The output Gap in chile: Measurement and Evaluation

This paper estimates potential GDP growth and output gaps for the period 1986-2007 using three different methodologies: (i) production function, (ii) Kalman filter proxy (univariate and multivariate) and (iii) structural VAR . The output gap estimates show a high degree of mutual consistency. The methods suggest that at the beginning of the sample period the economy was overheated with considerably wide positive gaps. From 1993 through the Asian crisis, the gap was positive but small. From the crisis onwards estimates show a negative gap with a mild trend to close, but becomes positive in 2007. To evaluate the different gap measurements, real-time estimates are compared with ex-post estimates in terms of their capacity for forecasting future inflation. For potential GDP growth, the different methods yield similar results. For the full period, trend GDP growth is estimated at around 5.5%. However, significant differences exist across sub-periods, particularly showing a deceleration in the aftermath of the 1999 recession.

Multi-risk assessment and management—a comparative study of the current state of affairs in chile and ecuador

In Chile and Ecuador, multiple hazards and dynamic processes in vulnerability pose a high risk. Spatial planning and emergency management can contribute to disaster risk management but they follow different goals. However, global goals, such as from UN-ISDR (United Nat

Foreign direct investment and institutional reform : evidence and an application to Portugal

We examine the role of geographic, economic, and institutional factors in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Europe, using a cross-section of inward bilateral investments. We estimate and assess the expected benefits, the required reform efforts, and the efficiency of reform options corresponding to a con- vergence of Portuguese institutions to EU standards. We conclude that improving home institutions is likely to have a quantitatively very significant role in attracting FDI. Geographical and market size factors also play a role. Reforms promoting the independence of financial institutions and a leaner bureaucracy, lowering political risk and corruption, and improving the investment code may significantly affect the amount of bilateral inward FDI that is targeted to Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

CÁNCER DE COLON Y EMBARAZO: REPORTE DE CASO Y REVISIÓN DE LA LITERATURA

El cáncer colorrectal asociado al embarazo es una patología extremadamente infrecuente. Se presenta el caso de una paciente de 38 años con antecedentes familiares de cáncer de colon, cursando un embarazo de 35 semanas en la que se diagnosticó un cáncer de colon derecho. Se efectúa una revisión de la literatura en relación al diagnóstico y manejo de esta rara entida

Technology Change: Sources and Impediments

There is little doubt that technology change, both in terms of its process and quality dimensions, represents the principal driving force to explain comparative economic performance at both micro and macro levels. This paper examines the sources of technology change and the impediments to the full realization of its opportunities, both abstractly and in the context of a comparison among six typologically diverse developing countries. Among the external sources, we examine the roles of trade, foreign patents and FDI; among the internal sources we examine the roles of investment, domestic R&D, domestic patents, S&T personnel and secondary education alternatives. Among impediments, we analyze certain public and private policy frameworks which tend to impede the realization of technological opportunities. We detect some reasons for the better TFP performance of the East Asian in comparison with the Latin American countries

Potential use of fatty acid profiles of the adductor muscle of cockles (Cerastoderma edule) for traceability of collection site

Geographic traceability of seafood is key for controlling its quality and safeguarding consumers’ interest. The present study assessed if the fatty acid (FA) profile of the adductor muscle (AM) of fresh cockles (Cerastoderma edule) can be used to discriminate the origin of specimens collected in different bivalve capture/production areas legally defined within a coastal lagoon. Results suggest that this biochemical approach holds the potential to trace sampling locations with a spatial resolution <10 Km, even for areas with identical classification for bivalve production. Cockles further away from the inlet, i.e. in areas exposed to a higher saline variation, exhibited lower levels of saturated fatty acids, which are key for stabilizing the bilayer structure of cell membranes, and a higher percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which enhance bilayer fluidity. Results suggest that the structural nature of the lipids present in the AM provides a stable fatty acid signature and holds potential for tracing the origin of bivalves to their capture/production areas

Trace element fingerprinting of cockle (Cerastoderma edule) shells can reveal harvesting location in adjacent areas

Determining seafood geographic origin is critical for controlling its quality and safeguarding the interest of consumers. Here, we use trace element fingerprinting (TEF) of bivalve shells to discriminate the geographic origin of specimens. Barium (Ba), manganese (Mn), magnesium (Mg), strontium (Sr) and lead (Pb) were quantified in cockle shells (Cerastoderma edule) captured with two fishing methods (by hand and by hand-raking) and from five adjacent fishing locations within an estuarine system (Ria de Aveiro, Portugal). Results suggest no differences in TEF of cockle shells captured by hand or by hand-raking, thus confirming that metal rakes do not act as a potential source of metal contamination that could somehow bias TEF results. In contrast, significant differences were recorded among locations for all trace elements analysed. A Canonical Analysis of Principal Coordinates (CAP) revealed that 92% of the samples could be successfully classified according to their fishing location using TEF. We show that TEF can be an accurate, fast and reliable method to determine the geographic origin of bivalves, even among locations separated less than 1 km apart within the same estuarine system. Nonetheless, follow up studies are needed to determine if TEF can reliably discriminate between bivalves originating from different ecosystems