An Evaluation of the 1997 Fiscal Decentralization Reform in Mexico: The Case of the Health Sector

This paper studies the impact of the health decentralization of funds and responsibilities that took place in Mexico in 1997 on state level health outcomes. It renders two main results. First, the magnitude of transfers from the federal government to states failed to take into account state-specific needs; instead, transfers were mainly determined by the pre-reform health expenditures of the federal government in each state. Second, decentralization did not boost the advances in health outcomes already achieved under the centralized health sector regime. We conclude by discussing plausible reasons for the disappointing impact of decentralization on health outcomes.Fiscal decentralization, federalism, health.

Female directorship on boards and corporate sustainability policies: Their effect on sustainable development

We aim to explore whether board gender diversity, specifically women institutional directors, improves the sustainability development and stakeholder engagement of listed firms by affecting corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies. Moreover, within female institutional directors we can differentiate between banks and insurance companies (pressure-sensitive female institutional directors) and mutual funds, investment funds, pension funds and venture capital firms (pressure-resistant female institutional directors). Thus, the effect of these categories of directors on CSR policies is also analysed. Our findings suggest that female institutional, as a whole, have a positive effect on CSR policies, the same behaviour that show pressure-resistant female institutional, while pressure-sensitive institutional do not impact on CSR policies. This research provides a new framework for the role played by certain types of female directors (female institutional directors, female pressure-sensitive directors and female pressure-resistant directors) in CSR policies and, thus, may help policymakers to promote CSR policies, and to take action to promote responsible behaviour among listed firms

Characterization of digital dispersive spectrometers by low coherence interferometry

We propose a procedure to determine the spectral response of digital dispersive spectrometers without previous knowledge of any parameter of the system. The method consists of applying the Fourier transform spectroscopy technique to each pixel of the detection plane, a CCD camera, to obtain its individual spectral response. From this simple procedure, the system-point spread function and the effect of the finite pixel width are taken into account giving rise to a response matrix that fully characterizes the spectrometer. Using the response matrix information we find the resolving power of a given spectrometer, predict in advance its response to any virtual input spectrum and improve numerically the spectrometer's resolution. We consider that the presented approach could be useful in most spectroscopic branches such as in computational spectroscopy, optical coherence tomography, hyperspectral imaging, spectral interferometry and analytical chemistry, among others.Fil: Martínez Matos, Ó.. Universidad Complutense de Madrid; EspañaFil: Rickenstorff, C.. Universidad Complutense de Madrid; EspañaFil: Zamora, S.. Universidad Complutense de Madrid; EspañaFil: Izquierdo, J. G.. Universidad Complutense de Madrid; EspañaFil: Vaveliuk, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas; Argentin

La retórica emocional de la esposa del candidato: análisis lingüístico de los discursos de Michelle Obama y Ann Romney

Esta investigación se centra en la construcción del relato emocional a través del análisis textual de los dis­ cursos pronunciados por las candidatas a Primera Dama, Ann Romney y Michelle Obama en las con­ venciones republicana y demócrata de la campaña presidencial de Estados Unidos de 2012. El principal objetivo consiste en identificar los marcadores emocionales presentes en los textos pronunciados res­ pectivamente por cada una en dichas convenciones y que afectan al nivel semántico, morfosintáctico y pragmático. El análisis de los recursos lingüísticos utilizados en cada texto desvela que, como pieza clave de la estrategia de la campaña, ambas articularon un relato intencionadamente despolitizado y con una marcada orientación emocional, focalizando la atención en la dimensión humana de sus respectivos ma­ridos, lo que contribuyó a dibujar un perfil más personal e íntimo del candidato.Ciencias de la Comunicació

Análisis comparativo del comportamiento kinésico de las presentadoras de magazine en la televisión generalista

