Measuring the shadow economy and its drivers: the case of peripheral EMU countries

We adopt a long-run perspective to investigate the size of the shadow economy and explore the trends in this area. The analysis is based on a panel of peripheral EMU countries over the period 1965-2015. Our empirical approach relies on a multiple indicators and multiple causes (MIMIC) framework. This approach is a variant of structural equation modelling (SEM). We used two sets of variables, (i.e. potential determinants and indicator variables) to estimate an underlying (unobserved) index that measures the evolution of the shadow economy. Ascertaining the relative importance of the shadow economy enabled analysis of its relationship with other institutional and social issues (e.g. corruption, productivity and economic growth), and helped identify the channels through which the shadow economy might negatively influence the performance of different economies. In the sampled countries, shadow activity increased over the study period. It also seemed to be affected by the economic cycle

Chapter Fashion, emulation and social classes in late medieval Valencia. Exploring textile consumption through probate inventories

Abstract: This article explores the personal garments present in the probate inventories of 83 individuals that lived in the city of Valencia and its hinterland during the long fourteenth century. The paper explores the differences between both groups of individuals, the urban and the rural one, in aspects such as the typologies of the pieces of clothing, the colours, finishes, complements and fabrics employed in their design. It also tracks the spread of particular pieces of clothing across both groups of deceased before and after the Black Death, and discusses how far these changes were guided by emulative motivations

Richard Jones y Christopher Dyer (Eds.) Farmers, Consumers, Innovators: The World of Joan Thirsk Hatfield, University of Hertfordshire Press, 2016, 174 páginas

En ocasiones, las obras realizadas en honor a historiadores desaparecidos se convierten en compendios de escasa coherencia, con una relación laxa con el trabajo del homenajeado. No es, ni de lejos, el caso de Farmers, Consumers, Innovators. The World of Joan Thirsk, un libro que resulta del congreso en honor a la historiadora modernista que tuvo lugar en 2013, y que editan Richard Jones y Christopher Dyer. Joan Thirsk falleció entonces a la edad de 91 años

La cultura material de la alimentación campesina. Consumo y niveles de vida en la Valencia bajomedieval (1280-1460)

Durante el período bajomedieval, el campesinado valenciano experimentó mejoras sustanciales en la manera en la que almacenaba, cocinaba y servía sus alimentos a la mesa. Los cambios en la cultura material de la alimentación campesina no fueron solo algo curioso y pintoresco, sino de la manifestación de grandes transformaciones en su comportamiento como consumidores. El presente trabajo explica cómo tuvo lugar este proceso. Se trata de un intento de cuantificación a gran escala de casi un millar de documentos notariales (332 inventarios de campesinos, 268 de otros sectores socioprofesionales y 300 almonedas), que cubren una cronología de largo recorrido que abarca desde la década de 1280 a la de 1460. El capítulo 1 explica los criterios de selección de la muestra documental y analiza en profundidad sus posibles sesgos. El capítulo 2 identifica las prácticas cotidianas alrededor del uso de estos objetos, así como su apariencia física. El capítulo 3 describe las tendencias en las pautas de consumo de estos objetos, desde una perspectiva global y también regional, evidenciando un proceso de acumulación de enseres. El capítulo 4 explica cómo pudo llevarse a cabo, estudiando los precios de los productos, estimando el gasto en consumo y analizando su impacto en la economía doméstica campesina. El capítulo 5 realiza comparaciones entre consumidores de otros sectores sociales, indagando en cuál era la lógica del consumidor rural.During the late middle ages, Valencian villagers experienced considerable improvements to the way they stored, cooked and served their meals. These changes in the material culture of food were not only curious and picturesque facts, but also a manifestation of the major transformations that took place in their consumer behaviour. This dissertation explains how the process took place. It represents a large-scale attempt of quantification of nearly a thousand notarial documents –322 villagers’ inventories, 268 specimens from other occupational groups and 300 public auctions (almonedes)–, covering a long-term chronology that encompasses the 1280s to the 1460s. Chapter 1 explains the selection criteria of the sample, analyzing its potential biases. Chapter 2 identifies the everyday practices surrounding these objects, as well as their physical appearance. Chapter 3 describes their trends in consumption patterns, from both a global and local scope, portraying a process of accumulation of domestic items. Chapter 4 explains how this could be undertaken, by analyzing these products’ prices, estimating consumption expense and discussing their impact on the villagers’ household economies. Chapter 5 compares these consumers with those of other occupational groups, in order to delve into the logic of the rural consumer

