Functional upgrading in China’s export processing sector

Functional upgrading occurs when a firm acquires more sophisticated functions within an existing value chain. In this paper, we analyze if there is evidence of this type of upgrading in China’s export processing regime by investigating dynamics in the relative prevalence of Import & Assembly (IA) versus Pure Assembly (PA) processing trade over the period 2000-2013. Firms in both regimes provide similar manufacturing services to foreign companies, but IA firms also conduct the sophisticated tasks of quality control, searching, financing and storing imported materials. Consistent with a trend of functional upgrading, we show that the share of IA trade in total processing trade has increased rapidly during the period 2000-2006, both overall and within product categories. Furthermore, we find that this trend has gone hand in hand with improvements in a sector’s labor productivity and unit values. Against expectations, we find that this process has slowed down notably during the period 2006-2013.status: publishe

Survival and long-term maintenance of tertiary trees in the Iberian Peninsula during the Pleistocene. First record of Aesculus L.

The Italian and Balkan peninsulas have been places traditionally highlighted as Pleistocene glacial refuges. The Iberian Peninsula, however, has been a focus of controversy between geobotanists and palaeobotanists as a result of its exclusion from this category on different occasions. In the current paper, we synthesise geological, molecular, palaeobotanical and geobotanical data that show the importance of the Iberian Peninsula in the Western Mediterranean as a refugium area. The presence of Aesculus aff. hippocastanum L. at the Iberian site at Cal Guardiola (Tarrasa, Barcelona, NE Spain) in the Lower– Middle Pleistocene transition helps to consolidate the remarkable role of the Iberian Peninsula in the survival of tertiary species during the Pleistocene. The palaeodistribution of the genus in Europe highlights a model of area abandonment for a widely-distributed species in the Miocene and Pliocene, leading to a diminished and fragmentary presence in the Pleistocene and Holocene on the southern Mediterranean peninsulas. Aesculus fossils are not uncommon within the series of Tertiary taxa. Many appear in the Pliocene and suffer a radical impoverishment in the Lower–Middle Pleistocene transition. Nonetheless some of these tertiary taxa persisted throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene up to the present in the Iberian Peninsula. Locating these refuge areas on the Peninsula is not an easy task, although areas characterised by a sustained level of humidity must have played an predominant role

Aerospace industry in México and biofuels: A sustainability approach

The development of the aerospace industry in Mexico shows potential growth measured through the levels of state investment and the arrival of several international manufacturers to set up manufacturing production because of advantages offered by the country’s proximity to North America and its international trade agreements with the European Union and some Asian countries, which are considered to be the biggest markets in this sector. Very high demand is expected for jet fuels in the coming decades due to intense global economic activity. Under this context, the Mexican government has developed infrastructure and several programs aimed at developing sustainable long-term biofuels for the industry. The objective of this research is to provide a literature review of the aerospace industry and the main biofuel crops currently deployed for this industry (mainly transportation). The main results show a promising and innovative industry fostered by public and private investments motivated by Mexico’s recent regulatory changes in the energy sector. The main raw material crops for the production of biofuel in Mexico are Jatropha, sunflower, canola, and palm oils, all of which present significant advantages with production in Mexican soils. Important challenges remain, however, for continued development of capabilities in R&D, manufacturing production, supply chain optimization, and market development for biofuels

Genetic diversity of HLA system in three populations from Chihuahua, Mexico: Chihuahua City, Ciudad Juárez and rural Chihuahua

We studied HLA class I (HLA-A, -B) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) alleles by PCR-SSP based typing in 461 Mexicans from the state of Chihuahua living in Chihuahua city (N = 119), Ciudad Juárez (N = 106) and rural communities (N = 236), to obtain information regarding allelic and haplotypic frequencies and their linkage disequilibrium. We find that the most frequent haplotypes found in the state of Chihuahua include seven Native American and three European haplotypes. Admixture estimates revealed that the main genetic components in Chihuahua are European (52.12 ± 0.88 by ML; 41.53 of European haplotypes) and Native American (39.51 ± 2.17 by ML; 37.45 of Native American haplotypes), while African genetic component was less apparent (8.36 ± 1.47 by ML; 11.70 of African haplotypes)

Genetic diversity of HLA system in two populations from Durango, Mexico: Durango city and rural Durango

We studied HLA class I (HLA-A, -B) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) alleles by PCR-SSP based typing in 479 Mexicans from the state of Durango living in Durango city (N = 153) and rural communities (N = 326), to obtain information regarding allelic and haplotypic frequencies. We find that the ten most frequent haplotypes found in the state of Durango include eight Native American and two European haplotypes. Admixture estimates revealed that the main genetic components in Durango are European (54.34 ± 1.68) and Native American (45.66 ± 2.24), while African genetic component was virtually absent (0.00 ± 2.03). However, African haplotypes could be estimated at a proportion of 9.13

Genetic diversity of HLA system in three populations from Coahuila, Mexico: Torreón, Saltillo and rural Coahuila

