International Trade Policy towards Monopoly and Oligopoly

This paper highlights the importance of product differentiation and endogenous R&D in determining the optimal R&D policy, in a model where investment in cost reducing R&D is committed before firms compete in a differentiated-goods third-country export market. R&D is always taxed in oligopolies for high degrees of product differentiation. For lower degrees of product differentiation the duopoly is subsidized or the government remains inactive. In contrast, the monopoly is always subsidized. The government with a duopoly may be active or inactive depending on the degree of product differentiation. Thus, we may observe a reversal in the sign of the optimal R&D policy if the degree of product differentiation changes or, alternatively, if there is a change in the number of firms. Similar qualitative results hold if trade policy uses output subsidies, instead of R&D promotion

¿Es realmente responsable la especulación financiera del incremento reciente del precio del petróleo?

El fuerte incremento del precio del petróleo en los últimos trimestres ha coincidido con un aumento de los flujos financieros hacia los mercados de futuros de materias primas. Este análisis explica por qué esa subida del precio del petróleo no puede, en las circunstancias actuales, atribuirse al mayor interés de los inversores financieros por los mercados de productos primarios. Entre los factores propuestos como responsables del fuerte incremento del precio del petróleo en los últimos trimestres destacan los englobados dentro de la categoría de “factores financieros”. Existe un intenso debate sobre en qué medida estos factores pueden haber empujado al precio del petróleo más allá del determinado por los fundamentales de oferta y demanda, especialmente dado que el incremento del precio del petróleo ha coincidido con un aumento de los flujos financieros hacia los mercados de futuros. Sin negar la posibilidad de que los flujos financieros puedan elevar el precio de un producto por encima de los fundamentos de oferta y demanda, la ausencia de ciertas “huellas” parece apuntar a que eso no es lo que ha sucedido en el mercado de petróleo en los últimos trimestres. En particular, si la especulación financiera hubiese incrementado el precio del petróleo por encima del equilibrio de oferta y demanda, deberíamos observar una acumulación de existencias, algo que no corroboran los datos. De este modo, se puede afirmar que la especulación financiera ha sido responsable, en todo caso, de una parte relativamente pequeña del incremento reciente del precio del petróleo, que estaría determinado principalmente por factores fundamentales de oferta y demanda –a los cuales sí pueden haber afectado factores financieros como la evolución de los tipos de interés–. Con todo, el fuerte influjo de inversión hacia el mercado de petróleo puede haber contribuido de manera sustancial al incremento de la volatilidad de su precio

Increased intestinal carbonate precipitate abundance in the sea bream (Sparus aurata L.) in response to ocean acidification

Marine fish contribute to the carbon cycle by producing mineralized intestinal precipitates generated as by-products of their osmoregulation. Here we aimed at characterizing the control of epithelial bicarbonate secretion and intestinal precipitate presence in the gilthead sea bream in response to predicted near future increases of environmental CO2. Our results demonstrate that hypercapnia (950 and 1800 μatm CO2) elicits higher intestine epithelial HCO3- secretion ex vivo and a subsequent parallel increase of intestinal precipitate presence in vivo when compared to present values (440 μatm CO2). Intestinal gene expression analysis in response to environmental hypercapnia revealed the up-regulation of transporters involved in the intestinal bicarbonate secretion cascade such as the basolateral sodium bicarbonate co-transporter slc4a4, and the apical anion transporters slc26a3 and slc26a6 of sea bream. In addition, other genes involved in intestinal ion uptake linked to water absorption such as the apical nkcc2 and aquaporin 1b expression, indicating that hypercapnia influences different levels of intestinal physiology. Taken together the current results are consistent with an intestinal physiological response leading to higher bicarbonate secretion in the intestine of the sea bream paralleled by increased luminal carbonate precipitate abundance and the main related transporters in response to ocean acidification.Agência financiadora Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) SFRH/BD/113363/2015 PTDC/MAR-BIO/3034/2014 Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) UID/Multi/04326/2019 Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Polandinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

AN ANALYSIS OF PUERTO RICAN TESTIMONIOS OF OPPRESSION AND RESISTANCE IN POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

