External asymmetries in the Euro area and the role of foreign direct investment

Soon after the introduction of the common currency, a divide emerged between two groups in the Euro area: one comprised of the North-European countries achieving external surpluses and the other of the South-European countries with large external deficits. This paper shows that different patterns of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows across the Euro area countries contributed to this divergence. Our theoretical framework shows that if the economy is relatively capital-intensive in the production of traded (non-traded) output, FDI will be channeled in greater proportions to the traded (non-traded) sector, thus improving (deteriorating) the trade balance. Focusing on ten Euro area countries over the period 1980- 2009, we establish a positive (negative) long-run effect of FDI inflows on the trade balance in the North (South). In the North the positive effect stems from the traded-sector FDI inflows that were significantly higher in comparison to the South, both before and after the EMU. In contrast, in the South the increased FDI inflows in the post-EMU era were dominated by investments in the non-traded sector. When industry-level data are employed, a positive (negative) long-run effect of manufacturing (non-manufacturing) FDI inflows on the trade balance in the North (South) is further established

Carbon uptake by mature Amazon forests has mitigated Amazon nations' carbon emissions

Background: Several independent lines of evidence suggest that Amazon forests have provided a significant carbon sink service, and also that the Amazon carbon sink in intact, mature forests may now be threatened as a result of different processes. There has however been no work done to quantify non-land-use-change forest carbon fluxes on a national basis within Amazonia, or to place these national fluxes and their possible changes in the context of the major anthropogenic carbon fluxes in the region. Here we present a first attempt to interpret results from groundbased monitoring of mature forest carbon fluxes in a biogeographically, politically, and temporally differentiated way. Specifically, using results from a large long-term network of forest plots, we estimate the Amazon biomass carbon balance over the last three decades for the different regions and nine nations of Amazonia, and evaluate the magnitude and trajectory of these differentiated balances in relation to major national anthropogenic carbon emissions. Results: The sink of carbon into mature forests has been remarkably geographically ubiquitous across Amazonia, being substantial and persistent in each of the five biogeographic regions within Amazonia. Between 1980 and 2010, it has more than mitigated the fossil fuel emissions of every single national economy, except that of Venezuela. For most nations (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname) the sink has probably additionally mitigated all anthropogenic carbon emissions due to Amazon deforestation and other land use change. While the sink has weakened in some regions since 2000, our analysis suggests that Amazon nations which are able to conserve large areas of natural and semi-natural landscape still contribute globally-significant carbon sequestration. Conclusions: Mature forests across all of Amazonia have contributed significantly to mitigating climate change for decades. Yet Amazon nations have not directly benefited from providing this global scale ecosystem service. We suggest that better monitoring and reporting of the carbon fluxes within mature forests, and understanding the drivers of changes in their balance, must become national, as well as international, priorities

Carbon uptake by mature Amazon forests has mitigated Amazon nations' carbon emissions

BACKGROUND: Several independent lines of evidence suggest that Amazon forests have provided a significant carbon sink service, and also that the Amazon carbon sink in intact, mature forests may now be threatened as a result of different processes. There has however been no work done to quantify non-land-use-change forest carbon fluxes on a national basis within Amazonia, or to place these national fluxes and their possible changes in the context of the major anthropogenic carbon fluxes in the region. Here we present a first attempt to interpret results from ground-based monitoring of mature forest carbon fluxes in a biogeographically, politically, and temporally differentiated way. Specifically, using results from a large long-term network of forest plots, we estimate the Amazon biomass carbon balance over the last three decades for the different regions and nine nations of Amazonia, and evaluate the magnitude and trajectory of these differentiated balances in relation to major national anthropogenic carbon emissions. RESULTS: The sink of carbon into mature forests has been remarkably geographically ubiquitous across Amazonia, being substantial and persistent in each of the five biogeographic regions within Amazonia. Between 1980 and 2010, it has more than mitigated the fossil fuel emissions of every single national economy, except that of Venezuela. For most nations (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname) the sink has probably additionally mitigated all anthropogenic carbon emissions due to Amazon deforestation and other land use change. While the sink has weakened in some regions since 2000, our analysis suggests that Amazon nations which are able to conserve large areas of natural and semi-natural landscape still contribute globally-significant carbon sequestration. CONCLUSIONS: Mature forests across all of Amazonia have contributed significantly to mitigating climate change for decades. Yet Amazon nations have not directly benefited from providing this global scale ecosystem service. We suggest that better monitoring and reporting of the carbon fluxes within mature forests, and understanding the drivers of changes in their balance, must become national, as well as international, priorities

