(In)vertebrate country and the crisis of democratic normality

La “articulación de la nación” sigue siendo un tema candente en el estado español. Ante los que quieren dar por zanjada las discusiones sobre la realidad nacional de España, la autora opone la estrategia contraria: la que acepta la discusión, dejando que las diferentes posiciones se articulen desde perspectivas diferentes y sin duda, en ocasiones, encontradas. Sólo así se darán las condiciones para un verdadero diálogo crítico, capaz de asumir sin miedo a la ruptura de comunicación (y por supuesto sin recurso a la violencia) las inevitables disensiones que caracterizan la convivencia cívica en democracia.“The making of a country” is still a hot topic in the Spanish state. Opposite to those who want to finish the discussions on national reality in Spain, this author proposes a different strategy: the one that accepts discussion and let different positions to be argued about from different and, sometimes, confronted perspectives. This will be the only way to have a true critical dialogue, able to assume with no fear for lacking of communication (and, of course, without violence) the unavoidable dissensions that are regular in democracy

Relative efficiency within a tax administration: The effects of result improvement

Neste trabalho, aborda-se a análise da administração tributária espanhola mediante a avaliação da eficiência relativa de cada um dos escritórios territoriais que a integram, empregando, para isso, a análise envolvente de dados de forma bietápica, com uma orientação output. Neste estudo, analisaram-se 47 escritórios territoriais considerando três inputs: 1) os gastos correntes em bens e serviços; 2) o número de declarações gerenciadas pelos dois principais impostos diretos e 3) o número de efetivos que presta seus serviços. Como output, os Ingressos por Atos de Liquidação. A análise demonstra que uma atuação eficiente dos escritórios territoriais poderia ter aumentado em 21,6% os resultados da gestão dessa Administração.This paper analyses the Spanish tax administration, evaluating the relative efficiency of each of the regional offices that are its constituent parts via output-oriented two-stage data envelopment analysis. In the study, a total of 47 regional offices were analysed, considering three inputs: 1) current expenditure in goods and services; 2) number of tax returns processed in terms of the two main direct taxes; and, 3) personnel numbers. Revenue resulting from tax assessments was considered as output. The analysis shows that the efficient action of regional offices might have increased by 21.6% the results of the management of this administration.A través de este trabajo se ha abordado el análisis de la administración tributaria española mediante la evaluación de la eficiencia relativa de cada una de las oficinas territoriales que la integran, empleando para ello el análisis envolvente de datos de forma bietápica, con una orientación output. En el estudio se han analizado 47 oficinas territoriales, considerando tres inputs: 1) los gastos corrientes en bienes y servicios; 2) el número de declaraciones gestionadas por los dos principales impuestos directos; y 3) el número de efectivos que presta sus servicios. Como output los Ingresos por Actos de Liquidación. El análisis pone de manifiesto que una actuación eficiente de las oficinas territoriales podría haber incrementado un 21.6% los resultados de la gestión de esta Administración

Evaluating the reliability of NAND multiplexing with PRISM

Probabilistic-model checking is a formal verification technique for analyzing the reliability and performance of systems exhibiting stochastic behavior. In this paper, we demonstrate the applicability of this approach and, in particular, the probabilistic-model-checking tool PRISM to the evaluation of reliability and redundancy of defect-tolerant systems in the field of computer-aided design. We illustrate the technique with an example due to von Neumann, namely NAND multiplexing. We show how, having constructed a model of a defect-tolerant system incorporating probabilistic assumptions about its defects, it is straightforward to compute a range of reliability measures and investigate how they are affected by slight variations in the behavior of the system. This allows a designer to evaluate, for example, the tradeoff between redundancy and reliability in the design. We also highlight errors in analytically computed reliability bounds, recently published for the same case study

Detection of a Super Star Cluster as the Ionizing Source in the Low Luminosity AGN NGC 4303

HST UV STIS imaging and spectroscopy of the low luminosity AGN (LLAGN) NGC 4303 have identified the previously detected UV-bright nucleus of this galaxy, as a compact, massive and luminous stellar cluster. The cluster with a size (FWHM) of 3.1 pc, and an ultraviolet luminosity log L (1500 A}(erg/s/A)= 38.33 is identified as a nuclear super star cluster (SSC) like those detected in the circumnuclear regions of spirals and starburst galaxies. The UV spectrum showing the characteristic broad P Cygni lines produced by the winds of massive young stars, is best fitted by the spectral energy distribution of a massive cluster of 1e5 Msol generated in an instantaneous burst 4 Myr ago. No evidence for an additional non-thermal ionizing source associated with an accreting black hole is detected in the ultraviolet. We hypothesize that at least some LLAGNs in spirals could be understood as the result of the combined ionizing radiation emitted by an evolving SSC and a black hole (BH) accreting with low radiative efficiency, coexisting in the inner few parsecs region.Comment: 4 figure

