"Assessing Institutional Efficiency, Growth and Integration"

This paper presents a new empirical methodology for evaluation of the institutional system's development in transition economies and the impact it has on economic performance. We have developed and used a methodology of estimation of an operational indicator of institutional system dynamics to observe the "institutional reforms-economic growth" interdependence in transition economies. The empirical work reveals a certain dependence between institutional development and growth. An application of the approach to the problems of international economic integration of transition economies in the context of EU accession allows us to assess the role of democratization and the rule of law in particular.

Democracy, Finance and Development

The paper tests the hypothesis of a positive impact of democratization on growth and economic development in the sense of capabilities and improvements in well-being. We employ a probit model to estimate the probabilistic indicator for democracy for a large sample of countries. Panel regressions are applied to explain the impact on growth of political institutions (democracy), economic institutions and efficiency of financial management, along with more "traditional" factors. The empirical findings support the hypothesis of decisive role of democratic political and efficient economic institutions in stimulating economic growth. The main results also highlight the importance of effective allocation of financial resources. In addition to the growth regression results, it is argued, consistently with the capabilities approach to development by Sen, that many of the explanatory variables in the growth regression are positively related to development as capabilities enhancement. This is particularly true for democratic freedoms. Finally the problem of 'optimal' institutional development is discussed within the context of resource allocation, migration flows and political decisions.

"Democracy, Finance and Development "

The paper tests the hypothesis of a positive impact of democratization on growth and economic development in the sense of capabilities and improvements in well-being. We employ a probit model to estimate the probabilistic indicator for democracy for a large sample of countries. Panel regressions are applied to explain the impact on growth of political institutions (democracy), economic institutions and efficiency of financial management, along with more "traditional" factors. The empirical findings support the hypothesis of decisive role of democratic political and efficient economic institutions in stimulating economic growth. The main results also highlight the importance of effective allocation of financial resources. In addition to the growth regression results, it is argued, consistently with the capabilities approach to development by Sen, that many of the explanatory variables in the growth regression are positively related to development as capabilities enhancement. This is particularly true for democratic freedoms. Finally the problem of 'optimal' institutional development is discussed within the context of resource allocation, migration flows and political decisions.

Corn or Sorghum/ Italian Ryegrass Forage Rotation Under Different Cultivation Systems in High Rainfall Areas of Spain

A field assay was established at three locations in northern Spain with the main objective of characterizing forage production and evaluating no-tillage methods as an alternative to the conventional labour practices. Three fields located in Guntìn (Galicia), Grado (Asturias) and Derio (Basque Country) were sown different rotations: Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.)-corn (Zea mays L.) and Italian ryegrass-sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench x sudangrass) under two different systems: conventional tillage (T) and no-tillage (NT). Italian ryegrass-corn rotation was more productive than the sorghum x sudangrass rotation in the three sites, with average forage yield varying from 17.8 t DM/ha in Derio to 15.0 t DM/ha in Guntìn. Corn under T treatment produced more than NT treatment (10.5 and 8.9 t DM/ha, respectively). Yield achieved in the T system was not large enough to compensate the extra labour cost involved in the T system

INTEGRAL timing and localization performance

In this letter we report on the accuracy of the attitude, misalignment, orbit and time correlation which are used to perform scientific analyses of the INTEGRAL data. The boresight attitude during science pointings has an accuracy of 3 arcsec. At the center of the field, the misalignments have been calibrated leading to a location accuracy of 4 to 40 arcsec for the different instruments. The spacecraft position is known within 10 meters. The relative timing between instruments could be reconstructed within 10 microsec and the absolute timing within 40 microsec.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in A+A letters, INTEGRAL special issu

New Halogenated Phenylbacteriochlorins and Their Efficiency in Singlet-Oxygen Sensitization

Halogenated phenylbacteriochlorins are synthesized with high yields in a two-step procedure. They have strong absorbances in the red and are very stable to air and light at room temperature. Flash photolysis measurements show that the triplet states of these bacteriochlorins have 30 μs lifetimes in deaerated toluene, that are quenched with diffusion-controlled rate constants by molecular oxygen. Time-resolved photoacoustic measurements, with nanosecond and nanocalorie resolution, show that these bacteriochlorins sensitize the formation of singlet oxygen with nearly unity quantum yield. However, singlet-oxygen phosphorescence measurements indicate that physical quenching occurs before the singlet-oxygen molecules diffuse into solution, and nearly half of the sensitized singlet states are lost