Institutions and the East Asian miracle : asymmetric information, rent - seeking, and the deliberation council

North (1984) argues that it is not the cost of transport but the cost of transactions that prevents economies from realizing well-being - and that institutions matter because they affect the costs of transactions. The authors analyze the role of the deliberation council - an institution common to most of the high performing Asian economies - in reducing the crippling effect of rent-seeking. A deliberation council is a consultative committee whose members include high-ranking government officials and representatives from the private sector - usually from industry (especially high business) and academia, sometimes from consumer groups and labor. Councils can be organized by industry or sector (as with the Industrial Structure Council of Japan) or by theme or function (as with Thailand's Joint Public Sector-Private Sector Consultative Committee). Generally, the deliberation council has a quasi-legislative authority, and policies cannot be introduced or changed without its recommendation and approval. Unlike a legislative committee, its private sector reprensentatives are not elected but are chosen (by industry or labor, for example, and not necessarily through voting) and its government officials generally become representatives by virtue of appointment to their present position. The authors construct a two-stage incomplete information game model with two identical firms and various links to real-world processes. It is a highly simplified model that focuses on the awarding of government contracts. They use the model to gain insight into the problem of rent-seeking in developing countries and to test their hypothesis. Rent-seeking occurs partly because people are uncertain about the intentions and plans of potential competitors - they engage in rent-seeking for fear that not doing so might give their competitors a huge advantage. To the extent that the council generates an exchange of information, this uncertainty is reduced, so one would expect less rent-seeking. Such exchanges reduce information (transaction) costs and thus improve efficiency. The model confirms that firms are better off it they can communicate their true valuations to competitors than when they cannot. The deliberation council induces participation to reveal true information, and the model shows that the payoffs are better with communication than without.Health Economics&Finance,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,ICT Policy and Strategies,Health Monitoring&Evaluation

Methodological analysis about the potential avoidability of motor vehicles colliding against pedestrians in urban areas

The main motivation of the authors of this article is to establish a rigorous definition of the potential capacity that a motor vehicle driver has to avoid a collision against a pedestrian. Henceforth we will call this capacity avoidability. To calculate the avoidability, it is necessary to analyze time, distance and itinerary, initial position of the pedestrian when exposed to the risk, initial speed; theoretical maximum speed developed by the vehicle and road limit speed; the driver’s reaction time and the influence of the environment; and the interrelation of the initial positions of vehicle and pedestrian with respect to the transversal axis of the road. The definition, categorized by variables, of a driver’s ability to avoid run over a pedestrian in an urban area has an evident usefulness: it allows knowing the influence of the initial speed of a vehicle as an isolated variable and the importance of the road limit speed in the ability to prevent an accident.Postprint (published version

Las plataformas logísticas de distribución urbana de mercancías: un elemento de desarrollo y regulación del transporte de mercancías en las ciudades

Postprint (published version

Environmental attitudes of European tourists: A multilevel analysis

Literature shows that heterogeneity in willingness to pay for traveling is explained by regional clusters because not all the tourists are equally sensitive to income and price adjustments. This paper demonstrated that such heterogeneity in tourist behavior is also shown in environmental considerations when they are making decisions about their holiday plans. Popular support for environmental protection among tourists from EU-27 countries were investigated. The findings are congruent with the hypothesis that environment support depends not only on individual characteristics of themselves but also of certain contextual variables related to their place of residence.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Explaining tourists´ support for environmental protection

Any movement towards sustainable tourism is dependent not only upon the industry and other key stakeholders but also the demand side, namely the tourists. Yet, there is a limited literature from the demand point of view. In this area, contributions to an understanding of tourists’ support to sustainable development are necessary. This paper analyzes the main determinants in tourist behavior regarding the environmental considerations when they are making decisions about their holiday plans. General literature on this issue highlights the need to consider socio-economic variables of the individual as well as the attributes related of their style of living. If the econometric model takes into account all these variables simultaneously, then the linkage between contextual changes and tourists´ behaviour is enriched and it may be estimated more accurately. In this sense, a multilevel approach using a random-intercept logistic models is proposed, since tourists belong to a country are affected by the same contextual variables. The analysis comprises a joint dataset composed by microdata belong to the survey Attitudes of Europeans Towards Tourism, which corresponds to Flash Eurobarometer 281, macrodata from Eurostat (GDP in pps and GDP growth) and additional variables profiles from the 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index. Country-specific effects are calculated across the EU-27 countries, which corroborated that attitudes to the sustainable tourism are heterogeneous geo-graphically. The higher the level of GDP, the lower the level of tourists´ support. These results could be explained because tourists of richer countries already have to pay more tax for envi-ronmental protection. Age, gender and educational attainment are relevant. Motivations for travelling, size of the community, type of the destination, and environmental sustainability indi-cators of the place of residence are also important factors.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Evaluation of a Tetravalent DNA Vaccine against Dengue: Integrating Biochemical Studies on Dengue Virus Envelope Protein to a Domain-Based Antigen Design.

