Could the ease of doing business be considered a predictor of countries' socio-economic wealth? An empirical analysis using pls-sem

The wealth of nations differs significantly due to different factors. One of the reasons identified by previous studies is the level of entrepreneurship promotion by governments. This aspect has scarcely been studied empirically to date. Therefore, this paper sheds some light on this regard through building a construct out of ten Ease of Doing Business Index (EDBI) measures developed by the World Bank and relating it with a construct shaped by two measures of socio-economic wealth (SEW), namely gross domestic product and the Human Development Index. To this end, we conduct a structural equation model analysis using partial least squares (PLS-SEM) method with a 2018 database comprising secondary data from 190 countries. As the main contribution of this study, the results show that good performance in the EDBI ranking predicts good performance in the SEW ranking. Additionally, this study is pioneer in the use of these rankings to build composite constructs (latent variables) and relate them. For these reasons, our findings are useful for both academia and governments responsible for promoting entrepreneurship, as this latter is identified as the key enabler of economic development

Los Otros Hijos de Dios: Construcción de Identidades en Cristianos Evangélicos Gays y Lesbianas de Argentina

Los procesos de incorporación a un grupo o una serie de prácticas sociales particulares implican el desarrollo de vínculos comunitarios cimentados en sistemas donde se expresan las dimensiones de “uno” y “los otros” en niveles tanto individuales como colectivos. Estos sistemas, entendidos como referencias, vinculan dialécticamente lo subjetivo con la generalidad mediante valores, normas y representaciones sostenidas en códigos, valores, proyectos y experiencias. El individuo en este contexto puede construir mediante diversos recursos, formas de “estar en el mundo” a partir de una “búsqueda de sentido” que permite resolver de manera funcional, los problemas de la vida cotidiana mediante la explicaciones materiales o simbólicas. Conflictos como la muerte, las desigualdades económicas o políticas así como la exclusión a distintos niveles son explicados mediante una serie de expresiones culturales que funcionan como alternativas donde puede escribirse de manera constante la historia personal

Homogenization Model for Aberrant Crypt Foci

Several explanations can be found in the literature about the origin of colorectal cancer. There is however some agreement on the fact that the carcinogenic process is a result of several genetic mutations of normal cells. The colon epithelium is characterized by millions of invaginations, very small cavities, called crypts, where most of the cellular activity occurs. It is consensual in the medical community, that a potential first manifestation of the carcinogenic process, observed in conventional colonoscopy images, is the appearance of Aberrant Crypt Foci (ACF). These are clusters of abnormal crypts, morphologically characterized by an atypical behavior of the cells that populate the crypts. In this work an homogenization model is proposed, for representing the cellular dynamics in the colon epithelium. The goal is to simulate and predict, in silico, the spread and evolution of ACF, as it can be observed in colonoscopy images. By assuming that the colon is an heterogeneous media, exhibiting a periodic distribution of crypts, we start this work by describing a periodic model, that represents the ACF cell-dynamics in a two-dimensional setting. Then, homogenization techniques are applied to this periodic model, to find a simpler model, whose solution symbolizes the averaged behavior of ACF at the tissue level. Some theoretical results concerning the existence of solution of the homogenized model are proven, applying a fixed point theorem. Numerical results showing the convergence of the periodic model to the homogenized model are presented.Comment: 26 pages, 4 figure

Evaluación de motores de búsqueda de imágenes en la World Wide Web

Actas de las Cuartas Jornadas Imagen, Cultura y Tecnología celebradas el 4, 5 y 6 de julio de 2005 en la Universidad Carlos III de MadridPublicad

BIM: a technology acceptance model in Peru

The purpose of this paper is to empirically study factors that facilitate the adoption of building information modelling (BIM) among practitioners using the unified theory of technology acceptance model (TAM). The factors identified in the TAM were examined using a quantitative approach. The empirical investigation has been conducted using a survey questionnaire. The data set has been obtained from 73 architects and engineers in Peru. Results show that Perceived Usefulness (PU) is the most important determinant of Behavioural Intention (BI), while Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) is found to have no significant effect on BI. The findings provide an excellent backdrop in the development of policy and a roadmap for BIM implementation in Peru. The original contribution and value of the paper is the use of TAM to provide empirical evidence on factors that facilitate BIM adoption in Peru

