The role of subsidies in promoting italian joint ventures in least developed and transition economies

This paper analyses the impact of subsidies to promote Italian joint ventures (JVs) with firms in LDC and transition economies. The empirical analysis is carried out on a unique dataset of 172 JVs interviewed during 1998 by means of a closed-answer qualitative-quantitative questionnaire. The main finding of the study is that although there is a significant deadweight component in incentive policy, subsidised firms are significantly more likely to grow. Moreover, JVs comprising new firms (which need to grow to survive) also achieve a higher-than- average employment performance, and so too do (labour intensive) JVs motivated by the search for lower labour costs, and JVs in East European countries

Coastal evolution in a Mediterranean microtidal zone: mid to late Holocene natural dynamics and human management of the Castelló lagoon, NE Spain

© 2016 Ejarque et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. We present a palaeoenvironmental study of the Castelló lagoon (NE Spain), an important archive for understanding long-term interactions between dynamic littoral ecosystems and human management. Combining geochemistry, mineralogy, ostracods, diatoms, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, charcoal and archaeo-historical datasets we reconstruct: 1) the transition of the lagoon from a marine to a marginal environment between ∼ 3150 cal BC to the 17 th century AD; 2) fluctuations in salinity; and 3) natural and anthropogenic forces contributing to these changes. From the Late Neolithic to the Medieval period the lagoon ecosystem was driven by changing marine influence and the land was mainly exploited for grazing, with little evidence for impact on the natural woodland. Land-use exploitation adapted to natural coastal dynamics, with maximum marine flooding hampering agropastoral activities between ∼ 1550 and ∼ 150 cal BC. In contrast, societies actively controlled the lagoon dynamics and become a major agent of landscape transformation after the Medieval period. The removal of littoral woodlands after the 8 th century was followed by the expansion of agrarian and industrial activities. Regional mining and smelting activities polluted the lagoon with heavy metals from the ∼ 11 th century onwards. The expansion of the milling industry and of agricultural lands led to the channelization of the river Muga into the lagoon after ∼ 1250 cal AD. This caused its transformation into a freshwater lake, increased nutrient load, and the infilling and drainage of a great part of the lagoon. By tracking the shift towards an anthropogenically-controlled system around∼ 750 yr ago, this study points out Mediterranean lagoons as ancient and heavily-modified systems, with anthropogenic impacts and controls covering multi-centennial and even millennial timescales. Finally, we contributed to the future construction of reliable seashell-based chronologies in NE Spain by calibrating the Banyuls-sur-Mer ▵ R offset with ceramic imports from the Emporiae archaeological site

Spectral classification and properties of the O Vz stars in the Galactic O-Star Spectroscopic Survey (GOSSS)

On the basis of the Galactic O-Star Spectroscopic Survey (GOSSS), a detailed systematic investigation of the O Vz stars is presented. The currently used spectral classification criteria are rediscussed, and the Vz phenomenon is recalibrated through the addition of a quantitative criterion based on the equivalent widths of the He I 4471, He II 4542, and He II 4686 spectral lines. The GOSSS O Vz and O V populations resulting from the newly adopted spectral classification criteria are comparatively analyzed. The locations of the O Vz stars are probed, showing a concentration of the most extreme cases toward the youngest star forming regions. The occurrence of the Vz spectral peculiarity in a solar-metallicity environment, as predicted by the fastwind code, is also investigated, confirming the importance of taking into account several processes for the correct interpretation of the phenomenon.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa

Hip fracture in hospitalized medical patients

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study is to analyze the incidence of hip fracture as a complication of admissions to internal medicine units in Spain. METHODS: We analyzed the clinical data of 2,134,363 adults who had been admitted to internal medicine wards. The main outcome was a diagnosis of hip fracture during hospitalization. Outcome measures included rates of in-hospital fractures, length of stay and cost. RESULTS: A total of 1127 (0.057%) admittances were coded with an in-hospital hip fracture. In hospital mortality rate was 27.9% vs 9.4%; p < 0.001, and the mean length of stay was significantly longer for patients with a hip fracture (20.7 days vs 9.8 days; p < 0.001). Cost were higher in hip-fracture patients (6927€ per hospitalization vs 3730€ in non fracture patients). Risk factors related to fracture were: increasing age by 10 years increments (OR 2.32 95% CI 2.11-2.56), female gender (OR 1.22 95% CI 1.08-1.37), admission from nursing home (OR 1.65 95% CI 1.27-2.12), dementia (1.55 OR 95% CI1.30-1.84), malnutrition (OR 2.50 95% CI 1.88-3.32), delirium (OR 1.57 95% CI 1.16-2.14), and anemia (OR 1.30 95%CI 1.12-1.49). CONCLUSIONS: In-hospital hip fracture notably increased mortality during hospitalization, doubling the mean length of stay and mean cost of admission. These are reasons enough to stress the importance of designing and applying multidisciplinary plans focused on reducing the incidence of hip fractures in hospitalized patients

