Axiomatization and Measurement of Quasi-Hyperbolic Discounting

This article provides an axiomatic characterization of quasi-hyperbolic discounting and a more general class of semi-hyperbolic preferences. We impose consistency restrictions directly on the intertemporal trade-offs by relying on what we call “annuity compensations.” Our axiomatization leads naturally to an experimental design that disentangles discounting from the elasticity of intertemporal substitution. In a pilot experiment we use the partial identification approach to estimate bounds for the distributions of discount factors in the subject pool. Consistent with previous studies, we find evidence for both present and future bias.Economic

Atresia folicular en peces teleósteos: Una revisión

Many fish species with economic importance have been heavily exploited, causing the collapse of their fisheries. For this reason, there have been attempts to cultivate fish species for commercial purposes, resulting in varying success. It has been observed that when some species are kept in captivity or under intensive exploitation in its natural environment, they present reproductive dysfunctions that leads to the appearance of follicular atresia. This process is scarcely studied in fish and the characterization by several authors shows differences in nomenclature and criteria that make even more difficult its understanding. The objective of this work is to present a literature review of follicular atresia in fish that will contribute to its understanding and study. The follicular atresia is a degenerative process observed in some oocytes that can occur at any time of its development. The presence of follicular atresia has been associated with normal degenerative conditions due to seasonal changes in the gonadal activity, health disorders or inadequate management conditions in fish culture. It has been suggested that this process is a mechanism that allows the recycling of components and energy. However, in certain species such as puye (Galaxias maculatus) and cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki), among others, it has been noted the presence of follicular atresia with pathological characteristics, in which the yolk reabsorption does not occur causing the hardening of the more developed follicles that leads finally to the female death.Muchas especies de peces de importancia económica han sido intensamente explotadas, provocando el colapso de sus pesquerías. Por este motivo, en algunas de estas especies se han hecho intentos por lograr cultivar individuos con fines comerciales, obteniendo relativo éxito. Se ha observado que cuando algunas especies son mantenidas en cautiverio o bajo intensa presión de explotación en su medio natural presentan disfunciones reproductivas que conducen a la aparición de atresia folicular. Este es un proceso poco estudiado en peces y la caracterización realizada por varios autores, arroja diferencias de criterios y nomenclatura que dificultan aún más su comprensión. El objetivo de la presente investigación es realizar una revisión bibliográfica de la atresia folicular en peces y contribuir a su comprensión y estudio. La atresia folicular es un proceso degenerativo observado en algunos oocitos en cualquier momento de su desarrollo. La aparición de atresia folicular se ha relacionado con condiciones degenerativas normales debido a cambios estacionales en la actividad gonadal, afecciones sanitarias, o bien, a condiciones de manejo inadecuadas en peces mantenidos en cultivo. Este proceso se ha postulado como un mecanismo que permite reciclar componentes y energía. Sin embargo, en especies como el puye (Galaxias maculatus), la trucha garganta cortada (Salmo clarki), entre otras, se ha observado la presencia de una atresia folicular con características patológicas, en la cual la reabsorción del vitelo no ocurre, causando el endurecimiento de los folículos más desarrollados, lo que puede conducir finalmente a la muerte de la hembra

S-Abscisic acid, 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid and indole-3-acetic acid treatments modify grape (Vitis vinifera L. 'Cabernet Sauvignon') hormonal balance and wine quality

The phenolic composition of red wine strongly determines its quality. Even when the applications of plant  growth regulator (PGR) affect grape quality, there is  almost no information on the effect of these treatments  on the grape’s internal hormonal balance and the wine  composition and quality. In the present study, changes in the internal hormonal content following the application of (+)-S-abscisic acid (S-ABA), 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid (CEPA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) at veraison were examined to determine their effects on 'Cabernet Sauvignon' grapes and wine composition in a plants in containers experiment and in a commercial vineyard experiment. Applied PGRs had a significant effect on the hormonal balance and phenolic composition of grape skins. The S-ABA-treated grapes showed a significantly higher skin internal free abscisic acid concentration in the plants in container experiment and the CEPA-treated grapes showed a reduction in skin internal IAA concentration in the commercial vineyard experiment. Winemaking was performed in the commercial vineyard experiment. Wine’s chemical composition was affected by these treatments and an up-to 63 % increase in malvidin-3-glucoside concentration and an up-to 70 % increase in total tannin concentration were found in wines made from the CEPA-treated grapes. The alcohol content was 10.3 % higher (from 12.6 to 13.9 % v v-1) in wines made from the CEPA-treated grapes. No significant differences in the wine sensory attributes (aroma and mouth-feel) between the control and the PGR-treated wines were identified by a sensory panel.

N = 2 AdS4 supergravity, holography and Ward identities

We develop in detail the holographic framework for an N = 2 pure AdS supergravity model in four dimensions, including all the contributions from the fermionic fields and adopting the Fefferman-Graham parametrization. We work in the first order formalism, where the full superconformal structure can be kept manifest in principle, even if only a part of it is realized as a symmetry on the boundary, while the remainder has a non-linear realization. Our study generalizes the results presented in antecedent literature and includes a general discussion of the gauge-fixing conditions on the bulk fields which yield the asymptotic symmetries at the boundary. We construct the corresponding super- conformal currents and show that they satisfy the related Ward identities when the bulk equations of motion are imposed. Consistency of the holographic setup requires the super- AdS curvatures to vanish at the boundary. This determines, in particular, the expression of the super-Schouten tensor of the boundary theory, which generalizes the purely bosonic Schouten tensor of standard gravity by including gravitini bilinears. The same applies to the superpartner of the super-Schouten tensor, the conformino. Furthermore, the vanishing of the supertorsion poses general constraints on the sources of the three-dimensional boundary conformal field theory and requires that the super-Schouten tensor is endowed with an antisymmetric part proportional to a gravitino-squared term

The E-SCREEN assay as a tool to identify estrogens: an update on estrogenic environmental pollutants.