Rompiendo la jerarquía de la mesa. Emulación social, alimentación y materialidad en la literatura catalana bajomedieval.: Breaking the Hierarchy of the Table: Social Emulation, Food and Materiality in Late Medieval Catalan Literature.

Resumen: Este artículo supone un acercamiento al fenómeno de la emulación social en el ámbito de la alimentación y los objetos que la rodeaban. Para ello se estudian algunas de las obras más representativas de Ramon Llull, Francesc Eiximenis y Vicent Ferrer, quienes criticaron fieramente la moral de los individuos corrientes y humildes que deseaban comer y beber como los ricos. A partir de las percepciones y consideraciones incluidas en sus escritos, se aborda qué aspectos de la alimentación de las élites podían reproducir las clases populares, cómo se difundían las modas alimentarias y por qué todo ello era tan duramente atacado por estos autores. Palabras clave: emulación social, alimentación, materialidad, literatura catalana, Baja Edad Media. Abstract: This essay represents an approach to the phenomenon of social emulation as to feeding and the objects around it. Some of the most representative works by Ramon Llull, Francesc Eiximenis and Vicent Ferrer are studied for this purpose, for they fiercely criticized the moral of those ordinary and humble individuals that wished to eat and drink like the rich. Relying on the perceptions and statements contained in their writings, this essay addresses which aspects of the food of the elites could be reproduced by common people, how food fashions could spread, and why it all was so severely attacked by these authors. Keywords: social emulation, food, materiality, Catalan literature, later Middle Ages

Chapter Measuring economic inequality in Southern Europe: the Iberian Peninsula in the 14th-17th centuries

This work explores the inequality of wealth in Spain during the late Middle Ages from six cities located in the kingdoms of Castile (Seville) and the Crown of Aragon (Barcelona, Valencia, Mallorca, Castelló and Valls), through tax sources that inform about the wealth of each taxpayer. These records provide very precise data on the wealth distribution that allow us to study inequality in an aggregate manner for the same city and, at the same time, perform sectoral analyses according to gender, different socio-professio¬nal groups and urban districts

Comentarios a la guía ESC/ERS 2015 sobre el diagnóstico y tratamiento de la hipertensión pulmonar

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Revista Española de Cardiología 69.2 (2016): 59-65, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.recesp.2015.11.03

Cost-effectiveness analysis of cardiac resynchronization therapy in patients with NYHA I and NYHA II heart failure in Spain

Objectives: The aim of the study was to combine clinical results from the European Cohort of the REVERSE study and costs associated with the addition of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) to optimal medical therapy (OMT) in patients with mild symptomatic (NYHA I-II) or asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction and markers of cardiac dyssynchrony in Spain. Methods: A Markov model was developed with CRT + OMT (CRT-ON) versus OMT only (CRT-OFF) based on a retrospective cost-effectiveness analysis. Raw data was derived from literature and expert opinion, reflecting clinical and economic consequences of patient"s management in Spain. Time horizon was 10 years. Both costs (euro 2010) and effects were discounted at 3 percent per annum. Results: CRT-ON showed higher total costs than CRT-OFF; however, CRT reduced the length of hospitalization in ICU by 94 percent (0.006 versus 0.091 days) and general ward in by 34 percent (0.705 versus 1.076 days). Surviving CRT-ON patients (88.2 percent versus 77.5 percent) remained in better functional class longer, and they achieved an improvement of 0.9 life years (LYGs) and 0.77 years quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). CRT-ON proved to be cost-effective after 6 years, except for the 7th year due to battery depletion. At 10 years, the results were 18,431 per LYG and 21,500 per QALY gained. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed CRT-ON was cost-effective in 75.4 percent of the cases at 10 years. Conclusions: The use of CRT added to OMT represents an efficient use of resources in patients suffering from heart failure in NYHA functional classes I and II

