Industrial Realities in Nigeria: From Bad to Worse

This paper assesses the industrial performance and capabilities of Nigeria over the last decade. It explores Nigeria's export and production capacity, growth, structure and technological upgrading and compares it to other Sub-Saharan countries. Evidence shows that Nigerian industry is inexorably falling behind and becoming increasingly marginalized in the international and regional industrial scene. Total manufacturing value added and manufactured exports have significantly declined and there has been a technological downgrading of Nigeria's traditional manufacturing sectors. Moreover, increased dependency on oil extraction puts a serious threat to Nigeria's industrial competitive future. Severe flaws in the education system, technological stagnation of domestic companies, lack of foreign investment in manufacturing, negligible technology transfer and weak ICT infrastructure constitute significant factors for failure. Further analysis should however include other factors not explored in this exercise, including macro-economic and fiscal policies, governance and the regulatory and business environment.

Scalar-Pseudoscalar scattering and pseudoscalar resonances

The interactions between the f_0(980) and a_0(980) scalar resonances and the lightest pseudoscalar mesons are studied. We first obtain the interacting kernels, without including any ad hoc free parameter, because the lightest scalar resonances are dynamically generated. These kernels are unitarized, giving the final amplitudes, which generate pseudoscalar resonances, associated with the K(1460), \pi(1300), \pi(1800), \eta(1475) and X(1835). We also consider the exotic channels with I=3/2 and I^G=1^+ quantum numbers. The former could be also resonant in agreement with a previous prediction.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures; Contributed oral presentation in (QCHS09) The IX International Conference on Quark Confinement and Hadron Spectrum - Madrid, Spain, 30 Aug 2010 - 03 Sep 201

Determinants and Policies to Foster the Competitiveness of SME Clusters: Evidence from Latin America

This paper attempts to identify key determinants of competitiveness in SME clusters, with especial reference to Latin America. It takes the debate forward as its extended framework adds country- and firm-level determinants to the existing cluster-level factors of the 'collective efficiency' approach. Based on an enlarged analytical framework, policies recommendations to foster clusters' competitiveness are provided at different levels. Empirical evidence strongly suggests that joint action may not be enough for clusters to face new competitive pressures. This confirms the narrow scope of the 'collective efficiency' approach, and suggests that policy intervention in Latin America should go beyond the mere promotion of inter-firm linkages to foster the competitiveness of SME clusters.

Indicators of the Relative Importance of IPRs In Developing Countries

There remains considerable controversy on the economic impact of TRIPS (interpreted here as the tightening of IPRs) in developing countries; needless to say, the new round of WTO negotiations adds considerable interest to this controversy. This paper focuses on the long-term structural issues concerning the impact of TRIPS on industrial and technology development in poor countries. It does not, therefore, deal with such important current issues as the cost of medicines, agricultural inputs or genetic materials. Even in the analysis of technology development, it has a limited objective. It seeks to indicate the potential significance of IPRs by differentiating developing countries according to the expected impact of stronger protection. It does not measure statistically the strength of IPR regimes or their impact on development as such.

Form factors of the isovector scalar current and the ηπ\eta\pi scattering phase shifts

A model for S-wave $\eta\pi$ scattering is proposed which could be realistic in an energy range from threshold up to above one GeV, where inelasticity is dominated by the $K\bar{K}$ channel. The $T$-matrix, satisfying two-channel unitarity, is given in a form which matches the chiral expansion results at order $p^4$ exactly for the $\eta\pi\to\eta\pi$, $\eta\pi\to K\bar{K}$ amplitudes and approximately for $K\bar{K}\to K\bar{K}$. It contains six phenomenological parameters. Asymptotic conditions are imposed which ensure a minimal solution of the Muskhelishvili-Omn\`es problem, thus allowing to compute the $\eta\pi$ and $K\bar{K}$ form factor matrix elements of the $I=1$ scalar current from the $T$-matrix. The phenomenological parameters are determined such as to reproduce the experimental properties of the $a_0(980)$, $a_0(1450)$ resonances, as well as the chiral results of the $\eta\pi$ and $K\bar{K}$ scalar radii which are predicted to be remarkably small at $O(p^4)$. This $T$-matrix model could be used for a unified treatment of the $\eta\pi$ final-state interaction problem in processes such as $\eta'\to \eta \pi\pi$, $\phi\to\eta\pi\gamma$, or the $\eta\pi$ initial-state interaction in $\eta\to3\pi$.Comment: 33 pages, 14 figures. v2: Some clarifications and corrections of typo

Dynamical generation of pseudoscalar resonances

We study the interactions between the f_0(980) and a_0(980) scalar resonances and the lightest pseudoscalar mesons. We first obtain the elementary interaction amplitudes, or interacting kernels, without including any ad hoc free parameter. This is achieved by using previous results on the nature of the lightest scalar resonances as dynamically generated from the rescattering of S-wave two-meson pairs. Afterwards, the interaction kernels are unitarized and the final S-wave amplitudes result. We find that these interactions are very rich and generate a large amount of pseudoscalar resonances that could be associated with the K(1460), \pi(1300), \pi(1800), \eta(1475) and X(1835). We also consider the exotic channels with isospin 3/2 and 1, having the latter positive G-parity. The former could be also resonant in agreement with a previous prediction.Comment: 31 pages, 9 figures, to be published in PR

Identification of a Scalar Glueball

We have performed a coupled channel study of the meson-meson S-waves involving isospins (I) 0, 1/2 and 3/2 up to 2 GeV. For the first time the channels \pi\pi, K\bar{K}, \eta\eta, \sigma\sigma, \eta\eta', \eta'\eta', \rho\rho, \omega\omega, \omega\phi$, \phi\phi, a_1\pi and \pi^*\pi are considered. All the resonances with masses below 2 GeV for I=0 and 1/2 are generated by the approach. We identify the f_0(1710) and a pole at 1.6 GeV, which is an important contribution to the f_0(1500), as glueballs. This is based on an accurate agreement of our results with predictions of lattice QCD and the chiral suppression of the coupling of a scalar glueball to \bar{q}q. Another nearby pole, mainly corresponding to the f_0(1370), is a pure octet state not mixed with the glueball.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. More data are included and reproduced. Some discussions have been rephrase

Theory of Literature and Aesthetics

En este artículo me ocupo de la relación entre Teoría de la Literatura y Estética como disciplinas que estudian la literatura y el arte respectivamente. La atención prestada por los tratados de Poética a la literatura como arte así como a otras artes es considerada uno de los fundamentos de esta relación y uno de los caminos hacia la Estética como una teoría global del arte. La conexión de la Teoría de la Literatura con la Estética se observa dentro del campo de la conexión de las teorías de las artes con la Estética, de tal modo que a todas las teorías les proporcione enriquecimiento una relación dialéctica entre todas ellas. Por su alcance amplio y comprehensivo, la Semiótica como teoría general de los signos puede ofrecer una armazón teórica para mejorar la conexión entre Teoría de la Literatura y EstéticaIn this article I am dealing with the relationship between Theory of Literature and Aesthetics as disciplines that study literature and art respectively. The attention paid by the treatises of Poetics to literature as an art as well as to other arts is considered to be one of the foundations of this relationship and one of the paths towards Aesthetics as a global theory of art. The connection of Theory of Literature to Aesthetics is viewed within the field of the connection of single theories of arts to Aesthetics, in such a way that a dialectical relationship between all of them provides enrichment for all theories. Because of its broad and comprehensive range, Semiotics as the general theory of signs can offer a theoretical framework to improve the connection between Theory of Literature and Aesthetic