The incidence of graft on developing-country firms

This paper measures the extent to which firms in developing countries are the target of bribes. Using new firm-level survey data from 33 African and Latin American countries, we first show that perceptions adjust slowly tofirms'experience with corrupt officials and hence are an imperfect proxy for the true incidence of graft. We then construct an experience-based index that reflects the probability that a firm will be asked for a bribe in order to complete a specified set of business transactions. On average, African firms are three times as likely to be asked for bribes as are firms in Latin America, although there is substantial variation within each region. Last, we show that graft appears to be more prevalent in countries with excessive regulation and where democracy is weak. In particular, our results suggest that the incidence of graft in Africa would fall by approximately 85 percent if countries in the region had levels of democracy and regulation similar to those that exist in Latin America.Public Sector Corruption&Anticorruption Measures,Corruption&Anitcorruption Law,Crime and Society,E-Business,Access to Finance

A New Photocatalytic Reactor For The Photodegradation Of Organic Contaminants In Water

The {dollar}\rm TiO\sb2{dollar} photocatalytic degradation and mineralization of organic pollutants in water has been broadly demonstrated at the laboratory level for a wide number of organic pollutants. However, there are still some problems that need to be addressed in order to make this technology more practical. The design of heterogeneous photocatalytic reactor systems, still in the infancy of their development, is facing different problems such as light scattering, oxygen starving, particle separation and mass transfer. Additionally, there have also been a lack of a general method to evaluate the performance of the different reactor systems.;The present work addresses these problems by presenting a new photoreactor system (PHOTO-CREC II) and a general method called the Photochemical Thermodynamic Efficiency Factor, PTEF (based on known thermodynamic and photocatalytic principles) for the evaluation and comparison of the performance of different photoreactor systems.;The new photocatalytic reactor concept (PHOTO-CREC, reactor) was designed, built and successfully tested with model pollutants (Methylene Blue and Phenol). The characteristic parameters of adsorption and reaction kinetics for the photodegradation of methylene blue were determined. The effects on the reaction rate of initial concentration of the model compound, flow rate of the solution through the reactor and light intensity were also determined and a kinetic model proposed. Quantum yields and EE/Os for the photodegradation reaction were determined and compared with other values reported in the literature.;The new efficiency index (PTEF), was utilized to compare the performance of the PHOTO-CREC reactor with other photoreactor systems. It was demonstrated that PTEFs, obtained using data from a number of literature references, are independent or weakly dependent on pollutant chemical structure and characteristic of the specific photocatalytic reactor used.;PTEF values in PHOTO-CREC II were in the range of {dollar}1\times10\sp{lcub}-9{rcub}{dollar} mol {dollar}\rm J\sp{lcub}-1{rcub},{dollar} which is considered in the high range for PTEF values. This was particularly relevant considering that the unit studied was with the largest volume for this range of PTEF

Primitive model electrolytes. A comparison of the HNC approximation for the activity coefficient with Monte Carlo data

Accuracy of the mean activity coefficient expression (Hansen-Vieillefosse-Belloni equation), valid within the hypernetted chain (HNC) approximation, was tested in a wide concentration range against new Monte Carlo (MC) data for +1:-1 and +2:-2 primitive model electrolytes. The expression has an advantage that the excess chemical potential can be obtained directly, without invoking the time consuming Gibbs-Duhem calculation. We found the HNC results for the mean activity coefficient to be in good agreement with the machine calculations performed for the same model. In addition, the thermodynamic consistency of the HNC approximation was tested. The mean activity coefficients, calculated via the Gibbs-Duhem equation, seem to follow the MC data slightly better than the Hansen-Vieillefosse-Belloni expression. For completeness of the calculation, the HNC excess internal energies and osmotic coefficients are also presented. These results are compared with the calculations based on other theories commonly used to describe electrolyte solutions, such as the mean spherical approximation, Pitzer's extension of the Debye-H\"uckel theory, and the Debye-H\"uckel limiting law.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figure

A novel haptic model and environment for maxillofacial surgical operation planning and manipulation

