Military Expenditure and Economic Activity: The Colombian Case

We enhance a standard RBC model to account for military expenditure and the costs of an internal conflict or war. The model captures the natural trade-off in military expenditure: crowding out of private consumption and investment but less destruction (and, therefore, higher marginal productivity) of private capital (and labor). Hence, military expenditure below (above) a certain threshold generates a positive (negative) net benefit in terms of output. The model is calibrated to an annual frequency using Colombian data. We find that an increase in military expenditure of 1% GDP (the current policy of Colombian authorities) increases investment and output above the steady state during several periods, before the shock fades away. Even though consumption falls on impact (to open up space for the additional military expenditure and private investment), it increases above its stationary trend after three periods, remains on positive grounds thereafter, and the cumulated net gain is positive.Real business cycle, stationary state, military expenditure, crowding-out, productivity shock

Banking Productivity and Economic Fluctuations: Colombia 1998-2000

I build a general equilibrium financial accelerator model that incorporates an explicit technology for the intermediary sector. A credit multiplier emerges because of a borrowing constraint that is a function of asset prices, internal funds and lending rates. With this financial friction I show that small changes in the productivity and intermediation costs of banks generate large and persistent fluctuations in economy activity. The transmission channel relies on the role that assets and internal funds play as collateral. After a negative shock hits financial intermediation productivity, the resulting credit crunch and economic slowdown induce a fall in asset prices and internal fund accumulation. This further modifies the present and future volume of collateral, thereby amplifying and propagating the initial shock. I argue that changes in banking regulation in Colombia in the late 1990's increased intermediation costs, reduced banking productivity and induced a credit channel story that fits the theoretical model presented here.This new regulation enhanced the credit crunch and economic slowdown that was already underway. Colombian data on loan/deposit interest rate spreads, credit volume, asset prices and economy activity support this argument.Financial accelerator, banking productivity, intermediation costs, borrowing limit, credit crunch, amplification, propagation.

Case Report: Rhinosporidiosis Literature Review

Rhinosporidiosis is caused by Rhinosporidium seeberi, a pathogen currently considered a fungus-like parasite of the eukaryotic group Mesomycetozoea. It is usually a benign condition, with slow growth of polypoid lesions, with involvement of the nose, nasopharynx, or eyes. The clinical characteristics of a painless, friable, polypoid mass, usually unilateral, can guide the diagnosis, but the gold standard for diagnosis is histopathological findings. This article reviews the epidemiology, pathobiology, clinical manifestations, diagnostic strategies, and treatment approach for rhinosporidiosis

First record of Leishmaniasis in wild Jaguars (Panthera onca) from Mexico

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease and parasitic zoonosis that occurs worldwide (i.e., Latin America, Africa and Eurasian countries; Desjeux 2005, Dahroug et al. 2010, 2011, Otranto et al. 2013). It is caused by parasitic kinetoplastids of the Leishmania genus transmitted by arthropod vectors (i.e. sandflies such as Lutzomyia spp.) and presents a great diversity of clinical profiles, depending on the affected areas (Otranto et al. 2013). This disease mainly affects humans and wild carnivoran species, mostly canids, with dogs as major reservoir hosts (Deane & Deane 1954, Silva et al. 2000, Figueiredo et al. 2008, Dantas-Torres et al. 2012). Even though domestic and wild felids are unusual reservoirs, and rarely develop the disease, several studies suggest that these species may play an important role in the epidemiology of the disease (Poli et al. 2002, Maia et al. 2008, Nasereddin et al. 2008, Dantas-Torres et al. 2012). Here we report the first record of a clinical manifestation of Leishmaniasis disease in a wild Jaguar (Panthera onca) in Quintana Roo, Mexico.Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease and parasitic zoonosis that occurs worldwide (i.e., Latin America, Africa and Eurasian countries; Desjeux 2005, Dahroug et al. 2010, 2011, Otranto et al. 2013). It is caused by parasitic kinetoplastids of the Leishmania genus transmitted by arthropod vectors (i.e. sandflies such as Lutzomyia spp.) and presents a great diversity of clinical profiles, depending on the affected areas (Otranto et al. 2013). This disease mainly affects humans and wild carnivoran species, mostly canids, with dogs as major reservoir hosts (Deane & Deane 1954, Silva et al. 2000, Figueiredo et al. 2008, Dantas-Torres et al. 2012). Even though domestic and wild felids are unusual reservoirs, and rarely develop the disease, several studies suggest that these species may play an important role in the epidemiology of the disease (Poli et al. 2002, Maia et al. 2008, Nasereddin et al. 2008, Dantas-Torres et al. 2012). Here we report the first record of a clinical manifestation of Leishmaniasis disease in a wild Jaguar (Panthera onca) in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Registros notables del Oso de Anteojos Tremarctos ornatus (Carnivora: Ursidae) en el norte de Antioquia, Colombia.

