertainty of the time-of-flight estimation. Such an uncertainty would be further reduced by eye tracking such that the excitation and detection locations remain fixed. The measurement series on the propeller introduces a method for synchronizing the excitation and generation of guided waves which is further improved in the study of the metal hemisphere. An important difference between eyes and metal hemispheres is the anisotropy of the tissue. Such anisotropy introduces variations in the acoustic impedance thus modifying the propagation velocity of membrane waves propagating in the cornea. Localized guided excitation of membrane waves would aid by launching guided waves along the same path, thus decreasing the error in the estimation of the IOP. Contactless measurement of IOP is possible with the technique suggested in this study. The combination of the lessons learned together with eye-safe interferometric detection of guided waves might pave the way to safe and comfortable alternatives to the current tonometric methods.The aim of this thesis is to lay the foundation for the development of a contactless laser-based tonometer. Tonometers are devices capable of measuring intraocular pressure (IOP). Monitoring intraocular pressure is important for diagnosing glaucoma, which is a condition that may result in blindness and affects 70 million people worldwide. The foundation behind the development of the proposed tonometer, rests on the foundation of four published papers. In the first paper we focused acoustic waves using cylindrical metamaterial lenses. These lenses allow focusing acoustic energy into a beam narrower than half the central wavelength of the wave package. By selecting the speed of sound ratio between the material inside the lens and the surrounding medium, as well as the lens diameter, it is possible to efficiently focus acoustic energy into a jet narrower than half the central wavelength. The generation of said jet involves the focusing of the narrow-bandwidth acoustic waves as they impinge on the lens. The lens’ cylindrical geometry allows the propagation of guided surface waves that tailor the shape of the jet. An alternative approach towards generating a narrow acoustic wave front is the use of a pinhole. A pinhole in an aluminum plate allowed us to direct a shock wave front to a phantom/eye and calculate the intraocular pressure (IOP) from the time-of-flight of the membrane waves. To detect these membrane waves, we used a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV). To understand the challenges of interferometric measurement with an LDV we conducted a study where we mapped the acoustic field on a rotating propeller. The motivation of this study was the importance of quickly monitoring the structural integrity of propellers in situ for the safe operation of aircraft. Aircraft inspection by ultrasonic means typically involves contacting transducers featuring low spatial resolution and slow measurement times. Alternatively, laser ultrasonics allows fast characterization of materials with high resolution and in a contactless manner. The demonstration of the contactless approach detected a flaw on an aluminum propeller that rotated under stroboscopic illumination of a high-power Q-switched laser. The high-power laser generated acoustic waves that travelled through the material and their measurement by an LDV resulted in acoustic maps. The maps allowed the identification as well as reconstruction of the defect on a 3D model of the sample. We further increased the complexity of the sample from a planar propeller to a geometry closer to a human eye, a metal hemisphere. The complexity introduced by the curvature of the sample ranged from the difficulty of focusing an LDV on a curved target to acoustic resonances in the sample. The motivation for choosing these samples was to develop a method to inspect acetabular implants in a contactless manner. In a similar fashion to the propeller study, a metal hemisphere featuring a defect rotated whilst a high-power laser generated acoustic waves. The detection of these acoustic waves and mapping of the acoustic fields allowed a reconstruction of the defect on a 3D model of the hemisphere. Further increasing the complexity of the sample, we studied an ocular phantom (human eye model) as a first step before measuring porcine eyes. In the phantom, the cornea was simulated by a polymer membrane stretched over a water-filled cavity. Adding water to the cavity increases the tension of the membrane and that is equivalent to increasing the intraocular pressure (IOP). To determine the internal pressure of the phantom, an electrical spark generated a shock wave that impinged on the surface of the eye generating membrane waves. These waves propagated in the cornea and an LDV measured their amplitude and propagation time. By relating the time-of-arrival of the acoustic waves to the internal pressure of the phantom we extracted a calibration curve. We further expanded our database by measuring porcine eyes allowing us to compare the IOP readings of our method to those of the leading rebound tonometer, the iCare TA01. The development of a contactless alternative to rebound tonometers will benefit from localized actuation on the cornea by a focusing structure, such as a metamaterial lens. Such a lens would allow actuation on a predetermined spot of the cornea, thus decreasing the uncertainty of the time-of-flight estimation. Such an uncertainty would be further reduced by eye tracking such that the excitation and detection locations remain fixed. The measurement series on the propeller introduces a method for synchronizing the excitation and generation of guided waves which is further improved in the study of the metal hemisphere. An important difference between eyes and metal hemispheres is the anisotropy of the tissue. Such anisotropy introduces variations in the acoustic impedance thus modifying the propagation velocity of membrane waves propagating in the cornea. Localized guided excitation of membrane waves would aid by launching guided waves along the same path, thus decreasing the error in the estimation of the IOP. Contactless measurement of IOP is possible with the technique suggested in this study. The combination of the lessons learned together with eye-safe interferometric detection of guided waves might pave the way to safe and comfortable alternatives to the current tonometric methods

