Flat tax reforms in the U.S.: A boon for the income poor

In this article we quantify the aggregate, distributional and welfare consequences of two revenue neutral flat-tax reforms using a model economy that replicates the U.S. distributions of earnings, income and wealth in very much detail. We find that the less progressive reform brings about a 2.4 percent increase in steady-state output and a more unequal distribution of after-tax income. In contrast, the more progressive reform brings about a -2.6 percent reduction in steady-state output and a distribution of aftertax income that is more egalitarian. We also find that in the less progressive flat-tax economy aggregate welfare falls by -0.17 percent of consumption, and in the more progressive flat-tax economy it increases by 0.45 percent of consumption. In both flattax reforms the income poor pay less income taxes and obtain sizeable welfare gains

Investment expensing and progressivity in flat-tax reforms

In this article we quantify the aggregate, distributional and welfare consequences of investment expensing and progressivity in Hall and Rabushka type of flat-tax reforms of the US economy. To do so we use a heterogeneous households model featuring both life cycle and dynastic elements as well as nonlinear wage dynamics. Our findings suggest that moving toward a progressive consumption-based flat-tax scheme could achieve the goals of raising government income, stimulating the economy, and providing a safety net for the households that have been hit the hardest by the recession. In particular, we find that investment expensing brings about sizeable output gains and a nontrivial increase in after-tax income inequality. However, it results in aggregate welfare gains in steady state because the large deduction in the labor income tax acts as a boon for the income poor, because the larger capital stock implies that workers earn higher wages, and because investment expensing allows households to abandon poverty faster. We also find that the progressivity of the reforms matters for welfare: economies with more progressive flat-tax schemes are better for the very poor and are ultimately preferred by a Benthamite social planner as they allow households to achieve better consumption smoothing and a better allocation of their work effort across time and states

Dos dictaduras en el límite de la guerra. El testimonio editorial del conflicto del Beagle (1977-1979)1

En esta oportunidad analizaremos la posición editorial de losmatutinos La Prensa, The Buenos Aires Herald y El Díafrente a uno de los conflictos que casi llevó a la Argentina auna guerra durante la última dictadura militar. Nos referimosespecíficamente a la disputa entablada entre nuestro país yChile por la soberanía sobre el canal de Beagle entre el 2 demayo de 1977 -cuando ambos países conocieron el resultadodel laudo arbitral comunicado por la corona británica- y el 9 deenero de 1979 -momento en el cual se firmó entre ambasrepresentaciones diplomáticas el acuerdo de Montevideo bajo laobservancia del enviado papal, cardenal Antonio Samoré-. Paracomprender más acabadamente el discurso editorial de losmedios propuestos creemos ilustrativo presentar previamenteuna breve reseña de la vida institucional de cada uno y losantecedentes históricos y detonantes del conflicto estudiado,para luego desarrollar el análisis del corpus, el cual tendrá encuenta las estrategias y argumentos esgrimidos por cadaperiódico para justificar su posición favorable o desfavorablefrente a la guerra como posible forma de resolución delconflicto

High-throughput screening methodology to identify alpha-synuclein aggregation inhibitors

An increasing number of neurodegenerative diseases are being found to be associated with the abnormal accumulation of aggregated proteins in the brain. In Parkinson’s disease, this process involves the aggregation of alpha-synuclein (a-syn) into intraneuronal inclusions. Thus, compounds that inhibit a-syn aggregation represent a promising therapeutic strategy as disease-modifying agents for neurodegeneration. The formation of a-syn amyloid aggregates can be reproduced in vitro by incubation of the recombinant protein. However, the in vitro aggregation of a-syn is exceedingly slow and highly irreproducible, therefore precluding fast high throughput anti-aggregation drug screening. Here, we present a simple and easy-to-implement in-plate method for screening large chemical libraries in the search for a-syn aggregation modulators. It allows us to monitor aggregation kinetics with high reproducibility, while being faster and requiring lower protein amounts than conventional aggregation assays. We illustrate how the approach enables the identification of strong aggregation inhibitors in a library of more than 14, 000 compounds

Potentiation of morphine-induced antinociception and locomotion by citalopram is accompanied by anxiolytic-like effects

