The impact of politics on fiscal behavior: the case of Brazil

This paper examines the proposition that a government which faces an election or depends on general popular support to govern effectively will find it difficult to resist increasing expenditures or to raise taxes. The resulting fiscal deficits are then either financed by the central bank, which produces inflation, or by domestic and/or foreign borrowing, increasing the government's foreign or domestic debt. After a brief historical survey of Brazil, a method is use to test the validity of this hypothesis in a more formal way.Este artigo examina a proposição de que um governo que está enfrentando uma eleição ou que depende de um apoio popular para governar terá dificuldade de resistir ao aumento de gastos ou de aumentar os impostos. Os conseqüentes déficits fiscais podem ser financiados pelo Banco Central, o que resulta em inflação, ou pelos empréstimos domésticos e/ou estrangeiros, aumentando a dívida doméstica ou estrangeira. Depois de um curto resumo histórico da experiência brasileira, um método quantitativo está sendo utilizado para testar a validade desta hipótese de uma maneira mais formal

Ground-Water Availability in the Atlantic Coastal Plain Aquifers of North and South Carolina

2008 S.C. Water Resources Conference - Addressing Water Challenges Facing the State and Regio

Higher Education Teaching Platforms with Research, Node-Based Visual Effects and Animation

This panel will discuss the current industry technology that can apply to higher education. From the history of Animation, Motion Graphic, and node base Animation and visual effect fields. Through this presentation and peers\u27 discussions, we should have a strong understanding of how to adapt to advanced technology and reshape higher education with Modern Technology topics. Moderator: Erika Grodzki, Lynn University Panelists: Erika Grodzki, Lynn University Daniel Coes, Lynn University Kevin Kao, Lynn Universit

Ground-Water Availability in the Atlantic Coastal Plain of North and South Carolina

2012 S.C. Water Resources Conference - Exploring Opportunities for Collaborative Water Research, Policy and Managemen

Ground-Water Availability in the Atlantic Coastal Plain of North and South Carolina

2010 South Carolina Water Resource Conference. Informing strategic water planning to address natural resource, community and economic challenges

MRI for planning and characterization of uveal melanoma patients treated with proton beam therapy

In this thesis I investigate new ways to use MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of uveal melanoma (UM) patients, mainly in relation to the planning of proton beam therapy. Proton beam therapy is performed while sitting whereas MRI scans are scanned in prone position. In chapter 2 I have shown that the shape of the eye and tumor are not affected by the change in position. During treatment planning the tumor shape needs to be determined. This can be done by drawing the tumor on MRI. In chapter 3 I have shown that the variance between segmentations performed by different doctors are on average smaller then 0.4mm. As MRI based planning is not yet available for UM patients we have developed an MRI protocol to support the current model based treatment planning software with MRI based measurements. In chapter 4 I compare these MRI based measurements with conventional measurements and show that MRI measurements are comparable and sometimes even better. A common side effect of UM is retinal detachment. This is sometimes treated with silicon oil. Unfortunately ultrasound imaging is not possible in these patients. In chapter 5 I describe and evaluate a MRI protocol to imaging these tumors with MRI. Finally, MRI can also provide information about tissue and functional characteristics. In chapter 6 I present a method to overcome eye specific challenges in the quantitative analysis of perfusion weighted MRI. 14654, which is financed by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). Financial support for the printing of this thesis was kindly provided by Stichting Blindenhulp, Rotterdamse Stichting Blindenbelangen and Landelijke Stichting voor Blinden en Slechtzienden.LUMC / Geneeskund

Mildred Coes Wasson Correspondence

Entries include brief biographical information, a biography typed on green paper stationery describing Wasson\u27s authorship as grounded in the family history of her former husband David A. Wasson whose passing was causal to her writing of the Nancy books at the start of her writing career, typed book loan correspondence on the stationery of Frank D. Rowe, Superintendent of Schools, Warren, Maine, requesting The Big House by Wasson whom he had met on vacation with his mother, a fan, and a folded biographical letter sent to Maine state librarian Henry Ernest Dunnack that Wasson had sent to Frank D. Rowe\u27s mother in 1926 with a handwritten biographical note, a typed introductory letter to the Maine Author Collection in 1935, Wasson\u27s typed letter of regret on personal notepaper stationery concerning awarding free copies of her books to libraries, and typed correspondence from the Maine State Library on the acquisition of her books from the publisher and on receipt of the inscribed titles for the Maine Author Collection

The association between frailty and MRI features of cerebral small vessel disease