The Andean bear, Tremarctos ornatus, is the only living and representative bear of the Tremarctinae subfamily in South America. Its distribution includes from the Cordillera de Mérida in the northwest in Venezuela, the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia (Peyton 1999, Wilson and Mittermeier 2009) and more recently with a confirmed presence in northeastern Argentina (Del Moral and Lameda 2011 ), from 200 to 4700 masl (Peyton 1999). In Colombia it has been registered in the Andean region, inter-Andean valleys and in the Serranías del Baudó, Darián, Perijá and Macarena. Here we report, after 200 years without registration, the possible return of the Andean bear to the North of Antioquia.El oso andino, Tremarctos ornatus, es el único oso viviente y representativo de la subfamilia Tremarctinae en América del Sur. Su distribución comprende desde la Cordillera de Mérida en el noroeste en Venezuela, los  Andes de Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia (Peyton 1999, Wilson y Mittermeier 2009) y más recientemente con presencia confirmada en el noreste de Argentina (Del Moral y Lameda 2011), desde los 200 a 4700 msnm (Peyton 1999). En Colombia ha sido registrado en la región Andina, valles interandinos y en las Serranías del Baudó, Daríen, Perijá y Macarena. Aquí reportamos, luego de 200 años sin registro, el posible retorno del oso andino al Norte de Antioquia

Innovación y tradición en el léxico de las traducciones bíblicas castellanas medievales: el uso de cultismos y voces patrimoniales en las versiones del siglo XV

This paper analyses the variation in the use of learned vocabulary as well as other lexical and morphological innovations in four Spanish medieval translations of the Hebrew Bible composed during the fifteenth century. In order to do so, we analyze a selection of Hebrew lemmas and their corresponding Spanish translations, as well as the distribution of a number of derivational morphology phenomena. Our goal is to determine, through a quantitative and qualitative comparison of the Romance variants used by the translators, the distribution of traditional vernacular lexicon and learned innovations. Our results show that while the Arragel Bible and the Bible of the Marques de Santillana are immersed in the early fifteenth century trend of incorporating learned and latinate structures, other traditional texts, such as the Bible E3, do not use such words. The Bible E5/E7, on the other hand, lays somewhere between those two types as it exhibits some of the traditional lexical options, as the E3 translation, but also incorporates a small number of learned words, although to a lesser extent than the Arragel and Santillana Bibles.En este trabajo se aborda el uso de cultismos y otras innovaciones léxicas y morfológicas en los cuatro romanceamientos medievales completos de la Biblia hebrea compuestos en el siglo XV. Para ello se analiza una selección de lemas hebreos y de sus traducciones castellanas correspondientes, así como la distribución de ciertos fenómenos de morfología derivativa. El objetivo es determinar, mediante la comparación cuantitativa y cualitativa de las soluciones romances empleadas, el reparto de léxico vernáculo tradicional frente a innovaciones cultas. Nuestros resultados muestran que mientras la Biblia de Arragel y la Biblia del Marqués de Santillana se muestran inmersas en la tendencia de principios del siglo XV hacia el uso de cultismos y estructuras latinizantes, los textos más tradicionales, como la Biblia E3, no los presentan de forma apreciable. La Biblia E5/E7, por otro lado, queda a medio camino respecto del resto de las versiones, haciendo uso por lo general de opciones tradicionales en la línea de E3, pero incorporando igualmente voces cultas aunque en menor medida que las Biblias de Santillana y de Arragel

Definición de indicadores para actividad portuaria, oceanografía, hidrología y geomorfología en zonas portuarias

Los planes de monitoreo para puertos deben integrar continuamente las amenazas naturales a los que están expuestos, con el principal objetivo de minimizar los impactos am bientales que se pueden generar debido a contingencias, así como m onitorear permanentemente los movimientos de carga en el puerto que se constituyen en amenazas para los ecosistemas en casos de eventualidad. Es así como se llega a proponer variables de medición climática y atmosférica con el fin de que se asegure la operación de los puertos, en este sentido se plantearon monitoreos de la actividad portuaria, oceanografía, hidrología y geomorfología de la actividad portuaria

Una propuesta para homogenizar la escritura y el uso de nombres comunes en mastozoología

The binomial classification system of Carlos Linnaeus (Species plantarum, 1753 [for Botany] and the tenth edition of Systema Naturae, 1758 [for Zoology]), came to fill a great gap in science, by systematically naming plants and animals, thus universalizing scientific communication (Stearn 1959, McGregor 2009, International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature 1999). This classification system has the great advantage of being common to all scientists on the planet and allows consistency regardless of language. However, much knowledge of species, especially mammals, comes from popular knowledge and from communities that have always been in direct contact with natural areas.El sistema de clasificación binomial de Carlos Linneo (Species plantarum, 1753 [para la Botánica] y la décima edición de Systema Naturae, 1758 [para la Zoología]),  vino a llenar un gran vacío en la ciencia, al nombrar de forma sistemática a las plantas y animales,universalizando de este modo la comunicación científica (Stearn 1959, McGregor 2009, Comisión Internacional de Nomenclatura Zoológica 1999). Este sistema de clasificación tiene la gran ventaja de ser común a todos los científicos del planeta y permite consistencia sin importar el idioma. Sin embargo, gran parte del conocimiento de las especies, en especial de mamíferos, proviene del conocimiento popular y de las comunidades que siempre  han estado en contacto directo con las áreas naturales

Mannose receptor may be involved in small ruminant lentivirus pathogenesis

Thirty-one sheep naturally infected with small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) of known genotype (A or B), and clinically affected with neurological disease, pneumonia or arthritis were used to analyse mannose receptor (MR) expression (transcript levels) and proviral load in virus target tissues (lung, mammary gland, CNS and carpal joints). Control sheep were SRLV-seropositive asymptomatic (n = 3), seronegative (n = 3) or with chronic listeriosis, pseudotuberculosis or parasitic cysts (n = 1 in each case). MR expression and proviral load increased with the severity of lesions in most analyzed organs of the SRLV infected sheep and was detected in the affected tissue involved in the corresponding clinical disease (CNS, lung and carpal joint in neurological disease, pneumonia and arthritis animal groups, respectively). The increased MR expression appeared to be SRLV specific and may have a role in lentiviral pathogenesis.Funded by grants from CICYT AGL2010-22341-C04-01 and Gobierno de Navarra IIQ14064.RI1. We acknowledge the Public University of Navarra and CSIC for fellowships and the JAE-contract (HC and RR)