Morphine and related opioids are the mainstay of analgesic treatment, especially in patients suffering chronic pain. Besides their antinociceptive effects they may also exhibit anxiolytic-like properties that could contribute to pain relief. The pharmacological manipulation of the serotonergic system may not only modulate pain transmission and processing but also other behavioral effects of opioids. The present study aimed to analyze the effect of the concurrent treatment with citalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, on the antinociceptive, locomotor and anxiety-related effects induced by acute and subchronic administration of morphine in mice. Citalopram (15 mg/kg) enhanced the acute antinociceptive effects of morphine when concurrently administered as evidenced by a two-fold increase in the ED50 for the antinociceptive effect of morphine in the hot-plate test. Chronic studies also revealed that concurrent citalopram treatment (15 mg/kg) delayed the development of tolerance to the thermal antinociceptive effects of morphine. Additionally, morphine-induced hyperlocomotion was potentiated by citalopram as assessed in the open-field test and in the spontaneous activity recording in the home cage, a behavioral outcome to which tolerance or desensitization was not developed. Interestingly, chronic administration of both drugs promoted an anxiolytic effect as evidenced by the increased central activity in the open field test. Future investigations on this pharmacological interaction, such as the possible translational research in clinics, might have consequences in future strategies for the therapeutic management of pain.This research was supported by the grant SAF2010-15663 from the Spanish Government (MINECO). We thank David Ramos and Raquel Lanza for their technical assistance in handling living animals. We kindly appreciate Belen Palacio support for video footage and editing and Dr. Albert Adell for the critical reading of the manuscript

DOS DICTADURAS EN EL LÍMITE DE LA GUERRA El testimonio editorial del conflicto del Beagle (1977-1979) (1)

En esta oportunidad analizaremos la posición editorial de los matutinos La Prensa, The Buenos Aires Herald y El Día frente a uno de los conflictos que casi llevó a la Argentina a una guerra durante la última dictadura militar. Nos referimos específicamente a la disputa entablada entre nuestro país y Chile por la soberanía sobre el canal de Beagle entre el 2 de mayo de 1977 -cuando ambos países conocieron el resultado del laudo arbitral comunicado por la corona británica- y el 9 de enero de 1979 -momento en el cual se firmó entre ambas representaciones diplomáticas el acuerdo de Montevideo bajo la observancia del enviado papal, cardenal Antonio Samoré-. Para comprender más acabadamente el discurso editorial de los medios propuestos creemos ilustrativo presentar previamente una breve reseña de la vida institucional de cada uno y los antecedentes históricos y detonantes del conflicto estudiado, para luego desarrollar el análisis del corpus, el cual tendrá en cuenta las estrategias y argumentos esgrimidos por cada periódico para justificar su posición favorable o desfavorable frente a la guerra como posible forma de resolución del conflicto

Una lucha incesante: el Herald contra el estado terrorista (1982-1983)

Nuestro trabajo indaga el discurso editorial del The Buenos Aires Herald durante la etapa de agotamiento y descomposición del régimen militar (1982/83)1, en relación con el terrorismo de Estado y los organismos de ddhh que ofrecieron resistencia desde 1976.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

LA PRENSA EN LA GUERRA Y LA GUERRA A LA PRENSA Los editoriales durante el conflicto bélico por las Malvinas (1)

El presente artículo analiza las columnas editoriales del diario La Prensa durante el conflicto bélico con Gran Bretaña en 1982 y su inestable relación con las autoridades de la dictadura militar argentina.A su vez, da cuenta de las condiciones políticas que imperaban entonces; y refiere algunas de las dificultades que atravesaron los medios de comunicación para circular e informar en un contexto signado por la censura

Obstrucción por cuerpos extraños localizados en esófago : terapéutica endoscópica. Tres casos clínicos

Se presentan tres casos clínicos de obstrucción esofágica por cuerpos extraños en posición precardial que son extraídos por técnica endoscópica con fibroencloscopio flexible.Three clinical cases of oesophagus obstruction due to foreign bodies in precardial position are described. These-foreign bodies have been removed by endoscopical technic with flexible fiberscope

Geobotanical survey of Cabo Verde Islands (West Africa)

