The Effect of the Number of Lending Banks on the Liquidity Constraints of Firms: Evidence From a Quasi-Experiment

We empirically explore whether firms have a target for the number of banks from which they borrow, and whether having multiple bank relationships has an impact on firms’ liquidity situation. A bank merger in Chile provides a quasi-experiment as it constitutes an exogenous reduction in the number of lenders for firms that were previously borrowing from both merging banks. We find that a significant percentage of firms whose number of bank relationships was reduced by the merger regain their original number of lenders. In particular, firms whose number of bank lending relationships was reduced from two to one as a result of the merger have a 23% higher probability of adding a new bank lending relationship in the five years following the merger than similar firms unaffected by the merger. Overall, we find that a reduction in firms’ number of bank lenders resulting from the merger reduced firms’ access to credit. In particular, a reduction from two to one bank lending relationships generated, on average, a 14.4% decrease in loan size for the affected companies compared to firms unaffected by the merger.

Esofagitis eosinofilíca ¿otra forma clínica de polinosis?

La esofagitis eosinofílica es una enfermedad emergente en nuestro medio, en la que se produce una inflamación inmunoalérgica crónica a nivel del esófago, que ocasiona una disfunción esofágica y se caracteriza por un infiltrado de eosinófilos a nivel del esófago. Constituye la principal causa de disfagia en niños y adultos jóvenes. Se considera que está producida por reacciones de hipersensibilidad tipo I (IgE) y tipo IV (Th2) que serían desencadenadas por alimentos o aeroalérgenos, sin ser mutuamente excluyentes. Se pretende revisar los últimos avances en el conocimiento de su fisiopatología y valorar el papel de aeroalérgenos como el polen en su etiopatogenia. Hay numerosas evidencias que indican que los aeroalérgenos podrían ser los responsables de la clínica de muchos pacientes afectos de EE. Aquellos pacientes sensibilizados frente al polen podrían beneficiarse de un tratamiento con inmunoterapia específica dirigida, al igual que lo hacen pacientes con rinitis alérgica o asma. Se debe seguir investigando en métodos preventivos y terapéuticos más seguros y eficaces para frenar esta patología en crecimientoGrado en Medicin

Generación y detección de ondas mecánicas en Matrices hidrogel preformado mediante elementos piezoeléctricos para su uso en mecano biología celular

Es bien conocido que las células interaccionan de manera muy significativa con el entorno en el que se encuentran inmersas ante una gran variedad de estímulos que incluyen las corrientes eléctricas, las ondas mecánicas, los campos magnéticos y, por supuesto, las reacciones químicas con sustancias presentes en la matriz extracelular (MEC). Es por esto que es importante encontrar formas de simular estas condiciones de manera experimental y reproducible. En este sentido nuestro experimento propone el uso de hidrogeles como emulador de la MEC y planteamos crear los estímulos mecánicos a los que las células reaccionan mediante elementos insertados en el gel en el momento de su formación. Poder llevar a cabo medir estas respuestas celulares en un ambiente de laboratorio es un gran avance en muchas áreas de la biofísica, pero en este trabajo nos centraremos en la respuesta a ondas mecánicas, campo de estudio de la mecanobiología celular.Grado en Físic

A Comparative Study of Density Field Estimation for Galaxies: New Insights into the Evolution of Galaxies with Environment in COSMOS out to z~3

It is well-known that galaxy environment has a fundamental effect in shaping its properties. We study the environmental effects on galaxy evolution, with an emphasis on the environment defined as the local number density of galaxies. The density field is estimated with different estimators (weighted adaptive kernel smoothing, 10$^{th}$ and 5$^{th}$ nearest neighbors, Voronoi and Delaunay tessellation) for a K$_{s}<$24 sample of $\sim$190,000 galaxies in the COSMOS field at 0.1$<$z$<$3.1. The performance of each estimator is evaluated with extensive simulations. We show that overall, there is a good agreement between the estimated density fields using different methods over $\sim$2 dex in overdensity values. However, our simulations show that adaptive kernel and Voronoi tessellation outperform other methods. Using the Voronoi tessellation method, we assign surface densities to a mass complete sample of quiescent and star-forming galaxies out to z$\sim$3. We show that at a fixed stellar mass, the median color of quiescent galaxies does not depend on their host environment out to z$\sim$3. We find that the number and stellar mass density of massive ($>$10$^{11}$M$_{\odot}$) star-forming galaxies have not significantly changed since z$\sim$3, regardless of their environment. However, for massive quiescent systems at lower redshifts (z$\lesssim$1.3), we find a significant evolution in the number and stellar mass densities in denser environments compared to lower density regions. Our results suggest that the relation between stellar mass and local density is more fundamental than the color-density relation and that environment plays a significant role in quenching star formation activity in galaxies at z$\lesssim$1.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, main figures 4,5,8 and 1

