The Influence of Education on Economic Development

The purpose of this research is to measure the effect of education on economic development. Economists use education to explain growth unexplained by capital, and argue that it is a fundamental determinant of technological change. Sociologists have tended to endorse this view arguing by either invoking human capital theory, technological growth, or arguing from a modernization perspective, that education increases entrepreneurialism and Western pro-capitalist values. Using an ordinary least squares regression we analyze the comparative differences in growth in GDP/capita as measured by Angus Maddison’s historical GDP dataset among the nations of the world between 1870 and 1950. Education data comes from the recently published educational attainment dataset by Christian Morrison and Fabrice Murtin. The results show that education effects are weak – nearly zero. Education in 1870 predicts growth for the 1870-1950 period. However, shorter lags show almost no effect. Primary education has substantially greater effects than university education. Education/modernization produced very slow effects that cumulated over the long term. However, most of the significant fluctuations can be attributed to other more conflict-oriented variables

The Lack of Nutrition Education among Student Athletes

Today, it is becoming more common to see bad health choices among student athletes. These young adults may lack knowledge about nutrition causing them to choose unhealthy eating habits which may lead to future health complications (Johannes Brug et al., 2008). In order to address this problem, more emerging adults need to be aware of the issues at hand. To address the lack of awareness in student athletes, I will provide feedback to meal choices, a nutritional deficit survey, present an educational power point, and track progress

FUTURES MARKET DEPTH: REVEALED VS. PERCEIVED PRICE ORDER IMBALANCES

In this paper we study futures market depth by examining the price path due to order imbalances thereby allowing us to directly gain insight in the execution costs due to a lack of market depth We propose a two dimensional market depth measure in which the price path due to order imbalances is described by an S-shape function. The proposed market depth measure is applied to transaction specific futures data from Euronext. Subsequently, we examine CBOT traders' perceptions about the price path due to order imbalances and examine the characteristics that are associated with a particular perception. The proposed market depth measure gives guidelines for improving market depth, and can be used to compare competitive futures contracts. It appears that the actual price path due to order imbalances does not match the perceived price path. Traders have various perceptions about the price path due to order imbalances. Dominant perceptions were, S-shape, linear, exponential or zigzag price paths. The differences in traders' perceptions can be traced back to different traders' characteristics among others type of primary futures contract traded, importance of information sources and trading strategy (herd vs. non-herd behavior). The observed disconnect between perceptions and revealed price path due to order imbalances have great implications for market participants who try to minimize execution costs and for the futures exchange management that tries to increase the market depth.Marketing,

Integration of UAS in the civil airworthiness regulatory system: present and future

The last years are witnessing a number of initiatives worldwide devoted to assess the safety levels of the unmanned aircraft. These initiatives are very heterogeneous; some of them are centred in airworthiness aspects while others focus on operations. From the point of view of a potential UAS manufacturer the actual situation is plenty of uncertainties in relation to the regulations to be applied for certifying the design, manufacturing and maintenance, and from the point of view of the potential operator the situation is analogous with respect to operational procedures. In the present work the emphasis is on the manufacturer’s situation. The objective of this work is to clarify the present civil airworthiness regulatory scene by summarizing all the regulatory efforts up to date and preparing a comparative analysis of them. In this comparison, the manned regulations are included too. The most representative state-of-the-art UAS are analyzed from the point of view of the existing and the future regulatory framework. The main aspects to be considered are related to the airworthiness certification (performances, structural design, etc) for which a quantitative comparison is established in order to clarify how the new regulatory framework, mainly based on the conventional aircraft certification codes, will affect future UAS, compared to the existing regulation

Mitochondrial transfer as a cell-cell communication mechanism between airway smooth muscle cells in COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an inflammatory lung disease characterised by a progressive airflow limitation. Airway smooth muscle (ASM) dysfunction, such as cell hyperproliferation and increased extracellular matrix deposition, contributes to airway remodelling, an important pathological feature of COPD. There is also evidence of defective mitochondria in the lungs and in cultured ASM cells (ASMCs) from patients with COPD. Cigarette smoke (CS), the main cause of COPD, induces cellular and mitochondrial dysfunction, but only a proportion of smokers develop COPD. Homeostatic mechanisms that prevent sustained damage in response to CS may be impaired in COPD. Transfer of mitochondria from stem cells to structural cells in the lung protects the latter from stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. In this study, I hypothesised that mitochondrial transfer between ASMCs is a homeostatic mechanism that preserves mitochondrial function, and that it is impaired in COPD leading to sustained mitochondrial dysfunction in response to stress. I show that CS leads to persistent mitochondrial damage in ASMCs, an effect that is more pronounced in cells from COPD patients. However, it remains unclear whether this drives pathogenic ASM phenotypes. I demonstrate that ASMCs, from both healthy and COPD patients, are capable of exchanging mitochondria, a process that occurs, at least partly, via extracellular vesicles. Mitochondrial transfer is induced by exposure to CS, suggesting it is a stress response mechanism. Contrary to my hypothesis, the results of this study indicate that mitochondrial transfer may not be impaired in COPD. However, irrespective of disease status, this process is associated with an up-regulation of mitochondrial respiration and a reduction in cell proliferation. Therefore, mitochondrial transfer between ASMCs may be exploited as an endogenous protective mechanism to reverse mitochondrial and cellular dysfunction in the lungs.Open Acces

