The new Spanish Autonomous Communities fiscal stability framework

From to beginning of year 2002, the Spanish Autonomous Communities (CC. AA.) fiscal performance is conditioned by a new legal framework compounded from the financial agreement and the legislation on budget stability. This new framework implies a change in the CC. AA. fiscal behaviour. Are the CC. AA. ready to provide its citizens the public services they demand and fulfil its fiscal stability commitments? Are all the CC. AA. in the same position? Using political economic models and data on past budget execution, this paper is aimed at shedding light over the factors that jeopardize the CC. AA. budget stability in the future and the differences between CC. AA. relevant to its fiscal performance. JEL classification: H61, H62, H71, H72, H77

A New Method to Calibrate the Magnitudes of Type Ia Supernovae at Maximum Light

We present a new empirical method for fitting multicolor light curves of Type Ia supernovae. Our method combines elements from two widely used techniques in the literature: the delta_m15 template fitting method and the Multicolor Light-Curve Shape method. An advantage of our technique is the ease of adding new colors, templates, or parameters to the fitting procedure. We use a large sample of published light curves to calibrate the relations between the absolute magnitudes at maximum and delta_m15 in BVRI filters. We find that individual subsamples from a given survey or publication have significantly tighter relationships between light curve shape and luminosity than the relationship derived from the sum of all the samples, pointing to uncorrected systematic errors in the photometry, mainly in BV filters. Using our method, we calculate luminosity distances and host galaxy reddening to 89 SNe in the Hubble flow and construct a low-z Hubble diagram. The dispersion of the SNe in the Hubble diagram is 0.20 mag, or an error of ~9% in distance to a single SN. Our technique produces similar or smaller dispersion in the low-z Hubble diagram than other techniques in the literature.Comment: 43 pages, 16 figures, 6 tables, accepted by ApJ. For additional material go to http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~prieto/paper_dm15/dm15.htm

Type Ia Supernovae with Bi-Modal Explosions Are Common -- Possible Smoking Gun for Direct Collisions of White-Dwarfs

We discover clear doubly-peaked line profiles in 3 out of ~20 type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) with high-quality nebular-phase spectra. The profiles are consistently present in three well-separated Co/Fe emission features. The two peaks are respectively blue-shifted and red-shifted relative to the host galaxies and are separated by ~5000 km/s. The doubly-peaked profiles directly reflect a bi-modal velocity distribution of the radioactive Ni56 in the ejecta that powers the emission of these SNe. Due to their random orientations, only a fraction of SNe with intrinsically bi-modal velocity distributions will appear as doubly-peaked spectra. Therefore SNe with intrinsic bi-modality are likely common, especially among the SNe in the low-luminosity part on the Philips relation (\Delta m15(B) >~ 1.3; ~40% of all SNe Ia). Such bi-modality is naturally expected from direct collisions of white dwarfs (WDs) due to the detonation of both WDs and is demonstrated in a 3D 0.64 M_Sun-0.64 M_Sun WD collision simulation. In the future, with a large sample of nebular spectra and a comprehensive set of numerical simulations, the collision model can be unambiguously tested as the primary channel for type Ia SNe, and the distribution of nebular line profiles will either be a smoking gun or rule it out.Comment: To be published by MNRAS Letters. Minor changes of the main text, an Appendix adde

World libraries, the role of cultural agencies

Cultural actions are among the best tools for ministries of foreign affairs worldwide. Many countries who choose to work with cultural actions could potentially reach millions of citizens, inclusive of those living in remote areas. One of these cultural actions is that of establishing and opening cultural centres. This paper presents libraries as providing outstanding service in all these centres. Through a historical and numerical analysis of the libraries of The British Council, the Alliance Française’s Institut Français, the Goethe Institut and the Cervantes Institute, it can be shown that libraries are a real tool for public diplomacy that can exceed its remit of social assistance, social services and education. To conclude, this paper will also look at actions that could be undertaken to improve and cater for network libraries

Stability of Feverfew and its Active Principle Parthenolide: An Elusive Antimigraine Herbal Medicine

Background Feverfew is a traditional herbal remedy for the relief of arthritis, migraine, toothache, and menstrual difficulties. It is widely accepted that parthenolide, a sesquiterpene lactone, is its main active principle. However, the decrease of parthenolide in commercial preparations is a well-known process with no technical solution so far. Aims To review the evidence for the mechanism of the degradation of parthenolide and similar sesquiterpene lactones. Methods Systematic review. Results and Conclusion In conclusion, and without discarding any degradation of parthenolide into non-identifiable fragments, the fate of this compound in dry, powdered feverfew is to undergo a covalent binding to plant proteins resulting in a biologically inactive adduct - in accordance with the direct and indirect data found in the literature. This process seems to be virtually unstoppable, and temperature and light do not seem to be playing a significant role under normal storage conditions according to some authors. In the presence of a high level of humidity, parthenolide may undergo an acid-induced cyclisation giving rise to a guaianolide-type sesquiterpene lactone, a class of compound that is commonly found in Feverfew. Microbial degradations are not likely to play an important role if the formulation complies with Pharmacopoeial microbiological quality requirements. The experimental and clinical data in the literature do not report on any increase in the toxicity of stored feverfew.&nbsp