The foraminiferal genera Pararotalia, Neorotalia, and Calcarina: taxonomic revision

Scanning electron microscopy of the architecture of Rotalina inermis Terquem, 1882, the type-species of the genus Pararotalia Le Calvez, 1949, and of Rotalia mexicana Nuttall, 1928, the type-species of the genus Neorotalia Bermudez, 1952, reveals that both taxa have in common: 1) an umbilical bowl closed by either a single or a compound umbilical plug; 2) an interiomarginal extraumbilical aperture, restricted by a toothplate that protrudes with a free edge into the aperture and forms an umbilical spiral canal; and 3) a septal flap and intraseptal interlocular spaces. Rotalia mexicana, however, also possesses an enveloping canal-system, similar to that found in the Calcarinidae. For this reason Neorotalia must be regarded as a valid distinct genus, not synonymous with Pararotalia, as proposed by some authors. Calcarina calcar d'Orbigny, 1839, variously placed by authors in Rotalia Lamarck, 1804, in Pararotalia Le Calvez, 1949, and lately again in Calcarina d'Orbigny, 1826, is shown to possess the same basic architecture as Neorotalia and is placed, consequently, into this latter genus. Irregular supplementary apertures occurring in N. calcar are not considered of generic value and neither are they regarded as indicating a relationship with Nautilus spengleri Gmelin, 1788, the type-species of Calcarina. The latter, although characterized by a complex enveloping canal-system, possesses primary multiple interioareal main apertures, surrounded by thick rims, as well as a small umbilical plate, but lacks a toothplate with a free edge. For comparison, Pararotalia spinigera (Le Calvez, 1949) and Neorotalia viennoti (Greig, 1935) were also studied. The subfamily Pararotaliinae Reiss, 1963, is emended to include the canal-system as a characteristic feature. A glossary of selected terms is appende

The public sector pay gap in a selection of Euro area countries

We investigate the public-private wage differentials in ten euro area countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain). To account for differences in employment characteristics between the two sectors, we focus on micro data taken from EU-SILC. The results point to a conditional pay differential in favour of the public sector that is generally higher for women, at the low tail of the wage distribution, in the Education and the Public administration sectors rather than in the Health sector. Notable differences emerge across countries, with Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain exhibiting higher public sector premia than other countries. JEL Classification: J310, J450, O520public/private sector, Wage differentials

The Implementation of Scenarios using DSGE Models

The new generation of dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models seems particularly suited for conducting scenario analysis. These models formalise the behaviour of economic agents on the basis of explicit micro-foundations. As a result, they appear less prone to the Lucas critique than traditional macroeconometric models. DSGE models provide researchers with powerful tools, which allow for the design of a broad range of scenarios and can tackle a large range of issues, while at the same time offering an appealing structural interpretation of the scenario specification and simulation results. This paper provides illustrations of some of the modelling issues that often arise when implementing scenarios using DSGE models in the context of projection exercises or policy analysis. These issues reflect the sensitivity of DSGE model-based analysis to scenario assumptions, which in more traditional models are apparently less critical, such as, for example, scenario event anticipation and duration, as well as treatment of monetary and fiscal policy rules.Business fluctuations, monetary policy, fiscal policy, forecasting and simulation

The public sector pay gap in a selection of Euro area countries

We investigate the public-private wage differentials in ten euro area countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain). To account for differences in employment characteristics between the two sectors, we focus on micro data taken from EU-SILC. The results point to a conditional pay differential in favour of the public sector that is generally higher for women, at the low tail of the wage distribution, in the Education and the Public administration sectors rather than in the Health sector. Notable differences emerge across countries, with Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain exhibiting higher public sector premia than other countries

A fiscal capacity for the euro area: lessons from existing fiscal-federal systems

Tras la crisis económica y financiera, ha emergido en Europa un amplio consenso sobre la necesidad de reforzar la dimensión fiscal para completar la Unión Económica y Monetaria (UEM). Este documento analiza el papel de las transferencias interregionales en algunas de las principales federaciones fiscales (centrado en Austria, Bélgica, Alemania, España y Estados Unidos), con el objetivo de extraer las conclusiones necesarias para el diseño de un instrumento fiscal para el área del euro. El análisis empírico de compartición de riesgos llevado a cabo en este documento sugiere que una estabilización interregional de los shocks asimétricos es más efectiva cuando está basada en transferencias directas de efectivo a los hogares, tales como las pensiones por desempleo, financiadas por medio de los impuestos cíclicos del Gobierno Central y de las contribuciones a la Seguridad Social. Estos resultados sugieren que un instrumento centralizado de estabilización macroeconómica para el conjunto del área esté basado en la mejora de los mecanismos de estabilización automática. Al mismo tiempo, parece importante que dicho instrumento de estabilización central esté integrado en un marco general de política fiscal que asegure los incentivos adecuados para los Gobiernos nacionales.Tras la crisis económica y financiera, ha emergido en Europa un amplio consenso sobre la necesidad de reforzar la dimensión fiscal para completar la Unión Económica y Monetaria (UEM). Este documento analiza el papel de las transferencias interregionales en algunas de las principales federaciones fiscales (centrado en Austria, Bélgica, Alemania, España y Estados Unidos), con el objetivo de extraer las conclusiones necesarias para el diseño de un instrumento fiscal para el área del euro. El análisis empírico de compartición de riesgos llevado a cabo en este documento sugiere que una estabilización interregional de los shocks asimétricos es más efectiva cuando está basada en transferencias directas de efectivo a los hogares, tales como las pensiones por desempleo, financiadas por medio de los impuestos cíclicos del Gobierno Central y de las contribuciones a la Seguridad Social. Estos resultados sugieren que un instrumento centralizado de estabilización macroeconómica para el conjunto del área esté basado en la mejora de los mecanismos de estabilización automática. Al mismo tiempo, parece importante que dicho instrumento de estabilización central esté integrado en un marco general de política fiscal que asegure los incentivos adecuados para los Gobiernos nacionales