The results of the study of the bioclimate, biogeography, flora and vegetation of Cabo Verde Islands, after seven years of field works in all inhabited isles are presented in this paper. Tropical hyperdesertic to pluviseasonal, upper infra- to low supratropical and upper ultrahyperarid to upper dry, and occasionaly lower subhumid (short period years), are the bioclimates in these archipelago. Biogeographically they are situated in the Paleotropical Kingdom, Afrotropical Subkingdom, Tropical Saharan Region, and Cabo Verde Province. Eight new species are described: Acacia caboverdeana, Asphodelus mariolousae, Frankenia pseudoericifolia, Hyparrhenia caboverdeana, Lotus chevalieri, Polycarpaea caboverdeana, Suaeda caboverdeana and Tetraena vicentina, and also fifteen new combinations are proposed. In taxonomic phytosociology, five new classis: Cocculo penduli-Sarcostemmetea daltonii, Heteropogonetea contorti, Tetraenetea simplicis, Frankenio pseudoericifoliae-Suaedetea caboverdeanae and Arthrocnemetea franzii; nine new orders: Euphorbio tuckeyanae-Sarcostemmetalia daltonii, Dichrostachyo platycarpae-Acacietalia caboverdeanae, Melinio grandiflorae-Heteropogonetalia contorti, Aristido cardosoi-Tetraenetalia simplicis, Frankenio pseudoericifoliae-Suaedetalia caboverdeanae, Artrocnemetalia franzii, Sesuvietalia sesuvioidis, Kickxietalia elegantis and Euphorbietalia prostrato-hirtae; fourteen new alliances: Asparago squarrosi-Sarcostemmion daltonii, Globulario amygdalifoliae- Periplocion chevalieri, Fico gnaphalocarpae-Acacion caboverdeanae, Phoenicion atlanticae, Tamaricion senegalensis, Heteropogonion melanocarpo-contorti, Aristido cardosoi-Tetraenion simplicis, Polycarpaeo caboverdeanae-Tetraenion waterlotii, Arthrocnemion franzii, Sesuvion sesuvioidis, Adiantion trifidi, Kickxion elegantis, Adiantion incisophilippensis and Trianthemion portulacastri and, finally, fifty two new associations: Cocculo penduli-Sarcostemmetum daltonii, Campylantho spathulati-Sarcostemmetum daltonii, Frankenio caboverdeanae-Asparagetum squarrosi, Aeonio gogonei-Sarcostemmetum daltonii, Echio stenosiphonis-Euphorbietum tuckeyanae, Suaedo caboverdeanae-Asparagetum squarrosii, Tetraeno waterlotii-Sarcostemmetum daltonii, Erysimo caboverdeanae-Periplocetum chevalieri, Echietum vulcanori, Actinopterido radiatae-Sarcostemmetum daltonii, Echio hypertropici-Euphorbietum tuckeyanae, Launaeo thalassicae-Euphorbietum tuckeyanae, Loto latifolii-Artemisietum gogonei, Melanoselino bischoffii-Globularietum amygdalifoliae, Asterisco smithii-Euphorbietum tuckeyanae, Dichrostachyo platycarpae-Acacietum caboverdeanae, Cocculo penduli-Acacietum caboverdeanae, Forsskaoleo procridifoliae-Acacietum caboverdeanae, Cocculo penduli-Ficetum gnaphalocarpae, Forsskaoleo procridifoliae-Ficetum gnaphalocarpae, Dichrostachyo platycarpae-Ficetum sur, Euphorbio tuckeyanae-Ficetum sur, Sideroxyletum marginati, Dracaenetum caboverdeanae, Cocculo penduli-Phoenicetum atlanticae, Cocculo penduli-Tamaricetum senegalensis, Dichanthio foveolati-Heteropogonetum contorti, Heteropogonetum melanocarpi, Bothriochloo bladhii-Enneapogonetum desvauxii, Aristido cardosoi- Tetraenetum simplicis, Asphodelo mariolousae-Aristidetum cardosoi, Sehimatetum ischaemoidis, Polycarpaeo caboverdeanae-Tetraenetum waterlotii, Tetraenetum vicentinae, Sporobolo spicati-Cyperetum crassipedis, Loto brunneri- Pulicarietum diffusae, Arthrocnemetum franzii, Cressetum salinae, Sesuvietum sesuvioidis, Sesuvietum portulacastri, Blutaparonetum vermicularis, Adiantetum trifidi, Hypodematio crenati-Campanuletum bravensis, Kickxietum webbianae, Diplotaxio hirtae-Kickxietum elegantis, Umbilico schmidtii-Cheilanthetum acrosticae, Campanuletum jacobaeae, Campanulo bravensis-Launaetum thalassicae, Adiantetum inciso-philippensis, Trianthemetum portulacastri, Euphorbio hirtae-Boerhavietum repentis and Oldenlandietum corymbosae are proposed and describedinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio