NAFTA and Mexico's Economic Performance

Mexico, a prominent liberalizer, failed to attain stellar gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the 1990s, and since 2001 its GDP and exports have stagnated. In this paper we argue that the lack of spectacular growth in Mexico cannot be blamed on either the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or the other reforms that were implemented, but on the lack of further judicial and structural reform after 1995. In fact, the benefits of liberalization can be seen in the extraordinary growth of exports and foreign domestic investment (FDI). The key to the Mexican puzzle lies in Mexico’s response to crisis: a deterioration in contract enforceability and an increase in nonperforming loans. As a result, the credit crunch in Mexico has been far deeper and far more protracted than in the typical developing country. The credit crunch has hit the nontradables sector especially hard and has generated bottlenecks, which have blocked growth in the tradables sector and have contributed to the recent fall in exports.boom-bust cycles, currency mismatch, lending booms, real exchange rate, FDI, credit market imperfections and volatility

The Positive Link Between Financial Liberalization, Growth, and Crises

There is no agreement regarding the growth-enhancing effects of financial liberalization, mainly because it is associated with risky international bank flows, lending booms, and crises. In this paper we make the case for liberalization despite the occurrence of crises. We show that in developing countries trade liberalization has typically been followed by financial liberalization, which has indeed led to financial fragility and a greater incidence of crises. However, financial liberalization also has led to higher GDP growth. In fact, the fastestgrowing countries are typically those that have experienced boom-bust cycles. That is, there is a positive link between GDP growth and the bumpiness of credit, which is captured by the negative skewness - not by the variance - of credit growth. To substantiate our interpretation of the data we present a model that shows why in countries with severe credit market imperfections, liberalization leads to higher growth and, as a byproduct, to financial fragility. Thus, occasional crises need not forestall growth and may even be a necessary component of a developing country's growth experience. Finally, our analysis indicates that foreign direct investment does not obviate the need for risky international bank flows, as the latter are the only source of financing for most firms in the nontradables sector.

THE MEDIOLATERAL CENTER OF PRESSURE MOVEMENT DIFFERS BETWEEN TRAINING AND RACING SHOES: A CASE STUDY

Athletes that compete on an elite level often employ running shoes specifically for racing that contain carbon plating. The purpose of this case study was to compare one female athlete’s mediolateral COP while she ran in racing and training shoes. SPM analyses revealed several regions where significant differences existed (

EFFECTS OF AN EXTENSIVE RUNNING BOUT IN NOVICE FEMALE RUNNERS

The purpose of this study was to characterize the spatiotemporal, force, and subjective effects that occur during an extensive run in novice female runners. Foot sole pressure, rate of fatigue, and speed were recorded during a 45-min flat ecological run. No significant effects were found in spatiotemporal, force-time, or rate of fatigue responses outside of the initiation phase of the running bout. When participants were grouped according to their pacing strategy, those with a decreasing speed over time exhibited significant decreases in rate of force development as time progressed. Participants tended to decrease mechanical loading variables, and increase their rate of fatigue throughout the run. Future studies should investigate a larger number of subjects to determine if these tendencies are characteristic of novice female runners

Correlación de estrés académico con la evaluación cognitiva de los residentes de anestesiología ante la pandemia de COVID 19 en UMAE Hospital de Especialidades Centro Médico Nacional “Gral. De Div. Manuel Ávila Camacho”, IMSS Puebla

"Durante la pandemia por COVID 19, se crearon nuevas formas de trabajo laboral y académico; surgiendo así estrés ante las nuevas formas de abordarlo. El hospital de especialidades IMSS Puebla “Manuel Ávila Camacho”, fue uno de los muchos hospitales que se sumaron a la reconversión como hospital COVID para la atención de pacientes afectados por COVID 19 debido al virus SARS-COV-2. Se cancelaron las clases presenciales ya que no se podía hacer uso de las instalaciones para evitar contagios. Se crearon nuevas estrategias para seguir llevando a cabo la enseñanza, como las clases online y la revisión de trabajos supervisados por docentes, mediante herramientas digitales. El hecho de ser un periodo incierto ante la duración de tal pandemia genera un constante vínculo de estrés en algunas poblaciones. Con esto se sugiere estudiar la correlación de estrés académico con en el desempeño cognitivo de los residentes de anestesiología en la UMAE hospital de especialidades centro médico nacional Gral. De Div. “Manuel Ávila Camacho”, IMSS Puebla"

