Economies of Scale and Spatial Scope in the European Airline Industry

In this article we use four different indices to measure cost performance of the European Airline Industry. By using the number of routes as an indicator of Network Size, we are able to estimate indicators of Economies of Scale and Spatial Scope. By estimating total and variable cost functions we are also able to calculate an index of the excess capacity of the firms. For this purpose, we use data from the years 1984 to 1998, a period during which several deregulation measures were imposed on the European airline industry. Some of the implications of this deregulation process for the cost performance of the industry are presented and discussed. Our results suggest that in the year 1998, almost all the firms had Economics of Density in their existing networks, while several of the firms also had Economies of Scale and Economies of Spatial Scope. All of the firms had excess capacity of fixed inputs. These results support our hypothesis that fusion, alliance, and merger strategies followed by the principal European airlines after 1998 are not just explained by marketing strategies, but also by the cost structure of the industry.

Investigating the Effects of Student Engagement on Latina/o Community College Students

As the growth of the largest ethnic minority group, Latina/os, continues to grow there is an increasing concern that the current educational system is not effectively meeting the academic needs of this group of students. The community college sector has gained greater recognition for its potential to meet the needs of a much broader scope of students, particularly low-income and students of color. This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the Latina/o experience and the factors that contribute to college success among community college students. Specifically, this study used hierarchical multiple regression and logistic regression analysis to investigate the role of student engagement factors on various college success outcomes: semester grade point average, semester-to-semester retention, and degree or certificate completion. This researcher set out to test the theoretical framework that student engagement factors contribute to college success above and beyond pre-college factors. Findings emerging from the study demonstrated that student engagement factors (as a group) are not excellent predictors for college success. However, depending on the outcome used to describe success (semester GPA, retention, or degree completion) several factors such as active learning, collaborative learning, and support for students made unique and significant contributions to the variance of college success

Cando a poesía é vida. En las orillas del Sar de X. L. Méndez Ferrín

Considerado como uno de los escritores gallegos de primera fila, Xosé Luís Méndez Ferrín (Ourense, 1938) es ya todo un clásico, admirado y respetado en su condición de maestro de nuestras letras. Él rubricó el poema que sigue.Considerado coma un dos escritores galegos de primeira fila, Xosé Luís Méndez Ferrín (Ourense, 1938) é xa todo un clásico, admirado e respectado na súa condición de mestre das nosas letras. El asinou o poema que segue

Origins of permanent revolution theory: the formation of Marxism as a tradition (1865-1895) and 'the first Trotsky'. Introductory dimensions

Investigating the period of emergence of Marxism as a tradition between 1865 and 1895, this work examines some key questions elucidating Trotsky's theoretical developments during the first decade of the XXth century. Emphasizing the role of such authors like Plekhanov, Johann Baptists von Schweitzer, Lenin and Zetkin in the developing of a 'Classical Marxism' that served as the foundation of the first formulation of Trotsky's theory of permanent revolution, it treats three introductory dimensions of this larger problematic: primitive communism and its feminist implications, the debate on the relations between the productive forces and the relations of production, and the first apprehensions of Marx's economic mature works

Tourism Development Strategy of Valley Alva: Alvaland

[RESUMO]Estratégia de desenvolvimento turístico do vale do Alva: Alvaland. O rio Alva desenvolve-se na encosta sudoeste da Serra da Estrela em pleno Parque Natural, estendendo-se desde a aldeia do Sabugueiro, no concelho de Seia, até ao concelho de Penacova, onde desagua no rio Mondego. Este rio escavou o seu leito por um caminho sinuoso, que possui uma extensão aproximada a 106 quilómetros e criou um vale de uma beleza natural muito valorizada pelos visitantes, começando na apreciação das águas límpidas e frescas do Alva, a partir dos socalcos verdejantes que envolvem o rio, e projetando a vista de quem observa a linha do horizonte em admiração pelo conjunto de montanhas que ladeiam este vale majestoso. É o seu enorme potencial turístico que nos conduz a equacionar a sustentabilidade deste território de baixa densidade, que tem o seu “coração” na região da Beira Serra. Assim, reconhecemos dois produtos turísticos potenciadores de estratégias de desenvolvimento a nível regional: turismo de natureza e turismo cultural. A inventariação rigorosa dos recursos endógenos com vista ao conhecimento do seu potencial turístico torna-se uma etapa essencial para a definição dos produtos turísticos, que podem determinar a vocação e a imagem turística desta região, que batizamos como Alvaland[ABSTRACT]Tourism Development Strategy of Valley Alva: Alvaland. The river Alva develops in the southwest slope of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, extends from the village of Sabugueiro in Seia county to the county of Penacova, where flows into the river Mondego. It has a length of approximately 106 kilometers and creates a valley with a natural beauty valued by visitors, starting in appreciation the clear and fresh water of Alva, from fertile terraces that surround the river, and projecting the view of those who see the skyline in admiration of the set of mountains that flank this majestic valley. Is your enormous tourism potential that leads us to equate the sustainability of this area of low density, which has its "heart" in the region of Beira Serra. Thus, we recognize two tourism products enhancers’ development strategies at regional level: nature tourism and cultural tourism. A detailed inventory of local resources with a view to understanding the tourist potential becomes an essential step towards the definition of tourism products, which can determine the vocation and the tourist image of this region, which we called as Alvaland

The removal of xenobiotic compounds from wastewater through the use of biological processes and advanced oxidation technologies

Dissertação apresentada para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Engenharia Química e Bioquímica pela Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e TecnologiaFCT/MCTES projects PTDC/AMB/65702/2006 and SFRH/PROTEC/49449/2009 and SFRH/BPD/30800/2006 ; COST Action 63

Ayuda humanitaria suiza durante la Guerra Civil española: El viaje de Anna Siemsen y Regina Kägi- Fuchsmann

Anna Siemsen’s and Regina Kägi-Fuchsmann’s journey to Spain in May 1937 resulted in two accounts regarding their experiences and views of Swiss humanitarian aid in the Civil War. The comparison between these two narratives makes it possible to study the role and the expression of fear, sadness and indignation at the bombing and the forced displacement of the civil population during the war. They are shared emotions yet expressed by each one in different ways depending on the function of their ideas and their perceptions. The empathy with the displaced people, especially with the children evacuated from Madrid to Valencia and Catalonia, is the main motivation of the participants in the Swiss humanitarian aid to Republican Spain, which raises some moral dilemmas. This empathy is furthermore characterized by a strong sympathy for the civil, social and democratic values represented by the Spanish Republic. Anna Siemsen’s and Regina Kägi-Fuchsmann’s religious and ideological beliefs, however, establish the limits of their empathy.El viaje de Anna Siemsen y de Regina Kägi-Fuchsmann a España en mayo de 1937 se plasmó en dos narraciones sobre sus experiencias y sus visiones de la ayuda humanitaria durante la Guerra Civil. La comparación entre estas dos narraciones permite estudiar el papel y la expresión del miedo, la tristeza o la indignación ante los bombardeos y los desplazamientos forzados de la población civil durante la guerra. Son emociones compartidas pero expresadas en cada caso de manera diferente dependiendo de sus ideas y de sus percepciones. La empatía con los desplazados, especialmente con los niños de Madrid en Valencia y Cataluña, es la principal motivación de los participantes en la ayuda humanitaria suiza a la España republicana, lo que les plantea diversos dilemas. Esta empatía está además caracterizada por una fuerte simpatía por los valores civiles, sociales y democráticos que representaba la República española. Las creencias religiosas y la ideología de Anna Siemsen y Regina Kägi-Fuchsmann marcan, sin embargo, los límites de su empatía