Tax differentials and agglomeration economies in intraregional firm location

This paper analyses empirically how differences in local taxes affect the intraregional location of new manufacturing plants. These effects are examined within the random profit maximization framework while accounting for the presence of different types of agglomeration economies (localization/ urbanization/ Jacobs’ economies) at the municipal level. We look at the location decision of more than 10,000 establishments locating between 1996 and 2003 across more than 400 municipalities in Catalonia, a Spanish region. It is necessary to restrict the choice set to the local labor market and, above all, to control for agglomeration economies so as to identify the effects of taxes on the location of new establishments.Local taxes, Agglomeration economies, Firm location.

Ecological restoration of cold-water corals on the Mediterranean continental shelf

[eng] Cold-water coral (CWC) habitats dwell on continental shelves, slopes, canyons, seamounts, and ridge systems around the world’s oceans, from 50 m to depths up to 4000 m. CWC species provide heterogeneous habitats supporting a myriad of associated fauna and form highly diverse CWC reefs and CWC gardens. Main threats, currently impacting CWC ecosystems come from anthropogenic stressors, such as fishing activities, oil and gas exploitation and the incipient mining activity. Likewise, climate change, causing changes in the water column, is also affecting these ecosystems. Life-history traits of CWC species (long lifespans, slow growth and limited recruitment) make them very vulnerable to current and potential threats. Given their limited recovery capacity, interest to preserve and restore CWC ecosystem is steadily growing. The creation of Marine Protected Areas and active ecological restoration actions are nowadays the best management tools to conserve native ecosystems and represents an opportunity to revert the anthropogenic damage that has already taken place. Through passive (natural regeneration after the cessation of stressors) and active (human interacts with biotic and/or abiotic ecosystem features) approaches, restoration activities seek to accelerate the recovery of ecosystem structure and functioning relative to a reference model. Contrarily to terrestrial and shallow-water marine ecosystems, ecological restoration in intermediate (50 – 200 m) and deep marine (> 200 m) environments has received lesser attention. To date, only few restoration actions at local scales have been carried out at those depths, mainly due to technical and economic limitations which questions its wide application. Scaling-up restoration actions and make them affordable are the main present challenges for CWC restoration. In this sense, in order to move forward towards the conservation of intermediate and deep-sea ecosystems, the general aim of the present thesis is to assess the impact of fishing activity on CWC gardens as well as to explore the feasibility of novel active ecological restoration techniques. All the work performed during this thesis has been carried out at the Cap de Creus marine area (North-Western Mediterranean Sea), specifically at the continental shelf (60 – 130 m), where gorgonians, sponges, and sea pen species form CWC gardens supporting a variety of mobile associated fauna. The target species is the yellow gorgonian Eunicella cavolini (Koch, 1887) which dominate in the area forming density patches. In the first chapter, the impact of artisanal fishing was quantified to evaluate the threat of this activity on CWC gardens and to provide essential information to mitigate such impact. The rest of chapters (2, 3 and 4) evaluated, for the first time, the viability to actively restore degraded E. cavolini populations. Specifically, in the second chapter, gorgonians obtained from bycatch (accidentally caught of non-target species) of local artisanal fishers, were transplanted to artificial structures deployed on the continental shelf (805 m). This pilot study demonstrated, for the first time, the high survival of E. cavolini transplants. Following, and going one step forward, in the third chapter, field experiments and modeling approaches were combined to develop and technically validate an innovative large-scale and cost- effective restoration method for CWC gardens. Successful results evidenced the feasibility of recovering bycatch E. cavolini and returning them to their natural habitat with this novel method so-called “badminton method”. Finally, in the fourth and last chapter, a large- scale restoration action of E. cavolini populations was carried out in collaboration with local artisanal fishers during two consecutive fishing seasons by applying the technique previously developed. A large number of gorgonians (460 colonies) were successfully reintroduced and survived at the end of the action (2 years) at 80-100 m depth. The results suggested an initial establishment of a new gorgonian population, which will potentially evolve toward a comparable natural population in terms of size and spatial structure, if natural recruitment also occurs. Moreover, an economic evaluation was performed, also confirming the cost efficiency of this method aimed at enhancing the recovery of impacted CWC gardens. The lack of knowledge of some key ecological processes of CWC ecosystems as well as the technical limitations hinder a complete evaluation of restoration efforts performed. However, this thesis represents a promising improvement for the conservation and recovery of CWCs that could be extended to other areas and regions.