Are Preferential Agreements Stepping Stones To Other Markets?

This paper investigates whether preferential trade agreements (PTA) promote exports to third nations through the expansion of the extensive margin (i.e. larger number of export goods). The analysis covers 11 South- South and South-North PTAs involving 36 countries that exported to 118 different destinations during the 5 years before and after the PTA. Using a conditional logit model, and trade data at the SITC 5-digit level, we estimate the effect of new within-PTA exports on the subsequent exports to thirdnation markets. The results suggest that PTAs have a positive indirect effect, i.e. spillover-effect, on exports to third countries. Previous export experience in a given product in the preferential area is shown to have a positive effect on the probability that the same product is subsequently exported to a nonmember market. The size of the effect, however, varies across PTAs.Trade policy, spillovers, market entry

Managing relational capital for the sustainability of the energy sector in the social media

Various management models have been proposed for intangible business assets in this new digital era. However, these models do not consider the relationships between intangible assets in business management, or their effect. This work has two main objectives: first, to show the effect of intangi-ble assets as expressed in digital media related to energy brands; second, to demonstrate the rela-tionships between the emotions, experiences and attitudes of the audiences. To do so, a novel model of intangibles is proposed and applied to the energy sector using IBEX 35 data. In this sce-nario, we determine that users' experiences extracted from digital environments have significant relationships with one of the most important intangibles in the energy business, namely emotion.Vários modelos de gestão foram propostos para ativos de negócios intangíveis nesta nova era digital. No entanto, esses modelos não consideram as relações entre ativos intangíveis na gestão ou os seus efeitos. Este estudo tem dois objetivos principais: primeiro, mostrar o efeito dos ativos intangíveis expressos nos meios digitais relacionados com as marcas associadas ao setor económico da energia; segundo, demonstrar as relações entre as emoções, experiências e atitudes do público. Para esse efeito, é proposto um novo modelo de gestão de intangíveis aplicado ao setor de energia utilizando dados do IBEX 35. Nesse cenário, concluímos que as experiências dos utilizadores extraídas de ambientes digitais têm relacionamentos significativos com um dos intangíveis mais importantes no negócio de energia, ou seja, a emoção.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The DR-CAFTA and the extensive margin : a firm-level analysis

This paperexamines the export behavior of Dominican Republic exporters following the implementation of the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement in 2007. Using a firm-level dataset for 2002-2009, the authors investigate the effects of a tariff reduction on the extensive margin. The analysis distinguishes the impact on the entry of new firms, exports of new products, and entry into the Agreement’s markets. The paper analyzes whether the agreement prevents incumbent exporters from exiting the market. The results suggest that tariff cuts had a positive although very small effect on the extensive margin. A decline in tariffs also seems to reduce the probability of exit, but the effect is also small. The evidence calls for complementary policies aiming at helping exporters maximize the benefits of the agreement.Free Trade,Markets and Market Access,Debt Markets,Export Competitiveness,Trade Policy

Optimisation of HIV-1 enveloped Virus Like Particles as a personalised vaccine platform for the delivery of cancer neoantigens

