Urban spatial structure and economic growth in Spanish metropolitan areas

There is a large literature on the existence of agglomeration economies, as shown in the surveys by Moomaw (1983) or Gerking (1993). The benefits of these economies arise from multiple sources, but some negative externalities might also emerge. Within the hierarchical urban system, cities at different ranks (different size) take on different economic functions with variant 'efficient sizes' (Capello and Camagni, 2000) and, indeed, the distributions of cities' relative size have been stable in many countries (Black and Henderson, 1999; Eaton and Eckstein, 1997; Nitsch, 2005) and, in many cases they obey the Zipf's law (Gabaix, 1999). If a city is able to adjust its spatial structure to offset the negative exter- nalities due to its size, it will be able to keep growing. If that is not possible, it might be more convenient to transit from a monocentric to a polycentric structure, which is usually considered as a possible strategy to eliminate diseconomies in urban economics (Sasaki and Mun, 1996; Fujita et al., 1997). However, there is little empirical evidence on the links between urban spatial structure and growth---which are usually understood within the context of urban evolution. One notable exception is the study by Cervero (2001), where it is argued that more compact, centralized and accessible cities are usually associated with higher productivity levels. In this context, this paper explores the links between urban spatial structure and economic growth in metropolitan areas in Spain, where this type of analysis is virtually non-existent. However, it is a relevant policy issue due to a variety of reasons such as the increased urban sprawl and the different costs it brings about. The analysis will also enable to evaluate if there is any particular type of urban spatial structure which prevails on the grounds of its superior efficiency, together with evaluating if an efficient urban spatial structure hinges on the size and other attributes specific to each particular metropolitan area.

Poverty-happiness nexus: Does the use of regional poverty lines matter?

This analysis aims to provide a comprehensive representation of the role of regional disparities in the nexus between poverty and subjective well-being, by adding the territorial dimension to the definition of poverty conditions. We investigate the nexus using regional poverty lines, including different poverty measures and considering different life domains. The analysis focuses on Italy because of its strong regional socio-economic disparities. Results show that the relevance of being poor on the well-being of citizens is in general higher and significant; the intensity and severity of poverty also change for different life domains. Findings are fundamental in designing local policies against poverty

Separable Measurement Estimation of Density Matrices and its Fidelity Gap with Collective Protocols

We show that there exists a gap between the performance of separable and collective measurements in qubit mixed-state estimation that persists in the large sample limit. We characterize such gap in terms of the corresponding bounds on the mean fidelity. We present an adaptive protocol that attains the separable-measurement bound. This (optimal separable) protocol uses von Neumann measurements and can be easily implemented with current technology.Comment: version published in PR

Conflictivitat i ruptura en el matrimoni

Es tracta de la intensa i generalitzada crisi del matrimoni, de profunda i àmplia repercussió social, basant-se en documentats estudis i fidedignes estadístiques. Es desenvolupa una tipologia de les situacions d’exclusió, tensió, conflictivitat i ruptura que es donen en relació amb el matrimoni. Sintetitzada, és la següent: a) unions sense lligam jurídic; b) conflictivitat en el si del matrimoni:, c,) doblatge entre la vida conjugal i unes relacions sexuals extramatrimonials; d) separacions merament de fet o a través d’un conveni; e) separació judicial o administrativa, mantenint-se el vincle; f ) nova convivència fixa amb tercera persona; g) assoliment d’una sentència de divorci vincular; h) obtenció d’una resolució judicial que declari nul el matrimoni o d’una dispensa que el deixi sense efecte. S’inclou el resultat d’una anàlisi sociològica efectuada sobre una mostra de les causes de separació conjugal introduïdes al Tribunal Eclesiàstic de Barcelona en el període 1968-1974. Es destaca la importància, a part de consideracions jurídiques, de l’existencia d’un veritable amor psíquic i sexual, d’una compenetració intel·lectual i afectiva, que faci veritablement estable la unió matrimonial i que permeti de superar les influències derivades, en bona part, de la massificació, del materialisme egoista i del consumisme, existents en la societat capitalista i que porten a la tensió, a la conflictivitat i a la ruptura matrimonial

Three Selected Papers on Catalan Folklore

This volume contains a selection of three translations of articles by Josep M. Pujol (Barcelona, 1947–2012), one in each of the three areas that he defined to characterise his work in the field of folklore: the theory of interactive artistic communication; the history of folklore studies and folk literature; and folk narrative. The three articles give a taste of the important contributions he made to the study of folklore, and which have been studied and contextualised by Carme Oriol in the introduction that precedes the three texts. This edition also includes the complete folkloric bibliography of Josep M. Pujol in chronological order, with all the references

Emerging Affect Detection Methodologies in VR and future directions.

The uses of Virtual reality are constantly evolving, from healthcare treatments to evaluating commercial products, all of which would benefit from a better understanding of the emotional state of the individual. There is ongoing research into developing specially adapted methods for the recognition of the user’s affect while immersed within Virtual Reality. This paper outlines the approaches attempted and the available methodologies that embed sensors into wearable devices for real-time affect detection. These emerging technologies are introducing innovative ways of studying and interpreting emotion related data produced within immersive experience