Calidad de vida relacionada con la salud de los pacientes con insuficiencia cardiaca crónica sistólica en España: resultados del estudio VIDA-IC

[Resumen] Introducción y objetivos. La calidad de vida relacionada con la salud de los pacientes con insuficiencia cardiaca está afectada. Hay poca información sobre los factores clínicos asociados a esta mala calidad de vida de la población española con insuficiencia cardiaca. Métodos. Estudio multicéntrico transversal de calidad de vida relacionada con la salud aplicando un cuestionario específico (Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire) y otro genérico (EuroQol-5D) a 1.037 pacientes ambulatorios consecutivos con insuficiencia cardiaca sistólica. Resultados. Los pacientes con peor calidad de vida presentaron en su mayoría datos asociados a peor pronóstico y mayor gravedad de la enfermedad. Los pacientes del estudio presentaron mayor incidencia de limitaciones en movilidad, dolor/malestar y ansiedad/depresión cuando se realizó una comparación externa con población general y con pacientes con otras afecciones crónicas. La correlación entre las puntuaciones totales de ambos cuestionarios fue muy alta (r de Pearson = 0,815; p < 0,001). Con regresión lineal multivariable, se observó que mayor edad (β estandarizada = –0,2; p = 0,03), sexo femenino (β estandarizada = –10,3; p < 0,001), peor clase funcional (β estandarizada = –20,4; p < 0,001), mayor comorbilidad según índice de Charlson (β estandarizada = –1,2; p = 0,005) y el ingreso reciente por insuficiencia cardiaca (β estandarizada = 6,28; p = 0,006) son factores independientes predictores de peor calidad de vida relacionada con la salud. Conclusiones. Los pacientes con insuficiencia cardiaca tienen muy afectada su calidad de vida respecto a la población general española y a otras enfermedades crónicas. Sexo femenino, edad avanzada, comorbilidad, síntomas avanzados y hospitalización reciente son factores determinantes en la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud de estos pacientes

Usability of a 5G fronthaul based on a DML and external modulation for M-QAM transmission over photonically generated 40 GHz

[EN] In this paper, we numerically and experimentally present the bandwidth constraints of a cost-effective 5G mobile fronthaul based on a directly-modulated laser for data modulation and a Mach-Zehnder modulator-based optical double sideband with carrier suppression scheme for optical millimeter wave (mmW) signal generation. The effect of chirp, fiber dispersion and a combination of both on different bandwidth M-Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (M-QAM) signals, i.e. M = 4, 16 and 64, at 40 GHz has also been investigated. Simulation results are firrst carried out to evaluate the impact of higher chirp of the directly-modulated laser on the link performance as a function of modulation format and signal bandwidth. We then experimentally demonstrate the same scheme transmitting M-QAM signals with bandwidths ranging from 50 to 1000 MHz over a 10 km long single mode fiber. Both experimental and simulation results show that larger signal bandwidths lead to higher optical power penalties due to the combined effect with the error vector magnitudes (EVMs), however still satisfying the required limits of 3GPP standard for allQAMsignals. Experimental measurements also showthe feasibility of including free space optics links in the optical distribution network with no further signi cant penalties. Finally, a multiband signal (three-band) transmission is demonstrated leading to an increase of the total bitrate with the measured EVMs are well below the EVM requirement.This work was supported in part by the Generalitat Valenciana under Grant PROMETEO 2017/103, in part by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades under Grant FOCAL RTI2018-101658-B-I00, in part by the Ministerstvo Prumyslu a Obchodu under Grant FV40089, and in part by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology under Grant CA16220.Vallejo-Castro, L.; Ortega Tamarit, B.; Nguyen, D.; Bohata, J.; Almenar Terre, V.; Zvanovec, S. (2020). Usability of a 5G fronthaul based on a DML and external modulation for M-QAM transmission over photonically generated 40 GHz. IEEE Access. 8:223730-223742. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3042756S223730223742