Cancer immunotherapies (CIT) stand as novel and promising strategies for the treatment of cancer. Their aim is to enhance the individual’s own immune system to recognise and eliminate cancer cells reducing side effects, with the ultimate goal of providing long-term tumour control. Among immunotherapy possible targets, neoantigens have arisen as suitable candidates as they are mostly patient- and tumour-specific. The possibility of identifying neoantigens has fostered the development of personalised vaccines with promising results. The prediction and prioritisation of immunogenic neoantigens is currently addressed mostly using in silico bioinformatic tools, but their formulation as vaccines needs to be improved. To maximize their therapeutic potential, optimal neoantigens-based vaccines should be manufactured in a superb delivery platform that enhances robust immune responses with potent antitumoral activity. Here, we developed a highly immunogenic vaccine platform based on engineered HIV-derived Virus-Like Particles (VLPs) expressing a high density of selected neoantigens (neoVLPs). Predicted immunogenic peptides were presented as a concatenated long polypeptide spaced by specific designed sequences investigated to promote and enhance antigen processing and presentation. Then, polypeptides were either fused to the N-terminal or the C-terminal of the structural Gag protein. After self-assembling into VLPs, the peptides were exposed on the particle surface or at the particle core, respectively. After successfully generating and purifying neoVLPs, their integrity and VLP morphology were confirmed by western blot and cryo-EM. The immunogenicity of selected vaccine candidates was evaluated in a mouse model (C57BL/6) and neoantigen-specific T-cell responses were detected by ELISpot. In total, 7 out of 44 neoantigens were able to elicit strong de novo CD8+ T-cell responses upon two vaccination doses. In addition, animals vaccinated with one of the selected candidates and challenged with the B16-F10 tumour showed delayed tumour growth compared to the control group, and an increased survival. Taken together, our data show that neoVLPs promote the generation of new antitumor-specific immune responses against selected neoepitopes, suggesting that neoVLPs vaccination could be an alternative to current therapeutic vaccine approaches and a promising candidate for future personalised immunotherapy.Les immunoteràpies contra el càncer (CIT) s’han establert com estratègies prometedores en el tractament d’aquesta malaltia. El seu objectiu és estimular el sistema immunitari de l'individu per reconèixer i eliminar les cèl·lules canceroses reduint els possibles efectes secundaris, amb l'objectiu de proporcionar un control tumoral a llarg termini. Entre les possibles dianes de les immunoteràpies, els neoantígens han sorgit com a candidats rellevants, ja que són majoritàriament específics de cada pacient i de cada tumor. La possibilitat d'identificar neoantígens ha fomentat el desenvolupament de vacunes personalitzades amb resultats prometedors. No obstant això, mentre que la predicció i priorització dels neoantígens més immunògens es pot abordar utilitzant eines bioinformàtiques, la seva formulació com a vacunes necessita especial atenció i optimització. Per maximitzar el seu potencial terapèutic, les vacunes basades en neoantígens haurien de ser formulades idealment fent ús d’una plataforma potent que busqui potenciar una resposta immune amb capacitat antitumoral. En aquest treball hem desenvolupat una plataforma de vacuna altament immunògena basada en partícules similvíriques (VLPs) utilitzant la proteïna estructural del VIH, Gag. Aquestes partícules estan dissenyades per expressar una alta densitat de neoantígens a la seva superfície (neoVLPs). Els pèptids immunògens seleccionats es formulen com un polipèptid, format per un concatenat de neoepítops separats l’un de l’altre per seqüències específiques dissenyades per promoure i millorar el processament i la presentació d'antígens. Els polipèptids optimitzats estan fusionats a l’extrem N-terminal o C-terminal de la proteïna Gag que, un cop oligomeritzada, formarà VLPs exposant els pèptids a l'exterior; o a l’interior de la partícula, respectivament. Després de generar i purificar amb èxit els diferents candidats de vacunes de neoVLPs, la integritat de les proteïnes i la seva morfologia van ser confirmades per western blot i cryo-EM. La immunogenicitat dels candidats seleccionats va ser avaluada en un model de ratolí (C57BL/6) i les respostes de cèl·lules T específiques de neoantigen van ser detectades per ELISpot. En total, 7 dels 44 neoantígens inclosos a les VLPs van generar una resposta de cèl·lules T després de dues dosis de vacunació. A més, els animals vacunats amb un dels candidats seleccionats i inoculats amb cèl·lules del model tumoral B16-F10 van ser capaços de retardar la progressió del tumor comparat amb el grup control, i van demostrar una major supervivència. En resum, els nostres resultats demostren que les neoVLPs promouen la generació de noves respostes immunes antitumorals específiques contra els neoepítops seleccionats, suggerint que la vacunació amb neoVLPs podria ser una alternativa a les estratègies actuals de vacunes terapèutiques en el camp de les immunoteràpies personalitzades.Medicina i Ciències Biomèdique

Power systems with high renewable energy sources: A review of inertia and frequency control strategies over time

