Introduction to the special issue in honor of Nobel Laureate Angus Deaton: “consumption, poverty and inequality in the household”

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this recordIt is a great honor for me to introduce this special issue in Honor of Nobel Laureate Angus Deaton “Consumption, Poverty and Inequality in the Household”. Angus has had a major influence on my research, and I have been very fortunate to have him as teacher, mentor and co-author. His contributions to economics range from theoretical insights and econometric contributions to policy relevant empirical findings. This special issue reflects how the work by Angus has been and continues to be a great source of inspiration for economic research, and in particular for the theoretical and empirical analysis of household behavior

On the Structure of Linearizations for Rational Approximations of Nonlinear Eigenvalue Problems

Given a nonlinear matrix-valued function F(\lambda):\mathbb{C} \longrightarrow \mathbb{C}^{m\times m}, the Non-Linear Eigenvalue Problem (NLEP) consists in computing numbers \lambda \in \mathbb{C} (eigenvalues) and non-zero vectors v \in \mathbb{C}^{m} (eigenvectors) such that F(\lambda) v = 0, under the regularity assumption \det(F(z)) \not\equiv 0. NLEPs arise in a variety of applications in Physics and Engineering. Nowadays, a useful approach to tackle them is based on Rational Approximation (RA), which leads to rational eigenvalue problems (REPs). Then, for solving REPs, linearizations of rational matrices are used, which is one of the most competitive methods for this task. In this talk we present the notion of local linearizations of rational matrices. A local linearization of a rational matrix R(\lambda) preserves the zeros and poles of R(\lambda) locally, that is, in subsets of \mathbb{C} and/or at infinity. By using this new notion of linearization, we study the structure of linearizations constructed in the literature for RAs of NLEPs on a target set. Moreover, we provide very simple criteria to determine when a linear polynomial matrix is one of these linearizations. Download the attached PDF to see the abstract with proper math formatting

The weight of the crisis: Evidence from newborns in Argentina

This is the final version. Available from MIT Press via the DOI in this recordWe investigate how prenatal economic fluctuations affected birth weight in Argentina during the period from January 2000 to December 2005 and document its procyclicality. We find evidence that the birth weight of children born to low-educated (less than high school) mothers is sensitive to macroeconomic fluctuations during both the first and third trimesters of pregnancy, while those of high-educated (high school or above) mothers react only to the first trimester of pregnancy. Our results are consistent with low-educated women facing credit constraints and suffering from both nutritional deprivation and maternal stress, while high-educated women are affected only by stress.Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovatio

Organic vs Conventional Suckling Lamb Production: Product Quality and Consumer Acceptance

Samples of suckling lambs (n=40) of two breeds reared under conventional and organic conditions were analysed to asses physico-chemical characteristics, including instrumental texture, and nutritional quality in terms of fatty acid composition. Consumer acceptance was also studied using the home-use test. Results revealed that organic suckling lamb meat is healthier as shown by the lower saturated fatty acid levels, the higher polyunsaturated fatty acid contents and the higher 6/3 ratiko. The organic meat had lower instrumental hardness, received higher scores in all sensory parameters, and had statistically better fat sensation and higher ratings for overall liking. These results lend support to the notion among consumers that organic products are healthier and tastier

Consumer Appreciation of Carcass Quality of Organic vs Conventional Suckling Lamb Production

Carcass characteristics of sucking lambs (n= 40) of two breeds reared under conventional and organic conditions were analysed including objective and subjective parameters for fatness and conformation, meat and fat colour. Consumer acceptance was also studied using the home-use test. Results showed that the characteristics of the carcass of suckling lamb were similar for both types of production systems pointing out that organic production system did not affect fatness or muscle development. However, organic meat was darker (higher L* and a* values) probably related with the higher amount of exercise, although fat was not more yellow. In contrast consumers did not consider organic meat darker and there were not significant differences in appearance related with the similar conformation. These results reflect that consumer perceive organic meat as at least as good as conventional production not only regarding environmental quality but also regarding carcass quality

Improvements in Biological X-Ray Microanalysis: Cryoembedding for Specimen Preparation and Multivariate Statistical Analysis for Data Interpretation

For biological X-ray microanalysis, cryoembedding (CE) combined with cryofixation (CF) and cryodehydration (CD) was already proposed as an alternative method to freeze-dried cryosections in 1984 by Wroblewski and Wroblewski. CD by freeze-drying (FD) is usually recommended because it provides better retention of diffusible elements. CD by freeze-substitution (FS) has the advantage of being simpler, giving more reproducible preservation of ultrastructure and causing fewer problems for resin infiltration. We have increased the retention of diffusible elements by using home-made devices for CS and CE in the new Lowicryl KllM and HM23 resins. These resins allow samples to be kept at a maximum temperature of 213K and 193K respectively. Application of multivariate statistical analysis (MSA) to X-ray data (spectra and maps) allows the study of correlations between the analyzed elements in different nuclear areas and in the cytoplasm. The factorial images, obtained with MSA, display the compartments of strong correlation between P and K (nucleic acids) and the compartments of strong correlation between S and K (proteins). We suggest that the future application of MSA methods will provide increased knowledge of the physio-pathological compartmentation of diffusible elements at the subcellular level

WQ 2059-247: An unusual high redshift X-ray cluster

X-ray, optical, and radio observations of a high redshift, Bautz-Morgan type I cluster of galaxies are reported. The cD galaxy contains a powerful, flat spectrum radio source coincident with the possibly stellar nucleus. The cluster is an extremely luminous X-ray source; however, unlike nearby luminous X-ray clusters the X-ray spectrum appears to be rather soft. Two possible interpretations of the soruces are suggested: either the intracluster gas is much cooler in high redshift clusters because they are less relaxed, or the X-ray and radio emissions from WQ 2059-247 are the result of a non thermal QSO/BL Lac type object in the nucleus of the cD