Determinants and Consequences of Bailing Out States in Mexico

This paper identifies and analyzes the determinants and consequences of bailing out states, in particular, those observed in Mexico. This case is important because lessons can be obtained for other LDCs. Bailouts of lower-level governments have not been the object of much research in economics. This work suggests that the explicit generalized bailout carried out by the federal government in Mexico in 1995 created a moral hazard problem. The existing institutional-legal framework is not adequate, because it provides incentives for states to borrow and for banks to lend without evaluating the risk of the project. Likewise, the importance of the state (size) is a major determinant in providing bailout transfers. Also, the more a state government is in fiscal need when the state government is incapable of adjusting its expenditure, the more likely the state is to get an extraordinary transfer during the period of study. On the other hand, political variables are not an important determinant of a bailout, except, perhaps, when there are state elections. We also show that excessive indebtedness of local states may have equity implications as well: bailouts tend to be highly regressive, as the poorer –low indebted- states receive much less in extraordinary resources.

Compressible Kelvin-Helmholtz instability at the terrestrial magnetopause

The compressible magnetohydrodynamic Kelvin-Helmholtz instability occurs in two varieties, one that can be called incompressible as it exists in the limit of vanishing compressibility (primary instability), while the other exists only when compressibility is included in the model (secondary instability). In previous work we developed techniques to investigate the stability of a surface of discontinuity between two different uniform ows. Our treatment includes arbitrary jumps of the velocity and magnetic fields as well as of density and temperature, with no restriction on the wave vector of the modes. Then it allows stability analyses of complex configurations not previously studied in detail. Here we apply our methods to investigate the stability of various typical situations occurring at different regions of the front side, and the near anks of the magnetopause. The physical conditions of the vector and scalar fields that characterize the equilibrium interface at the positions considered are obtained both from experimental data and from results of simulation codes of the magnetosheath available in the literature. We give particular attention to the compressible modes in configurations in which the incompressible modes are stabilized by the magnetic shear. For configurations of the front of the magnetopause, which have small relative velocities, we find that the incompressible MHD model gives reliable estimates of their stability, and compressibility effects do not introduce significant changes. However, at the anks of the magnetopause the occurrence of the secondary instability and the shift of the boundary of the primary instability play an important role. Consequently, configurations that are stable if compressibility is neglected turn out to be unstable when it is considered and the stability properties are quite sensitive on the values of the parameters. Then compressibility should be taken into account when assessing the stability properties of these configurations, since the estimates based on incompressible MHD may be misleading. A careful analysis is required in each case, since no simple rule of thumb can be given

“IDENTIDADE PÓS-MODERNA”: O ROCK E A MÚSICA BRASILEIRA NOS ANOS 1980 E 1990

O texto trabalha com a identidade pós-moderna brasileira retratada na música, nas décadas 1980 e 1990. O objetivo é compreender como a música, enquanto instrumento de expressão, retrata a pós-modernidade no período de 1980 e 1990 no Brasil, bem como identificar a influência da música na formação da identidade nacional. Observamos que através da música é possível compreender características sociais, políticas e econômicas do recorte estudado. A compreensão da função social da música na pós-modernidade traz consigo formas de identificar os desdobramentos da ressignificação de preceitos do período anterior, desse modo contribui na constituição de novas análises e para o entendimento da nacionalidade. Entre as fontes analisadas estão letras de músicas produzidas na época, tais como: “Anos 80” de Raul Seixas; “Geração Coca-Cola”; “O mundo anda tão complicado” da banda Legião Urbana e “Burguesia” de Cazuza. Consideramos que o rock brasileiro apresenta ideias de contestação, bastante presentes na ideologia da juventude do período, assim serviu de instrumento de identificação para muitos jovens brasileiros, no momento em que o país passava por uma transição política e social com o término da ditadura militar. Vale destacar que o estudo do rock é uma das perspectivas possíveis sobre o tema, visto que outros gêneros musicais, como o rap, também se desenvolveram no período e tiveram grande representatividade

La onomástica de nombres erróneos en la construcción de andinidad fallida y débil andeancia: el imperativo de microrefugios bioculturales en los Andes

