Fiscal decentralization, macrostability and growth

This paper examines how fiscal decentralization may influence economic growth. Previous research on this question has primarily focused on the potential direct relationship between decentralization and growth. In this paper, we also examine the potential indirect influence of decentralization on growth through its impact on macroeconomic stability. We find that decentralization may positively influence price stability in developed countries, though this impact is much less clear in developing and transitional countries. We also find some evidence suggesting that decentralization may directly and negatively affect economic growth in higher-income countries but that this effect is reduced through the indirect positive impact of decentralization on growth through macroeconomic stability.Fiscal Decentralization, Economic Growth, and Macroeconomic Stability.

The UNAM-KIAS Catalog of Isolated Galaxies

A new catalog of isolated galaxies from The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (DR5) is presented. 1520 isolated galaxies were found in 1.4 steradians of sky. The selection criteria in this so called UNAM-KIAS catalog was implemented from a variation on the criteria developed by Karachentseva 1973 including full redshift information. Through an image processing pipeline that takes advantage from the high resolution (~ 0.4 ''/pix) and high dynamic range of the SDSS images, a uniform g band morphological classification for all these galaxies is presented. We identify 80% (SaSm) spirals (50% later than Sbc types) on one hand, and a scarce population of early-type E(6.5%) and S0(8%) galaxies amounting to 14.5% on the other hand. This magnitude-limited catalog is ~ 80% complete at 16.5, 15.6, 15.0, 14.6 and 14.4 magnitudes in the ugriz bands respectively. Some representative physical properties including SDSS magnitudes and color distributions, color-color diagrams, absolute magnitude-color, and concentration-color diagrams as a function of morphological type are presented. The UNAM-KIAS Morphological Atlas is also released along with this paper. For each galaxy of type later than Sa, a mosaic is presented that includes: (1) a g-band logarithmic image, (2) a g band filtered-enhanced image where a Gaussian kernel of various sizes was applied and (3) an RGB color image from the SDSS database. For E/S0/Sa galaxies, in addition to the images in (1), (2) and (3), plots of r band surface brightness and geometric profiles (ellipticity, Position Angle PA and A4/B4 coefficients of the Fourier series expansions of deviations of a pure ellipse) are provided...Comment: 40 pages, 17 figures and 3 table

The UNAM-KIAS Catalog of Isolated Galaxies

A new catalog of isolated galaxies from The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (DR5) is presented. 1520 isolated galaxies were found in 1.4 steradians of sky. The selection criteria in this so called UNAM-KIAS catalog was implemented from a variation on the criteria developed by Karachentseva 1973 including full redshift information. Through an image processing pipeline that takes advantage from the high resolution (~ 0.4 ''/pix) and high dynamic range of the SDSS images, a uniform g band morphological classification for all these galaxies is presented. We identify 80% (SaSm) spirals (50% later than Sbc types) on one hand, and a scarce population of early-type E(6.5%) and S0(8%) galaxies amounting to 14.5% on the other hand. This magnitude-limited catalog is ~ 80% complete at 16.5, 15.6, 15.0, 14.6 and 14.4 magnitudes in the ugriz bands respectively. Some representative physical properties including SDSS magnitudes and color distributions, color-color diagrams, absolute magnitude-color, and concentration-color diagrams as a function of morphological type are presented. The UNAM-KIAS Morphological Atlas is also released along with this paper. For each galaxy of type later than Sa, a mosaic is presented that includes: (1) a g-band logarithmic image, (2) a g band filtered-enhanced image where a Gaussian kernel of various sizes was applied and (3) an RGB color image from the SDSS database. For E/S0/Sa galaxies, in addition to the images in (1), (2) and (3), plots of r band surface brightness and geometric profiles (ellipticity, Position Angle PA and A4/B4 coefficients of the Fourier series expansions of deviations of a pure ellipse) are provided...Comment: 40 pages, 17 figures and 3 table