Arboreal frogs, tank bromeliads and disturbed seasonal tropical forest

We investigated the relationship between arboreal frogs, tank bromeliads and landscape transformation in tropical forests of southeastern Campeche, Mexico. We surveyed frogs in six distinct habitats: slash and burn agriculture, seasonally flooded forest (bajo), aquatic habitats (lagoons and small ponds), second growth upland forest, primary forest and creek habitat using both systematic and non-systematic surveys. The highest species richness of frogs was documented in primary forest and small ponds. In contrast, no frogs were recorded in second growth forest. Similarly, tank bromeliads (Aechmea bracteata) were completely absent from early successional stages and were almost twice as abundant in seasonally flooded forest as in upland forest. The vertical distribution of A. bracteata differed between forest types, and they significantly more abundant in larger diameter trees. We examined 60 tank bromeliads during the peak of the dry season to test their use as refugia by frogs. Approximately 27% of tank bromeliads sampled had arboreal frogs belonging to three species, but 9 species have been recorded as occasional users of bromeliads in the region. There were significantly more frogs on large than on medium-sized bromeliads, and frogs were more abundant on bromeliads higher on host trees, particularly those above 3 m in height. Our results suggest that the loss of tank bromeliads from drier and less structurally complex habitats created by slash and burn agriculture and selective logging results in loss of refugia for arboreal frogs in this seasonal tropical forest. We suggest that Aechmea bracteata be a keystone species in seasonal tropical forest

Espectroscopia de absorção de intracavidade com lasers de fibra dopada com Er3+

Mestrado em Engenharia FísicaEspectroscopia de absorção de intracavidade com um laser de banda larga de fibra dopada com Er3+ é aplicada para medidas resolvidas no tempo de moléculas de CO2 revelando informações quantitativas sobre a concentração do gás exalado na respiração humana. A gama espectral das medições estende-se de 1.52 μm – 1.61 μm através da deslocação da lente de intracavidade. Com um laser pulsado aplicado nesta experiência, a sensibilidade à absorção corresponde a um comprimento do percurso de absorção efectiva de 6 km assumindo que a cavidade está completamente preenchida com a amostra. O aumento da sensibilidade é alcançada através da construção de um laser de configuração em anel unidirecional. O comprimento do percurso de absorção efectiva é aumentado por um factor de três comparando com uma configuração linear com o mesmo comprimento da cavidade.Intracavity absorption spectroscopy with a broadband Er3+-doped fiber laser is applied for time-resolved measurements of CO2 molecules revealing quantitative information about the gas concentration in exhaled human breath. The spectral range of measurements extends from 1.52 to 1.61 μm by moving an intracavity lens. With a pulsed laser applied in this experiment, the sensitivity to absorption corresponds to an effective absorption path length of 6 km assuming the cavity is completely filled with the sample. Sensitivity enhancement is achieved by employing an unidirectional ring laser. The effective absorption path length is enhanced by a factor of three compared to a linear configuration with the same cavity length

Is Gastronomy A Relevant Factor for Sustainable Tourism? An Empirical Analysis of Spain Country Brand

Tourism has become a fundamental industry for the economic growth of many countries. Due to this, there is growing competitiveness among the different destinations to attract as many tourists as possible. As a result, disciplines such as marketing have developed tools to differentiate some destinations from others and concepts such as place branding and country brand have emerged. One of the key factors forming the country brand is gastronomy, as food tourism is one way to reduce the growing problem of sustainability in tourism, as it impacts different aspects of the country’s environment. However, there is a great lack of scientific works that relate both variables. In this paper, we propose to establish that, in the case of Spain, tourists’ perception of Spanish gastronomy is a key element of its country brand. To do that, this study relies on the use of Partial Least Squares Structural Equations Modeling (PLS-SEM) using a 496 cases data set

Identification and development of microgrids emergency control procedures

Tese de doutoramento. Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 200