El apoyo social como modulador del riesgo coronario

Segones Jornades de Foment de la Investigació de la FCHS (Any 1996-1997

Factores psicosociales de riesgo para la enfermedad cardiovascular

Segones Jornades de Foment de la Investigació de la FCHS (Any 1996-1997

Consideraciones sobre la estabilidad y el funcionamiento de una coalición mínima mayoritaria: el caso del Ayuntamiento de Granada (1999-2001)

La longevidad de una coalición de gobierno se confunde frecuentemente con su estabilidad. El análisis del tiempo que los actores permanecen coaligados sustituye al juicio que es preciso hacer sobre los efectos políticos a los que dicha coalición da lugar. Frente a la consideración exclusiva de la cantidad de gobierno, es también preciso y útil tener en cuenta la calidad a la hora de examinar su solidez. Teniendo en cuenta esta habitual confusión, en el presente trabajo consideraremos dos momentos diferentes: por un lado, en la formación y en la agenda de gobierno de los tres partidos coaligados en el gobierno del Ayuntamiento de Granada tras las elecciones de marzo de 1999; por otro lado, en los efectos inmediatos y el grado de cumplimiento de la agenda en los dos primeros años de gobierno municipal. La comparación entre los proyectos y las materializaciones concretas, en un periodo tan corto, nos permitirá avanzar conclusiones provisionales en torno al verdadero pilar sobre el que se funda la estabilidad de la coalición: la calidad del gobierno. Al tiempo, y a partir de los datos obtenidos, avanzaremos una evaluación sobre el acierto o el fracaso de la coalición mínima mayoritaria pactada entre los tres partidos políticos presentes en el gobierno municipal del Ayuntamiento de Granada: PSOE, IU y PA.The longevity of a coalition in government is frequently confused with its stability as a coalition. The analysis on time of the longevity of the coalition usually replace the judgment about the effects of this coalition over the political system. Beyond the consideration about the time in power, seems useful to examine his stability and political effects over the system. In other words to keep in mind the «quality of the coalition government». Keeping in mind this common confusion, in this paper we will consider two different facts. On the one hand, coalition arraignment and the political agenda of the three parties in the city hall of Granada after the elections on March 1999. This parties are PSOE (Socialist Party), IU (United Left) and the PA (Andalusian nationalism). By the order, this article will examine the immediate political effects of coalition and the degree of fulfilment of the political agenda in the first two years in government. The comparison among political projects and his possibility to turn into real policies in a so short period, will allow us to advance some hypothesis about the real basement where the stability of the every coalition in government is rooted: the quality of the government. Considering data from 1999 and 2000 this paper will advance some conclusions about the successor the failure of this minimal winning coalition mainly from the perspective of the fulfilment of his pre electionary programs

Checklist of the Pteridophytes of Aguascalientes, Mexico

Ferns and fern allies from Agu ascalientes, Mexico were s tudied. Fifty-five localities distributed in all municipios of the state were surveyed. Seventy-seven taxa were found: seventy species of ferns, five species of Selaginell, one species of Equisetum, and one species of Isoëtes. Forty taxa are new records for Aguascalientes. Among the ferns, Cheilanthes and Polypodium are the most diverse and abundant genera, usually occurring in xerophytic associations or dry forests. Selaginella is also common in Aguascalientes, and inhabits rocky cliffs in dry environments. Equisetum and lsoëtes are restricted to marshy places

Demand for differentiated milk products : implications for price competition

We apply the Berry, Levinsohn and Pakes (1995) model to scanner data from Boston\ud supermarkets augmented with consumer characteristics data in order to analyze consumer\ud choices and price competition in a differentiated fluid milk market. Milk characteristics include\ud price, fat content, brand name and the organic and/or lactose-free nature of the product.\ud Empirical results show that consumer valuation of fat decreases with income but increases with\ud the number of children. Low-fat and specialty milks, such as organic and lactose-free milks, are\ud preferred by high-income consumers with no children. Although all milks are price elastic at the\ud individual brand level, the cross-price elasticities are quite low and negligible for specialty milks.\ud Based on calculated Lerner indexes, private label milks have the highest percent markups\ud despite their lower prices, while specialty milks have the lowest markups despite their higher\ud prices, which attests to a greater degree of market power for conventional and particularly for\ud private label milk