Optimal Design of Social Security Reforms

We argue that a privatization of the social security system, going from a Pay-As-You- Go to a Fully Funded system, can be interpreted as the explicit recognition of an implicit debt and there is no efficiency gain in doing so. As a consequence, potential efficiency gains upon reforming the system come from the elimination of distortions and the optimal management of that implicit debt. Based on that argument, this paper studies the optimal design of a social security privatization in a Pareto improving way. The government decides endogenously how to finance the transition and the welfare of the initial generations alive becomes policy constraint. We find that the government can design a Pareto improving reform that exhibits sizeable welfare gains, arising because of a reduction in labor supply distortions. In contrast, the welfare gain from reducing savings distortions is relatively small. Our approach explicitly provides quantitative policy prescriptions towards the policy design of future and maybe unavoidable social security reforms.

Efectos de la salinidad sobre los contenidos de clorofilas, antocianinas y carotenos en F. ananassa y F. chiloensis

56 p.La frutilla comercial (Fragaria x ananassa) es un híbrido entre Fragaria chiloensis y Fragaria virginiana. La frutilla comercial es muy sensible a la salinidad por NaCl. En los últimos años se ha estudiado a la frutilla chilena (F. chiloensis) debido a que posee ciertas cualidades de resistencia a estreses bióticos y abióticos, como resistencia a plagas, enfermedades, y resistencia a estrés salino, ya que se ha observado que algunos genotipos son capaces de crecer en zonas costeras y en suelos pobres en nutrientes, lo que sugiere una mayor tolerancia a estreses que la frutilla comercial. Estas importantes características podrían ser de gran valor para el mejoramiento genético de la frutilla comercial. Este estudio se realizó para evaluar el efecto del estrés salino por NaCl sobre los contenidos de clorofilas, antocianinas y carotenos en una accesión de F. chiloensis (Bau) y un cultivar de F. x ananassa (Camarosa). Las plantas fueron cultivadas en sustrato inerte (arena 100%) y estas se sometieron a tres niveles salinos 0, 30 y 60 mM de NaCl durante. El contenido de clorofila a, b y total decrecieron en ambas especies de forma diferente, con el incremento salino en la solución. La relación clorofila a/b mostró una disminución mayor en ‘Bau’. Los niveles de antocianinas y carotenos se mantuvieron con el estrés en. ʻCamarosaʼ y disminuyeron en ‘Bau’. Lo que sugiere una sensibilidad mayor en F. chiloensis. Los resultados sugieren que el genotipo ‘Bau’ no sería adecuado para su uso en programas de mejoramiento genético de la frutilla comercial al estrés salino. Palabras clave: frutilla, pigmentos./ABSTRACT: The comercial strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) is a hybrid between Fragaria chiloensis and Fragaria virginiana. This species is very sensitive to salinity by NaCl. In recent years the Chilean strawberry (F. chiloensis) has been studied because is has some resistance qualities to biotic and abiotic stresses, that being that some genotypes are able to grow in coastal areas and in soils that are poor in nutrients and this suggests a higher tolerance to stresses than the comercial strawberry. These characteristics could be of great value to the genetic improvement of F. x ananassa. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of NaCl salinity stress on the contents of chlorophyls, antocyanins, and carotenoids in one accession of F. chiloensis (Bau) and a cultivar of F. x ananassa (Camarosa). The plants were cultivated on inert substratum and were exposed to three levels of salinity 0, 30 y 60 mM of NaCl. The content of chlorophyll a, b and total decreased in both species, but strongly in ‘Bau’ than ʻCamarosaʼ when the salinity increase in the solution. The relationship of chlorophyll a/b shows a strong decrease in ‘Bau’. The levels of the antocyanins and carotenoids tended to be manteind in ʻCamarosaʼ and decreased in ‘Bau’. The results suggest a higher sensitivity to salinity stress by NaCl in the genotype of F. chiloensis. For this reason, it would not be appropriate to use it in plant breeding programs for salinity stress of the comercial strawberry. Key words: strawberry, salinity stress, pigments

Effective equations of motion and initial conditions for inflation in quantum cosmology

We obtain effective equations of inflationary dynamics for the mean inflaton and metric fields in the no-boundary and tunneling quantum states of the Universe. In the slow roll approximation (taking the form of the local Schwiger-DeWitt expansion) effective equations follow from the Euclidean effective action on the DeSitter gravitational instanton. Effective equations are applied in the model of the inflaton scalar field coupled to the GUT sector of matter fields and also having a strong nonminimal coupling to the curvature. The inverse of its big negative nonminimal coupling constant, serves as a small parameter of the slow roll expansion and semiclassical expansion of quantum gravitational effects. As a source of initial conditions we use a sharp probability peak recently obtained in the one-loop approximation for the no-boundary and tunneling quantum states and belonging (in virtue of a strong nonminimal coupling) to the GUT energy scale much below the Planck scale. The obtained equations in the tunneling quantum state predict a finite duration of inflationary stage compatible with the observational status of inflation theory, whereas for the no-boundary state they lead to the infinite inflationary epoch with a constant inflaton field.Comment: 23 pages, LaTe

Astroparticle Physics: Puzzles and Discoveries

Puzzles often give birth to the great discoveries, the false discoveries sometimes stimulate the exiting ideas in theoretical physics. The historical examples of both are described in Introduction and in section ``Cosmological Puzzles''. From existing puzzles most attention is given to Ultra High Energy Cosmic Ray (UHECR) puzzle and to cosmological constant problem. The 40-years old UHECR problem consisted in absence of the sharp steepening in spectrum of extragalactic cosmic rays caused by interaction with CMB radiation. This steepening is known as Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin (GZK) cutoff. It is demonstrated here that the features of interaction of cosmic ray protons with CMB are seen now in the spectrum in the form of the dip and beginning of the GZK cutoff. The most serious cosmological problem is caused by large vacuum energy of the known elementary-particle fields which exceeds at least by 45 orders of magnitude the cosmological vacuum energy. The various ideas put forward to solve this problem during last 40 years, have weaknesses and cannot be accepted as the final solution of this puzzle. The anthropic approach is discussed.Comment: Invited talk at TAUP 2007 conference, September 2007, Sendai, Japa