Microalgal Bioassays as a Test of Pesticide Photodegradation Efficiency in Water

Xunta de Galicia; XUGA 10307A9

Non-contact determination of intra-ocular pressure in an ex vivo porcine model

People suffering from glaucoma often endure high intra-ocular pressure (IOP). Methods for determining IOP either contact the eye or are unpleasant to some patients. There is therefore a need for a rapid and patient friendly non-contacting method to determine IOP. To address this need, we developed a tonometer prototype that employs spark-gap induced shock waves and a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) that reads the amplitude of membrane waves. The IOP was first identified from the membrane wave propagation velocity first in a custom-made ocular phantom and was then verified in ex vivo porcine eyes. The time-of-flight (TOF) of the membrane wave travelling on a hemispherical membrane was compared to reference IOP values in the sample obtained with an iCare TA01 tonometer. The shock front was characterized by high speed photography. Within one eye, the method achieved an agreement of 5 mmHg (1.96 standard deviation between the shock wave tonometer and the commercial manometer) and high method-to-method association (Pearson correlation, R-2 = 0.98). The results indicate that the presented method could potentially be developed into a non-contacting technique for measuring IOP in vivo.Peer reviewe

LA PRUEBA EN VIOLENCIA SEXUAL Y EN VIOLENCIA DE GÉNERO: ESPECIAL REFERENCIA A LA PRUEBA DE ADN

Os agressores são procurados, principalmente neste âmbito dos delitos contra a vida e a liberdade sexual nos relacionamentos, por fatos relativos ao lugar de cometimento dos delitos, o que torna muito difícil dispor de provas além da declaração das vítimas. A prova de DNA pode ter uma grande virtude no momento de atribuir determinadas circunstâncias que tenham relação com o cometimento do fato punível. Disso se ocupa este trabalho, incidi do na regulação existente no ordenamento jurídico espanhol em matéria de obtenção de prova biológica e valoração da prova genética que considera os distintos passos desde a recolhimento das fontes de prova até a sua apreciação judicial

Preparation, Characterization and Testing of a Bulky Non-supported Photocatalyst for Water Pollution Abatement

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade da Coruña/CISUG[Abstract] An innovative bulky photocatalyst for water decontamination has been developed. The semiconductor (TiO2) is homogeneously distributed in an aggregating material through the whole piece. This design prevents the activity reduction usually observed in supported catalysts due to the loss of the photoactive layer, and facilitates its recovery for an easy reuse, which is a recurrent problem dealing with nanoparticles. The photocatalyst combines the excellent properties of TiO2 with those of a natural clay, which serves as binder, slows down the phase transition of anatase to rutile upon calcination, and has a synergetic function. The photocatalyst has been prepared in the form of small pellets with an Ecuadorian clay and TiO2 in the commercial form of P25 by evenly dry mixing, forming a paste with water, and subsequent extrusion, drying and calcination at 600 °C. The photodegradation of phenol, as a model pollutant, has been achieved by using this aggregate material in a flow reactor with artificial UVA-Vis radiation, and reused without any significant loss of activity. The photocatalyst showed an optimum activity at a 40% clay / 60% P25 ratio, while higher calcination temperatures had a negative effect on its performance.This research has received funds from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación [Project PID2021-127898OB-I00], and the regional government Xunta de Galicia [GPC project ED431B 2020/52], to finance a contract to DRR. Funding for open access charge: Universidade da Coruña/CISUG. DRR also acknowledges UDC for a Margarita Salas contract and SDA acknowledges UTPL for financial support for pursuing PhD studies at UDCXunta de Galicia; ED431B 2020/5

El diseño legal de la nueva oficina judicial

La modernización de la Justicia en España ha supuesto la aprobación de un plan concreto de actuación que contempla como uno de sus ejes fundamentales la implantación de la nueva Oficina Judicial. La reforma se ha iniciado por la Ley Orgánica 19/2003, de 23 de diciembre y ha culminado con la Ley de 13 de noviembre de 2009 de legislación procesal para la implantación de la nueva oficina judicial, aprobada con la finalidad de adaptar la legislación procesal a las exigencias de la nueva oficina judicial. El presente trabajo ofrece un estudio crítico de la nueva legislación y explica las principales novedades en el ámbito procesal