Optimal fiscal decentralization: Redistribution and welfare implications

The literature has been inconclusive regarding the welfare effects of fiscal decentralization (FD), defined here as the extent to which local governments collect and spend local tax revenues. We present an original model to investigate formally the distributional and welfare implications of FD. In contrast to the standard approach that compares the implications of full FD with that of centralization, we consider that the central government chooses the level of FD to maximize welfare in a heterogeneous country. Noncooperatively, local governments choose their tax collection effort to maximize local utility. We show that an increase in the tax rate leads optimal FD to increase so as to compensate for the welfare loss from decreasing optimal local tax effort. Hence, welfare and income distribution improve in FD at its intermediate, rather than extreme, levels. We coin this result as the decentralization-Laffer curve. As regional spillovers increase, FD is less desirable as it deteriorates welfare and income distribution. This finding provides a novel support for the decentralization theorem and contributes to the fiscal policy debate. © 2016 Elsevier Lt

Determination of herbicide resistance in aquatic cyanobacteria by probit analysis

Cyanobacteria are a group of bacteria that obtain their energy by photosynthesis and play a significant role in the breakdown of herbicides in nature. In this study, experiments were performed for a period of 15 days with 12 cyanobacteria obtained from different aquatic environments and three herbicides commonly used in agriculture {2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), Trifluralin and Linuron}. The herbicides were pipetted at certain concentrations into BG11 broth. The herbicide resistance of the 12 cyanobacteria was determined by using Chlorophyll-a measurement, rate of growth assessment, the probit analysis and the results of the lethal concentration test (LC10;50). According to the LC10 values at day 15; the Synechocystis sp. strain number 6 in the 2,4-D environment, the Synechococcus sp. strain number 41 in the Trifluralin environment, and the Chroococcus sp. strain number 4 in the Linuron environment, were determined to be resistant to the concentrations of herbicide. According to the day 15 values, the Synechocystis sp. strain number 6 was determined to be resistant to three different herbicide concentrations in the 2,4-D, Trifluralin and Linuron environments. Since it is a study that contributes to the protection of the environment, we intended for this study to set a new precedent for other studies

Determination of antimicrobial activity and production of some metabolites by Pseudomonas aeruginosa B1 and B2 in sugar beet molasses

In the present study, exopolysaccharide (EPS), pyocyanin, rhamnolipid productions, total cell proteins and antimicrobial activities were investigated in two strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (B1 and B2).Exopolysaccharide, pyocyanin and rhamnolipid production of strains were determined in nutrient broth medium (NB) as control and different sugar beet molasses concentrations (1-5 % w/v) at differentperiods (24, 48 and 72 h) by a spectrophotometric method. The exopolysaccharide, pyocyanin and rhamnolipid productions of both strains increased after incubation when 5% (w/v) of molasses wereused. Therefore the results disclose the correlations between the increasing molasses concentrations and EPS, pyocyanin and rhamnolipid productions of P. aeruginosa B1 and B2 strains (P≤ 0.01). Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 was more sensitive than Escherichia coli 11230 to the inhibitory effect of P. aeruginosa B1 and B2. Moreover, these strains exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity against bothtest bacteria in sugar beet molasses (5% w/v) at 72 h. Significant increases in total cell protein and antimicrobial activity of P. aeruginosa B1 and B2 were observed with increasing the molasses concentrations (P≤ 0.01). The results also indicated that strains having high total cell protein were higher antimicrobial activity, EPS, pyocyanin and rhamnolipid productions