Visuomotor adaptation changes tactile discrimination: an ERP study

We recorded brain activity in SI, elicited by the electrical stimulation of the right forearm during a 2PTD task (the two point distance selected according to the individual threshold) after visuomotor adaptation sessions, including normal and extended reaches. A reliable increase in brain activity was observed after the visuomotor adaptation with extended but not normal reaches. Visuomotor adaptation changes body representation and preset the tactile circuits involved in the 2TPD task via top-down links from multisensory areas in the posterior parietal cortex into the somatosensory corte

Energy-based PINNs for solving coupled field problems: concepts and application to the multi-objective optimal design of an induction heater

Physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) are neural networks (NNs) that directly encode model equations, like Partial Differential Equations (PDEs), in the network itself. While most of the PINN algorithms in the literature minimize the local residual of the governing equations, there are energy-based approaches that take a different path by minimizing the variational energy of the model. We show that in the case of the steady thermal equation weakly coupled to magnetic equation, the energy-based approach displays multiple advantages compared to the standard residual-based PINN: it is more computationally efficient, it requires a lower order of derivatives to compute, and it involves less hyperparameters. The analyzed benchmark problems are the single- and multi-objective optimal design of an inductor for the controlled heating of a graphite plate. The optimized device is designed involving a multi-physics problem: a time-harmonic magnetic problem and a steady thermal problem. For the former, a deep neural network solving the direct problem is supervisedly trained on Finite Element Analysis (FEA) data. In turn, the solution of the latter relies on a hypernetwork that takes as input the inductor geometry parameters and outputs the model weights of an energy-based PINN (or ePINN). Eventually, the ePINN predicts the temperature field within the graphite plate

Effects of cleaning methods upon preservation of stable isotopes and trace elements in shells of Cyprideis torosa (Crustacea, Ostracoda): implications for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction

The trace element (Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca) and stable isotope (δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C) geochemistry of fossil ostracod valves provide valuable information, particularly in lacustrine settings, on palaeo-water composition and palaeotemperature. The removal of sedimentary and organic contamination prior to geochemical analysis is essential to avoid bias of the results. Previous stable isotope and trace element work on ostracod shells has, however, employed different treatments for the removal of contamination beyond simple ‘manual’ cleaning using a paint brush and methanol under a low-power binocular microscope. For isotopic work pre-treatments include chemical oxidation, vacuum roasting and plasma ashing, and for trace element work sonication, chemical oxidation and reductive cleaning. The impact of different treatments on the geochemical composition of the valve calcite has not been evaluated in full, and a universal protocol has not been established. Here, a systematic investigation of the cleaning methods is undertaken using specimens of the ubiquitous euryhaline species, Cyprideis torosa. Cleaning methods are evaluated by undertaking paired analyses on a single carapace (comprising two valves); in modern ostracods, whose valves are assumed to be unaltered, the two valves should have identical geochemical and isotopic composition. Hence, when one valve is subjected to the chosen treatment and the other to simple manual cleaning any difference in composition can confidently be assigned to the treatment method. We show that certain cleaning methods have the potential to cause alteration to the geochemical signal, particularly Mg/Ca and δ¹⁸O, and hence have implications for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. For trace element determinations we recommend cleaning by sonication and for stable isotope analysis, oxidation by hydrogen peroxide. These methods remove contamination, yet do not significantly alter the geochemical signal

Low-Voltage GaN Based Inverter for Power Steering Application

In the paper, an experimental evaluation of a low voltage Gallium Nitride (GaN) based inverter suitable for power steering application is presented. The inverter switches belong to the last generation of low voltage enhancement-mode normally-off GaN Field-Effect Transistor (FET). The main advantage in the usage of these devices is the high switching frequency capability with consequently volume reduction of the passive components. On the other hand, the layout and the device packaging solution are a challenge to reduce the parasitic inductances. Furthermore, the dv/dt increasing with the switching frequency need a deep investigation in a motor drive application. The paper deals with the advances and drawbacks of the GaN FETs in two-level Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) motor drive applications providing a piece of detailed experimental evidence and design guidelines

Dead Time Constraints in Gallium Nitride Devices for Inverter Applications

The paper deals with investigating the dead time constraints for Gallium Nitride (GaN) devices in inverter switching leg applications. The power devices considered are the low-voltage enhancement GaN FETs. The variable current (typical of inverter applications) influencing the dead time impact is analysed through several simulation results and experimental tests. Furthermore, device temperature measurements support the dead time effect. The proposed survey allows for obtaining a procedure for correctly selecting the length of the dead time to avoid cross-conduction and lower the device losses