DESCRIPTION OF THE REPRODUCTIVE STRUCTURE IN EUROPEAN HAKE (Merluccius

LETSHAKE AGL2013-4846-

The TKE budget in the convective Martian planetary boundary layer

The turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget has been obtained for the first time from ground‐based data on Mars, both for the unstable surface layer (SL) and for the convectively driven mixed layer (CML). Values for storage, buoyancy, shear, vertical turbulent transport, dissipation, and an imbalance term accounting for the rest of the TKE budget have been determined and weighted for significance. These results have been derived from ground‐based measurements made by Viking Lander 1 (VL1) on Sol 28, Viking Lander 2 (VL2) on Sol 20, and Pathfinder (PF) on Sol 25, and through an adaptation to Mars of terrestrial similarity theory, which constitutes a new approach to the study of the TKE budget on Mars. Shear is the main TKE generator in the unstable SL for VL1 Sol 28 and PF Sol 25. It is narrowly exceeded by dissipation, the main mechanism removing TKE. Both terms present values ∼10 −1 m 2 s −3 . Buoyancy generates TKE, though it plays a minor role (∼10 −2 m 2 s −3 ). Vertical turbulent transport balances buoyancy, removing TKE from the SL by sending it upwards. The imbalance term represents 30% of the main mechanisms, while storage plays an insignificant role (∼10 −5 m 2 s −3 ). The SL TKE budget for VL2 Sol 20 presents a different behaviour instead, with the imbalance term becoming the main TKE generator, likely due to the anomalous atmospheric conditions existing during this Sol. Buoyancy and dissipation play the major roles generating and removing TKE in the CML for the three Sols under study, respectively, both showing values around 5×10 −3 m 2 s −3 . Vertical turbulent transport plays a minor role (∼10 −4 m 2 s −3 ), and so does the imbalance term, with values about 25% of buoyancy or dissipation. Finally, shear and storage terms are negligible, presenting values ∼10 −6 and ∼10 −5 m 2 s −3 , respectively. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological SocietyPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/89471/1/883_ftp.pd

Fijación de la no-unión del proceso ancóneo mediante tornillo. Estudio retrospectivo en 13 casos clínicos

En este estudio se hace una evaluación retrospectiva de la técnica de fijación con tornillo del proceso ancóneo no unificado en una serie de 13 casos. Los resultados de la cirugía (con un seguimiento de 2 años de media) fueron considerados "excelentes" o "buenos" en 12 o 13 casos, y todos los animales mejoraron el grado de cojera. En el 92% de los codos se consiguió una unión ósea completa del proceso ancóneo, y en el 70%, un estancamiento de la artrosis. La tasa de complicaciones fue del 15%, todas ellas de carácter muy leve.

Implementation of an extended ZINB model in the study of low levels of natural gastrointestinal nematode infections in adult sheep

Background: In this study, two traits related with resistance to gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) were measured in 529 adult sheep: faecal egg count (FEC) and activity of immunoglobulin A in plasma (IgA). In dry years, FEC can be very low in semi-extensive systems, such as the one studied here, which makes identifying animals that are resistant or susceptible to infection a difficult task. A zero inflated negative binomial model (ZINB) model was used to calculate the extent of zero inflation for FEC; the model was extended to include information from the IgA responses. Results: In this dataset, 64 % of animals had zero FEC while the ZINB model suggested that 38 % of sheep had not been recently infected with GIN. Therefore 26 % of sheep were predicted to be infected animals with egg counts that were zero or below the detection limit and likely to be relatively resistant to nematode infection. IgA activities of all animals were then used to decide which of the sheep with zero egg counts had been exposed and which sheep had not been recently exposed. Animals with zero FEC and high IgA activity were considered resistant while animals with zero FEC and low IgA activity were considered as not recently infected. For the animals considered as exposed to the infection, the correlations among the studied traits were estimated, and the influence of these traits on the discrimination between unexposed and infected animals was assessed. Conclusions: The model presented here improved the detection of infected animals with zero FEC. The correlations calculated here will be useful in the development of a reliable index of GIN resistance that could be of assistance for the study of host resistance in studies based on natural infection, especially in adult sheep, and also the design of breeding programs aimed at increasing resistance to parasites