Środowisko naukowe Uniwersytetu Padewskiego w okresie studiów Klemensa Janickiego

The author of this article made a synthetic presentation of the results of the research of Polish and Italian historiography (based on the surveys into the primary sources) regarding the sojourn and study of Klemens Janicki at the University of Padua. Preserved doctoral diploma and poetic laurels bestowed upon the poet at the same time allowed the reconstruction of the course of this ceremony and identification of its participants. Academic atmosphere of Padua was presented in the article, including its prominent representatives: lawyers, philosophers and physicians, as well as the group of Polish students from the first half of the sixteenth century.The author of this article made a synthetic presentation of the results of the research of Polish and Italian historiography (based on the surveys into the primary sources) regarding the sojourn and study of Klemens Janicki at the University of Padua. Preserved doctoral diploma and poetic laurels bestowed upon the poet at the same time allowed the reconstruction of the course of this ceremony and identification of its participants. Academic atmosphere of Padua was presented in the article, including its prominent representatives: lawyers, philosophers and physicians, as well as the group of Polish students from the first half of the sixteenth century

Evaluación de biofertilizantes en Pennisetum purpureum

The study was carried out in the farm “El Renacer” belonging to the CCS 26th of July, in Camagüey municipality, with the objective of evaluating biofertilizers in Pennisetum purpureum. A study was conducted based on a diagnosis systemic in the farm. The farm has a variety of grass, four of forages. For the study of biofertilizers, four treatments were carried out and five replicates of different doses of biofertilizers, by means of a random block, in rainy and not rainy periods. Soil samples were taken and chemical, as well as water analysis for irrigation, according to current norms. The parameters evaluated were stem numbers per plant, plant height, stem thickness and crop yield.Con  el objetivo de evaluar biofertilizantes en Pennisetum purpureum, se realizó la investigación en la finca “El Renacer” perteneciente a la CCS 26 de Julio, del municipio Camagüey, en un diseño en bloques al azar con cinco replicas y cinco  tratamientos (Humus líquido + fosforina; Humus líquido + azotobacter; Humus líquido + fosforina; Humus líquido + fosforina + azotobacter + elementos esenciales y un tratamiento testigo ), tanto  el azotobacter como  la fosforina en cualquier combinación se aplicaron a una dosis de 2 kg/ha, el humus liquido 1,5 l/ ha y los elementos esenciales 2 l/ha ,  en los periodos lluvioso y poco lluvioso. Se tomaron muestras de suelo y se realizaron análisis químico, así como de al agua para el riego, según normas vigentes, así como se evaluaron el número de tallos por plantón, altura de la planta, grosor del tallo y rendimiento. Los mejores rendimientos tanto en el periodo seco (20 t/ha) como el lluvioso (23,6 t/ha) se obtienen al utilizar humus líquido + fosforina + azotobacter + elementos esenciales

In search for molecules displaying ferromagnetic exchange: multiple-decker Ni12 and Ni16 complexes from the use of pyridine-2-amidoxime

The use of pyridine-2-amidoxime (pyaoxH2) in Ni chemistry has provided access to a dodecanuclear complex and a hexadecanuclear Ni cluster, namely [Ni12(pyaox)6(pyaoxH)6(MeOH)2Cl2]Cl4·5MeOH (1·5MeOH) and [Ni16(pyaox)8(pyaoxH)8(MeOH)4](SO4)4·10H2O·26MeOH (2·10H2O·26MeOH). Complex 1·5MeOH was isolated by the reaction of NiCl2·6H2O, pyaoxH2 and NaOMe in a 1 : 1 : 2 molar ratio in MeOH in 60% yield. Treatment of NiSO4·6H2O with pyaoxH2 and NEt3 in a 1 : 1 : 2 molar ratio in MeOH afforded 2·10H2O·26MeOH in good yield (65%). The two compounds display a multi-decker configuration based on stacked Ni4 layers, {Ni4(pyaox)2(pyaoxH)2}2+x (x = 3, 1·5MeOH; x = 4, 2·10H2O·26MeOH); each deck consists of two square planar and two octahedral NiII centres. The number of decks observed in 1·5MeOH and 2·10H2O·26MeOH depends on the nature of the inorganic anion that is present in the reaction system, which provides elements of synthetic control towards new high nuclearity NiII species. 2·10H2O·26MeOH is the first structurally characterized complex of any metal displaying a quadruple-decker configuration, being also the highest nuclearity metal cluster bearing pyaoxH2 and the highest nuclearity NiII cluster with any type of 2-pyridyl oxime. Each cluster cation displays ferromagnetic exchange between the octahedral NiII ions resulting in a spin ground state of S = 6 for 1 and S = 8 for 2. Magnetothermal studies have been performed and discussed for both clusters.CP and CE thank the School of Chemistry, NUI Galway, for the financial support. RI thanks the Royal Society of Edinburgh and ME thanks Spanish MINECO (MAT2015-68204-R) for funding. LCS acknowledges the financial support by FEDER (Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional) through PT2020, by FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) for the research centre REQUIMTE/LAQV (UID/QUI/50006/2013) and for the grant SFRH/BPD/111899/2015.Peer Reviewe