Ecología y geoquímica de ostrácodos como indicadores paleoambientales en ambientes marginales marinos.: Un ejemplo de estudio. La Albufera de Valencia

El presente estudio paleolimnológico se centra en la evolución Holocena de la Albufera de Valencia, el mayor lago costero oligohalino de la Península Ibérica. Este lago costero ha sido el punto de mira de numerosos estudios durante el último siglo, sin embargo, se sabía muy poco sobre el origen y evolución del mismo. Se utilizaron los restos subfósiles de ostrácodos como los mejores bioindicadores ambientales. Se emprendió un estudio basado en la calibración de una especie de ostrácodo eurihalino clave, Cyprideis torosa. Los resultados mostraron que la combinación de los nodos de las valvas junto con los isótopos de oxígeno (δ18O), nos proporcionaba un modelo cuantitativo certero para reconstruir salinidades. Por otro lado, el Sr/Ca de las valvas de C. torosa estaba altamente correlacionado con el Sr/Ca del agua, permitiendo así la posibilidad de reconstruir el Sr/Ca de aguas pasadas. Además, se reafirmó que el δ13CDIC puede ser inferido a partir del δ13C del ostrácodo. Estos resultados, junto con las técnicas de análisis paleoecológicos se aplicaron en tres secuencias sedimentarias de la Albufera con distintas longitudes (850 cm, 240 cm y 63 cm). Los sondeos más largos aportaron información sobre las principales transgresiones marinas que se produjeron durante el Holoceno. Sin embargo, no se encontró ninguna asociación típicamente marina, sugiriendo así que el lago no estuvo totalmente abierto al mar durante este periodo. El estudio de los sondeos cortos mostro que la desalinización de la Albufera se produjo más tarde de lo postulado en estudios previos, probablemente en el último cuarto del siglo XIX. Las aguas no tratadas de la de las ciudades de alrededor incrementaron la carga de nutrientes en el lago provocando un proceso drástico de eutrofización durante la mitad y la parte final del siglo XX. La densa pradera de macrófitos que poblaba el lago desapareció hacia finales de los años 60. Así mismo, los vertidos incontrolados de las industrias de alrededor del lago y probablemente el incremento de las actividades cinegéticas en el lago, desde principios del siglo XIX, incrementaron la carga de metales pesados que todavía hoy permanecen en los sedimentos de la AlbuferaWe undertook a paleolimnological study on the Holocene evolution of the Albufera de Valencia, the largest coastal oligohaline lake in the Iberian Peninsula, enclosed in the Albufera Natural Park. The lake has been the focus of many studies during the last century; however, the origin and the evolution of the lake remained unknown. Subfossil ostracod remains preserved in lake sediments were considered as the most suitable bioindicators owing to the significant relationships between the species distribution and shell chemistry (trace elements and isotopes) of ostracods and water physical and chemical variables. The paleolimnology of coastal lakes is a complex and difficult task; hence, prior to this we undertook a study to calibrate the euryhaline ostracod target species Cyprideis torosa as a quantitative paleoenvironmental proxy. The results showed that the combination of both shell nodes and !18O provided an accurate quantitative model for salinity reconstruction. On the other hand, C. torosa shell Sr/Ca was highly correlated with water Sr/Ca, allowing the possibility to reconstruct past water Sr/Ca in a quantitative manner. Additionally, we support the previous findings that !13CDIC can be inferred from ostracod shell !13C. These results, together with classical paleoecological analyses and interpretations based on ostracod paleoassemblages and sediment characteristics were applied to study three sedimentary sequences from lake Albufera of various lengths (850 cm, 240 cm and 63 cm). The longest two cores provided information about the main transgressive phases occurred during the mid to late Holocene. However, a typical marine ostracod fauna was not recorded at a certain unit of the core, suggesting that the lake was not totally open to the sea during this period. The highest resolution of the shorter two cores, allowed to establish that the main desalinization of the Albufera took place later than thought before, probably in the last quarter of the XIXth century, when an important rice field expansion took place around the lake. The untreated sewage waters and the change of rice cultivation methods from surrounding towns increased the nutrient load onto the lake favoring a drastic eutrophication process during the mid to late XX century. The dense macrophyte cover disappeared from the lake by the end of 1960 resulting in marked sediment differences (disturbed and anoxic sediment layer). Furthermore, the uncontrolled spills from the nearby industries and probably also the increasing hunting activities since the beginning of the XIXth century increased the heavy metals load remaining in the sediment