Report of Investigations No. 135 Oligocene Volcanism and Multiple Caldera Formation in the Chinati Mountains, Presidio County, Texas

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Educational Segregation and the Gender Wage Gap for Recent College Graduates in Colombia

In this paper we show the importance of subject of degree in explaining the gender wage gap in Colombia. In order to minimize the influence of gender differences in experience, promotions, and job changes on the wage gap, we focus on college graduates who have a formal job and who have been in the labor market at most one year. Using unique, administrative datasets with detailed subjects of degree, we find that the wage gap against women is on average 11% and that 40% of it can be explained by differences in subject of degree. Using a distributional decomposition, we find an increasing gender wage gap across the distribution of wages (from 2% at the bottom to 15% at the top), although subject of degree explains a lower 30% of the gap at the top. Policies designed to reduce the gender wage gap need to address the differing gender educational choices and the factors that influence them. These policies would be more effective in reducing the gap for median wage earners.gender wage gap, subject of degree, decomposition

Effects of spatial separation on across-frequency grouping in narrowband speech

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston UniversityUnderstanding how we perceive speech in the face of competing sound sources coming from a variety of directions is an important goal in psychoacoustics. In everyday situations, noisy interference can obscure the content of a conversation and require listeners to integrate speech information across different frequency regions. Two studies will be explained that investigate the effects of spatial separation on the grouping of two spectrally separated, narrow bands of target speech with a variety of filler stimuli centered in between these bands. Target sentences taken from the IEEE corpus were broken into two 3/4-octave bands with the lowest centered around 370 Hz and the highest centered around 6kHz. The first study explored the spatial influences of spectral restoration. The primary experiment measured speech intelligibility of the speech bands (presented diotically) with a single band of noise between 700 Hz and 3 kHz used as the filler and then with the same noise band modulated by the target speech envelope as the filler. These fillers were presented diotically as well as with an ITD of 600 s leading to the left ear. Performance was worse for the unmodulated noise condition when the filler was separated spatially from the speech bands. Across-frequency grouping was not observed with the modulated noise conditions. The second study explored the effect of attention on intelligibility of speech bands presented from the left with related fillers. The filler objects used in this study were dual bands of vocoded or narrowband speech presented either from left or right. The fillers were derived from either the same target speech token (matched) or an independent sentence (conflicting). In a key experimental block, listeners were instructed to attend to the target speech on the left while either conflicting bands or, infrequently, matched bands were presented on the right. The infrequently presented matching trials were physically identical to trials in another block where listeners were instructed to attend to both ears. Results showed that splitting the target and filler across the ears degraded intelligibility, however, directed spatial attention had no effect on performance. These results demonstrate that speech elements group together strongly, overcoming spatial attention, even for degraded speech

The "Arauco State" against the spanish conquest: Ritual and socio-political structure of the araucano-mapuches in the Nahuelbuta valleys during the 16th and 17th centuries

Este artículo presenta evidencias arqueológicas y etnohistóricas que muestran la complejidad de la organización sociopolítica de las poblaciones que habitaban los valles que entrecruzan y circundan la cordillera de Nahuelbuta durante el siglo XVI y principios del siglo XVII, particularmente en el valle de Purén-Lumaco. La hipótesis que se sostiene es que la estructura sociopolítica, la densidad demográfica y las características económicas y culturales de las poblaciones de dicha área presentan una mayor complejidad y dimensiones superiores a lo que comúnmente se admite en la literatura arqueológica, histórica y antropológica. Las formas de organización sociopolíticas y los modos de asentamiento de las poblaciones araucano-mapuches de los siglos XVI y principios del siglo XVII tenderían a aproximarse, desde esta perspectiva, a modelos complejos característicos del mundo andino

Segregación educativa y la brecha salarial por género entre los recién graduados universitarios en Colombia