We seek to (re)construct a geocritical narrative for the essence of place, by (re)writing mountain specificities that imprint cultural traits on tropical and temperate Andean landscapes, creating a unique identity trilemma for the people of highland South America. We use onomastics as a study of mistaken individuality, with a poststructuralism approach to define ‘the Andean’ within humanistic geoecology; thus, we incorporate notions related to common phenotypic traits of ‘Andeanity’, together with cryptic, emergent properties of ‘Andeaness’ and mystic conditions of spirituality of ‘Andeanitude’, to produce a new trifecta of ecoregional building, with a challenging epistemology for ‘Andean’ as a biocultural heritage landscape informed from traditional knowledge, dialectically appropriated from the old and the young, the foreign and the native, and the original and the composed. Hence, the imagined, heterogeneous, and dynamic identity of Andean people is characterized as dynamic and evolving flow of the mountainscape. We argue that it is still adapting to frameworks of global environment change; hence, it is subjected to withering if not for certain biocultural microrefugia that keep Andean landscape memory alive. With a review of the hermeneutics of Andes, because of orthographic variants (c.f.: graphiosis) that incorporated Kichwa-based, Kañary-based or Mapudungun-based words in the hegemonic lexicon of colonial expansionism of Castilian terms, we argue for the inclusion of vernacular descriptors instead of Roman Sanctorum or Patriotic ephemerides utilized to name geographical features in Andean South America. A plea to restore vernacular descriptors with the original peoples’ language uses, toponymy and onomatopoeia, brings political recognition and invigorates original communities’ pride of their ancestral heritage to reinforce their wellbeing in biodiversity microrefugia. Switching from imperial, imposed names of colonialist geographies to vernacular words or other non-hegemonic locatives of (de) colonial scholarship will help find a better “sense of place” in the Andes and will increase the likelihood of survival and (re)generation of ancestral socio-ecological production Andean mountainscapes.Buscamos (re)construir una narrativa geocrítica para la esencia del paisaje al (re)escribir las especificidades de montaña que impriman atributos culturales en los paisajes andinos tropicales y templados, creando un trilema de identidad único para la gente de las tierras altas de América del Sur. Usamos la onomástica como un estudio de la individualidad errada con un enfoque post-estructuralista para definir “lo andino” dentro de la geoecología humanística; por lo tanto, incorporamos nociones relacionadas con los atributos fenotípicos de Andeanidad, junto con las propiedades crípticas emergentes de Andeancia y las condiciones místicas de espiritualidad de Andeanitud, para producir una nueva trifecta de construcción ecoregional, con una epistemología desafiante para el paisaje patrimonial biocultural basado en el conocimiento tradicional, apropiado dialécticamente de lo viejo a lo nuevo, de lo foráneo a lo nativo y de lo original a lo copiado. Por lo tanto, la dinámica identidad heterogénea imaginada de la gente andina está caracterizada por un flujo dinámico y evolutivo del paisaje montano. Argumentamos que la nomenclatura aún se adapta a marcos de cambio ambiental global; así, está aún sujeta a deterioro a no ser que ciertos microrefugios bioculturales puedan mantener la memoria del paisaje andino vivo. Con una revisión de la hermenéutica de Andes, debido a las variantes (c.f. grafiosis) que incorporaron palabras basadas en Kichwa, Kañary o Mapudungun en el léxico hegemónico del expansionismo colonial de los términos castellanos, apelamos a la inclusión de los descriptores vernáculos en vez del santoral romano y la efemérides patriótica utilizada para nombrar los atributos geográficos en la Sudamérica andina. Pedimos restaurar los descriptores vernáculos con el lenguaje usado por los pueblos originarios, su toponimia y onomatopeya, para atraer el reconocimiento político y para vigorizar el orgullo del patrimonio ancestral de las comunidades de montaña para refuerzo de su bienestar en los microrefugios bioculturales. Al cambiar los nombres impuestos por la geografía imperial colonial a las palabras vernáculas u otros locativos no hegemónicos de escolaridad decolonial, se ayudará a obtener un mejor ‘sentido del lugar’ en los Andes e incrementará la posibilidad de (super)vivencia y (re)generación de los paisajes productivos socioecológicos ancestrales andinos

Chemical regeneration of thermally conditioned basalt fibres

The disposal of fibre reinforced composite materials is a problem widely debated in the literature. This work explores the ability to restore the mechanical properties of thermally conditioned basalt fibres through chemical treatments. Inorganic acid (HF) and alkaline (NaOH) treatments proved to be effective in regenerating the mechanical strength of recycled basalt fibres, with up to 94% recovery of the strength on treatment with NaOH. In particular, HF treatment proved to be less effective compared to NaOH, therefore pointing towards a more environmentally sustainable approach considering the disposal issues linked to the use of HF. Moreover, the strength regeneration was found to be dependent on the level of temperature experienced during the thermal treatment process, with decreasing effectiveness as a function of increasing temperature. SEM analysis of the fibres' lateral surfaces suggests that surface defects removal induced by the etching reaction is the mechanism controlling recovery of fibre mechanical properties. In addition, studies on the fracture toughness of the regenerated single fibres were carried out, using focussed ion beam (FIB) milling technique, to investigate whether any structural change in the bulk fibre occurred after thermal exposure and chemical regeneration. A significant increase in the fracture toughness for the regenerated fibres, in comparison with the as-received and heat-treated basalt ones, was measured

