Finance, growth and social fairness:Evidence for Latin America and Bolivia

This PhD thesis explores the role of finance in promoting economic growth and social fairness. Our case studies concentrate on Latin America and the Caribbean, and on Bolivia, a developing region and a country for which the relationship between finance, growth, and social fairness turns out to be particularly important. Bolivia is considered as one of the poorest and most unequal countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Poverty and inequality are not only deeply rooted in the country, but they are also among the most distinctive features of the region. In general, economic growth in Latin American countries has not met expectations, regardless of significant institutional reforms and an inherent potential to fare better. Consequently, the identification of factors that would promote economic growth and social fairness in Bolivia and the region becomes transcendental and necessary. At the same time, the study seeks to contribute to the scarce regional and single country-level research in this field. To pursue this goal, theoretical and empirical literature has been reviewed and original empirical evidence prepared. Moreover, the goal of this research is to conduct an integral investigation that does not rely only on macroeconomic evidence (at the regional and single country level) but also uses microeconomic evidence regarding the role of value chain financial mechanisms in a value chain case study. Throughout the thesis, different dimensions of finance such as financial depth, access to finance, and institutional diversification have been taken into account. Several of these aspects of finance have recently been studied in the empirical literature. Additionally, regarding the limited access to finance for certain agents in Bolivia – in particular, small-sized firms and rural and poor households – value chain finance has been considered as an important alternative for making financial services accessible. The results of this dissertation have implications for the design of financial and social policies for the Latin American and Caribbean region and for Bolivia

Sustainable Supply Chain Management Drivers and Barriers in the Ethiopian Manufacturing Sec-tor

The prime essence of this paper is to identify the drivers of Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) and determine the barriers to its implementation in the Ethiopian manufacturing sector. Studies related to SSCM mainly from 2010 onwards are reviewed, analysed and discussed using exploratory and meta-synthesis analyses. The findings indicate that there is an absence of a clear connection between SSCM practices and performance among the manufacturing industries in Ethiopia. This creates a hindrance for manufacturing firms in Ethiopia seeking to implement SSCM

Time delays, choice of energy-momentum variables, and relative locality in doubly special relativity

Doubly special relativity (DSR) theories consider (quantum-gravity motivated) deformations of the symmetries of special relativity compatible with a relativity principle. The existence of time delays for massless particles, one of their proposed phenomenological consequences, is a delicate question since, contrary to what happens with Lorentz invariance violation scenarios, they are not simply determined by the modification in the particle dispersion relation. While some studies of DSR assert the existence of photon time delays, in this paper we generalize a recently proposed model for time delay studies in DSR and show that the existence of photon time delays does not necessarily follow from a DSR scenario, determining in which cases this is so. Moreover, we clarify long-standing questions about the arbitrariness in the choice of the energy-momentum labels and the independence of the time delay on this choice, as well as on the consistency of its calculation with the relative locality paradigm of DSR theories. Finally, we show that the result for time delays is reproduced in models that consider propagation in a noncommutative spacetime

Wnt/β-catenin signaling stimulates the expression and synaptic clustering of the autism-associated Neuroligin 3 gene

Indexación: Scopus.Synaptic abnormalities have been described in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The cell-adhesion molecule Neuroligin-3 (Nlgn3) has an essential role in the function and maturation of synapses and NLGN3 ASD-associated mutations disrupt hippocampal and cortical function. Here we show that Wnt/β-catenin signaling increases Nlgn3 mRNA and protein levels in HT22 mouse hippocampal cells and primary cultures of rat hippocampal neurons. We characterized the activity of mouse and rat Nlgn3 promoter constructs containing conserved putative T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancing factor (TCF/LEF)-binding elements (TBE) and found that their activity is significantly augmented in Wnt/β-catenin cell reporter assays. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays and site-directed mutagenesis experiments revealed that endogenous β-catenin binds to novel TBE consensus sequences in the Nlgn3 promoter. Moreover, activation of the signaling cascade increased Nlgn3 clustering and co-localization with the scaffold PSD-95 protein in dendritic processes of primary neurons. Our results directly link Wnt/β-catenin signaling to the transcription of the Nlgn3 gene and support a functional role for the signaling pathway in the dysregulation of excitatory/inhibitory neuronal activity, as is observed in animal models of ASD.https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-018-0093-y.pd

Modification of the mean free path of very high-energy photons due to a relativistic deformed kinematics

Ultra-high-energy physics is about to enter a new era thanks to the impressive results of experiments such as the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory, detecting photons of up to 1.4×10^15 eV (PeV scale). These new results could be used to test deviations with respect to special relativity. While this has been already explored within the approach of Lorentz Invariance Violation theories, in this work we consider, for the first time, modifications due to a relativistic deformed kinematics (which appear in Doubly Special Relativity, or DSR, theories). In particular, we study the mean free path of very high-energy photons due to electron-positron pair creation when interacting with low-energy photons of the cosmic microwave background. Depending on the energy scale of the relativistic deformed kinematics, present (or near future) experiments can be sensitive enough to be able to identify deviations from special relativity

Physics of the universe transparency in a deformed kinematics

We present a first study of the possible effects of a relativistic deformation of special relativity in the recent observations of very high-energy gamma rays by the LHAASO experiment, which has opened a new phenomenological window to study deformations in the kinematics of special relativity. Our analysis of the interaction of high-energy photons with the CMB background complements theoretical studies based on Lorentz invariance violation scenarios, while making predictions that would allow one to distinguish between a violation and a deformation of the symmetries of special relativity

Synthesis of a new polypyridinic highly conjugated ligand with electron-acceptor properties

A new acceptor polypyridinic ligand functionalized with a quinone fragment is reported. The ligand, dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]-benzo[3,4]-phenazine-11,16-quinone, Nqphen, was synthesized by condensation of 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione and 2,3-diamino-1,4-naphthoquinone. The syntheses of two rhenium complexes with this ligand are also reported

Domesticated dogs’ (Canis familiaris) use of the solidity principle

Shannon M. A. Kundey, Chelsea Taglang, Ayelet Baruch, and Rebecca German, Department of Psychology, Hood College; Andres De Los Reyes, Comprehensive Assessment and Intervention Program, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland at College Park. We would like to thank Jessica Arbuthnot, Rebecca Allen, Ariel Coshun, Erica Royer, Sherry McClurkin, Sabrina Molina, and Robin Reutten for their assistance in data collection and participant recruitment for this study.Organisms must often make predictions about the trajectories of moving objects. However, often these objects become hidden. To later locate such objects, the organism must maintain a representation of the object in memory and generate an expectation about where it will later appear. We explored adult dogs’ knowledge and use of the solidity principle (that one solid object cannot pass through another solid object) by evaluating search behavior. Subjects watched as a treat rolled down an inclined tube into a box. The box either did or did not contain a solid wall dividing it in half. To find the treat, subjects had to modify their search behavior based on the presence or absence of the wall, which either did or did not block the treat’s trajectory. Dogs correctly searched the near location when the barrier was present and the far location when the barrier was absent. They displayed this behavior from the first trial, as well as performed correctly when trial types were intermingled. These results suggest that dogs direct their searches in accordance with the solidity principle