Traditionally, inertia in power systems has been determined by considering all the rotating masses directly connected to the grid. During the last decade, the integration of renewable energy sources, mainly photovoltaic installations and wind power plants, has led to a significant dynamic characteristic change in power systems. This change is mainly due to the fact that most renewables have power electronics at the grid interface. The overall impact on stability and reliability analysis of power systems is very significant. The power systems become more dynamic and require a new set of strategies modifying traditional generation control algorithms. Indeed, renewable generation units are decoupled from the grid by electronic converters, decreasing the overall inertia of the grid. ‘Hidden inertia’, ‘synthetic inertia’ or ‘virtual inertia’ are terms currently used to represent artificial inertia created by converter control of the renewable sources. Alternative spinning reserves are then needed in the new power system with high penetration renewables, where the lack of rotating masses directly connected to the grid must be emulated to maintain an acceptable power system reliability. This paper reviews the inertia concept in terms of values and their evolution in the last decades, as well as the damping factor values. A comparison of the rotational grid inertia for traditional and current averaged generation mix scenarios is also carried out. In addition, an extensive discussion on wind and photovoltaic power plants and their contributions to inertia in terms of frequency control strategies is included in the paper.This work was supported by the Spanish Education, Culture and Sports Ministry [FPU16/04282]

Los funcionarios subalternos de justicia en Mendoza, 1820-1852: entre el control comunitario y el disciplinamiento social

Este trabajo aborda las instituciones judiciales subalternas de una ciudad periférica del ex virreinato del Río de la Plata que luego de 1820 inicia como sus pares un proceso de reorganización jurídico-político. Nos centraremos en los decuriones , funcionarios surgidos durante el proceso revolucionario y los comisarios , sus inmediatos superiores, quienes conformaban un escalón novedoso en las jerarquías judiciales y policiales de la provincia.  La elección de esta mirada “al ras del suelo” tiene que ver con el hecho de que conformaban el brazo del poder gubernamental más cercano a la población; precisamente, era su inserción en los vínculos comunitarios más estrechos lo que se tenía en cuenta para su designación. Esto, creemos, otorga un interés metodológico clave a estos jueces menores pues permiten pulsar la legitimidad experimentada por el orden político posrevolucionario en las relaciones sociales y observar las limitaciones mismas del ordenamiento liberal que pretendía imponer la elite mendocina.  En este sentido, la aparente estabilidad política local estuvo atravesada por profundas tensiones conectadas con las continuidades del orden indiano pero también con la herencia revolucionaria, la cual incluía la impronta del régimen sanmartiniano. This paper focuses on the subordinated judicial institutions of a regional city from the former Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata, which as well as its equals, began after 1820, a process of legal and political reorganization. We will focus on the decuriones, who were government employees emerged during the revolutionary process, and on the commissioners, their immediate superiors, who created a novel step in the judicial and police hierarchies of the province. The choice of such perspective “at ground level” has to do with the fact that this civil servants were the arm of the governmental power that was closest to the population. In fact, the most relevant aspect that contributed to decide their designation, was their integration into the community. This, we believe, provides a key methodological interest to these young judges, which allows to gauge the legitimacy experienced by the post-revolutionary political and social relations, while observing the limitations of the liberal order that the elite from the province of Mendoza allegedly sought to impose. In this way, the apparent stability in local politics would have been crossed by deep tensions connected not only with the continuity of an indian order, but also with the burden of the revolutionary heritage, that in the case of Mendoza included the stamp of the management of San Martín.Fil: Molina, Eugenia Rosa Ana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Instituto de Estudios Historicos, Economicos, Sociales E Internacionales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Estudios Sociales Contemporaneos; Argentin

Commercial Circuits, Movement of Persons and Criminality in the Configuration of Political Spaces: Valle de Uco (Mendoza, Río de la Plata), in the first half of the nineteenth century