Long-term decline of the Amazon carbon sink

Atmospheric carbon dioxide records indicate that the land surface has acted as a strong global carbon sink over recent decades1, 2, with a substantial fraction of this sink probably located in the tropics3, particularly in the Amazon4. Nevertheless, it is unclear how the terrestrial carbon sink will evolve as climate and atmospheric composition continue to change. Here we analyse the historical evolution of the biomass dynamics of the Amazon rainforest over three decades using a distributed network of 321 plots. While this analysis confirms that Amazon forests have acted as a long-term net biomass sink, we find a long-term decreasing trend of carbon accumulation. Rates of net increase in above-ground biomass declined by one-third during the past decade compared to the 1990s. This is a consequence of growth rate increases levelling off recently, while biomass mortality persistently increased throughout, leading to a shortening of carbon residence times. Potential drivers for the mortality increase include greater climate variability, and feedbacks of faster growth on mortality, resulting in shortened tree longevity5. The observed decline of the Amazon sink diverges markedly from the recent increase in terrestrial carbon uptake at the global scale1, 2, and is contrary to expectations based on models6

Light Converts Endosymbiotic Fungus to Pathogen, Influencing Seedling Survival and Niche-Space Filling of a Common Tropical Tree, Iriartea deltoidea

Pathogens are hypothesized to play an important role in the maintenance of tropical forest plant species richness. Notably, species richness may be promoted by incomplete filling of niche space due interactions of host populations with their pathogens. A potentially important group of pathogens are endophytic fungi, which asymptomatically colonize plants and are diverse and abundant in tropical ecosystems. Endophytes may alter competitive abilities of host individuals and improve host fitness under stress, but may also become pathogenic. Little is known of the impacts of endophytes on niche-space filling of their hosts

Psychometric Analysis of the Entrepreneurship Habits Scale in the City of Arequipa

En la presente investigación se han analizado las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Evaluación de Hábitos Emprendedores a través de dos estudios con muestras de la ciudad de Arequipa. En el primero, se evaluó a 203 estudiantes universitarios de Administración de Empresas y en el segundo, a 453 personas de la población económicamente activa. En ambos casos, se aplicó el mismo instrumento, pero de forma presencial a los estudiantes y vía Google forms a los trabajadores. Se calculó la validez de constructo mediante el análisis factorial exploratorio y la confiabilidad mediante el método de consistencia interna. Para el caso de la muestra de estudiantes se aplicó solamente la prueba alfa de Cronbach y para la muestra de la PEA se aplicó, además, la prueba Omega de McDonald y se calcularon los percentiles para su calificación. Los resultados de ambos estudios indican que la prueba es unidimensional con adecuados niveles de confiabilidad, aunque en el caso de los estudiantes se eliminaron cinco ítems y en el segundo se mantuvieron todos los reactivos.In the present research there were analyzed the psychometric properties of the Entrepreneur Assessment Habits Scale through two studies with samples from the city of Arequipa. In the first 203 Business administration students were assessed and in the second 453 persons from the active economic population were assessed. In both cases it was applied the same test, but in presence way for students and by Google forms in the case of workers. The construct validity was calculated by exploratory factor analysis and the reliability by the internal consistency method. In the case of the students sample only was applied the Cronbach’s Alpha test and for the AEP sample it also applied the McDonald’s Omega test and there were calculated the percentiles for its qualification. The results in both studies indicate that the test is one-dimensional with adequate levels of reliability, although in the case of students sample there were eliminated five items and in the second case all items were kept

3′UTR-Mediated Gene Silencing of the Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL) Gene

Translocations involving the Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL) gene generate in-frame fusions of MLL with more than 50 different partner genes (PGs). Common to all MLL translocations is the exchange not only of coding regions, but also of MLL and PG 3′-untranslated regions (3′UTRs). As a result, the MLL-PG fusion is normally highly expressed and considered the main driver of leukemia development, whereas the function of the PG-MLL fusions in leukemic disease is unclear. As 3′UTRs have been recognized as determinant regions for regulation of gene expression, we hypothesized that loss of the MLL 3′UTR could have a role in generating high MLL-PG levels and leukemia development. Here, we first tested the MLL-PG and PG-MLL mRNA levels in different leukemic cells and tumours and uncovered differential expression that indicates strong repression by the MLL-3′UTR. Reporter assays confirmed that the 3′UTR of MLL, but not of its main PGs, harbours a region that imposes a strong gene silencing effect. Gene suppression by the MLL 3′UTR was largely microRNA independent and did not affect mRNA stability, but inhibited transcription. This effect can at least partially be attributed to a tighter interaction of the MLL 3′UTR with RNA polymerase II than PG 3′UTRs, affecting its phosphorylation state. Altogether, our findings indicate that MLL translocations relieve oncogenic MLL-PG fusions from the repressive MLL 3′UTR, contributing to higher activity of these genes and leukaemia development