Dengue virus (DENV) is among the most important mosquito-borne human pathogens worldwide. Concerns regarding the effectiveness of Dengue vaccines together with emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) have reignited the interest for new vaccines using alternative approaches. Given that the envelope glycoprotein (E) is the main target of neutralizing antibodies, it has been used as the antigen of choice for vaccine development efforts. Here we present a detailed analysis of factors involved in the expression, secretion and folding of the E ectodomain from all four DENV serotypes and ZIKV in mammalian cells. Our data demonstrate that E domains II and III (DII and DIII) are important for proper E folding and stabilization of soluble dimers, respectively. In addition, we show that successful covalent stabilisation of E dimers, and E folding in general is strongly dependent on temperature but not on PrM co-expression, and that DENV and ZIKV E proteins can form heterodimers and assemble into mosaic viral particles. Our findings also show that antigen secretion determines the efficiency of DNA vaccines. Based on this, we developed a novel DNA gene-gun immunisation strategy using an engineered version of DIII fused to the CH3 domain of the IgG H chain, which is efficiently secreted from transfected cells and induced strong antibody responses that neutralise all DENV serotypes. The antibody responses were stable over long periods of time and different tetravalent formulations of the vaccine showed induction of neutralising antibodies against all four dengue serotypes as well. Finally, our results also indicate that the polyclonal antibody responses against DI/DII are highly cross-reactive, poorly neutralising and promote ADE towards all DENV serotypes, ZIKV, WNV and YFV. Conversely, anti-DIII antibodies are type-specific, with no ADE towards related flaviviruses, and with strong neutralisation activity restricted only to DENV

Dynamic Architecture: Architecture as Economic Revitalizing - La Nucia, Alicante. Spain

[EN] The idea of the project arises from the generation of a dynamic, open and collaborative space that seeks to attract talent and train it on an ongoing basis. A social meeting point, capable of modifying the character of the industrial estate where it is located thanks to the pull effect. Our project is a faceted hexagonal rock, which sits on a promontory and looks onto the besy view of the landscape of the region, appeasing them. Like an origami the exposed, textured concrete walls fold on themselves, playing with their planes and with the light inputs, causing the sun to highlight the folds of their facade, generating a dynamic effect of shadow games that modify the ediftion throughtout the day. The stairway articukates or organizes the building allowing presentation like TED TALK to take place, and become a social interaction of the centre, this space frames the sky turning into a cascade of light that invades everything. The support spaces arise around it: studios, workshops and offices. Behind it a large collaborative work room open to the outside, generating small terraces of inter-relationship between colleagues.[ES] La idea del proyecto surge de la generación de un espacio dinamico, abierto y colaborativo que busca atraer talento y capacitarlo de forma continua. Un punto de encuentro social, capaz de modificar el carácter del polígono donde se ubica gracias al efecto llamada. Nuestro proyecto es una roca hexagonal facetada, que se asienta en un promontorio y mira hacia lo mejor del paisaje de la comarca, apropiándose de ellos. Las paredes de hormigón visto, texturadas se pliegan sobre si mismas a modo de origami, jugando con sus planos y con las entradas de luz, haciendo que el sol remarque los pliegues de su fachada, generando un efecto dinámico de juegos de sombras que modifiquen la edficación a lo largo del día. La grada escalera articula la edificación, dando pie para el uso de presentaciones de productos o charlas tipo TED TALK, y espacio de interacción social del centro, este espacio enmarca el cielo conviritiedose en una cascada de luz que lo invade todo A su alrededor surgen los espacios de apoyo, despachos, talleres y office. Tras ella una gran sala de trabajo colaborativo abierto al exterior, generando pequeñas terrazas de interrelación entre compañeros.Campos Rosique, J. (2020). Arquitectura Dinamizante: La Arquitectura como DInamizador Económico - La Nucia, Alicante. España. En IX Congreso Internacional Arquitectura Blanca. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.4995/CIAB9.2020.10650OCS11

Primocane-Fruiting Blackberry: Optimum N-Fertilization

This study was conducted in 2011 at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville to determine the optimum rate and time of nitrogen (N) application for `Prime-Ark® 45\u27 primocane-fruiting (PF) blackberries under high tunnel conditions. There were four N treatments: Control (0), 10, 10-split, and 20 kg*ha-1 (Treatments 1, 2, 3, 4, respectively). In a randomized complete block (RCB) design, the following variables were compared: total and marketable yield, fresh weight of plant above ground, and cane diameter. Total fruit yields for Treatments 2 and 3 (2.5 and 2.5 kg, respectively) were highest and significantly different from the other treatments (p\u3c 0.05). Marketable yield had a similar trend as total fruit yield, although not significantly different. Cane diameter and plant fresh weight were not significantly affected by fertilizer treatments. There were not significant differences in N content in leaves among treatments. Results indicated that either a single or split N application of 10 kgN*ha-1 could result in better yields. Four experiments were conducted to determine the most stable period in foliar elemental concentration, in order to identify the best time for foliar fertilizer applications in `Prime-Ark® 45\u27 PF blackberry cultivar. The four experiments were conducted in five separate locations. In North Carolina (N.C.), `Prime-Ark® 45\u27 leaf samples were collected at three commercial farms; in Clarksville, Arkansas (Ark.), three cultivars `Prime-Ark® 45\u27, `Prime-Jan®\u27, and `Ouachita\u27 were sampled; and in Fayetteville, Ark., `Prime-Ark® 45\u27 blackberry plants were sampled from plantings managed under two cultural methods (high tunnel and ambient ). For N fertilization trials, 0, 10, 10-split, and 20 kg.ha-1 N rates were compared under high tunnel conditions. Rates were compared for cultural practices (mown, mown + tipped, and not pruned) under ambient conditions. Leaf samples were collected and analyzed every two weeks from June to Aug. 2011. Sampling dates revealed variations in foliar elemental nutrient concentrations. In Fayetteville, Ark., in one-year-old `Prime-Ark® 45\u27 blackberry plants, under high tunnel conditions, the period with the highest level of elemental stability was between 11 July and 25 July. Under ambient conditions, the most stable period was from 7 July to 25 July. In Clarksville, Ark., the period of most stability in foliar nutrient concentration was from 30 June to 12 July. In N.C., the proper period with most stability in leaf nutrient content was between 5 July and 22 July. Also in N.C., the logarithm of variance means analysis indicated that the least variance in foliar elemental concentration occurred from 5 July and 22 July 2011