College enrollment rates for Puerto Ricans in the United States and in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico have been steadily increasing over the last twenty years; however, enrollment rates for 18- to 24-year-old Latinos remain low compared to whites of the same age groups. The rationale for this gap often portrays Latinos as deficient, using terms such as “academic underachievement” and “at-risk.” This framing—centered on the individual—shifts the focus away from systemic barriers, such as limited financial resources for Latinos, culturally relevant pedagogy, intergenerational transfer of disadvantage, and systemic racism, among other factors explored this this study. This study contributes to our collective understanding of the Puerto Rican educational experience (as the second-largest Latino subgroup) through Lightfoot’s portraiture methodology. In doing so, this study synthesizes the stories and other sources of data collected from four participants for the purpose of further analysis. These portraits seek to reconstruct in-depth lived-experience stories of Puerto Ricans who successfully navigated their educational journeys to the doctorate. As investigator, also a Puerto Rican earning a doctorate, I examine these portraits through the lens of Community Cultural Wealth (Yosso, 2005), which unpacks the forms of capital (aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant) each participant leveraged along their educational journeys. The portraits allow the investigator and the reader to ascertain a more nuanced understanding of the students’ educational journeys. For example, while participant portraits reflect highly varied backgrounds, participants experienced such barriers as poverty; access to books; and physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse. On the other hand, participants also experienced a number of factors that helped facilitate their educational journeys, such as community expectations; faculty member and/or advisor influence; and support from friends, peers, and loved ones. The portraits in this work shed light on the Puerto Rican experience through the doctorate, and contributes to limited literature regarding Puerto Rican doctoral degree attainment. The significance of this study highlights the need for more research on the educational experiences of Puerto Ricans, and the Latino diaspora more broadly. Recommendations for students, faculty, and administrators is also presented

El litoral onubense y algarveño en el "Papiro de Artemidoro": una nueva interpretación

La reciente edición del “Papiro de Artemidoro” ha permitido conocer el posible comienzo del libro II del “Periplo” de Artemidoro de Éfeso, en el que figuraría, además de un proemio, el “paraplo” de las costas de la Península Ibérica conocidas a finales del s. II a.C. Consideramos auténtico dicho papiro, pues es difícil que un supuesto falsificador del siglo XIX, como defi enden algunos estudiosos, pudiera haber conocido el topónimo “Ipsa”, del que no se han tenido noticias hasta 1986, fecha de las excavaciones arqueológicas en las que aparecieron algunas monedas con esta leyenda. Por otra parte se pretende dar explicación a las ausencias de algunos enclaves geográficos del litoral ibérico, bien conocidos por la literatura geográfi ca grecolatina; se postula que Artemidoro realizó un viaje exploratorio por las costas del Golfo de Cádiz hasta el Cabo Sagrado y tal vez también por toda la fachada Atlántica y se propone una interpretación distinta a la de los editores del papiro para el tramo costero desde “Onoba” al Cabo Sagrado.The recent edition of “Artemidoru`s Papyrus” has allowed to know the possible beginning of the book II of “Artemidorus of Ephesus Periplus”, in which there would appear, besides a preface, the “paraplo” of the coasts of the Iberian Peninsula known at the end of second century B.C. We consider the authenticity of this papyrus, since it’s difficult that a supposed forger of the 19th century, as some experts defend, could have known the “Ipsa” toponym, of which news has not been had until 1986, date of the archaeological excavations in which some coins with this name appeared. On the other hand, to give explanation to the absences of some geographic places of Iberian coast, well known through Greek and Latin geographical literature, is intended. From these data, there is postulated that Artemidoro realized an exploratory trip for the coasts of the Gulf of Cadiz until the Sacred Cape, and maybe also across the Atlantic seaboard; finally, an interpretation different from that of the publishers (editors) of the papyrus about the coastal stretch from “Onoba” to the Sacred Cape, is proposed.Andalucía. Junta. Consejería de Cultura HUM 269

Early Cretaceous absolute geomagnetic paleointensities from Córdoba province (Argentina)