Democracy Decline and the Case of Brazil

openThe global trend of democracy decline can be perceived in our society in the last few years, countries that came to be considered consolidated democracies fell upon the events of backsliding, meaning that aspects that served as pillars or common perceptions of a democratic society are being corroded by their own means, from the inside, among them the existence of checks and balances on governments. Elected leaders act not in the interest of society and democracy but in the interest of their hold on power or of their party's power, tactics of inflating a polarized society, compromising competition and participation in elections are common examples. Now we rarely see democracy ending by means of coup d'etat, they are slowly fading, therefore, in such a context, the present thesis seeks to discuss the scholars' conceptualization of democratic decline and work upon their framework, fitting it to academically agreed cases of decline such as Hungary, Poland, Venezuela, and Turkey, to then demonstrate the similarity of the framework and these cases to the scenario of Brazil in the period preceding Bolsonaro and then of his government, that came to an end after the 2022 elections

Proyecto adecuación de nave industrial para la instalación de una fábrica de embutidos

Se realizará un estudio de la ingeniería de la producción de productos del cerdo (embutidos), el diseño de la obra civil, instalaciones e infraestructuras, las bases para la redacción del informe medioambiental e implantación del futuro sistema de Análisis de Peligros y Puntos Críticos de Control. En la redacción y cálculos realizados se tendrán en cuenta las disposiciones, reglamentos y preceptos contenidos en la Legislación vigente, prestando especial atención al medio ambiente y entorno circundante de la industria. Asimismo, se pretende proyectar una industria moderna, basada en la elevada calidad de los productos elaborados, que trate de reproducir de manera controlada y mecanizada los sistemas de producción tradicionales

Freeze-thaw durability of recycled concrete from construction and demolition wastes

Road engineering is one of the most accepted applications for concrete including recycled aggregates from construction and demolition wastes as a partial replacement of the natural coarse aggregates. Amongst the durability concerns of such application, the deterioration due to freeze-thaw cycles is one of the most important causes decreasing the life span of concrete in countries with a continental climate. Moreover, the use of de-icing salts, which is a common practice to prevent ice formation on roadways and walkways, increases the superficial degradation of concrete due to frost-salt scaling. Thus, this paper aims to assess the resistance to frost salt with de-icing salts of two recycled concrete mixtures containing a 50% replacement of the conventional gravel by recycled aggregates both of mixed and ceramic nature, i.e. containing ceramic percentages of 34% and 100%, in comparison to a conventional concrete made with siliceous gravel. Therefore, the surface scaling was evaluated based on EN 1339 (2004) on 28 days cured cylinders, exposed to 7, 14, 21 and 28 freeze-thaw cycles in the presence of sodium chloride solution. Given that no airentraining admixture was used in any of the mixtures, the scaling of both conventional and recycled concretes exceeded the 1 kg/m2 limit established by the European standard. Nonetheless, for the casting surface, the recycled concrete with low ceramic content exhibited a similar behaviour to the conventional concrete, whereas the performance of the recycled concrete with high ceramic content was better. However, as expected, trowelled surfaces showed a worse performance and both recycled concretes had a lower freeze-thaw durability than the conventional mixture. In any case, the results suggested that the composition of the recycled aggregates could be used as a factor to limit the differences in performance between recycled and conventional mixtures

STRATEGIES DEVELOPED BY LEADING EU AGRI-FOOD COOPERATIVES IN THEIR GROWTH MODEL

The rationale for this paper is the problem relating to the growth of agricultural cooperatives in Spain in recent years in comparison to increasingly concentrated food distribution, which captures most of the value added. This paper analyses the evolution and status of other countries within Europe where the need for business consolidation has been successfully addressed. For this purpose, there have been identified 7 cases to be studied: Kerry group, Irish Dairy Board, Arla Foods, The Greenery BV, Danish Crown, Agrifirm and DLG. The specific results of interviews with the senior management of this cooperatives were analyzed and organized into four blocks in which the issues raised are grouped (legal and institutional framework, strategic vision, business growth models and market standing). A number of specific aims are also pursued:  Identify the main barriers and problems faced by this type of cooperatives.  Show the strategies developed by leading cooperatives in their sector within the current comparative context.  Become familiar with the different growth models these cooperatives use to achieve and maintain their market standing.Agribusiness,

Does post merger financial performance improve after agrifood mergers of cooperatives? An empirican analysis

This study was carried out to characterize the mergers and acquisitions undertaken in the Spanish agrifood sector during the period 1995-2005 and has two objectives. Firstly, it aims to determine the manner in which economic-financial factors influence the type of merger carried out (merger by formation of a new legal person and merger by acquisition), and the role played by cooperatives (acquirer, acquired or cooperative involved in a merger by formation). Secondly, it aims to determine whether these mergers have contributed to reaching any of the objectives they were set out to achieve: improving the economic-financial situation of the companies involved, increasing income and reducing relative costs. The results obtained show that on average, following a merger, there were no statistically significant improvements in the economic-financial indicators studied.Agribusiness, Agricultural Finance,