The Economics of Modern Imperialism

This work focuses exclusively on the modern economic aspects of imperialism. We define it as a persistent and long-term net appropriation of surplus value by the high-technology imperialist countries from the low-technology dominated countries. This process is placed within the secular tendential fall in profitability, not only in the imperialist countries but also in the dominated ones. We identify four channels through which surplus value flows to the imperialist countries: currency seigniorage; income flows from capital investments; unequal exchange through trade; and changes in exchange rates. We pay particular attention to the theorisation and quantification of international UE and of exchange-rate movements. Concerning UE, we extend Marx’s transformation procedure to the international setting. We use two variables in the analysis of UE: the organic composition of capital and the rate of exploitation, and we measure which of these two variables is more important in contributing to UE transfers. We research a time span longer than in any previous study. We also introduce the distinction between narrow and broad unequal exchange according to whether two countries are assumed to trade only with each other or also with the rest of the world. As for the analysis of the exchange rates as a channel for appropriation of international surplus value, we reject conventional approaches because they are rooted in equilibrium theory. We find very strong empirical evidence that exchange rates tend towards the point at which the productivities are equalised. This is only a tendency because this equalisation is inherently incompatible with the nature of imperialism. Finally, given its topicality, we apply our analysis to the relation between the US and China and find that China is not an imperialist country according to our definition and data.

Relationship between Sensory Attributes, (Dis) Liking and Volatile Organic Composition of Gorgonzola PDO Cheese

Blue-veined cheese tends to polarize the consumers’ affective responses due to its strong flavor. This study aims to: (i) explore the consumers’ sensory perceptions and liking of Gorgonzola PDO cheese; (ii) identify the sensory drivers of acceptance for Gorgonzola in the function of the cheese style; (iii) characterize them by the volatile organic compounds (VOCs); and (iv) explore the relationships of the VOCs with sensory perception and liking. Six samples of Gorgonzola cheese differing in style (sweet vs. piquant), aging time (70–95 days), and production process (artisanal vs. industrial) were evaluated by 358 subjects (46% males, 18–77 years) using liking and Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA) tests. The cheese VOCs were measured by SPME/GC-MS. Liking was significantly higher for the sweet cheese than for the piquant cheese and for the artisanal cheese than for the industrial samples. Penalty Analysis showed that ‘creamy’, ‘sweet’, ‘nutty’, and ‘salty’ were significant drivers of liking while the ‘soapy’ and ‘ammonia’ flavors turned out to be drivers of disliking. Fifty-three VOCs were identified. Regression models revealed the significant highest associations between the VOCs and ‘ammonia’, ‘pungent’, ‘soapy’, and ‘moldy’ flavors. A good association was also found with the consumers’ liking. The identification of the sensory drivers of (dis) liking and their relationship with the VOCs of Gorgonzola opens up a new understanding of the consumers’ blue-veined cheese preferences.

The Chilean economy, an analysis of the dynamics of profits, investments and production: A Marxist approach

This article aims to examine the dynamics of the Chilean economy as a consequence of actions taken by companies whose aim is to make profits. As such, the economic analysis used is Marxist and makes use of those classical indicators described in Capital (Rate of Surplus-Value, Organic Composition of Capital and Rate of Profit). It is maintained that with the Marxist method, we can discover that behind the accumulation of incomes lies the fact that out of each 8 hours worked, only 3 finance wages and 5 benefit the owners of capital. That fraction of the unpaid labour received by capital but invested back as new capital, plus that ‘excess’ surplus value that is consequence of high copper prices, raises the physical, but not necessarily the value, capital-per-worker ratio. As a consequence, that relation of exploitation to capital accumulation, which Marx called the Rate of Profit, is found to fall, rise and then fall again. We understand that various approaches have been made to calculate the classical indicators and include some of them as alternative methods in our results.

