Cognitive skills and the LOGSE reform in Spain: evidence from PIAAC

We use data from the Spanish sample of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies to analyze the effect of the LOGSE (Spanish acronym for General Law of the Education System) reform passed in 1990 on numeracy and literacy proficiency of the adult population. The LOGSE effect is identified by exploiting the variability of the rate of implementation among cohorts and regions. The results change depending on the specification of the econometric model and mainly on the type of birth year trend assumed. Nonetheless, overall results suggest that the LOGSE reform did not help to increase cognitive skills of the population despite an extension of compulsory years of education and postponement of the age of initial tracking into vocational and academic studies

Costs of EMU from a regional approach: the Spanish case

In this paper we look at the impact of EMU on Spanish regional disparities in the framework of the Optimal Currency Areas theory and upon its distinction between benefits and costs of a monetary integration. In particular, here we want to deal with the main potential source of costs for the Spanish regions: the likelihood of asymmetric shocks in the economy. In this regard, we try to ascertain the degree of correlation among the business cycles of the Spanish regions, and also with respect to the European and Spanish cycle. The technique employed in the paper ( following Peiro, 2000) focuses on the cross correlations among relevant variables at the regional and the national level such as the behaviour of industrial production or the rate of inflation. We proceed in two steps. First we filter the series in order to get non-autocorrelated residuals. Next we compute the asymptotic distribution of the contemporaneus correlation among the variables in order to know to which extent business cycles behave according to a similar pattern. This method will shed some light on the question about the degree of comovements in the cycles. If the comovements seem to be high - as we expect, based upon other results -, then we may consider than the probability of the Spanish regions suffering asymmetric shocks is less severe.

Patch-and landscape-scale effects on area sensitivity of grassland birds in Iowa

This study looks at the effects of patch and landscape characteristics on area-sensitivity of grassland bird species. We investigate the effect of area and perimeter-to-area ratio on grassland bird species found in the Iowa State Preserves, with a specific focus on area-sensitive bird species. We selected prairie preserves or preserves with a prairie component for inventory. Both area and perimeter-to-area ratio were good predictors for bird species found in the preserves. Perimeter-to-area ratio was a better predictor than area for area-sensitive grassland bird species. The other major aspect of my research addressed the possible effect of landscape factors on habitat use by area-sensitive grassland birds in southern Iowa. We selected six focal grassland bird species. Three of them responded to landscape variables. Dickcissel and Eastern Meadowlark responded to the amount of woodland in the landscape. Bobolink responded to amount of grassland in the landscape. Grasshopper Sparrow, Henslow\u27s Sparrow and Bobolink did not respond to any of our landscape variables. Both of our studies showed that when managing for area-sensitive species it is important to take into account and, if possible, combine both patch scale and landscape scale variables

Photoinduction of Floral Development in Hard Red Winter Wheat

South Dakota is at the northern limit of winter wheat cultivation in the United States. However, it has been estimated that only 15% of the total winter wheat acreage has been planted to hardy winter wheat cultivars in this state. Records at this station indicate that grain yields of winter hardy cultivars can be 20 to 40% lower than less hardy cultivars in the absence of severe freeze stress. Low grain yields of hardy types is one reason for low preference of these phenotypes by growers. Hardy cultivars usually head late compared to less hardy ones. With late initiation of the inflorescence, it is important that these cultivars exhibit rapid grain development and maturity to avoid the high temperatures and low moisture conditions of mid-summer. Thus, the grain filling period is shortened. Late initiation has an influence on spikelet number, as previously discussed, and could be another detriment to high yield among hardy types. An urgent need exists to understand factors involved in floral initiation of winter wheat and the influence on grain yield. The phenology of the hard red winter wheat class was of interest in this study, as it relates to the range of phenotypes grown in the Northern Great Plains and the climatic adversity which exists. The objectives of this research were: 1) to compare the periods of floral initiation of field-grown hardy and less-hardy phenotypes in South Dakota, 2) to determine the minimum photoperiod requirements for floral initiation of these cultivars, 3) to evaluate the effect of growth temperature on floral primordia, and 4) to examine the changes in protein composition of the developing apex by isoelectric focusing, as a biochemical indicator of the phasic development in winter wheat

New Modulation Technique to Mitigate Common Mode Voltage Effects in Star-Connected Five-Phase AC Drives

Star-connected multiphase AC drives are being considered for electromovility applications such as electromechanical actuators (EMA), where high power density and fault tolerance is demanded. As for three-phase systems, common-mode voltage (CMV) is an issue for multiphase drives. CMV leads to shaft voltages between rotor and stator windings, generating bearing currents which accelerate bearing degradation and produce high electromagnetic interferences (EMI). CMV effects can be mitigated by using appropriate modulation techniques. Thus, this work proposes a new Hybrid PWM algorithm that effectively reduces CMV in five-phase AC electric drives, improving their reliability. All the mathematical background required to understand the proposal, i.e., vector transformations, vector sequences and calculation of analytical expressions for duty cycle determination are detailed. Additionally, practical details that simplify the implementation of the proposal in an FPGA are also included. This technique, HAZSL5M5-PWM, extends the linear range of the AZSL5M5-PWM modulation, providing a full linear range. Simulation results obtained in an accurate multiphase EMA model are provided, showing the validity of the proposed modulation approach.This work has been supported in part by the Government of the Basque Country within the fund for research groups of the Basque University system IT978-16 and in part by the Government of the Basque Country within the research program ELKARTEK as the project ENSOL (KK-2018/00040)

Knowledge Process Support: A Business Process Study of a Knowledge Management System

Although it seems intuitive that Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) should have a positive impact on the management of knowledge, research has not focused on establishing empirical evidence of this relationship and the subsequent theoretical implications. The management of knowledge encompasses multiple organizational entities and an established KMS must support the knowledge work for each entity. Knowledge processes (generation, codification, and transfer) are embedded in business processes. An application of KMS is needed in order to facilitate these knowledge processes, therefore supporting the business processes. We present evidence of the relationship between a KMS and Knowledge Processes by describing two organizational entities in terms of their different knowledge needs. We provide evidence of how the KMS is utilized by both entities. Survey data was collected from a large semiconductor manufacturer. Results indicate the KMS supports Knowledge Processes in different degrees according to each entity’s knowledge needs. Despite this difference, the two entities have a positive perception of how the KMS impacts Knowledge Processes