Industrial Employment Growth in Spanish Regions - the Role Played by Size, Innovation, and Spatial Aspects

The article analyses the role played by size and innovation in the growth of industrial employment in Spain during the period 1998-2002. The analysis is conducted using two different approaches: first of all, it studies the relationship, for seventeen Spanish regions, between industrial employment growth and the share of small firms and the presence of high and medium-high technological industries, following Camagni and Capello methodology. Secondly, it uses microdata, at firm level, in order to estimate the significance of size and innovation in the employment growth of those firms, also including regional variables for better explain the changes in employment. The results at regional level for the Spanish case show that there is no a relationship between industrial employment growth and the share of small firms and technological development of the regions. Similar results are obtained estimating a Heckman model using microdata. Independently of the definition of employment used, Gibrat´s law is accepted, showing that size is not a significant variable in order to explain the growth of firms. On the contrary, innovation, specially process innovation, plays an important role in the survival and growth behaviour. The regional variables are not significant, exception made of the share of industry in total employment of regions: the bigger the industrial sector, the higher the growth of employment at firm level.

Testing Gribat´s Law Across Regions. Evidence from Spain.

The article analyses if Gibrat’s law holds in different regions of Spain using a sample of Spanish manufacturing firms over the period 1990-2001. The regions are classified depending on the degree of development of the provinces included. The study draws upon a sample of 1073 manufacturing firms in which only 751 of them survived for the whole twelve years period. The analyses test Gibrat’s law by using the procedure proposed by Heckman, in which a probit survival equation is first estimated to correct for sample selection bias, estimating the model by maximum likelihood methods. The results reject Gibrat’s law for the most developed Spanish regions, supporting the proposition that small firms have grown faster, but accepts it for non developed areas. Additionally, the results show that innovating activity – both process and product – is a strong positive factor in firm’s survival, independently of the region firm is located. Journal of Economic Literature classification: L11; L25.

Twin-induced plasticity of an ECAP-processed TWIP steel

The TWIP steels show high strain hardening rates with high ductility which results in high ultimate tensile strength. This makes their processing by equal channel angular pressing very difficult. Up to now, this has only been achieved at warm temperatures (above 200 °C). In this paper, a FeMnCAl TWIP steel has been processed at room temperature and the resulted microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated. For comparison, the material has also been processed at 300 °C. The TWIP steel processed at room temperature shows a large increase in yield strength (from 590 in the annealed condition to 1295 MPa) and the ultimate tensile strength (1440 MPa) as a consequence of a sharp decrease in grain size and the presence within the grains of a high density of mechanical twins and subgrains. This dense microstructure results also in a loss of strain hardening and a reduction in ductility. The material processed at 300 °C is more able to accommodate deformation and has lower reduction in grain size although there is a significant presence of mechanical twins and subgrains produced by dislocation activity. This material reaches an ultimate tensile strength of 1400 MPa with better ductility than the room temperature material.Postprint (published version

Characterization of strain-induced precipitation in Inconel 718 superalloy

© 2016 ASM International Inconel 718 presents excellent mechanical properties at high temperatures, as well as good corrosion resistance and weldability. These properties, oriented to satisfy the design requirements of gas turbine components, depend on microstructural features such as grain size and precipitation. In this work, precipitation-temperature-time diagrams have been derived based on a stress relaxation technique and the characterization of precipitates by scanning electron microscopy. By using this methodology, the effect of strain accumulation during processing on the precipitation kinetics can be determined. The results show that the characteristics of precipitation are significantly modified when plastic deformation is applied, and the kinetics are slightly affected by the amount of total plastic deformation.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Stress-strain response and microstructural evolution of a FeMnCAl TWIP steel during tension-compression tests

© 2016. The stress-strain response of a Fe-17.5Mn-0.7C-2Al TWIP steel during cyclic loading has been investigated by means of tension-compression tests within the strain limits of ±2%, ±5% and ±10%. In addition, the microstructural evolution during the ±5% cyclic test has also been studied. The difference between the forward and reverse stress for each pre-strain has been analyzed at 0.2% offset strain and at the strains in which forward and reverse curves were parallel in order to study the Bauschinger effect (BE) and permanent softening, respectively. The evolution of the BE with pre-strain for this steel is similar to other FeMnC TWIP steels, that is, increasing values of BE are obtained as the pre-strain increases. However, its absolute values are half those reported in the literature on other FeMnC steels. This diminution of the BE is related to the lower activity of mechanical twinning in FeMnCAl TWIP steels at the pre-strains herein investigated, which promotes less polarized stresses in the matrix due to the lower dislocation storage capacity.Regarding permanent softening, the evolution is similar to that of the BE and the same analysis can be applied. During reverse compression, a slight increase of twin thickness and twin spacing with respect to the first tensile stage took place. This fact might be linked to the lower flow stress observed in the permanent softening period during reverse straining.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