El presente trabajo hace un estudio comparativo de la comunicación no verbal de las presentadoras de televisión Susana Griso, Ana Rosa Quintana y Mariló Montero en sus respectivos magazines de mañana: ‘Espejo Público’, ‘El programa de Ana Rosa’ y ‘La mañana de La 1’, en la temporada 2012-2013. A través de la metodología del análisis de contenido se ha conseguido obtener unos patrones de comportamiento kinésico distintos para cada una de las tres presentadoras. Asimismo, también se ha establecido una comparativa acerca de la eficacia de su comunicación no verbal vinculándolo a los datos de ‘share’ de cada espacio televisivo.This paper makes a comparative study of the non-verbal communication of three television hosts: Susana Griso, Ana Rosa Quintana and Marilo Montero in their respective morning magazine TV shows: 'Espejo Público” (Public mirror), 'El Programa de Ana Rosa” (Ana Rosa’s program) and 'Las Mañanas de la 1” (The morning of Channel 1), over the 2012-2013 season. Through content analysis methodology, it has been possible to get several kinesic behaviour patterns for each of the three hosts. Besides, a comparison about the effectiveness of their non-verbal communication has also been established by linking them to 'share' data of each TV show

¿En qué medida utilizan los estudiantes de Física de Bachillerato sus propios errores para aprender? Una experiencia de autorregulación en el aula de secundaria.

En aquest article presentem els resultats d'una experiència en autoregulació del aprenentatge a l'aula de física de secundària. L'objectiu principal d'aquesta investigació és comprendre com els estudiants gestionen la informació que els proporciona una prova escrita sobre els seus coneixements, així com valorar l'eficàcia de l'autoregulació que els estudiants duen a terme a posteriori. Hem trobat deficiències importants en aquests processos i una relació significativa entre l'èxit escolar i aquests. Com a conseqüència, observem la necessitat d'implementar a l'aula estratègies que permetin als estudiants no només l'anàlisi dels seus errors, sinó també la presa de decisions adequades per utilitzar-los com un mitjà per a l'aprenentatge.In this article, we present the results of an experience in self-regulated learning in a secondary school physics classroom. The main goal of this research is to understand how the students manage the information given by a test about their knowledge and also to assess the efficacy of the self-regulatory processes, which students undertake subsequently. We have found serious deficiencies in these processes and a significant relationship between success at school and them. As a result, we point out the need of implementing strategies in the classroom not only to help students analyze their own mistakes but also to use them as a means to learn in the subsequent decision-making process.En este artículo presentamos los resultados de una experiencia en autorregulación del aprendizaje en el aula de física de secundaria. El objetivo principal de esta investigación es comprender cómo los estudiantes gestionan la información que les proporciona una prueba escrita sobre sus conocimientos, así como valorar la eficacia de la autorregulación que los estudiantes llevan a cabo a posteriori. Hemos encontrado deficiencias importantes en estos procesos y una relación significativa entre el éxito escolar y estos. Como consecuencia, observamos la necesidad de implementar en el aula estrategias que permitan a los estudiantes no solo el análisis de sus errores, sino también la toma de decisiones adecuadas para utilizarlos como un medio para el aprendizaje

Developing Project Managers’ Transversal Competences Using Building Information Modeling

The emergence of building information modeling (BIM) methodology requires the training of professionals with both specific and transversal skills. In this paper, a project-based learning experience carried out in the context of a project management course at the University of Extremadura is analyzed. To that end, a questionnaire was designed and given to students who participated in the initiative. Results suggest that BIM can be considered a virtual learning environment, from which students value the competences developed. The emotional performance observed was quite flat. Similarly, students valued the usefulness of the initiative. Students expressed a desire for the methodological change of the university classes, and thought that BIM methodology could be useful for other courses. The results obtained show a line of work to be done to improve the training of students and university teaching

Machine translation based on neural network language models

Este trabajo describe un sistema de traducción que integra n-gramas conexionistas en la etapa de decodificación, motivado por los buenos resultados obtenidos en los últimos años usando estos modelos de lenguaje. Hasta el momento todos los resultados publicados delegan el modelo de lenguaje conexionista a una segunda etapa desacoplada en la que se repuntúan listas de N-best o bien se utilizan sobre grafos de palabras que contienen las N-best. Nuestro objetivo es mostrar la viabilidad de utilizar estos modelos de lenguaje dentro de un sistema totalmente acoplado.This paper describes a Machine Translation system that integrates a Neural Network Language Model in the decoding process. This work is motivated by the excellent performance of these connectionist language models. So far, the use of Neural Network Language Models in the translation systems is uncoupled: they are used in a second stage to rerank a N-best hypothesis list or to parse a word graph containing the N-best list. Our goal is to show the feasibility of using these language models within a fully integrated system