Frailty is a common syndrome in older individuals that is associated with poor cognitive outcome. The underlying brain correlates of frailty are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between frailty and MRI features of cerebral small vessel disease in a group of non-demented older individuals. We included 170 participants who were classified as frail (n = 30), pre-frail (n = 85) or non-frail (n = 55). The association of frailty and white matter hyperintensity volume and shape features, lacunar infarcts and cerebral perfusion was investigated by regression analyses adjusted for age and sex. Frail and pre-frail participants were older, more often female and showed higher white matter hyperintensity volume (0.69 [95%-CI 0.08 to 1.31], p = 0.03 respectively 0.43 [95%-CI: 0.04 to 0.82], p = 0.03) compared to non-frail participants. Frail participants showed a non-significant trend, and pre-frail participants showed a more complex shape of white matter hyperintensities (concavity index: 0.04 [95%-CI: 0.03 to 0.08], p = 0.03; fractal dimensions: 0.07 [95%-CI: 0.00 to 0.15], p = 0.05) compared to non-frail participants. No between group differences were found in gray matter perfusion or in the presence of lacunar infarcts. In conclusion, increased white matter hyperintensity volume and a more complex white matter hyperintensity shape may be structural brain correlates of the frailty phenotype

Pressure-induced chemistry for the 2D to 3D transformation of zeolites

M.M., P.S.W., G.P.M.B., S.E.A., and R.E.M. thank the EPSRC (grants: EP/K025112/1, EP/L014475/1, and EP/ M506631/1) for funding. M.M., P.N., J.Č. and R.E.M. would like to acknowledge OP VVV "Excellent Research Teams", project No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/15_003/0000417 - CUCAM. J.Č. and P.N. acknowledge the Czech Science Foundation (P106/12/G015) for the financial support of this research. J.P.A. acknowledges EPSRC support for the high pressure work.ADOR, an unconventional synthesis strategy based on a four-step mechanism: assembly, disassembly, organization, and reassembly, has opened new possibilities in zeolite chemistry. The ADOR approach led to the discovery of the IPC family of materials with tuneable porosity. Here we present the first pressure-induced ADOR transformation of 2D zeolite precursor IPC-1P into fully crystalline 3D zeolite IPC-2 (OKO topology) using a Walker-type multianvil apparatus under a pressure of 1 GPa at 200 °C. Surprisingly, the high-pressure material is of lower density (higher porosity) than the product obtained from simply calcining the IPC-1P precursor at high temperature, which produces IPC-4 (PCR topology). The sample was characterized by PXRD, 29Si MAS NMR, SEM, and HRTEM. Theoretical calculations suggest that high pressure can lead to the preparation of other ADOR zeolites that have not yet been prepared.PostprintPostprintPeer reviewe

Ice formation and development in aged, wintertime cumulus over the UK: observations and modelling

In situ high resolution aircraft measurements of cloud microphysical properties were made in coordination with ground based remote sensing observations of a line of small cumulus clouds, using Radar and Lidar, as part of the Aerosol Properties, PRocesses And InfluenceS on the Earth's climate (APPRAISE) project. A narrow but extensive line (~100 km long) of shallow convective clouds over the southern UK was studied. Cloud top temperatures were observed to be higher than −8 °C, but the clouds were seen to consist of supercooled droplets and varying concentrations of ice particles. No ice particles were observed to be falling into the cloud tops from above. Current parameterisations of ice nuclei (IN) numbers predict too few particles will be active as ice nuclei to account for ice particle concentrations at the observed, near cloud top, temperatures (−7.5 °C). The role of mineral dust particles, consistent with concentrations observed near the surface, acting as high temperature IN is considered important in this case. It was found that very high concentrations of ice particles (up to 100 L−1) could be produced by secondary ice particle production providing the observed small amount of primary ice (about 0.01 L−1) was present to initiate it. This emphasises the need to understand primary ice formation in slightly supercooled clouds. It is shown using simple calculations that the Hallett-Mossop process (HM) is the likely source of the secondary ice. Model simulations of the case study were performed with the Aerosol Cloud and Precipitation Interactions Model (ACPIM). These parcel model investigations confirmed the HM process to be a very important mechanism for producing the observed high ice concentrations. A key step in generating the high concentrations was the process of collision and coalescence of rain drops, which once formed fell rapidly through the cloud, collecting ice particles which caused them to freeze and form instant large riming particles. The broadening of the droplet size-distribution by collision-coalescence was, therefore, a vital step in this process as this was required to generate the large number of ice crystals observed in the time available. Simulations were also performed with the WRF (Weather, Research and Forecasting) model. The results showed that while HM does act to increase the mass and number concentration of ice particles in these model simulations it was not found to be critical for the formation of precipitation. However, the WRF simulations produced a cloud top that was too cold and this, combined with the assumption of continual replenishing of ice nuclei removed by ice crystal formation, resulted in too many ice crystals forming by primary nucleation compared to the observations and parcel modelling