Variations of the ISM Compactness Across the Main Sequence of Star-Forming Galaxies: Observations and Simulations

(abridged) The majority of star-forming galaxies follow a simple empirical correlation in the star formation rate (SFR) versus stellar mass ($M_*$) plane, usually referred to as the star formation Main Sequence (MS). Here we combine a set of hydro-dynamical simulations of interacting galactic disks with state-of-the-art radiative transfer codes to analyze how the evolution of mergers is reflected upon the properties of the MS. We present \textsc{Chiburst}, a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) code that fits the multi-wavelength, broad-band photometry of galaxies and derives stellar masses, star formation rates, and geometrical properties of the dust distribution. We apply this tool to the SEDs of simulated mergers and compare the derived results with the reference output from the simulations. Our results indicate that changes in the SEDs of mergers as they approach coalescence and depart from the MS are related to an evolution of dust geometry in scales larger than a few hundred parsecs. This is reflected in a correlation between the specific star formation rate (sSFR), and the compactness parameter $\mathcal{C}$, that parametrizes this geometry and hence the evolution of dust temperature ($T_{\rm{dust}}$) with time. As mergers approach coalescence, they depart from the MS and increase their compactness, which implies that moderate outliers of the MS are consistent with late-type mergers. By further applying our method to real observations of Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs), we show that the merger scenario is unable to explain these extreme outliers of the MS. Only by significantly increasing the gas fraction in the simulations are we able to reproduce the SEDs of LIRGs.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures, accepted in Ap

Habitat Characterization of Juvenile Atlantic Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) in Isle of Youth, Cuba

Tarpon is considered a ‘Vulnerable’ species by IUCN but is also a highly prized recreational species. It is reportedly abundant in Cuba and may be threatened by high levels of fishing pressure. However, the current knowledge about Tarpon habitat characteristics and ecology in Cuba is very poor, which limit any attempt for its management and conservation. Here we summarize abiotic characteristics of juvenile Tarpon habitats in Lanier Swamp, Isle of Youth, Cuba, which is a RAMSAR site and Faunal Refuge. Three locations in Lanier Swamp were sampled for juvenile Tarpon presence during 2015-2017: Colony Lagoon (CL), Punta Francés Lagoon (PFL) and San Pedro (SP) river system. Abiotic characteristics were sampled from these same sites in January 2017. The smallest Tarpon (~150 mm fork length (FL, n= 22) occurred at CL, characterized by shallower waters with extreme salinities (0.6 and 50.8), less connection with the sea, and more protection from sunlight. In contrast, larger juvenile Tarpon (~630 mm FL, n= 20) were captured at SP, the location with the greatest connectivity to the ocean and greatest depth (~353 cm). The main results suggest that water depth, salinity, sunlight exposure and spatial dimensions are important habitat characteristics. Additionally, this study demonstrates the importance of coastal mangroves as juvenile Tarpon habitat and highlights the potential of using Tarpon as an umbrella species with broader conservation benefits. This study is an important first step to understanding Tarpon habitat use patterns in Cuba and developing a comprehensive conservation plan. Resumen El sábalo es considerado especie ‘Vulnerable’ según la UICN, pero también es altamente apreciado en la pesca recreativa. Se ha registrado como una especie abundante en Cuba y pudiera estar amenazado por altos niveles de presión pesquera. Sin embargo, el conocimiento actual sobre los hábitats y la ecología del sábalo en Cuba es escaso, lo cual limita cualquier intento de manejo y conservación. En este estudio se describen las características abióticas de hábitats de sábalos juveniles en la Ciénaga de Lanier, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba; área que es sitio RAMSAR y Refugio de Fauna. Tres localidades en la Ciénaga de Lanier fueron muestreados para juveniles por la presencia de sábalos juveniles durante 2015-2017: Laguna Colony (CL), Laguna Punta Francés (PFL) y sistema rivereño San Pedro (SP). Se tomaron muestras de las características abióticas de estos mismos sitios en enero de 2017. Los sábalos más pequeños (~150 mm de longitud horquilla (LH, n= 22) habitaron sitios en CL menos profundos, con salinidades extremas (0,6 and 50,8), menos conectados con el mar, y más protegidos de la luz solar. Los sábalos juveniles más grandes (~630 mm LH, n= 20) fueron capturados en SP, la localidad con mayor conectividad con el mar y mayor profundidad (~353 cm). Los resultados encontrados sugieren que la profundidad del agua, salinidad, exposición solar y dimensión espacial, son importantes características del hábitat. Adicionalmente, se demuestra la importancia de los manglares como hábitats de sábalos juveniles y se resalta el potencial de emplear al sábalo como especie sombrilla con amplios beneficios en la conservación. Este estudio es una importante contribución para entender los patrones de uso del hábitat de los sábalos en Cuba y desarrollar un plan de conservación integral