We studied HLA class I (HLA-A, -B) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) alleles by PCR-SSP based typing in 684 Mexicans from the state of Coahuila living in Saltillo (N = 72), Torreón (N = 396) and rural communities (N = 216), to obtain information regarding allelic and haplotypic frequencies. We find that the ten most frequent haplotypes found in the state of Coahuila include eight Native American and two European haplotypes. Admixture estimates revealed that the main genetic components in the state of Coahuila are European (49.72 ± 4.18 by ML; 37.49 of European haplotypes) and Native American (45.01 ± 2.69 by ML; 42.98 of Native American haplotypes), while African genetic component is less apparent (5.27 ± 1.88 by ML; 9.92 of African haplotypes)

Genetic diversity of HLA system in two populations from San Luis Potosí, Mexico: San Luis Potosí City and rural San Luis Potosí

We studied HLA class I (HLA-A, -B) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) alleles by PCR-SSP based typing in 117 Mexicans from the state of San Luis Potosí living in the city of San Luis Potosí (N = 30) and rural communities (N = 87), to obtain information regarding allelic and haplotypic frequencies. We find that the most frequent haplotypes in the state include 13 Native American, six European, two African and two Asian haplotypes. Admixture estimates revealed that the main genetic components are Native American (52.72 ± 0.66 by ML; 48.29 of Native American haplotypes) and European (34.62 ± 4.28 by ML; 32.48 of European haplotypes), and a relatively high African genetic component (12.66 ± 4.61 by ML; 10.26 of African haplotypes)

Mensaje Pastoral a la Comunidades Eclesiales de Base México

Queridas hermanas, queridos hermanos: Todavía está fresco en la memoria de las CEB el recuerdo gozoso y cuestionador de la experiencia de Iglesia vivida en Río Blanco, Veracruz, el pasado octubre, durante los encuentros Latinoamericano (III) y Nacional (XIII) de CEB. Ocho días de calurosa acogida eclesial, de intercambio de experiencias, de reflexión, oración y celebración creyente, que pusieron delante de los ojos de quien quiera ver la vitalidad eclesial y misionera de las CEB en la América Latina de hoy, y que ayudaron a profundizar, más específicamente, el significado cristiano y evangelizador de la participación de los miembros de esos órganos en el ámbito político de nuestro país. Nos dirigimos ahora fraternalmente a ustedes y los saludamos en este tiempo de celebraciones significativas que son una oferta de la bondad de Dios a nuestra libertad agradecida, una llamada a conversión y una exigencia de mayor fidelidad. En efecto, queremos ver la vida de las CEB de nuestro país enmarcada en los 20 años de Medellín y diez de Puebla, en los 500 años de la primera evangelización de nuestras tierras; motivo todo ello, repetimos, de agradecimiento e impulso renovado en el anuncio de la Buena Nueva de Jesús. Nos expresamos como obispos que, en cercanía pastoral y fraterna, hemos caminado durante años en medio de la CEB. Queremos reconocer en ellas la presencia del Espíritu de Jesús que renueva a su Iglesia y la envía en misión a este mundo. Queremos, desde nuestro encargo pastoral, reflexionar sobre esa vida. Queremos dar testimonio de lo que ella va significando para nosotros como pastores y como creyentes. Queremos alentarla y ayudar a identificar en ella los retos y perspectivas que nos parecen más importantes para el futuro próximo. Queremos, asimismo, que nuestras reflexiones puedan llegar a todo el pueblo de Dios a quien servimos y, en él, a todos nuestros hermanos obispos, con quienes estamos en comunión respetuosa y fraterna. Con esto esperamos contribuir al desarrollo de esa vida que, como gracia y a la manera de humilde semilla, el Espíritu de Dios está haciendo brotar en nosotros

Genetic diversity of HLA system in a population sample from Aguascalientes, Mexico

We studied HLA class I (HLA-A, -B) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) alleles by PCR-SSP based typing in 95 Mexicans from the state of Aguascalientes to obtain information regarding allelic and haplotypic frequencies and their linkage disequilibrium. We find that the most frequent haplotypes in the state of Aguascalientes include four Native American, three European and one Asian haplotypes. Admixture estimates revealed that the main genetic components in the state of Aguascalientes are Native American (54.53 ± 3.22 by ML; 44.21 of Native American haplotypes) and European (44.34 ± 0.45 by ML; 40.53 of European haplotypes), and a relatively low African genetic component (1.13 ± 2.33 by ML; 5.26 of African haplotypes)

Genetic diversity of HLA system in two populations from Nuevo León, Mexico: Monterrey and rural Nuevo León

We studied HLA class I (HLA-A, -B) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) alleles by PCR-SSP based typing in 665 Mexicans from the state of Nuevo León living in the city of Monterrey (N = 226) and rural communities (N = 439), to obtain information regarding allelic and haplotypic frequencies. We find that the most frequent haplotypes in the state of Nuevo León include 12 Native American and three European haplotypes. Admixture estimates revealed that the main genetic components in the state of Nuevo León are Native American (54.53 ± 0.87 by ML; 48.88 of Native American haplotypes) and European (38.67 ± 4.06 by ML; 32.59 of European haplotypes), and a less prominent African genetic component (6.80 ± 4.30 by ML; 8.26 of African haplotypes)