A Mountain or a Plateau? Hematological Traits Vary Nonlinearly with Altitude in a Highland Lizard

CONACYT 178723High-altitude organisms exhibit hematological adaptations to augment blood transport of oxygen. One common mechanism is through increased values of blood traits such as erythrocyte count, hematocrit, and hemoglobin concentration. However, a positive relationship between altitude and blood traits is not observed in all high-altitude systems. To understand how organisms adapt to high altitudes, it is important to document physiological patterns related to hypoxia gradients from a greater variety of species. Here, we present an extensive hematological description for three populations of Sceloporus grammicus living at 2,500, 3,400, and 4,300 m. We did not find a linear increase with altitude for any of the blood traits we measured. Instead, we found nonlinear relationships between altitude and the blood traits erythrocyte number, erythrocyte size, hematocrit, and hemoglobin concentration. Erythrocyte number and hematocrit leveled off as altitude increased, whereas hemoglobin concentration and erythrocyte size were highest at intermediate altitude. Additionally, lizards from our three study populations are similar in blood pH, serum electrolytes, glucose, and lactate. Given that the highest-altitude population did not show the highest levels of the variables we measured, we suggest these lizards may be using different adaptations to cope with hypoxia than lizards at low or intermediate altitudes. We discuss future directions that research could take to investigate such potential adaptations

Quaternary geographical sibling speciation and population structuring in the Eastern Atlantic skates (suborder Rajoidea) Raja clavata and R. straeleni

To access the final version, follow the next link. http://www.springerlink.com/content/t1809472211lk67q/Aim Geographical (allopatric) speciation is a dynamic process whose footprints in the living world are a continuum of stages of increasing divergence. Geographical speciation can also contribute to the evolution of marine taxa. This study looked for two of these evolutionary stages (i.e. structured populations and sibling species) in the diversification patterns of two Atlantic skates (Raja, suborder Rajoidea) which exhibited high morphological and ecological conservativism(undefined

Combination of G-CSF and a TLR4 inhibitor reduce inflammation and promote regeneration in a mouse model of ACLF

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is characterised by high short-term mortality, systemic inflammation, and failure of hepatic regeneration. Its treatment is an unmet medical need. This study was conducted to explore whether combining TAK-242, a Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) antagonist, with Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) targets inflammation whilst enhancing liver regeneration. METHODS: Two mouse models of ACLF were investigated. Chronic liver injury was induced by carbon tetrachloride followed by either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or galactosamine (GalN) as extrahepatic or hepatic insults, respectively. G-CSF and/or TLR4-antagonist, TAK-242, were administered daily. The treatment duration was 24h and 5d in the LPS model and 48h in the GalN model, respectively. RESULTS: In a LPS-induced ACLF mouse model treatment with G-CSF was associated with a significant mortality of 66% after 48 hours compared with 0% without G-CSF. Addition of TAK-242 to G-CSF abrogated mortality (0%) and significantly reduced liver cell death, macrophage infiltration and inflammation. In the GalN model, both G-CSF and TAK-242, when used individually, reduced liver injury but their combination was significantly more effective. G-CSF treatment, with or without TAK-242, was associated with activation of the pro-regenerative and anti-apoptotic STAT3 pathway. LPS-driven ACLF was characterized by p21 over-expression suggesting hepatic senescence and inhibition of hepatocyte regeneration. While TAK-242 treatment mitigated the effect on senescence, G-CSF, when co-administered with TAK-242, resulted in a significant increase of markers of hepatocyte regeneration. CONCLUSION: TLR4 inhibition with TAK-242 rescued G-CSF-driven cell death, inflammation, enhanced tissue repair, and significantly induced regeneration thus suggesting that the combination of G-CSF and TAK-242 is a novel approach for the treatment of ACLF. LAY SUMMARY: The combinatorial therapy of Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor and TAK-242, a Toll-like Receptor-4 inhibitor, achieves the dual aim of reducing hepatic inflammation and inducing liver regeneration for the treatment of acute-on-chronic liver failure