The AGN Luminosity Fraction in Merging Galaxies

Galaxy mergers are key events in galaxy evolution, often causing massive starbursts and fueling active galactic nuclei (AGN). In these highly dynamic systems, it is not yet precisely known how much starbursts and AGN respectively contribute to the total luminosity, at what interaction stages they occur, and how long they persist. Here we estimate the fraction of the bolometric infrared (IR) luminosity that can be attributed to AGN by measuring and modeling the full ultraviolet to far-infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs) in up to 33 broad bands for 24 merging galaxies with the Code for Investigating Galaxy Emission. In addition to a sample of 12 confirmed AGN in late-stage mergers, found in the $Infrared$ $Array$ $Satellite$ Revised Bright Galaxy Sample or Faint Source Catalog, our sample includes a comparison sample of 12 galaxy mergers from the $Spitzer$ Interacting Galaxies Survey, mostly early-stage. We perform identical SED modeling of simulated mergers to validate our methods, and we supplement the SED data with mid-IR spectra of diagnostic lines obtained with $Spitzer$ InfraRed Spectrograph. The estimated AGN contributions to the IR luminosities vary from system to system from 0% up to 91% but are significantly greater in the later-stage, more luminous mergers, consistent with what is known about galaxy evolution and AGN triggering.Comment: 26 pages, 10 figure

Ultrafast excited state dynamics of silver ion-mediated cytosine–cytosine base pairs in metallo-DNA

The following article appeared in The Journal of Chemical Physics 153.10 (2020): 105104 and may be found at ttps://doi.org/10.1063/5.0020463To better understand the nexus between structure and photophysics in metallo-DNA assemblies, the parallel-stranded duplex formed by the all-cytosine oligonucleotide, dC20, and silver nitrate was studied by circular dichroism (CD), femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, and time-dependent-density functional theory calculations. Silver(I) ions mediate Cytosine–Cytosine (CC) base pairs by coordinating to the N3 atoms of two cytosines. Although these silver(I) mediated CC base pairs resemble the proton-mediated CC base pairs found in i-motif DNA at first glance, a comparison of experimental and calculated CD spectra reveals that silver ion-mediated i-motif structures do not form. Instead, the parallel-stranded duplex formed between dC20 and silver ions is proposed to contain consecutive silver-mediated base pairs with high propeller twist-like ones seen in a recent crystal structure of an emissive, DNA-templated silver cluster. Femtosecond transient absorption measurements with broadband probing from the near UV to the near IR reveal an unusually long-lived (>10 ns) excited state in the dC20 silver ion complex that is not seen in dC20 in single-stranded or i-motif forms. This state is also absent in a concentrated solution of cytosine–silver ion complexes that are thought to assemble into planar ribbons or sheets that lack stacked silver(I) mediated CC base pairs. The large propeller twist angle present in metal-mediated base pairs may promote the formation of long-lived charged separated or triplet states in this metallo-DNAThe work at The Ohio State University was supported by a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant No. CHE1800471). L.M.-F. thanks the MINECO project (No. CTQ2016- 76061-P) for financial support and the Centro de Computación Científica, CCC-UAM, for generous allocation of computational time. The authors declare no competing financial interes