The role of foreign direct investment in an old industrial region: The case of the Basque country and Japanese FDI

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has been used as a tool to improve the competitiveness of countries or regions affected by a structural crisis focused in the industrial sector. Spain, in general, has implemented this strategy successfully. However, the inflows of FDI in Spain have been concentrated in the most dynamic regions: Madrid and Catalonia especially. The Basque Country, typified as a declining old industrial region, has not benefited from this inflow owing to its low attraction for foreign investors. Furthermore, the sectors in which FDI is located are mature ones. The result is that FDI in Spain is increasing the gap between the growing and the declining regions. This fact is clearly detected when the case of Japanese FDI is analysed: Japanese FDI in the Basque Country is scarce and marginal when compared with that directed to the regions of Madrid and Catalonia.     

Restoration of paintings on domes with non-developable geometry (Los Santos Juanes Church in Valencia)

The restoration of paintings on elements in cultural heritage buildings (fundamentally, churches) involves two structural problems: capturing the geometry of the construction element and its development. In many cases, the geometries are regular (e.g., cylinders, spheres, elliptical domes). However, there are cases in which the elements cannot be adapted to any known geometry, much less one that can be mathematically developed. The development of surfaces becomes essential for the restoration of paintings over “flat elements” (over which work is performed on the ground) that are subsequently transferred to the real surface (ceilings). The mathematical transformations that allow regular geometries to be developed are widely known (cartographic projections). However, when the geometry is irregular, there is no development. This study presents a new methodology based on differential rectification and its application for the development of oculi in the Los Santos Juanes Church (Valencia), whose geometry is completely irregular both in shape and as a result of construction defects (and damage caused by fire). The present study focuses on the restoration of paintings damaged by fire.     

The Roman Amphorae Average Capacity (AC)

This paper presents a methodological tool of statistical correction to assess the capacities of different Roman amphorae, whereby ceramic values are transformed into amounts of transported product. Based on scaled drawings of 1281 Roman amphorae, individual vessels’ capacities have been calculated by applying a CAD software to the inner profiles. Each vessel has been classified according to amphora types and the mean for each type has been calculated to produce a coefficient called Average Capacity (AC). The estimated capacities are highly reliable and show narrow confidence intervals. Therefore, they can be applied immediately as a correction factor in studies of quantification of amphorae aimed at characterizing trading dynamics. As such, we expect that future statistical studies of amphorae will include this statistical coefficient to produce more precise and reliable analysis of assemblages and, consequently, more accurate research on the Roman economy.     

Rapid Transit and Community Power: West Oakland Residents Confront BART

Regional transportation planning shaped minority activism in the mid-1960s. The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system encouraged West Oakland activists to create a strong local identity. BART supporters valued regional mobility and blamed ghetto poverty on the inaccessibility of suburban jobs. Minority activists blamed BART for harming the ghetto poor by encouraging job migration to the suburbs, and for displacing residents. As compensation, they demanded that BART hire minority workers and increase relocation payments. While West Oakland activists largely failed to influence BART, the newly unified community did gain local control of schools and urban poverty programs.     

A Damage Index for the Seismic Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Members

This article proposes a damage index for the seismic analysis of Reinforced Concrete members using the hysteretic energy dissipated by a structural member and a drift ratio related to failure in the structure. The index was calibrated against observed damage in laboratory tests of 76 RC column units under various protocols. Values obtained in this calibration had acceptable agreement with the levels of damage observed in the test specimens. An analysis of the parameters involved in the definition of the proposed damage index shows the importance of displacement history in the drift ratio capacity of structures.     

Household Incomes in Cuban Agriculture: A Comparison of the State,Co-operative,and Peasant Sectors

This article presents the results of a 1991 household income survey of the three main groups in Cuban agriculture: wage workers on state farms, members of production co-operatives, and peasant producers. It is shown that since the 1959 revolution household income levels in the agricultural sector have improved dramatically, while regional differences have been ameliorated considerably. Households in the private sector of Cuban agriculture have fared the best. It is also demonstrated that agricultural households rely on multiple sources of income to generate their livelihood. Rather than being strictly proletarian, collective, or petty commodity producers, these households are best characterized by the multiple class relations in which they participate.