Estrogens are defined by their ability to induce the proliferation of cells of the female genital tract. The wide chemical diversity of estrogenic compounds precludes an accurate prediction of estrogenic activity on the basis of chemical structure. Rodent bioassays are not suited for the large-scale screening of chemicals before their release into the environment because of their cost, complexity, and ethical concerns. The E-SCREEN assay was developed to assess the estrogenicity of environmental chemicals using the proliferative effect of estrogens on their target cells as an end point. This quantitative assay compares the cell number achieved by similar inocula of MCF-7 cells in the absence of estrogens (negative control) and in the presence of 17 beta-estradiol (positive control) and a range of concentrations of chemicals suspected to be estrogenic. Among the compounds tested, several "new" estrogens were found; alkylphenols, phthalates, some PCB congeners and hydroxylated PCBs, and the insecticides dieldrin, endosulfan, and toxaphene were estrogenic by the E-SCREEN assay. In addition, these compounds competed with estradiol for binding to the estrogen receptor and increased the levels of progesterone receptor and pS2 in MCF-7 cells, as expected from estrogen mimics. Recombinant human growth factors (bFGF, EGF, IGF-1) and insulin did not increase in cell yields. The aims of the work summarized in this paper were a) to validate the E-SCREEN assay; b) to screen a variety of chemicals present in the environment to identify those that may be causing reproductive effects in wildlife and humans; c) to assess whether environmental estrogens may act cumulatively; and finally d) to discuss the reliability of this and other assays to screen chemicals for their estrogenicity before they are released into the environment

Multiwavelength study of the starburst galaxy NGC7714. I: Ultraviolet-Optical spectroscopy

We have studied the physical conditions in the central 300 pc of the proto-typical starburst galaxy NGC 7714. Our analysis is based on ultraviolet spectroscopy with the HST+GHRS and ground-based optical observations.The data are interpreted using evolutionary models optimized for young starburst regions. The massive stellar population is derived in a self-consistent way using the continuum and stellar absorption lines in the ultraviolet and the nebular emission line optical spectrum. The central starburst has an age of about 4.5 Myr, with little evidence for an age spread. Wolf-Rayet features at the ultraviolet indicates a stellar population of $\sim$ 2000 Wolf-Rayet stars. The overall properties of the newly formed stars are quite similar to those derived, e.g., in 30 Doradus. A standard Salpeter IMF is consistent with all observational constraints. We find evidence for spatial structure within the central 300 pc sampled. Therefore it is unlikely that the nucleus of NGC 7714 hosts a single star cluster exceeding the properties of other known clusters. Contrary to previous suggestions, we find no evidence for a nuclear supernova rate that would significantly exceed the total disk-integrated rate. About one supernova event per century is predicted.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figures in a tar file. Accepted for publication in ApJ, 1999, March, issue 51

The Nuclear Stellar Cluster in the Seyfert~1 Galaxy NGC 3227: High Angular Resolution NIR Imaging and Spectroscopy

NIR high angular resolution speckle imaging and imaging spectroscopy of the nuclear region (10'' ~ 840pc) of the Seyfert1 galaxy NGC3227 are presented. A nuclear stellar cluster is slightly resolved in the J and H band with increasing contribution to the NIR continuum from the K to the J band. The stellar absorption lines are extended compared to the neighboring continuum suggesting a cluster size of ~ 70pc FWHM. Analysis of those lines suggests that the stars are contributing about 65% (40%) of the total continuum emission in the H (K) band in a 3.6'' aperture. Population synthesis in conjunction with NIR spectral synthesis indicates an age of 25 to 50 Myr when red supergiants contribute most to the NIR light. This is supported by published optical data on the MgIb line and the CaII triplet. Although a higher age of ~ 0.5 Gyr where AGB stars dominate the NIR light can not be excluded, the observed parameters are at the limit of those expected for a cluster dominated by AGB stars. However, in either case the resolved stellar cluster contributes only about ~ 15 % of the total dynamical mass in the inner 300pc implying another much older stellar population. Pure constant star formation over the last 10 Gyr can be excluded. Therefore, at least two star formation/starburst events took place in the nucleus of NGC3227. Since such sequences in the nuclear star formation history are also observed in the nuclei of other galaxies a link between the activity of the star formation and the AGN itself seems likely.Comment: accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, 46 pages, 15 figure

Counterterms and dual holographic anomalies in CS gravity

The holographic Weyl anomaly associated to Chern-Simons gravity in 2n+1 dimensions is proportional to the Euler term in 2n dimensions, with no contributions from the Weyl tensor. We compute the holographic energy-momentum tensor associated to Chern-Simons gravity directly from the action, in an arbitrary odd-dimensional spacetime. We show, in particular, that the counterterms rendering the action finite contain only terms of the Lovelock type.Comment: 10 pages, no figure