First Nature vs. Second Nature Causes: Industry Location and Growth in the Presence of an Open-Access Renewable Resource

In this paper we present a model integrating characteristics of the New Economic Geography, the theory of endogenous growth and the economy of natural resources. This theoretical framework enables us to study explicitly the effect of “first nature causes” in the concentration of economic activity, more specifically, the consequences of an asymmetrical distribution of natural resources. The natural resource we consider appears as a localized input in one of the two countries, giving firms located in that country a cost advantage. In this context, after a decrease in transport costs, firms decide to move to the country with the greatest domestic demand and market size, where they can take more advantage of increasing returns, despite the cost advantage of locating in the South, due to the presence of the natural resource.industrial location; endogenous growth; renewable resource; geography

Trade liberalisation and global-scale forest transition

In this paper, we develop a new theoretical model that explains the forest transition not at a local, but at a worldwide level, in a trade liberalisation scenario. Our model has economic geography foundations: transport costs affect the distribution of firms between countries. We also introduce a renewable natural resource used as an input by manufacturing firms. The results reproduce forest transition behaviour but at a global scale: a decrease in transport costs has a negative effect on the worldwide stock of the natural resource in the short-term, but in the long-term this initial effect is reversed as a consequence of industrial reorganisation between countries because of the change in transport costs.Forest transition; renewable resources; industrial location; geography; trade

Tiempo y eficacia

El modo de vida actual fomenta la instantaneidad y la prisa. En el periodismo, ligado por definición a la noticia y la actualidad, este apresuramiento se hace especialmente palmario, en detrimento, demasiadas veces, del análisis y la reflexión. El periodismo cultural, por la naturaleza de su propio objeto (la cultura, el conocimiento, las artes), aparece como un reducto de libertad de pensamiento y expresión en que la servidumbre a la inmediatez es menor, pero con demasiada frecuencia la industria cultural pesa más que la cultura a secas, y el criterio de oportunidad comercial se impone. El presente artículo analiza esta situación y aboga por valores como la reflexión, la elaboración y la vocación minoritarias como antídoto contra la mercantilización y banalización de la prensa cultural

Analysis of the Machining Process of Titanium Ti6Al-4V Parts Manufactured by Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM)

In the current days, the new range of machine tools allows the production of titanium alloy parts for the aeronautical sector through additive technologies. The quality of the materials produced is being studied extensively by the research community. This new manufacturing paradigm also opens important challenges such as the definition and analysis of the optimal strategies for finishing-oriented machining in this type of part. Researchers in both materials and manufacturing processes are making numerous advances in this field. This article discusses the analysis of the production and subsequent machining in the quality of TI6Al4V produced by Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), more specifically Plasma Arc Welding (PAW). The promising results observed make it a viable alternative to traditional manufacturing methods.This research was funded by the vice-counseling of technology, innovation and competitiveness of the Basque Government grant agreement kk-2019/00004 (PROCODA project)

Thread Quality Control in High-Speed Tapping Cycles

Thread quality control is becoming a widespread necessity in manufacturing to guarantee the geometry of the resulting screws on the workpiece due to the high industrial costs. Besides, the industrial inspection is manual provoking high rates of manufacturing delays. Therefore, the aim of this paper consists of developing a statistical quality control approach acquiring the data (torque signal) coming from the spindle drive for assessing thread quality using different coatings. The system shows a red light when the tap wear is critical before machining in unacceptable screw threads. Therefore, the application could reduce these high industrial costs because it can work self-governance.This research was funded by the vice‐counseling of technology, innovation and competitiveness of the Basque Government grant agreements IT‐2005/00201, ZL‐2019/00720 (HARDCRAFT project) and KK‐2019/00004 (PROCODA project)

First nature vs. second nature causes: industry location and growth in the presence of an open-access renewable resource

In this paper we present a model integrating characteristics of the New Economic Geography, the theory of endogenous growth and the economy of natural resources. This theoretical framework enables us to study explicitly the effect of “first nature causes” in the concentration of economic activity, more specifically, the consequences of an asymmetrical distribution of natural resources. The natural resource we consider appears as a localized input in one of the two countries, giving firms located in that country a cost advantage. In this context, after a decrease in transport costs, firms decide to move to the country with the greatest domestic demand and market size, where they can take more advantage of increasing returns, despite the cost advantage of locating in the South, due to the presence of the natural resource

Size Distributions for All Cities: Lognormal and q-exponential functions

This paper analyses in detail the features offered by a function which is practically new to Urban Economics, the q-exponential, in describing city size distributions. We highlight two contributions. First, we propose a new and simple procedure for estimating their parameters. Second, and more importantly, we explain the characteristics associated with two traditional graphic methods (Zipf plots and cumulative density functions) for discriminating between functions. We apply them to the lognormal and q-exponential, justifying them as the best functions for explaining the entire distribution, and that the relationship between them is of complementarity. The empirical evidence relies on the analysis of urban data of three countries (USA, Spain and Italy) over all of the 20th century.

Urbanization and COVID-19 incidence: A cross-country investigation

This paper investigates the determinants of the diffusion and intensity of the COVID-19 at the country level, focusing on the role played by urban agglomeration, measured using three urban variables: percentage of the urban population, population density, and primacy. We estimate the influence of urban agglomeration on two outcome variables: cumulative number of cases and deaths per 100, 000 inhabitants up to 31 December 2020, using both parametric and semiparametric models. We also explore possible spatial effects. The non-linear effects of the urban variables on the intensity of the disease reveal non-monotonous relationships, suggesting that it is the size of the urban system that is linked to a stronger incidence

Non-compaction of the ventricular myocardium: a cardiomyopathy in search of a pathoanatomical definition

Ventricular non-compaction is a rare cardiomyopathy characterized by numerous, excessively prominent ventricular trabeculations and deep intertrabecular recesses communicating with the ventricular cavity. The lesion is postulated to result from an intrauterine developmental arrest that stops compaction of the myocardial fiber meshwork. This cardiomyopathy affects the left ventricle, with or without concomitant right ventricular involvement. The disease is now seen with increasing frequency and it is clinically diagnosed by imaging techniques such as echocardiography or cardiac magnetic resonance. Current diagnostic criteria are considered too sensitive, particularly in black individuals. Therefore, this condition has generated considerable controversy and demands a new definition. Non-compaction cardiomyopathy shows variability of hereditary patterns, genetic heterogeneity, diversity in associated phenotypes and a wide spectrum of clinical presentation and pathophysiological findings. Non-compaction can be simply a variant of normal maturation of the ventricular myocardium with only the most severe forms producing a distinct clinical-pathological entity. Ventricular noncompaction most probably is a secondary consequence of an underlying molecular derangement produced by a pathogenetic mutation. It is likely that surgical pathologists will find this entity more frequently due to involvement in transplantation teams

New evidence on Gibrat’s law for cities

The aim of this work is to test empirically the validity of Gibrat’s law on the growth of cities, using data on the complete distribution of cities from three countries (the US, Spain and Italy) for the entire twentieth century. In order to achieve this, we use different techniques. First, panel data unit root tests tend to confirm the validity of Gibrat’s law in the upper-tail distribution. Second, when we consider the entire distribution, we find that Gibrat’s law does not hold exactly in the long term using nonparametric methods that relate the growth rate to the initial city size