In this paper we show the importance of subject of degree in explaining the gender wage gap in Colombia. In order to minimize the influence of gender differences in experience, promotions, and job changes on the wage gap, we focus on college graduates who have a formal job and who have been in the labor market at most one year. Using unique, administrative datasets with detailed subjects of degree, we find that the wage gap against women is on average 11% and that 40% of it can be explained by differences in subject of degree. Using a distributional decomposition, we find an increasing gender wage gap across the distribution of wages (from 2% at the bottom to 15% at the top), although subject of degree explains a lower 30% of the gap at the top. Policies designed to reduce the gender wage gap need to address the differing gender educational choices and the factors that influence them. These policies would be more effective in reducing the gap for median wage earners. RESUMEN: En este trabajo mostramos la importancia del área de estudio para explicar la brecha de salarios por género en Colombia. Para minimizar la influencia que pueden tener las diferencias por género en la experiencia, ascensos laborales y cambios de trabajo sobre la brecha, nos enfocamos en los graduados universitarios con trabajos formales que hayan estado en el mercado laboral como máximo un año. Utilizando bases de datos administrativas y únicas con información detallada acerca de las áreas de estudio de los graduados, encontramos que la brecha salarial en contra de las mujeres es en promedio 11% y que el 40% de ella puede ser explicada por diferencias en el área de estudio. Asimismo, una descomposición en la distribución salarial nos muestra que la brecha aumenta a lo largo de la distribución (de 2% en la parte baja a 15% en la parte alta), aunque el área de estudio explica un porcentaje menor, 30 %, de la brecha en la parte alta. Las políticas diseñadas para reducir la brecha deben enfocarse en las distintas decisiones educativas que toman hombres y mujeres y los factores que las influencian. Estas políticas serían más efectivas en reducir la brecha para los que ganan salarios cercanos a la media.brecha salarial por género, área de estudio, descomposición

Gain Modulation by Corticostriatal and Thalamostriatal Input Signals during Reward-Conditioned Behavior.

The cortex and thalamus send excitatory projections to the striatum, but little is known about how these inputs, either individually or collectively, regulate striatal dynamics during behavior. The lateral striatum receives overlapping input from the secondary motor cortex (M2), an area involved in licking, and the parafascicular thalamic nucleus (PF). Using neural recordings, together with optogenetic terminal inhibition, we examine the contribution of M2 and PF projections on medium spiny projection neuron (MSN) activity as mice performed an anticipatory licking task. Each input has a similar contribution to striatal activity. By comparing how suppressing single or multiple projections altered striatal activity, we find that cortical and thalamic input signals modulate MSN gain and that this effect is more pronounced in a temporally specific period of the task following the cue presentation. These results demonstrate that cortical and thalamic inputs synergistically regulate striatal output during reward-conditioned behavior

Morphologic and functional correlates of synaptic pathology in the cathepsin D knockout mouse model of congenital neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis

Mutations in the cathepsin D (CTSD) gene cause an aggressive neurodegenerative disease (congenital neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis) that leads to early death. Recent evidence suggests that presynaptic abnormalities play a major role in the pathogenesis of CTSD deficiencies. To identify the early events that lead to synaptic alterations, we investigated synaptic ultrastructure and function in pre-symptomatic CTSD knock-out (Ctsd(−/−)) mice. Electron microscopy revealed that there were significantly greater numbers of readily releasable synaptic vesicles present in Ctsd(−/−) mice than in wild-type control mice as early as postnatal day 16. The size of this synaptic vesicle pool continued to increase with disease progression in the hippocampus and thalamus of the Ctsd(−/−) mice. Electrophysiology revealed a markedly decreased frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) with no effect on pair-pulse modulation of the evoked EPSPs in the hippocampus of Ctsd(−/−) mice. The reduced miniature EPSC frequency was observed before the appearance of epilepsy or any morphological sign of synaptic degeneration. Taken together, the data indicate that CTSD is required for normal synaptic function, and that a failure in synaptic trafficking or recycling may be an early and important pathological mechanism in Ctsd(−/−) mice; these presynaptic abnormalities may initiate synaptic degeneration in advance of subsequent neuronal loss

Electron microscopy of nanoparticle superlattice formation at a solid-liquid interface in nonpolar liquids

