Land Use Change: A Spatial Multinomial Choice Analysis

Urban decentralization and dispersion trends have led to increased conversion of rural lands in many urban peripheries and exurban regions of the U.S. The growth of the exurban areas has outpaced growth in urban and suburban areas, resulting in growth pressures at the urban-rural fringe. A thorough analysis of land use change patterns and the ability to predict these changes are necessary for the effective design of regional environmental, growth, and development policies. We estimate a multinomial discrete choice model with spatial dependence using parcel-level data from Medina County, Ohio. Accounting for spatial dependence should result in improved statistical inference about land use changes. Our spatial model extends the binary choice “linearized logit” model of Klier and McMillen (2008) to a multinomial setting. A small Monte Carlo simulation indicates that this estimator performs reasonably well. Preliminary results suggest that the location of new urban development is guided by a preference over lower density areas, yet in proximity to current urban development. In addition, we find significant evidence of spatial dependence in land use decisions.Land Use Change, Multinomial Logit, Spatial Dependence, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Land Economics/Use, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, R14, C21, C25,

Using Regression Discontinuity Design to Identify the Effect of Zoning

We test the effect of minimum lot zoning on rural-to-urban land use conversion using Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD), a technique that exploits natural discontinuities in the data to identify causal effects. Observations are drawn from either size of a discontinuous minimum lot size zoning boundary. Using these selected sub-samples, a binary discrete choice model of residential land use change is estimated using parcel-level data and other spatially explicit data from an exurban county that lies on the fringes of Cleveland, Ohio. Results show that controlling for unobserved correlation in the data clearly identifies a negative and significant effect of larger minimum lot size zoning on the probability of conversion to a residential use.Land Economics/Use,

Targeting the hematopoietic stem cell to correct osteopetrosis

This thesis focuses on developing stem cell targeted gene therapy for the severe hereditary disorder Infantile Malignant Osteopetrosis (IMO) as well as increasing the understanding of how the genetic defect present in IMO affects the hematopoietic stem cells and hematopoiesis in general. IMO is a rare congenital disorder associated with an increased number of non-functional osteoclasts and the absence of bone resorption results in accumulation of sclerotic bone leading to abnormal bone marrow cavity formation insufficient to support hematopoiesis. The most common mutation is in the TCIRG1 gene seen in over 50% of the patients. The children suffer from bone marrow failure, anemia, thrombocytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, immune dysfunction and recurrent infections. Furthermore, the impaired remodeling of the developing bone results in compression of cranial nerves which leads to neurological impairment, affecting especially vision and hearing which may progress to blindness and deafness. The only curative treatment available today for IMO is bone marrow transplantation. However, this can only be performed if the patient has a suitable stem cell donor. If untreated, the children die around the age of five. Currently no alternative treatment exists, thus IMO is a candidate disease for development of gene therapy. The first two papers are based on studies conducted with the oc/oc mouse model that has a mutation in the homologous gene and shares the same osteopetrotic phenotype as seen in humans. Paper one focuses on developing a clinically relevant model for cell therapy in the oc/oc mouse by replacing radiation conditioning with low-dose busulfan conditioning prior to neonatal bone marrow transplantation and optimizing the administration procedure. In paper two, neonatal oc/oc mice were treated with bone marrow transplantation without any prior conditioning, which showed a rapid reversal of the severe osteopetrotic phenotype despite low level of engraftment and lack of selective expansion of the osteoclastic lineage. In manuscript three human stem cells from patients with IMO were studied and the paper provides the first proof-of-principle of lentiviral-mediated correction restoring the resorptive function of osteoclasts derived from peripheral blood CD34+ cells of IMO patients. In manuscript four the osteoclast significance in hematopoietic stem cell maintenance was studied by generating two adult osteopetrotic mouse models and subsequently analyzing the hematopoiesis of the mice. The results from this study indicate that osteoclast function is not essential for hematopoietic stem cell maintenance in adult mice. Results obtained from the oc/oc mouse model and from IMO patient cells are encouraging for further development of hematopoietic stem cell targeted gene therapy, and will serve as basis for upcoming development of clinical gene therapy of osteopetrosis

A price model to assess the inflationary effects of the European Regional Policy

Social Accounting Matrices (SAM) are databases that complete the information provided by the input-output tables. They study the intersectorial relationships of an economy, the behaviour of consumers, the government or the foreign sector, while being able to close the income flow of rent. In this work, we deal with the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in Andalusia, a Spanish region classified as Objective 1 by the European Regional policy. We apply the Leontief model on the SAMs for 1990, 1995 and 1999 to get the gross output fall when we remove these regional funds. Furthermore, we develop a price model to assess the impact of this financial support on aggregate and sectorial prices.Social Accounting Matrix, Regional Accounting, Structural Analysis.

Percepción de la Seguridad Alimentaria de los hogares del municipio San Ramón, Matagalpa 2014-2015

Este estudio tiene la importancia de conocer los activos que las comunidades de San Ramón tienen a su disposición para satisfacer sus necesidades básicas de alimentación, desde la percepción de la seguridad alimentaria, que le permitan alcanzar su bienestar nutricional. El municipio de San Ramón es caracterizado con una incidencia de pobreza y vulnerabilidad nutricional. La investigación tiene una perspectiva holística en la cual se fundamenta la propuesta de la sustentabilidad ligada a la acción del hombre en relación a su entorno. El presente estudio es descriptivo y observacional, con un enfoque mixto, es decir cualitativo-cuantitativo. La muestra estuvo constituida por 301 hogares, en las comunidades de Monte Cristo, Los Limones, Mil Bosque, El Horno I, Yucul Central, San Ramón, El Plomo, Mata Palo, La Garita, Siares el Toro, Siares La Virgen, El Naranjo, Trentino Obrero, San Pablo, Sabana Grande, Wabule, El Jícaro II, Azancor I, El Esquirín y del casco urbano, los barrios La Cruz y Álvaro Castillo. La prevalencia de inseguridad alimentaria en hogares visitados en el área urbano y rural de San Ramón, es del 89 %, y el 19 % tienen seguridad alimentaria. El 69% tienen jefe de familia varón y 31 % mujer, integrado por familia extendida con sobrinos, abuelos y cuñados. En general, existe inseguridad alimentaria en los hogares donde hay niños y jóvenes, en los que se observa la preocupación por los alimentos sino su afectación en la calidad y cantidad de alimentos y sino también en el padecimiento de hambr

Do Voluntary Pollution Reduction Programs (VPRs) Spur Innovation in Environmental Technology

In the context of the EPA's 33/50 program, we study whether a VPR can prompt firms to develop new environmental technologies that yield future emission reduction benefits. Because pollutant reductions generally require costly reformulations of products and/or production processes, environmental over-compliance induced by a VPR may potentially spur environmental innovation that can reduce these costs. Conversely, a VPR may induce a participating firm to divert resources from environmental research to environmental monitoring and compliance activities that yield short-term benefits in reduced emissions. We find evidence that higher rates of 33/50 program participation are associated with significant reductions in the number of successful environmental patent applications four to six years after the program ended; these results suggest a negative relationship between the 33/50 program and longer-run environmental innovation.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Identifying Suitable Teaching Materials For Efl 40 +- Year-Old Learners