La fragilidad de los derechos

Texto apresentado no Seminário do Programa de Doutorado em Direitos Fundamentais do Instituto de Direitos Humanos ´Bartolomé de Las Casas´ da Universidade Carlos III, realizado em 3 de março de 2005, Madri, Espanha.Expõe fragmento do livro “El mundo de ayer”, de Stefan Zweig, a fim de utilizá-lo como plano de fundo para tratar do tema de direitos humanos com foco no período entre-guerras e após a Segunda Guerra Mundial. Discorre acerca da relação entre direito, poder e os direitos e garantias de liberdade e segurança dos indivíduos

Ghettoización de la universalidad y el futuro de los derechos humanos

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Sobre el nuevo diseño de los estudios de Arquitectura

[ES] En los momentos en los que escribo estas líneas, en la primera semana de abril de 2009, se debate de nuevo entre los arquitectos la estructura del título académico que ha de dar acceso a la profesión. En diciembre de 2007 se publicaron un Acuerdo de Consejo de Ministros y una Orden Ministerial que establecen las condiciones que deben cumplir los planes de estudios de los títulos que habiliten para el ejercicio de la profesión de arquitecto. Tras la correspondiente evaluación y verificación de los títulos, cinco universidades han comenzado en otoño de 2008 a impartir los estudios del nuevo título de Graduado en Arquitectura, y muchas otras se están preparando para implantarlo en los dos próximos años.Calvo López, J. (2009). Sobre el nuevo diseño de los estudios de Arquitectura. EGE Revista de Expresión Gráfica en la Edificación. 0(6):27-29. https://doi.org/10.4995/ege.2009.1250927290

El manuscrito Cerramientos y trazas de montea, de Ginés Martínez de Aranda

[ESP]El arquitecto y cantero baezano Ginés Martínez de Aranda, que trabajó a finales del siglo XVI y ejerció la maestría de las catedrales de Cádiz y Santiago de Compostela, compuso un manuscrito llamado Cerramientos y trazas de montea, que trata de los problemas geométricos de la construcción pétrea. El artículo analiza la copia del manuscrito conservada en el Servicio Histórico Militar de Madrid, la identidad del copista, la fecha de la primera redacción de la obra y la de la copia conservada, y el destino de la obra; a continuación, se estudia la relación del manuscrito con otras obras españolas de cantería, en especial las de Alonso de Vandelvira, Cristóbal de Rojas, Alonso de Guardia y Juan de Portor y Castro, para finalizar tratando diversas aportaciones originales de Aranda a la literatura europea de la cantería.[ING]Ginés Martínez de Aranda, master mason in the cathedrals of Cádiz and Santiago de Compostela during the late 16th century, wrote a manuscript, Cerramientos y trazas de montea, concerning geometrical problems in stone construction. This article deals with the copy of Cerramientos in the Servicio Histórico Militar (Madrid), its copyist, dating, the existence of an earlier version and whether or not Aranda intended to publish it. Also examined are the connections between Cerramientos and other Spanish stonecutting texts of the period, such as those by Alonso de Vandelvira, Cristóbal de Rojas, Alonso de Guardia or Juan de Portor y Castro. Finally, an assessment is made of Martínez de Aranda’s original contributions to European stonecutting literature.Este trabajo ha sido realizado como parte del proyecto de investigación “Construcción en piedra de cantería en el ámbito hispánico. Fuentes documentales y patrimonio construido”, del Plan Nacional de I+D+I, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, con referencia BIA2006-13649

Diderot’s Le Fils naturel (1757), or the spectacularity of a juridical «condition» of family

Estudio interdisciplinario de «Derecho y Literatura» sobre Le fils naturel con análisis de la categoría dramática y jurídica de «condition». Referencia a la posición jurídica del «hijo natural» en el derecho francés de la época y el Code civil, así como al valor de su espectacularidad escénica en la teoría del drama burgués diderotiano, y posterior excursus jurídico-literario en Honoré Balzac y Alejandro Dumas (hijo).Interdisciplinary Study of «Law and Literature» on Le fils naturel with analysis dramatic and legal category of «condition». Reference to the legal position of «natural son» in French law of the time and the Civil code, as well as the value of its spectacular scenic in the Diderot’s theory of bourgeois drama, and subsequent legal-literary excursus Honoré Balzac and Alexander Dumas (son)