This paper presents a practical method and a new haptic model to support manipulations of bones and their segments during the planning of a surgical operation in a virtual environment using a haptic interface. To perform an effective dental surgery it is important to have all the operation related information of the patient available beforehand in order to plan the operation and avoid any complications. A haptic interface with a virtual and accurate patient model to support the planning of bone cuts is therefore critical, useful and necessary for the surgeons. The system proposed uses DICOM images taken from a digital tomography scanner and creates a mesh model of the filtered skull, from which the jaw bone can be isolated for further use. A novel solution for cutting the bones has been developed and it uses the haptic tool to determine and define the bone-cutting plane in the bone, and this new approach creates three new meshes of the original model. Using this approach the computational power is optimized and a real time feedback can be achieved during all bone manipulations. During the movement of the mesh cutting, a novel friction profile is predefined in the haptical system to simulate the force feedback feel of different densities in the bone

Poliartritis y leishmaniosis canina: Patogenia de la alteración articular : caso clínico

Uno de los signos clínicos a menudo observados en los perros con leishmaniosis es la presencia de cojeras, asociadas en muchos casos a poliartritis. la patogenia de estas alteraciones articulares no está del todo clara. Si bien la presencia del parásito en la articulación explicaría en muchos casos la alteración observada, debe tenerse también en cuenta el efecto patógeno que puede tener lugar a través del depósito de inmunocomplejos circulantes (ICC), que son frecuentes en esta enfermedad. En el presente artículo revisamos la bibliografía y comparamos nuestro caso con otros publicados, discutiendo sobre el posible origen de estas artropatías.Lameness, often associated with polyarthritis, is one of the most frequent clinical signs observed in dogs with leishmaniasis.The pathogenesis of these joint disturbances is not well known.Even the presence of the parasite in the joint sometimes may explain the observed alteration, the pathogenic effect triggered by the deposition of circulating immunocomplexes (CIC) that are afien produced in dogs with Cl, should also be considered.The present paper reviews the literature and compares our clinical case with others reported, thus, discussing the possible aetiology of these arthropathies

Aptidão agrícola dos solos e diferenciação dos sistemas de produção na amazônia: 20 anos de monitoramento em Machadinho d´Oeste, Rondônia.

A conservação dos solos da Amazônia depende de sistemas de produção agrícola. A Embrapa Monitoramento por Satélite vem monitorando há 20 anos, centenas de pequenas propriedades rurais (lotes) de colonização agrícola no município de Machadinho d´Oeste, RO. O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar a diferenciação dos sistemas de produção em função da aptidão agrícola dos solos de 1986 a 2005, em Machadinho d'Oeste, RO. O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar a diferenciação dos sistemas de produção em função da aptidão agrícola dos solos, de 1986 a 2005, em Machadinho d' Oeste, Rondônia. Os lotes foram classificados de acordo com a aptidão agrícola dos solos e foram analisados as áreas (hectares) de pastagem, mata e cultivo, e também a taxa de lotação bovina (bovinos por hectare) em cada lote. Os dados foram submetidos à estatística descritiva de acordo com a evolução do período amostrado de 1986 a 2005. ao longo do tempo...(Documento on-line - acompanha CD-ROM

Espacialização e correlação entre os nutrientes do solo de Machadinho D' Oeste, RO.

Tanto o planejamento quanto a sustentabilidade agrícola de projetos de assentamento rural, como o de Machadinho d' Oeste, podem ser beneficiados com informações espaciais da fertilidade do solo. O objeto do trabalho foi identificar a dependência espacial dos macro e micronutrientes do solo de Machadinho d"Oeste, RO, e a existência de correlação entre eles. Foram utilizados 76 pontos de amostragem e determinados os macros e micronutrientes a uma profundidade de 0-10 cm. Para analisar a variabilidade espacial, usou-se a geoestatística, por meio da análise de semivariogramas, interpolação dos dados por "krigagem" e construção de mapas de isolinhas. Para identificar a correlação entre duas variáveis foram construídos e ajustados os "cross" semivariogramas. Os resultados indicam baixo nível de fertilidade devido ao baixo teor de bases e a presença de alumínio e hidrogênio. Houve correlação espacial positiva significativa entre soma de bases com cálcio e magnésio, entre alumínio e hidrogênio e entre pH CaCl2 e pH em água. Já entre alumínio e PH CaCl2 ocorreu correlação negativa e não houve correlação significativa entre os micronutrientes, decorrentes as pequenas manchas com valores máximos discrepantes. A espacialização decorrente da correlação espacial existente evidenciou a baixa fertilidade na maior parte da área de Machadinho d"Oeste, RO