[cat] Els coralls d’aigua freda habiten en les plataformes continentals, talussos, canyons, muntanyes submarines i dorsals oceàniques d’arreu del món, des de 50 a 4000 metres de profunditat. Les espècies de coralls d’aigua freda creen hàbitats heterogenis que donen suport a una infinitat de fauna associada i formen esculls i boscos de coralls altament diversos. Les principals amenaces que actualment impacten aquests ecosistemes de coralls d’aigua freda son d’origen antròpic, com ara l’activitat pesquera, l’explotació de petroli i gas i l’incipient explotació minera. Així mateix, el canvi climàtic, el qual provoca canvis en la columna d’aigua, també està afectant aquests ecosistemes. Les característiques vitals dels coralls d’aigua freda (longevitat, creixement lent i reclutament limitat) els fan molt vulnerables a les amaces tan actuals com futures. Atesa la seva limitada capacitat de recuperació, l’interès per preservar i restaurar els ecosistemes de coralls d’aigua freda està en constant creixement. La creació d’àrees marines protegides i les accions restauració ecològica activa són avui en dia les millors eines de gestió per conservar ecosistemes autòctons i representen una oportunitat per revertir els danys antròpics que ja han tingut lloc. A través d’enfocaments passius (regeneració natural després del cessament del impacte) i actius (l’ésser humà interacciona amb les característiques biòtiques i/o abiòtiques de l’ecosistema), les activitats de restauració busquen accelerar la recuperació de l’estructura i funcionament dels ecosistemes en funció a un model de referència. Contràriament als ecosistemes terrestres i d’aigües someres, la restauració ecològica enfocada a ambients marins intermedis (50–200 m) i profunds (> 200 m) ha rebut menor atenció. Fins ara, a aquestes profunditats només s’han dut a terme algunes poques accions de restauració a escala local, principalment a causa de limitacions tècniques i econòmiques que qüestionen la seva àmplia aplicació. Els principals reptes actuals per la restauració de coralls d’aigua freda són incrementar l’escala espacial de les accions de restauració i fer-les econòmicament més assequibles. En aquest sentit, per avançar en la conservació dels ecosistemes de fons intermedis i profunds, l’objectiu general de la present tesi és avaluar l’impacte de l’activitat pesquera sobre els boscos de coralls d’aigua freda i explorar la viabilitat de innovadores tècniques de restauració activa. Tot el treball realitzat en aquesta tesi s’ha dut a terme a la zona marina del Cap de Creus (Nord-Oest del mar Mediterrani), contretament a la plataforma continental (60 – 130 m) on espècies de gorgònies, esponges i plomalls formen boscos de coralls d’aigua freda donant suport a una gran varietat de fauna mòbil associada. L’espècie objectiu és la gorgònia groga Eunicella cavolini (Koch, 1887) la qual domina a la zona formant denses agregacions. En el primer capítol, es va quantificar el impacte de la pesca artesanal per avaluar l’amenaça d’aquesta activitat sobre els boscos de coralls d’aigua freda i proporcionar informació essencial per mitigar aquest impacte. La resta de capítols (2, 3 i 4) van avaluar, per primera vegada, viabilitat de restaurar activament les poblacions degradades de E.cavolini. Especificament, en el segon capítol és van trasplantar les gorgònies capturades accidentalment pels pescadors artesanals de la zona, a estructures artificials fondejades a la plataforma continental (85 m). Aquest estudi pilot va demostrar per primera vegada l’alta supervivència dels transplantaments d’E.cavolini. Seguidament, i anant un pas més enllà, al tercer capítol es van combinar experiments de camp i modelització per desenvolupar i validar tècnicament una nova tècnica de restauració per als boscos de coralls d’aigua freda, a gran escala i econòmicament assequible. Els exitosos resultats van evidenciar la viabilitat de recuperar les colònies de E.cavolini capturades accidentalment i retornar-les al seu hàbitat natural amb aquesta innovadora tècnica , anomenada “el mètode bàdminton”. Finalment, al quart i últim capítol, es va dur a terme una acció de restauració de les poblacions de E.cavolini a gran escala, amb la col·laboració de pescadors artesanals de la zona i al llarg de dues temporades de pesca consecutives aplicant la tècnica desenvolupada anteriorment. Un gran nombre de gorgònies (460 colònies) van ser re-introduïdes amb èxit i van sobreviure al final de l’acció (2 anys) a 80-100 m de profunditat. Els resultats van suggerir l'establiment inicial d'una nova població gorgònies, que potencialment evolucionarà cap a una població natural comparable en termes d’estructura de talles i estructura espacial, sempre i quan es produeix també un reclutament natural. D'altra banda, es va fer una avaluació econòmica, que va confirmar la rendibilitat d'aquest mètode dirigit a millorar la recuperació dels boscos de coralls d’aigua freda impactats. El desconeixement d'alguns processos ecològics claus en els ecosistemes de coralls d’aigua freda, així com les limitacions tècniques, dificulten una avaluació completa dels esforços de restauració realitzats. Tanmateix, aquesta tesi suposa una millora prometedora per a la conservació i recuperació dels coralls d’aigua feda, que es podria estendre a altres zones i regions