Experimental investigation of non linear flame dynamics

The goal of the project is to develop a method to characterize flame instability by means of image processing. To apply this process it is necessary the obtaining of data coming from experiments. The transformation for Cartesian coordinates to channel-fitted curvilinear coordinates is a very important tool, since it allows to improve the representation of the peaks that appears on the flame, making simpler their identification. Also, this conversion process requires the creation of baselines from which it will take the reference view. All this tool were performed using the software tool MatLab, creating a code that will give the results expected. Before applying the analysis it was necessary to realize an experiment, executed in the laboratories inside Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, described by flame propagation inside a configuration of the Hele-Shaw cell, while the process is recorded using a High Speed camera storing the output inside a computer. The objective of the code created is to be a tool that will help and simplify the identification of the instabilities that arise in the flame.Ingeniería Aeroespacia

Phase changes in 38 atom Lennard-Jones clusters. II: A parallel tempering study of equilibrium and dynamic properties in the molecular dynamics and microcanonical

We study the 38-atom Lennard-Jones cluster with parallel tempering Monte Carlo methods in the microcanonical and molecular dynamics ensembles. A new Monte Carlo algorithm is presented that samples rigorously the molecular dynamics ensemble for a system at constant total energy, linear and angular momenta. By combining the parallel tempering technique with molecular dynamics methods, we develop a hybrid method to overcome quasi-ergodicity and to extract both equilibrium and dynamical properties from Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations. Several thermodynamic, structural and dynamical properties are investigated for LJ$_{38}$, including the caloric curve, the diffusion constant and the largest Lyapunov exponent. The importance of insuring ergodicity in molecular dynamics simulations is illustrated by comparing the results of ergodic simulations with earlier molecular dynamics simulations.Comment: Journal of Chemical Physics, accepte

Anàlisi de les diferències en la conducta motriu dels alumnes de l'ESO durant la realització d'un joc col·lectiu

Curs 2012-2013Partint de la base que no tots els alumnes es desenvolupen de la mateixa manera en el marc de les pràctiques esportives col·lectives a l’àrea d’Educació Física, per què no indagar dins el comportament motor de cadascun d’ells i veure’n les diferències? Arran d’aquesta qüestió, el següent estudi pretén evidenciar les diferències més significatives que s’estableixen sobre les conductes motrius dels alumnes de 3r i 4t de l’ESO durant la realització d’un joc esportiu col·lectiu. Així doncs, la mostra va ser seleccionada en funció de si els alumnes realitzaven, o no, algun tipus de modalitat esportiva fora de l’escola (individual i/o col·lectiva). Per tal de poder determinar aquestes diferències, es va utilitzar l’observació indirecta d’imatges enregistrades en vídeo. Amb l’ajuda de fulls d’observació ajustats al joc en concret i d’un instrument d’avaluació, s’havien de registrar de forma pertinent les conductes motrius dels alumnes durant la realització del joc esportiu col·lectiu seleccionat. Els resultats i les conclusions finals s’han extret a partir dels valors representats en la graella d’observació i de la puntuació final obtinguda mitjançant l’instrument d’avaluació emprat.Assuming that not all students develop the same way in the context of collective sports concerning the area of Physical Education, why not to inquire into the behaviour of each engine and, thus, see the differences? Consistently, the following study aims to explore and show the most significant differences that are established on the motor behaviour among students of 3rd and 4th of ESO during the performance of collective sport game. The sample was selected taking into account the performance, or not, of extracurricular sports (individual and/or collective). In order to determine these differences, an indirect observation of videotaped images was used. Helped by observation sheets which fit the selected game and an assessment tool, the students’ motor behaviour had to be registered appropriately during the performance of the aforementioned game. The results and conclusions are drawn from the values represented on the observation grid and, also, taking into consideration the final score obtained by the assessment tool used

Using behavioral economics to analyze credit policies in the banking industry

2008 world financial meltdown highlighted significant shortcomings on procedures used by the banking sector to provide credit to the real economy. A long period of indulgence granting personal loans and mortgages that boosted a credit bubble all over the world has been followed by an era of suspicion within the banking sector, precipitating the liquidity crunch and the credit squeeze to private agents. Behavioral Finance has emerged as an alternative approach to analyze efficiency on financial markets, revealing a world with less than fully rational investors and arbitrageurs limited by risk aversion, short time horizons and agency problems. In this paper we consider the possibility to extend Behavioral Finance topics such as investor sentiment, overconfidence, heuristics or herd instinct to analyze banks behavior when providing credit to private agents, and how the absence of arbitrageurs in the credit market could justify the role of public banking as a countercyclical policy maker.peer-reviewe