We present here new paleointensity and geochronology results from Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks of Sierra Chica de Cordoba (Argentina). The new K-Ar isotopic ages of 5 samples range from 136 to 122 Ma. Twenty five samples from 7 individual flows yielded acceptable paleointensity estimates. The mean paleointensity values per flow are ranging from 53.0±1.9 to 25.4±2.6 μT and the corresponding Virtual Dipole Moments (VDMs) are ranging from 9.3±1.3 to 4.6±0.5 (1022 Am2). This corresponds to the mean value of 7.3±1.7x1022 Am2, which is compatible to the present geomagnetic axial dipole. Currently available selected paleointensity data from 80 to 130 Ma suggest that geomagnetic field strength frequently fluctuated before and during the Cretaceous Normal Superchron while the magnetic polarity maintained stable. The mean paleointensities derived from Cordoba lavas agree remarkably well with those obtained from the Parana Magmatic Province (133-132 Ma). This reinforces the hypothesis about the unreliability of ‘Mesozoic Dipole Low'.Fil: Cejudo Ruiz, Ruben. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Goguitchaichvili, Avto. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Geuna, Silvana Evangelina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Geociencias Básicas, Aplicadas y Ambientales de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Alva-Valdivia, Luis M.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Solé, Jesus. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Morales, Juan. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Méxic

Recent flowering of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile at the SE of the Iberian peninsula

Floraciones de Posidonia en dos localidades del Mediterráneo estimadas por lepidocronología

Transcultural study of perceived competence in physical education and leisure time

El objetivo fue analizar la influencia de la competencia percibida en el sexo, el patrón de actividad físico-deportiva y las etapas de cambio en la práctica de actividad físico-deportiva de tiempo libre. La muestra fue de 2168 estudiantes del primer curso de Enseñanza Secundaria Obligatoria, de Costa Rica (423), México (408) y España (1337). Se realizaron análisis de Chi-cuadrado (x2), tstudent, ANOVA y modelo lineal univariante. Los alumnos con mayor índice de práctica y en etapas activas presentaron una mayor competencia percibida, siendo superior también en los chicos que en las chicas. Por los resultados de esta investigación, hay pocas posibilidades de que la mayoría de los escolares lleguen a ser físicamente activos. Por tanto, en los tres países existe un nivel bajo de actividad físico-deportiva que podría mejorar a través de diseños metodológicos en la Educación Física escolar orientados a la mejora de competenciaThe objective was to analyze the influence of perceived competence on gender, the pattern of physical-sport activity and the stages of change in the practice of physical activity in leisure. The sample was of 2168 students of the first course of Compulsory Secondary Education, of Costa Rica (423), Mexico (408) and Spain (1337). Chi-square (x2), t-student, ANOVA and univariate linear model analyzes were performed. The students with the highest index of practice and in active stages presented a greater perceived competence, also being superior in the boys than in the girls. From the results of this research, it is very probably that most schoolchildren will not become physically active. Therefore, in the three countries there is a low level of physical-sport activity that could be improved through methodological designs in Physical Education aimed at improving perceived competenc

Effect of Core Training on Male Handball Players’ Throwing Velocity

In handball, throwing velocity is considered to be one of the essential factors in achieving the ultimate aim of scoring a goal. The objective of the present study was to analyze the effect of a core training program on throwing velocity in 30 handball players (age 18.7 ± 3.4 years, body height 179.3 ± 7.0 cm, body mass 78.9 ± 7.7 kg), 16 of whom were in the junior category and 14 of whom were in the senior category. The 30 players were randomly divided into two groups, the control group (n = 15) and the experimental group (n = 15). For a period of ten weeks, both groups attended their regular handball training sessions (four per week), but in addition, the experimental group participated in a program specifically aimed at progressively strengthening the lumbo-pelvic region and consisting of seven exercises performed after the general warm-up in each regular session. Pre- and post-tests were carried out to analyze each player’s throwing velocity from different throwing positions and thus assess the effects of this specific training program. Statistically significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) in throwing velocity were observed between the experimental group, which presented a percentage improvement of 4.5%, and the control group, which did not show any improvement. The results seem to indicate that an increase in the strength and stability of the lumbo-pelvic region can contribute to an improvement in the kinetic chain of the specific movement of throwing in handball, thus, increasing throwing velocity