DOCUMENTO

(…)Presentamos aquí un documento traducido que hasta ahora había pasado casi desapercibido a los politólogos de habla no-inglesa. Se trata de un pequeño artículo escrito a partir de las entrevistas y la correspondencia personal que mantuvieron Federica Montseny, la primera y la única anarquista española con una cartera ministerial de sanidad y asistencia pública durante la Segunda República, con Shirley F. Fredricks*, una profesora americana atraída por el carisma y las ideas de esta anarquista exiliada por la fuerza, junto a su amplia familia, a una Francia no siempre solidaria con aquellos que huyeron buscando vivir digna y coherentemente (…

Application of a Mamdani-type fuzzy rule-based system to segment periventricular cerebral veins in susceptibility-weighted images

This paper presents an algorithm designed to segment veins in the periventricular region of the brain in susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance images. The proposed algorithm is based on a Mamdani-type fuzzy rule-based system that enables enhancement of veins within periventricular regions of interest as the first step. Segmentation is achieved after determining the cut-off value providing the best trade-off between sensitivity and specificity to establish the suitability of each pixel to belong to a cerebral vein. Performance of the algorithm in susceptibility-weighted images acquired in healthy volunteers showed very good segmentation, with a small number of false positives. The results were not affected by small changes in the size and location of the regions of interest. The algorithm also enabled detection of differences in the visibility of periventricular veins between healthy subjects and multiple sclerosis patients. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016.Postprint (author's final draft

Semi-linear diffusive representations for non-linear fractional differential systems

The stability of non-linear fractional differential equations is studied. A sufficient stability condition on the non-linearity is given for the input-output stability, thanks to many different reformulations of the system using diffusive representations of dissipative pseudo-differential operators. The problem of asymptotic internal stability is analyzed by a more involved functional analytic method. Finally, a fractional version of the classical Hartman-Grobman theorem for hyperbolic dynamical systems of order 1 is conjectured and reformulated, based upon known necessary and sufficient stability conditions for linear fractional differential equations

V-ANFIS for Dealing with Visual Uncertainty for Force Estimation in Robotic Surgery

Accurate and robust estimation of applied forces in Robotic-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery is a very challenging task. Many vision-based solutions attempt to estimate the force by measuring the surface deformation after contacting the surgical tool. However, visual uncertainty, due to tool occlusion, is a major concern and can highly affect the results' precision. In this paper, a novel design of an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference strategy with a voting step (V-ANFIS) is used to accommodate with this loss of information. Experimental results show a significant accuracy improvement from 50% to 77% with respect to other proposals.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Diffusive representation for pseudo-differentially damped nonlinear systems

A large class of visco-elastic and elasto-plastic systems, frequently encountered in physics, are based on causal pseudo-differential operators, which are hereditary: the whole past of the state is involved in the dynamic expression of the system evolution. This generally induces major technical difficulties. We consider a specific class of pseudo-differential damping operators, associated to the so-called diffusive representation which enables to built augmented state-space realizations without heredity. Dissipativity property is expressed in a straightforward and precise way. Thanks to state-space realizations, standard analysis and approximation methods as well as control-theory concepts may therefore be used