Fossil evidence unveils an early Cambrian origin for Bryozoa

Bryozoans (also known as ectoprocts or moss animals) are aquatic, dominantly sessile, filter-feeding lophophorates that construct an organic or calcareous modular colonial (clonal) exoskeleton1–3. The presence of six major orders of bryozoans with advanced polymorphisms in lower Ordovician rocks strongly suggests a Cambrian origin for the largest and most diverse lophophorate phylum2,4–8. However, a lack of convincing bryozoan fossils from the Cambrian period has hampered resolution of the true origins and character assembly of the earliest members of the group. Here we interpret the millimetric, erect, bilaminate, secondarily phosphatized fossil Protomelission gatehousei9 from the early Cambrian of Australia and South China as a potential stem-group bryozoan. The monomorphic zooid capsules, modular construction, organic composition and simple linear budding growth geometry represent a mixture of organic Gymnolaemata and biomineralized Stenolaemata character traits, with phylogenetic analyses identifying P. gatehousei as a stem-group bryozoan. This aligns the origin of phylum Bryozoa with all other skeletonized phyla in Cambrian Age 3, pushing back its first occurrence by approximately 35 million years. It also reconciles the fossil record with molecular clock estimations of an early Cambrian origination and subsequent Ordovician radiation of Bryozoa following the acquisition of a carbonate skeleton10–13.

Research On the Craniofacial Measurement Characteristics and Pollution Identification of Unearthed Human Bones at Shenna Ruins, China

The unearthed human bones are important materials for revealing ancient human food, ancient environment and ancient climate, and the origin of ancient humans, which the chemical composition and biological characteristics of bones have changed to varying degrees in the process of diagenesis, means that they were contaminated. Therefore, judging whether the unearthed ancient human bones are contaminated is a prerequisite for scientific analysis, environmental archaeology, and research on ancient human recipes. This paper is mainly using traditional morphological methods to analyze and study the craniofacial measurement characteristics of the unearthed human bones at the Shenna ruins, and the contamination of the unearthed human bones by burial environment and diagenesis was judged by using pH measurement, Scanning Electrion Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (SEM-EDS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform red external light spectrum (FTIR). The results show that the organic composition of the remains at Shenna ruins is decomposed in a large amount, the inorganic structure is destroyed, which will eventually cause looseness and porosity. However, the composition of inorganic minerals of the human bones has not been changed or contaminated, they could be avoided unnecessary waste of energy and work and research bias in further study of paleoenvironment and paleoclimate in Shenna ruins.

Joyful Colors in Krishna Prakash Shah's Abstract Artworks

Aesthetic pleasure and joy are the dominant features of Krishna Prakash Shah's colorful compositions. Shah, one of the renowned contemporary Nepali abstract artists, presents art forms without referential and recognizable contents. In other words, the form itself is its content. The works have the power to arouse rapture and relish through harmonious colors although the viewers may not able to find fixed significance. Coherent colors, rhythmic waves, playful shapes and organic composition in his paintings contribute to create beauty and provide aesthetic pleasure to the viewers. This research paper analyzes Shah's abstract paintings from the perspective of aestheticism and traces joyful colors and rhythmic waves in his works. The study uses qualitative methods of research since there can be multiple interpretations of the same artwork, and the subjectivity of the critic has a significant role to derive the thesis statement.

Seasonal Differences in Submicron Marine Aerosol Particle Organic Composition in the North Atlantic

Submicron atmospheric primary marine aerosol (aPMA) were collected during four North Atlantic Aerosol and Marine Ecosystem Study (NAAMES) research cruises between November 2015 and March 2018. The average organic functional group (OFG) composition of the aPMA samples was 72–85% hydroxyl group mass, 6–13% alkane group mass, and 5–8% amine group mass, which is similar to prior observations and to aerosol generated from Sea Sweep. The carboxylic acid group had seasonal averages that ranged from 1% for Winter, 8% for Late Spring, and 10% for Autumn. The carboxylic acid group mass concentration correlated with nitrate mass concentration and weakly with photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) above 100 W m–2, suggesting a substantial secondary organic aerosol contribution in sunnier months. The three sizes of aPMA aerosol particles (<0.18, <0.5, and <1 μm) had the same four organic functional groups (hydroxyl, alkane, amine, and carboxylic acid groups). The aPMA spectra of the three sizes showed more variability (higher standard deviations of cosine similarity) within each size than between the sizes. The ratio of organic mass (OM) to sodium (OM/Na) of submicron generated primary marine aerosol (gPMA) was larger for Autumn with project average of 0.93 ± 0.3 compared to 0.55 ± 0.27 for Winter, 0.47 ± 0.16 for Late Spring, and 0.53 ± 0.24 for Early Spring. When the gPMA samples were separated by latitude (47–60°N and 18–47°N), the median OM/Na concentration ratio for Autumn was higher than the other seasons by more than the project standard deviations for latitudes north of 47°N but not for those south of 47°N, indicating that the seasonal differences are stronger at higher latitudes. However, the high variability of day-to-day differences in aPMA and gPMA composition within each season meant that seasonal trends in organic composition were generally not statistically distinguishable.