The legal form of labour conflicts and their time persistence: an empirical analysis with a large firms' panel

Using a panel of large firms from Spain, we check the relative time persistence of different types of labour conflicts such as strikes, collective conflicts, lockouts and other conflicts with lost working hours but without the previous stated legal forms for labour conflicts. We present random-effects probit estimations comparing observations with each type of conflicts with the same set of observations without any type of conflict. The results show that no legal form labour conflicts do not have long-term persistence (persistence is only in the short-term, from quarter to quarter), and the other types of conflicts suffer short and long-term persistence of confliction at the firm level, corresponds to strikes the higher size of both types of persistence. As short and long term persistence of strikes have almost the same size these results do not support asymmetric information theories of strike.Strike; labour conflict; time persistence; asymmetric information

Decomposing the Impacts of Overeducation and Overskilling on Earnings and Job Satisfaction: An Analysis Using REFLEX data. ESRI WP393. July 2011

This paper uses the REFLEX dataset to test the hypothesis that the generally observed negative impacts of overeducation and overskilling on both job satisfaction and earnings can be attributed to under-utilisation in specific job related skills. We find that the penalties to both forms of mismatch are insensitive to the inclusion of controls for overskilling in a wide range of job specific competencies. The research suggests that the problem of mismatch relates to an inability for fully utilise general or innate ability as opposed to specific areas of acquired learning. The analysis suggests the problem of mismatch can only be effectively addressed by raising general levels of job quality within economies and this, in turn, presents serious challenges for policy

The illusion of order: observations on the habsburgic myth

El trabajo analiza la percepción y construcción de la crisis reconocible en algunos autores vinculados a la recreación del mito habsbúrgico, como S. Zweig, F. Werfel, J. Roth y R. Musil. En primer lugar, me ocupo de delimitar el alcance poético de las representaciones del Imperio en los dos primeros escritores, con especial atención a la noción de temporalidad y a la dinámica espiritual de la Mitteleuropa de finales del siglo XIX y comienzos del XX. En segundo lugar, plantearé de la mano de la escritura de Joseph Roth la ambivalencia de la idea de orden político, hacia el que se manifiesta una decidida adoración como fuente de sentido histórico, si bien al mismo tiempo se condenan los efectos del progreso tecnológico. Finalmente, la noción de razón insuficiente de Musil ofrecerá el marco para proceder a una experiencia de la crisis que no desemboque en el nihilismo. El propósito principal de este escrito es contribuir al estudio de la potencia poética de los modelos políticos e históricos, proponiendo una lectura de la conexión entre el Juicio, la poética y la historia.The paper tackles the construction and perception of crisis in some prominent authors linked to the recreation of the Habsburg myth, as S. Zweig, F. Werfel, J. Roth and R. Musil. First, I attempt to define the scope of poetic representations of the Empire in the first two writers, taking especially into appraise the notion of temporality and spiritual dynamics of Mitteleuropa in late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Secondly, we will focus on Joseph Roth writings in order to highlight the ambivalence of the idea of political order, to which the author bestows a high adoration as a source of historical sense, although he also dooms the effects of technological progress. Finally, Musil’s notion of insufficient reason will provide the framework able to grasp an experience of the crisis that will not lead to nihilism. The main purpose of this paper is to study the poetic side of the political and historical patterns, suggesting a connection between the faculty of judgment, the poetry and the history

Depression-related difficulties disengaging from negative faces are associated with sustained attention to negative feedback during social evaluation and predict stress recovery

The present study aimed to clarify: 1) the presence of depression-related attention bias related to a social stressor, 2) its association with depression-related attention biases as measured under standard conditions, and 3) their association with impaired stress recovery in depression. A sample of 39 participants reporting a broad range of depression levels completed a standard eye-tracking paradigm in which they had to engage/disengage their gaze with/from emotional faces. Participants then underwent a stress induction (i.e., giving a speech), in which their eye movements to false emotional feedback were measured, and stress reactivity and recovery were assessed. Depression level was associated with longer times to engage/disengage attention with/from negative faces under standard conditions and with sustained attention to negative feedback during the speech. These depression-related biases were associated and mediated the association between depression level and self-reported stress recovery, predicting lower recovery from stress after giving the speech

Effect of key design parameters on bacteria community and effluent pollutant concentrations in constructed wetlands using mathematical models

Constructed wetlands are currently recognized as an effective environmental biotechnology for wastewater treatment, but the influence of their design parameters on internal functioning and contaminant removal efficiency is still under discussion. In this work, the effect of aspect ratio and water depth on bacteria communities as well as treatment efficiency of horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (HSSF) under the Mediterranean climate was evaluated, using a mathematical model. For this purpose, experimental results from four pilot-scale wetlands of equal surface area but different aspect ratios and water depth were used. The HSSF system was fed with municipal wastewater. The experimental data were simulated using the BIO_PORE model, developed in the COMSOL Multiphysics™ platform. Simulations with the BIO_PORE model fitted well to the experimental results, showing a higher removal efficiency for the shallower HSSF for COD (93.7% removal efficiency) and ammonia nitrogen (73.8%). The aspect ratio had a weak relationship with the bacteria distribution and the removal efficiency. In contrast, the water depth was a factor. The results of the present study confirm a previous hypothesis in which depth has an important impact on the biochemical reactions causing contaminants transformation and degradation.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Self-fields in thin superconducting tapes: implications to the thickness effect in coated conductors

Most applications of superconductors, such as power transmission lines, motors, generators, and transformers, require long cables through which large currents circulate. Impressive progress has recently been achieved in the current-carrying capability in conductors based on high-temperature superconductors. Coated conductors are likely the best examples, consisting of very good quality thin layers of YBCO superconductor grown on top of a metallic tape with some intermediate layers. However, there is an important problem for achieving large currents: a large decrease in transport critical-current density Jc when increasing film thickness has been observed in coated conductors made by all available techniques. Here, we theoretically explain the nature and the ubiquitous presence of this so-called thickness effect by analyzing the self-field created by the transport currents in the superconductor, assuming a realistic field-dependent Jc. This knowledge can help finding new ways to improve transport current in thick superconducting films.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure