Does the Relationship Between Mortality and the Business Cycle Vary by the Level of Economic Development? Evidence from Mexico

We investigate the relationship between mortality and business cycles within Mexico, where development varies significantly. We exploit this variation by separately analyzing the top ten and bottom ten developed states. We find that while mortality is procyclical nationally and in the top ten states, it is countercyclical in the bottom ten. Further, we show that in the top ten states mortality due to noncommunicable conditions is procyclical, while in the bottom ten mortality due to noncommunicable conditions and infectious and parasitic diseases is countercyclical. This suggests that the relationship between mortality and business cycles may vary by level of development.

Self-fulfilling and Fundamental Banking Crises: A Multinomial Logit Approach

This paper uses a multinomial logit model to examine the factors associated with the occurrence of both self-fulfilling and fundamental banking crises. We find evidence indicating that the two types of crises are indeed different, and are explained by different variables. Self-fulfilling crises tend to occur when bank liabilities relative to reserves are high, when the financial system is liberalized, and for high levels of short-term debt relative to total debt. They are also associated with lending booms and government surpluses. In contrast, fundamental crises are linked to depreciations of the local currency, to financial liberalization and are negatively related to the country's level of development and quality of institutions. Also, countries that experienced multiple crises are more likely to experience fundamental crises.

Macroeconomic Changes and Mortality in Mexico

While previous studies examine how the business cycle affects mortality in developed countries, less is known about this relationship in developing countries. In this paper, we investigate whether the procyclical nature of mortality in developed countries found by Ruhm (2000) and others is also present in Mexico. We assemble a unique panel data set that contains state-level data on mortality rates by age and cause of death, GDP per capita, and socioeconomic status. We find that for Mexico total mortality rates are procyclical, with the largest impact on those aged 20 to 49. While these findings are similar to those in Ruhm (2000), the effects of business cycles on mortality rates differ for several specific causes of death. These results suggest that whereas total mortality may be procyclical in some developed and developing countries, significant differences may exist for some causes of death.

Are Recessions Good for Everyone's Health? The Association Between Mortality and the Business Cycle by Race in the U.S.

In this paper we study the effect of the business cycle on the mortality rate of the major racial groups in the U.S. Using county-level data from 1999 to 2005, we find that the unemployment rate is negatively related to mortality for whites and latinos but that there is not a statistically significant relationship for blacks. Moreover, the magnitude of this relationship is larger for latinos than for whites. Finally, the relationship becomes more pronounced for latinos and whites as the proportion of population of that race increases. Taken together, these findings suggest that the procyclical association between mortality and the business cycle identified in previous studies of the general U.S. population may vary by race.

The Impact of FDI on CO₂ Emissions in Latin America

This paper uses panel Granger causality tests to study the relationship between sector specific FDI and CO2 emissions. Using a sample of 18 Latin American countries for the 1980-2007 period, we find causality running from FDI in polluting intensive industries (“the dirty sector”) to CO2 emissions per capita. This result is robust to controlling for other factors associated with CO2 emissions and using the ratio of CO2 emissions to GDP. For other sectors, we find no robust evidence that FDI causes CO2 emissions

Vortex solutions in the noncommutative torus

Vortex configurations in the two-dimensional torus are considered in noncommutative space. We analyze the BPS equations of the Abelian Higgs model. Numerical solutions are constructed for the self-dual and anti-self dual cases by extending an algorithm originally developed for ordinary commutative space. We work within the Fock space approach to noncommutative theories and the Moyal-Weyl connection is used in the final stage to express the solutions in configuration space.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figure

Influencia idiomática en la producción científica de investigadores mexicanos

El perfil del investigador científico en México está definido por un gran número de funciones y características académicas, las cuales no están limitadas solo al registro en cantidad de productos publicados, sino además, a otras condiciones vinculadas a la calidad. Este artículo, estudia una problemática particular que se ha convertido en un dilema sobre las conveniencias que representa generar conocimiento en la propia lengua (para el caso el español) o pretender lograr que los hallazgos sean comunicados en una lengua secundaria, especialmente, aquella relacionada con el lenguaje dominante de la ciencia (en la actualidad considerado el inglés). El estudio se basa en tres perspectivas fundamentales: (1) la defensa por el uso de la lengua propia con miras a fortalecerla ante el mercado editorial y científico; (2) recurrir al uso del lenguaje dominante de la ciencia para obtener mayor visibilidad y prestigio, considerando con ello, la posibilidad de afrontar distintas limitaciones; y (3) promover el bilingüismo y multilingüismo en las publicaciones, recurriendo, tanto al uso del idioma propio como de otros, siendo esta consideración la menos probable. Todas las posturas ofrecen su propia justificación, teniendo como referencia sus ventajas y desventajas, así como de perspectivas de contribución al desarrollo de la literatura científica. DOI: https://doi.org/10.54167/tecnociencia.v15i2.83

Non-Abelian Vortices on the Torus

We study periodic arrays of non-Abelian vortices in an $SU(N) \times U(1)$ gauge theory with $N_f$ flavors of fundamental matter multiplets. We carefully discuss the corresponding twisted boundary conditions on the torus and propose an ansatz to solve the first order Bogomolnyi equations which we find by looking to a bound of the energy. We solve the equations numerically and construct explicit vortex solutions

Leaf death in Araucaria araucana (Mol.) K. Koch seedlings due to freezing temperatures : preliminary results

En este trabajo se comunica la respuesta fenológica que experimenta el follaje de plantines de Araucaria araucana sometidos a cuatro niveles de temperaturas de congelamiento (-2°C, -6°C, -10°C y -15°C), inducidas durante la temporada de activo crecimiento vegetal. Para ello se utilizaron plantines de vivero y los distintos niveles de congelamiento fueron producidos en freezer mediante control por computador. Los resultados mostraron que, a tres semanas del tratamiento térmico, el 90% de los plantines de A. araucana mantuvieron vivas todas sus hojas hasta -6°C, mientras que al descender la temperatura del aire a -10°C o menos, los plantines presentaron porcentajes variables de hojas necrosadas hasta muerte total del follaje. En condiciones naturales, heladas tardías en el norte de Patagonia expondrían los plantines de A. araucana a consecuencias potencialmente letales. Por ello, un mayor conocimiento de la respuesta de A. araucana a extremos de frío resulta de particular utilidad para interpretar procesos de dinámica forestal y establecer pautas de manejo y conservación frente a escenarios de cambio climático.In this work we report the phenological response experienced by the foliage of A. araucana seedlings to four levels of freezing temperatures (-2 °C, -6 °C, -10 °C and -15°C) induced during the active plant growth season. Nursery seedlings were exposed to different frost levels in a freezer under computer control. The results showed that after three weeks of the thermal treatments, 90% of the A. araucana seedlings remained with living leaves at temperatures up to -6°C, whereas when the temperature decreased to -10°C or lower, the seedlings showed a variable percentage of dead leaves and even total death of the foliage. Under natural conditions, late frosts in northern Patagonia may expose seedlings of A. araucana to potentially lethal consequences. Therefore, a better understanding of the response of A. araucana to extreme low temperatures is particularly useful for interpreting forest dynamics processes and for management and conservation guidelines in relation to future climate change scenarios.Fil: Arco Molina, Julieta Gabriela. Universidad Nacional de CuyoFil: Hadad, Martín Ariel. Universidad Nacional de San JuanFil: Gonzalez Antivilo, Francisco. Universidad Nacional de CuyoFil: Roig, Fidel Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de Cuy

A Presence-Absence Survey to Monitor Montezuma Quail in Western Texas

Developing an effective monitoring program for Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) is challenging because the technique must be practical for surveying vast, remote landscapes while accounting for the species’ low detectability. We used call-back surveys within a presence–absence framework to estimate occupancy and detection probability of Montezuma quail and used this information in conjunction with habitat data to develop an estimated probability of occurrence map for the species. We established survey points at 4 sites in western Texas (n = 20–30 points/site) and conducted 5 repeat surveys/season during June–August 2007 and 2008. We documented abiotic conditions (temperature, time of day, survey number, and year) during surveys and quantified microhabitat (% bare ground, food-plant density, vegetation height, and visual obstruction) and macrohabitat (vegetation type, elevation, aspect, and slope) at survey points. We then used an information-theoretic approach to evaluate the influence of micro- and macro-habitat on detection probability and occupancy at a local and regional scale, respectively. At a microhabitat scale, the most parsimonious model (ΔAICc R2 = 0.46) suggested detection probability was influenced primarily by year (βYear = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.24–1.57), with occupancy being influenced primarily (but minimally) by year (βYear = –59.7, 95% CI = –179.0–59.6) and vegetation-height (βVH = 67.7, 95% CI = –71.9–207.4). This model indicated that detection probability decreased from 2007 (0.40; 95% CI = 0.31–0.49) to 2008 (0.21; 95% CI = 0.14–0.32), as did occupancy (1.00 vs. 0.72, respectively), which corresponded to a transition from a relatively wet to dry year. At a macrohabitat scale, the most parsimonious model (ΔAICc R2 = 0.20) suggested occupancy was influenced by elevation (βElevation = 1.11 ± 0.56) and vegetation type (βVegetation type 2 = –3.17 ± 1.26; βVegetation type 3 = –1.20 ± 1.18), and we used these variables to construct a first-approximation, probability of occupancy map. Given our findings, presence–absence surveys may be a viable approach for monitoring Montezuma quail populations through time, and use of a probability of occupancy map can help with efficient allocation of survey points and effort. However, the viability of using a presence–absence approach to monitor Montezuma quail populations will depend on whether sampling effort can be increased sufficiently to obtain more precise estimates of occupancy. In addition, our probability of occupancy map should be regarded as a first approximation and further research should be conducted to refine the relationships