Nanoparticle superlattice films form at the solid-liquid interface and are important for mesoscale materials, but are notoriously difficult to analyze before they are fully dried. Here, the early stages of nanoparticle assembly were studied at solid-liquid interfaces using liquid-phase electron microscopy. Oleylamine-stabilized gold nanoparticles spontaneously formed thin layers on a silicon nitride (SiN) membrane window of the liquid enclosure. Dense packings of hexagonal symmetry were obtained for the first monolayer independent of the nonpolar solvent type. The second layer, however, exhibited geometries ranging from dense packing in a hexagonal honeycomb structure to quasi-crystalline particle arrangements depending on the dielectric constant of the liquid. The complex structures formed by the weaker interactions in the second particle layer were preserved, while the surface remained immersed in liquid. Fine-tuning the properties of the involved materials can thus be used to control the three-dimensional geometry of a superlattice including quasi-crystals

La ciudad sin muros: Esparta durante los períodos arcaico y clásico

The city of Sparta was a polis that fit not really well in the prototype of greek cities from the archaic period to the end of the hellenistic time. The absence of a wall that protected the city, and the lack of an urban design from the foundation of the city, gave a peculiar characteristic from an urban point of view. The lack of monumentality in the buildings and the absence of the necropolis, increase the number of riddles that schollars have with a city and a society very different from the rest of the greek states.La ciudad de Esparta fue una   polis difícil de encuadrar en el prototipo de ciudades griegas desde la época arcaica hasta el final del período helenístico. La ausencia de una muralla que protegiese la ciudad, así como la falta de un núcleo urbano concentrado desde su fundación, la convierten en una ciudad peculiar desde un punto de vista urbanístico. La falta de monumentalidad en sus edificios y el hecho de que todavía no se haya encontrado su necrópolis, incrementa el número de enigmas que la comunidad investigadora tiene todavía pendiente respecto a una ciudad y una sociedad muy diferente a la del resto de estados griegos

On the determinants of fiscal non-compliance : an empirical analysis of Spain’s regions

Este trabajo propone un marco analítico para analizar el grado de cumplimiento de los objetivos presupuestarios en marcos descentralizados, considerando factores económicos e institucionales. Este marco se aplica a las Comunidades Autónomas (CCAA) de España en el período 2002-2015. En el trabajo se encuentra que la desviación observada del déficit público autonómico con respecto al objetivo fijado aumenta conforme lo hace la desviación de la previsión del crecimiento económico y cuanto más exigente es el objetivo fijado. Ambos factores, no obstante, no se encuentran bajo el control completo de los Gobiernos autonómicos. Los resultados apuntan a que el grado de cumplimiento tiende a verse afectado negativamente en los años electorales, cuanto mayor es el desajuste entre ingresos y gastos propios, o cuando el coste de financiación disminuye. Las reglas fiscales parecen no haber tenido un impacto significativo en estos patrones. La evidencia presentada indica que la mejora del grado de cumplimiento con respecto a los objetivos no pasa solo por reforzar el marco de reglas vigente, sino que depende de un conjunto amplio de factores institucionales, como el nivel de corresponsabilidad fiscal, el marco de gobernanza de la política fiscal en un contexto de alta descentralización, o el grado de aplicación de las normas vigentesThis paper proposes an empirical framework that distinguishes between voluntary and involuntary compliance with fiscal deficit targets on the basis of economic, institutional and political factors. The framework is applied to Spain’s Autonomous Communities (regions) over the period 2002-2015. Fiscal non-compliance among Spain’s regions has proven persistent. It increases with the size of growth forecasting errors and the extent to which fiscal targets are tightened, factors not fully under the control of regional governments. Non-compliance also tends to increase during election years, when vertical fiscal imbalances become accentuated, and market financing costs subside. Strong fiscal rules have not shown any significant impact on containing fiscal noncompliance. Reducing fiscal non-compliance in multi-level governance systems such as Spain’s requires a comprehensive assessment of inter-governmental fiscal arrangements that looks beyond rules-based frameworks by ensuring enforcement procedures are politically credibl