Decentralization, happiness and the perception of institutions

This paper analyses whether the different powers and resources at the disposal of local and regional governments across Europe deliver greater satisfaction with political institutions and lead to greater personal happiness. The analysis uses microdata from the four available waves of the European social survey (2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008), including more than 160,000 observations of individuals living in 29 European countries. Our results reveal that political and fiscal decentralization have a positive and significant effect on individuals' overall happiness. Fiscal decentralization also exerts a significant effect on the level of satisfaction with political and economic institutions and with the education and health systems, whereas the effect of political decentralization on these variables is more limited. The results show that citizens seem to be happier with the actual capacity of their local governments to deliver than with the general principle that they can have a say on their daily politics and policies.Happiness; well-being; satisfaction; fiscal and political decentralization; Europe

Influence of Logos on Social Attitudes toward the Landscape of Protected Areas: The Case of National and Natural Parks in Spain

This study is the first analysis of the influence of the design of the logos of the National and Natural Parks of Spain on social attitudes toward these protected areas (PAs). The effect of certain elements in the logo of a PA on its attractiveness and on support for its conservation was explored through a questionnaire survey of groups of university students. The respondents were asked to choose between different park logos, using three main criteria: tourist interest, conservation priority, and willingness to pay for conservation. The results showed a higher preference for PAs whose logos include animals and a lower preference for those with heritage elements. No significant differences were found in terms of types of university programs. The results suggest that greater attention should be paid to the role of iconographic elements in considerations of the protection and management of landscapes. This study adds to our understanding of the social mechanisms that influence the interest of the public in Natural and National Parks. These results can be used to increase the involvement of the general population in conservation goals, contributing to the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of PAs

Decentralization, Happiness and the Perception of Institutions

This paper analyses whether the different powers and resources at the disposal of local and regional governments across Europe deliver greater satisfaction with political institutions and lead to greater personal happiness. The analysis uses microdata from the four available waves of the European social survey (2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008), including more than 160,000 observations of individuals living in 29 European countries. Our results reveal that political and fiscal decentralization have a positive and significant effect on individuals' overall happiness. Fiscal decentralization also exerts a significant effect on the level of satisfaction with political and economic institutions and with the education and health systems, whereas the effect of political decentralization on these variables is more limited. The results show that citizens seem to be happier with the actual capacity of their local governments to deliver than with the general principle that they can have a say on their daily politics and policies.satisfaction, Europe, happiness, well-being, fiscal and political decentralization

Theoretical study of the low‐lying states of trans‐1,3‐butadiene

We present extensive ab initio calculations on the low‐lying electronic states of trans‐1,3‐butadiene within the multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) framework by selecting the configurations with a perturbative criterion. The X 1Ag ground state and 1 3Bu, 1 3Ag, 2 1Ag, and 1 1Bu valence excited states have been calculated at a fixed geometry. The results obtained are in good agreement with previous experimental and calculated values, and could help to understand polyene spectroscopy, photochemistry, and photophysics. The advantages of a MRCI method where the most important contributions to the total MRCI wave function, perturbatively selected, are treated variationally, and the remaining terms are evaluated by means of a perturbational approach, are also discussed. Furthermore, a criterion in order to build a correlation‐consistent configuration interaction space is stated and, therefore, a reliable approximation to achieve accurate energy differences is obtained. Several monoelectronic molecular‐orbital basis functions are tried in order to select the most adequate to describe each [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected]

Excited states of the water molecule : Analysis of the valence and Rydberg character

The excited states of the water molecule have been analyzed by using the extended quantum-chemical multistate CASPT2 method, namely, MS-CASPT2, in conjunction with large one-electron basis sets of atomic natural orbital type. The study includes 13 singlet and triplet excited states, both valence and 3s-, 3p-, and 3d-members of the Rydberg series converging to the lowest ionization potential and the 3s- and 3p-Rydberg members converging to the second low-lying state of the cation, 1 math. The research has been focused on the analysis of the valence or Rydberg character of the low-lying states. The computation of the 1 math state of water at different geometries indicates that it has a predominant 3s-Rydberg character at the equilibrium geometry of the molecule but it becomes progressively a valence state described mainly by the one-electron 1b1→4a1 promotion, as expected from a textbook of general chemistry, upon elongation of the O–H bonds. The described valence-Rydberg mixing is established to be originated by a molecular orbital (MO) Rydbergization process, as suggested earlier by R. S. Mulliken [Acc. Chem. Res. 9, 7 (1976)] . The same phenomenon occurs also for the 1 math state whereas a more complex behavior has been determined for the 2 math state, where both MO Rydbergization and configurational mixing take place. Similar conclusions have been obtained for the triplet states of the [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Theoretical study of the electronic spectrum of magnesium-porphyrin