Fast Frequency Sweep Technique Based on Segmentation for the Acceleration of the Electromagnetic Analysis of Microwave Devices

[EN] The characterization of communication devices in a certain frequency band can be accelerated if a fast frequency sweep technique is used instead of a discrete frequency sweep. Existing fast frequency sweep techniques are either complex or specific for a certain electromagnetic solver. In this work, a new fast frequency sweep method is proposed that consists in segmenting the device under analysis into simple building blocks. Each building block is characterized with a generalized (multimode) circuital matrix whose elements present a simple and flat frequency response that is interpolated using natural cubic splines with very few points. In this way, the response of each block along the whole frequency band is obtained efficiently and accurately with as many frequency points as desired. Then, the circuital matrices of all the blocks are cascaded and the circuital matrix of the whole device in obtained. The new fast frequency sweep was successfully applied to the analysis of different types of devices (all metallic rectangular waveguide filter, dielectric loaded rectangular waveguide filter, and substrate integrated waveguide filter). The computational times were reduced to 15% or 19%, depending on the device, when compared with a discrete frequency sweep using the same electromagnetic solver.This research was funded by Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad, Spanish Government, under Research Projects TEC2016-75934-C4-3-R and TEC2016-75934-C4-1-R.Martínez-Zamora, JÁ.; Belenguer Martínez, A.; Esteban González, H. (2019). Fast Frequency Sweep Technique Based on Segmentation for the Acceleration of the Electromagnetic Analysis of Microwave Devices. Applied Sciences. 9(6):1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/app9061118S11696Erdemli, Y. E., Reddy, C. J., & Volakis, J. L. (1999). Awe Technique in Frequency Domain Electromagnetics. Journal of Electromagnetic Waves and Applications, 13(3), 359-378. doi:10.1163/156939399x00961Reddy, C. J., Deshpande, M. D., Cockrell, C. R., & Beck, F. B. (1998). Fast RCS computation over a frequency band using method of moments in conjunction with asymptotic waveform evaluation technique. IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, 46(8), 1229-1233. doi:10.1109/8.718579Polstyanko, S. V., Dyezij-Edlinger, R., & Jin-Fa Lee. (1997). Fast frequency sweep technique for the efficient analysis of dielectric waveguides. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 45(7), 1118-1126. doi:10.1109/22.598450Chiprout, E., & Nakhla, M. S. (1995). Analysis of interconnect networks using complex frequency hopping (CFH). IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems, 14(2), 186-200. doi:10.1109/43.370425Gustavsen, B., & Semlyen, A. (1999). Rational approximation of frequency domain responses by vector fitting. IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, 14(3), 1052-1061. doi:10.1109/61.772353Bandler, J. W., Biernacki, R. M., Shao Hua Chen, & Ya Fei Huang. (1997). Design optimization of interdigital filters using aggressive space mapping and decomposition. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 45(5), 761-769. doi:10.1109/22.575598Ros, J. V. M., Pacheco, P. S., Gonzalez, H. E., Esbert, V. E. B., Martin, C. B., Calduch, M. T., … Martinez, B. G. (2005). Fast automated design of waveguide filters using aggressive space mapping with a new segmentation strategy and a hybrid optimization algorithm. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 53(4), 1130-1142. doi:10.1109/tmtt.2005.845685Alos, J. T., & Guglielmi, M. (1997). Simple and effective EM-based optimization procedure for microwave filters. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 45(5), 856-858. doi:10.1109/22.575610Bachiller, C., Gonzalez, H. E., Boria Esbert, V. E., Belenguer Martinez, A., & Morro, J. V. (2007). Efficient Technique for the Cascade Connection of Multiple Two-Port Scattering Matrices. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 55(9), 1880-1886. doi:10.1109/tmtt.2007.904076Interpolación de Splineshttps://www.uv.es/diaz/mn/node40.htmlBachiller, C., Esteban, H., Mata, H., Valdes, M. Á., Boria, V. E., Belenguer, Á., & Morro, J. V. (2010). Hybrid Mode Matching Method for the Efficient Analysis of Metal and Dielectric Rods in H Plane Rectangular Waveguide Devices. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques. doi:10.1109/tmtt.2010.208395