En este trabajo buscamos observar en qué medida la configuración de un espacio político, en este caso Valle de Uco (jurisdicción de Mendoza), estuvo atravesada al menos por dos tramas de variables. Por un lado, la visibilización de una serie de circuitos mercantiles en el sur de Mendoza que articulaban las zonas de frontera, aún más allá de las no dominadas por los hispanocriollos, y con los pasos cordilleranos de esa zona. Por otro lado, el “problema” de la criminalidad en ciertas coyunturas político-militares que generaban una movilidad notable de población y un flujo más intenso de productos, pero que también servía como argumento para justificar políticas de control creciente sobre los espacios rurales. En este sentido, la exposición estará organizada en dos apartados. En el primero intentaremos mostrar cómo con la Revolución se consolidaron oficialmente circuitos mercantiles que tenían larga tradición colonial y adquirieron luego de 1820 mayor visibilidad para los gobiernos. En el segundo, analizaremos de qué modo, si bien los ataques contra la propiedad pudieron haber aumentado en ciertas coyunturas, su creciente criminalización y punición quizá se profundizó al ritmo de la consolidación de una burocracia estatal provincial que necesitaba garantizar la seguridad de la propiedad privada y la pública en los espacios de tráfico mercantil y producción ganadera.In the present paper, we intend to observe to what extent the configuration of a political space –in this case the Valle de Uco (jurisdiction of Mendoza)– was transversed by at least two correlated factors. On one hand, the identification of a series of mercantile circuits in southern Mendoza which articulated the border areas, even beyond those not controlled by the Hispano-Creoles, with the Andean mountain passes of the zone; on the other, the “problem” of criminality in certain political and military conjunctures, that generated a remarkable mobilization of population and a more intense flow of goods, but also served as an argument to justify policies of increasing control over rural areas. In this sense, the exposition will be organized into two sections. First of all, we intend to demonstrate how mercantile circuits with a long colonial tradition were consolidated with the Revolution and acquired more visibility for the government after 1820. Secondly, we analyze how, even though the attacks against property may have increased under certain circumstances, their growing criminalization and punishment was probably boosted with the consolidation of a provincial state bureaucracy that needed to guarantee the security of public and private property in areas of mercantile traffic and livestock production.Fil: Molina, Eugenia Rosa Ana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo; Argentin

Por especie de broma "A asustar la gente". Consideraciones sobre algunas formas de resistencia al disciplinamiento revolucionario. Mendoza, 1815

Este trabajo pretende insertarse en los esfuerzos por complejizar las interpretaciones sobre el proceso que implicó la ruptura del orden institucional desde 1810, y aun desde 1806, indagando en las experiencias que los actores subalternos desarrollaron y el modo en que vivieron las transformaciones que a todo nivel aquél trajo consigo. Para ello, usaremos como observador un sumario de comienzos de 1815 conservado en el Archivo Histórico de Mendoza (en adelante AHM), en el cual un peón fue investigado por haber andado en Cruz de Piedra (villorio de la campaña mendocina), disfrazado con un casaca militar para entrar en diversas casas haciéndose pasar por un oficial en busca de desertores. El expediente es tomado como una excepción normal , en tanto una situación particular que aporta elementos para reflexionar sobre el modo en que revolución y guerra impactaron sobre la existencia cotidiana de estos sectores.The aim of this investigation consists of taking part in efforts to enrich the interpretations of the process involving the rupture of institutional order since 1810. It dives into the experiences of developed subaltern sectors and how they lived through the changes that this process implied. A summary preserved at the Historical Archives of Mendoza will be used as an observer of the beginning of the year 1815. In that year, a worker was investigated for having walked dressed in a military jacket posing as an officer in search for deserters. The case is considered as normal exception, a particular situation, and it provides elements to reflect on how the revolution and war had an impact on the daily lives of local society. Este trabajo pretende insertarse en los esfuerzos por complejizar las interpretaciones sobre el proceso que implicó la ruptura del orden institucional desde 1810, y aún desde 1806, indagando en las experiencias que los actores subalternos desarrollaron y el modo en que vivieron las transformaciones que a todo nivel aquél trajo consigo.Fil: Molina, Eugenia Rosa Ana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Instituto de Estudios Historicos, Economicos, Sociales E Internacionales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Estudios Sociales Contemporaneos; Argentin

Reportaje sobre la mujer en la política y su situación actual : "La igualdad en la política ¿un espejismo?"

Universidad de Sevilla. Grado en Periodism