Measurements of integrated and differential cross sections for isolated photon pair production in pp collisions at √s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A measurement of the production cross section for two isolated photons in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of √s=8 TeV is presented. The results are based on an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb−1 recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The measurement considers photons with pseudorapidities satisfying |ηγ|40GeV and EγT,2>30 GeV for the two leading photons ordered in transverse energy produced in the interaction. The background due to hadronic jets and electrons is subtracted using data-driven techniques. The fiducial cross sections are corrected for detector effects and measured differentially as a function of six kinematic observables. The measured cross section integrated within the fiducial volume is 16.8 ± 0.8  pb . The data are compared to fixed-order QCD calculations at next-to-leading-order and next-to-next-to-leading-order accuracy as well as next-to-leading-order computations including resummation of initial-state gluon radiation at next-to-next-to-leading logarithm or matched to a parton shower, with relative uncertainties varying from 5% to 20%

Search for supersymmetry in events with four or more leptons in √s =13 TeV pp collisions with ATLAS

Results from a search for supersymmetry in events with four or more charged leptons (electrons, muons and taus) are presented. The analysis uses a data sample corresponding to 36.1 fb −1 of proton-proton collisions delivered by the Large Hadron Collider at s √ =13 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Four-lepton signal regions with up to two hadronically decaying taus are designed to target a range of supersymmetric scenarios that can be either enriched in or depleted of events involving the production and decay of a Z boson. Data yields are consistent with Standard Model expectations and results are used to set upper limits on the event yields from processes beyond the Standard Model. Exclusion limits are set at the 95% confidence level in simplified models of General Gauge Mediated supersymmetry, where higgsino masses are excluded up to 295 GeV. In R -parity-violating simplified models with decays of the lightest supersymmetric particle to charged leptons, lower limits of 1.46 TeV, 1.06 TeV, and 2.25 TeV are placed on wino, slepton and gluino masses, respectively

Search for High-Mass Resonances Decaying to τν in pp Collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

A search for high-mass resonances decaying to τν using proton-proton collisions at √s=13 TeV produced by the Large Hadron Collider is presented. Only τ-lepton decays with hadrons in the final state are considered. The data were recorded with the ATLAS detector and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb−1. No statistically significant excess above the standard model expectation is observed; model-independent upper limits are set on the visible τν production cross section. Heavy W′ bosons with masses less than 3.7 TeV in the sequential standard model and masses less than 2.2–3.8 TeV depending on the coupling in the nonuniversal G(221) model are excluded at the 95% credibility level

Search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with tau leptons in √s=13 TeV collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with at least two hadronically decaying tau leptons is presented. The analysis uses a dataset of pp collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb−1, recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of 13TeV.Nosignificant deviation from the expected Standard Model background is observed. Limits are derived in scenarios of ˜χ+1 ˜χ−1 pair production and of ˜χ±1 ˜χ02 and ˜χ+1 ˜χ−1 production in simplified models where the neutralinos and charginos decay solely via intermediate left-handed staus and tau sneutrinos, and the mass of the ˜ τL state is set to be halfway between the masses of the ˜χ±1 and the ˜χ01. Chargino masses up to 630 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level in the scenario of direct production of ˜χ+1 ˜χ−1 for a massless ˜χ01. Common ˜χ±1 and ˜χ02 masses up to 760 GeV are excluded in the case of production of ˜χ±1 ˜χ02 and ˜χ+1 ˜χ−1 assuming a massless ˜χ01. Exclusion limits for additional benchmark scenarios with large and small mass-splitting between the ˜χ±1 and the ˜χ01 are also studied by varying the ˜ τL mass between the masses of the ˜χ±1 and the ˜χ01

Search for direct top squark pair production in final states with two leptons in √s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

The results of a search for direct pair production of top squarks in events with two opposite-charge leptons (electrons or muons) are reported, using 36.1 fb−1 of integrated luminosity from proton–proton collisions at √s=13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. To cover a range of mass differences between the top squark t~ and lighter supersymmetric particles, four possible decay modes of the top squark are targeted with dedicated selections: the decay t~→bχ~1± into a b-quark and the lightest chargino with χ~1±→Wχ~10 , t~→tχ~10 into an on-shell top quark and the lightest neutralino, the three-body decay t~→bWχ~10 and the four-body decay t~→bℓνχ~10. No significant excess of events is observed above the Standard Model background for any selection, and limits on top squarks are set as a function of the t~ and χ~01 masses. The results exclude at 95% confidence level t~ masses up to about 720 GeV, extending the exclusion region of supersymmetric parameter space covered by previous searches