To identifying suitable teaching materials for EFL 40 +- Year-Old learners students that help them engage in continuing education.La presente estudio investiga cómo los estudiantes de 40 o más años del nivel principiantes A1, conocidos como generación X, enfrentan las dificultades y tienen que adaptarse a la expansión de nuevos métodos de aprendizaje. Incluyendo la tecnología. Ha aumentado la necesidad de ayudar a los profesores y estudiantes a buscar el material didáctico adecuado que brinde confianza a los estudiantes para continuar el estudio del idioma Inglés como lengua extranjera. Especialmente después de mucho tiempo de haber terminado sus estudios. Así, luego de identificar el material, esta investigación ayuda a los profesores a aplicar el material didáctico adecuadamente de acuerdo a la edad y las necesidades de los estudiantes. Se utiliza un método Cualitativo de Acción /Participativa mediante la observación y la entrevista. Para recopilar datos, primero se utilizó la observación teniendo en cuenta el efecto que la tecnología utilizada para presentar el tema o desarrollar la clase causó en los estudiantes adultos. Además la percepción que tienen profesores sobre seguridad de los estudiantes al estar en contacto con ella. Las entrevistas fueron dirigidas tanto a profesores como a estudiantes en diferentes horarios y contenían cinco preguntas diferentes. Estaban dirigidas a servir de sustento de las preguntas que guiaron la investigación. Los resultados obtenidos en la Investigación determinan la incidencia del material didáctico escrito. Se establece como de vital importancia el uso de material didáctico escrito para algunos estudiantes (adultos), quienes están interesados en resolver les dudas existentes y procuran corregir sus tareas en clase así como también sus deberes. Este proceso no ocurre cuando utilizan la tecnología lo que les causa inseguridad y ansiedad. Más adelante se puede dirigir una investigación para seleccionar material didáctico adecuado aplicado con nuevas generaciones (Millennials and Centennials ).Maestrí

The gene YALI0E20207g from Yarrowia lipolytica encodes an N-acetylglucosamine kinase implicated in the regulated expression of the genes from the N-acetylglucosamine assimilatory pathway

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.The non-conventional yeast Yarrowia lipolyticapossesses an ORF, YALI0E20207g, which encodes a protein with an amino acid sequence similar to hexokinases fromdifferent organisms. We have cloned that gene and determined several enzymatic properties of its encoded protein showing that it is an N-acetylglucosamine (NAGA) kinase. This conclusion was supported by the lack of growth in NAGA of a strain carrying a YALI0E20207g deletion.We named this gene YlNAG5. Expression of YlNAG5 as well as that of the genes encoding the enzymes of the NAGA catabolic pathway - identified by a BLAST search - was induced by this sugar. Deletion of YlNAG5 rendered that expression independent of the presence of NAGA in the medium and reintroduction of the gene restored the inducibility, indicating that YlNag5 participates in the transcriptional regulation of the NAGA assimilatory pathway genes. Expression of YlNAG5 was increased during sporulation and homozygous Ylnag5/Ylnag5 diploid strains sporulated very poorly as compared with a wild type isogenic control strain pointing to a participation of the protein in the process. Overexpression of YlNAG5 allowed growth in glucose of an Ylhxk1 glk1 double mutant and produced, in a wild type background, aberrant morphologies in different media. Expression of the gene in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae hxk1 hxk2 glk1 triple mutant restored ability to grow in glucose.This work was supported by grant BFU2010-19628-C02-02 from the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation (MICINN, now MINECO).Peer Reviewe

Los manuscritos neolatinos americanos de la Real Academia de la Historia de Madrid

El artículo analiza los manuscritos citados más habitualmente, su situación, las dificultades de su localización, los autores que se hacen eco de ellos y la compleja historia que se origina de la confusión existente, debida al desconocimiento de la ubicación del material. Asimismo, trata de valorar los fondos neolatinos atendiendo a su calidad de original o de copia más o menos próxima a aquel, aludiendo incidentalmente al latín empleado.The American romance language manuscripts in The Royal Academy of History in Madrid The article analyses the most commonly quoted manuscripts, their location, the difficulties to find their siting, the authors arousing them and the complex story originated by the existing confusion on the material's location. Furthermore, it tries to value the romance languages reservoirs according to their quality of original or copy more or less closer to it, incidentally alluding to the latin employed