Multiconfigurational self-consistent field (SCF) and second order perturbation methods have been used to study the electronic spectrum of magnesium-porphyrin (MgP). An extended ANO-type basis set including polarization functions on all heavy atoms has been used. Four allowed singlet states of E1u symmetry have been computed and in addition a number of forbidden transitions and a few triplet states. The results lead to a consistent interpretation of the electronic spectrum, where the Q band contains one transition, the B band two, and the N band one. The computed transition energies are consistently between 0.1 and 0.5 too low compared to the measured band maxima. The source of the discrepancy is the approximate treatment of dynamic correlation (second order perturbation theory), limitations in the basis set and the fact that all measurements have been made on substituted magnesium [email protected] ; [email protected]

First ground penetrating radar survey on Monte Perdido glacier (Pyrenees)

Producción CientíficaThe project “The Monte Perdido Glacier: Monitoring the glacial dynamic and the associated cryospheric processes as indicators of global change” (National Park´s 2013 Fund) aims to study the recent dynamic and degradation of this ice mass, using geomatic and geophysical techniques in order to estimate thickness and potential volumetric variations. We present the first ground penetrating radar survey, carried out on the northwest section of the lower Monte Perdido Glacier. The survey was conducted along a 270 m transect, using three antennas of different frequencies -500, 200 and 50 MHz- that enabled us to study the glacier´s structure at various maximum depths and spatial resolutions. The results show a first section composed by several seasonal snow layers (2015-2016 winter and spring), a clear snow/ice transition layer, an ice layer and a final basal zone characterised by typical sub-glacial till sediments.Ministerio de Agricultura y Pesca, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente (project 844/2013)Junta de Extremadura - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (grant GR15107

A theoretical insight into the photophysics of psoralen

Psoralen photophysics has been studied on quantum chemistry grounds using the multiconfigurational second-order perturbation method CASPT2. Absorption and emission spectra of the system have been rationalized by computing the energies and properties of the low-lying singlet and triplet excited states. The S1 ππ* state has been determined to be responsible of the lowest absorption and fluorescence bands and to initially carry the population in the photophysical processes related to the phototherapeutic properties of psoralen derivatives. The low-lying T1 ππ* state is, on the other hand, protagonist of the phosphorescence, and its prevalent role in the reactivity of psoralen is suggested to be related to the elongation of the pyrone ring C3–C4 bond, where the spin density is distributed on both carbon atoms. Analysis of energy gaps and spin-orbit coupling elements indicates that the efficient photophysical process leading to the population of the lowest triplet state does not take place at the Franck-Condon region but along the S1 relaxation [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

On the Effect of Radical Character, Substitution and Atom Encapsulation on the Volume of Icosahedral (Car) boranes1

By means of quantum-mechanical calculations, we study the influence of the charge, spin, substituents, and atom encapsulation on the volume of the cages in icosahedral boranes and carboranes B12H12 2–, CB11H12 –, o-C2B10H12, m- C2B10H12, p-C2B10H12 and 1,2-disubstituted o-C2B10H12.Monoradicals derived from hydrogen abstraction in o-C2B10H12, m-C2B10H12, p-C2B10H12 lead to slight cage contractions (|ΔV| < 0.1 Å3 ). On the other hand, 1,2-disubstitution in o-C2B10H12 and their dianions derived from double proton abstraction on the susbtituent, and {Li+, Be2+} atom encapsulation in B12H12 2–, CB11H12–, o-C2B10H12, m-C2B10H12, p-C2B10H12 always leads to a cage expansion, to a larger extent for endohedral compounds (ΔV ≈ 2 Å3 ) as compared to dianions derived from 1,2-disubstituted o-C2B10H12 (ΔV ≈ 1 Å3 ) and 1,2-disubstituted o-C2B10H12 (ΔV < 0.14 Å3 )

Ab initio determination of the ionization potentials of DNA and RNA nucleobases

Quantum chemical high level ab initio coupled-cluster and multiconfigurational perturbation methods have been used to compute vertical and adiabatic ionization potentials of the five canonical DNA and RNA nucleobases: uracil, thymine, cytosine, adenine, and guanine. Several states of their cations have been also calculated. The present results represent a systematic compendium of these magnitudes, establishing theoretical reference values at a level not reported before, calibrating computational strategies, and guiding the assignment of the features in the experimental photoelectron [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]