Selection Cuts Research Articles

Top-Yukawa contributions to bbH production at the LHC

We study the production of a Higgs boson in association with bottom quarks left(boverline{b}Hright) in hadronic collisions at the LHC, including the different contributions stemming from terms proportional to the top-quark Yukawa coupling (yt2), to the bottom-quark one (yb2), and to their interference (ybyt). Our results are accurate to next-to-leading order in QCD, employ the four-flavour scheme and the (Born-improved) heavy-top quark approximation. We find that next-to-leading order corrections to the yt2 component are sizable, making it the dominant production mechanism for associated boverline{b}H production in the Standard Model and increasing its inclusive rate by almost a factor of two. By studying final-state distributions of the various contributions, we identify observables and selection cuts that can be used to select the various components and to improve the experimental sensitivity of boverline{b}H production on the bottom-quark Yukawa coupling.

Effects of even-aged and uneven-aged management on carbon dynamics and timber yield in boreal Norway spruce stands: a forest ecosystem model approach

Abstract We used a gap-type forest ecosystem model to study how even- and uneven-aged management affected the carbon dynamics and timber production in boreal Norway spruce stands. In business-as-usual management, the intensity of thinnings (from below) and single-tree selective cuttings followed those recommended for even-aged (BT) and uneven-aged management (BSC) in practical forestry in Finland. Moreover, higher or lower basal area thresholds, and shorter or longer production cycles, were used in simulations. We found that, the mean annual carbon uptake, volume growth, and carbon stock in trees and harvested timber, were nearly the same under even-aged (BT) and uneven-aged (BSC) management, when assuming full seed crop in latter one. However, the carbon stock in the soil and ecosystem and the mean annual net ecosystem exchange were slightly smaller under BT. The carbon retention time was longer under BSC. The net present value (NPV with interest rate of 3 per cent) of timber production was clearly lower under BT, when the calculation was initiated at planting on clear-cutting area, in opposite to when initiating calculation a few years before the second thinning. Higher basal area thresholds and longer production cycles increased carbon stocks, carbon retention and timber yield, regardless of management system. On the other hand, the results of uneven-aged management (BSC) were very sensitive to the success of natural regeneration and ingrowth of seedlings, as a reduction of the seed crop by 25–75 per cent from the full seed crop decreases the volume growth by 44–74 per cent and timber yield up to 46 per cent.

Bee Communities across Gap, Edge, and Closed-Canopy Microsites in Forest Stands with Group Selection Openings

AbstractAs insect pollinator populations continue to decline, it is essential to understand the impacts of anthropogenic activities, including forest management, on pollinator communities. Although multiple studies have shown that clearcutting is beneficial for bees, other less intense, selective silvicultural methods that result in disproportionate increases in edge habitat within stands are less well understood. We investigated bee community characteristics across microsites (center of cut, edge of cut, and closed-canopy forest) in three mixed-mesophytic forest stands subjected to group selection cuttings. Results revealed bee communities in the center of cuts and their edges to differ from those in forest microsites, and their diversity measures were higher than in forest microsites. Within-stand edge microsites did not differ from their cut centers in terms of their communities or their diversity. Finally, center of cut and edge microsites combined, and forest microsites, were characterized by different indicator species, thereby exemplifying differences between these two microsite groupings. These results suggest that group selection harvests support differing communities of bees across microsites and sustain a wide range of bee species, and that edges within these forest stands behaved more like extensions of canopy gap openings despite differences in forest physiognomy.

The effects of fiscal stimulus: firm-level evidence from selective temporary consumption tax cuts

AbstractThe paper investigates the effects of temporary consumption tax cuts for selected durables in Turkey in 2009 using firm-level data. Our empirical strategy exploits variation in firm exposure to the tax cuts and at the same time controls for unobserved industry- and region-specific shocks to address potential endogeneity. Using data on the change of sales of firms that benefited from this measure and of those that did not over different periods, we find positive and robust effects of consumption tax cuts on the change of firm sales. In line with theoretical predictions, we also find a reversal of these effects following the expiration of the tax cuts.

Short-term effects of selection, gap, patch and clear cutting on the beetle fauna in boreal spruce-dominated forests

Even-aged management based on clear cutting has simplified the structure of boreal forests, which has adversely affected ecosystem services, including biodiversity. A potential way of combining economic, ecological and social sustainability in forest management is emulation of natural disturbance dynamics. However, ecological effects of alternative cutting methods have been little studied in northern Europe. We studied the responses of beetles (Coleoptera) to four cutting treatments – selection, gap, patch and clear cutting – compared to uncut control stands. We collected beetles one year before, and one and three years after cutting using flight-intercept window traps to assess the effects of treatment, proportion of removed trees, size of harvested gaps, and the volume of dead wood on the species richness and composition of beetles. The total number of species increased sharply in the first year after cutting in all the four treatments. Three years after cutting, the difference in species richness between controls and treatments had decreased. Both species richness and community structure formed a continuum according to treatment intensity. Selection cuts were most similar to the controls, while clear cuts differed from all the other treatments. Irrespective of the treatment, species richness of saproxylic beetles increased with the volume of dead wood, while the number of non-saproxylic species increased with gap size. Contrary to expectation, the proportion of species that were found both before and after cutting did not differ significantly between the treatments. According to an indicator species analysis, two species were associated with controls, 11 with a combination of controls and selection, gap or patch cuts, 17 with patch and clear cuts, and 38 with clear cuts. Our findings suggest that increasing harvesting intensity rapidly increases the total species richness of beetles in the studied spruce forests, but that community recovery may be faster in the less intensive treatments. In the short term, most beetle species inhabiting mature managed forests seem to tolerate cutting disturbances creating open conditions. Clear cuts hosted a large number of species, including species of conservation concern, which were missing from other cutting treatments. Even a moderate increase in the level of dead wood in managed forests is likely to enhance saproxylic diversity. If the aim of management is to preserve mature-forest beetle communities, selection or gap cutting should be used instead of clear cutting.

Closing the light gluino gap with electron-proton colliders

The future electron-proton collider proposals, LHeC and FCC-he, can deliver $\mathcal{O}$(TeV) center-of-mass energy collisions, higher than most of the proposed lepton accelerators, with $\mathcal{O}$(ab$^{-1}$) luminosity, while maintaining a much cleaner experimental environment as compared to the hadron machines. This unique capability of $e^- p$ colliders can be harnessed in probing BSM scenarios giving final states that look like hadronic noise at $pp$ machines. In the present study, we explore the prospects of detecting such a prompt signal having multiple soft jets at the LHeC. Such a signal can come from the decay of gluino in RPV or Stealth SUSY, where there exists a gap in the current experimental search with $m_{\tilde{g}} \approx 50 - 70$ GeV. We perform a simple analysis to demonstrate that, with simple signal selection cuts, we can close this gap at the LHeC at 95 % confidence level, even in the presence of a reasonable systematic error. More sophisticated signal selection strategies and detailed knowledge of the detector can be used to improve the prospects of signal detection.

Impact of photometric redshifts on the galaxy power spectrum and BAO scale in the LSST survey

Context. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) survey will image billions of galaxies every few nights for ten years, and as such, should be a major contributor to precision cosmology in the 2020s. High precision photometric data will be available in six bands, from near-infrared to near-ultraviolet. The computation of precise, unbiased, photometric redshifts up to at least z = 2 is one of the main LSST challenges and its performance will have major impact on all extragalactic LSST sciences. Aims. We evaluate the efficiency of our photometric redshift reconstruction on mock galaxy catalogues up to z = 2.45 and estimate the impact of realistic photometric redshift (photo-z) reconstruction on the large-scale structures (LSS) power spectrum and the baryonic acoustic oscillation (BAO) scale determination for a LSST-like photometric survey. We study the effectiveness of the BAO scale as a cosmological probe in the LSST survey. Methods. We have performed a detailed modelling of the photo-z distribution as a function of galaxy type, redshift and absolute magnitude using our photo-z reconstruction code with a quality selection cut based on a boosted decision tree (BDT). We have simulated a catalogue of galaxies in the redshift range [0.2−2.45] using the Planck 2015 ΛCDM cosmological parameters over 10 000 square-degrees, in the six bands, assuming LSST photometric precision for a ten-year survey. The mock galaxy catalogues were produced with several redshift error models. The LSS power spectrum was then computed in several redshift ranges and for each error model. Finally we extracted the BAO scale and its uncertainty using only the linear part of the LSS spectrum. Results. We have computed the fractional error on the recovered power spectrum which is dominated by the shot noise at high redshift (z ≳ 1), for scales k ≳ 0.1, due to the photo-z damping. The BAO scale can be recovered with a percent or better accuracy level from z = 0.5 to z = 1.5 using realistic photo-z reconstruction. Conclusions. Reaching the LSST requirements for photo-z reconstruction is crucial to exploit the LSST potential in cosmology, in particular to measure the LSS power spectrum and its evolution with redshift. Although the BAO scale is not the most powerful cosmological probe in LSST, it can be used to check the consistency of the LSS measurement. Moreover we show that the impact of photo-z smearing on the recovered isotropic BAO scale in LSST should stay limited up to z ≈ 1.5, so as long as the galaxy number density balances the photo-z smoothing.

A dendrochronological reconstruction of sugar maple growth and mortality dynamics in partially cut northern hardwood forests

We investigated the growth and mortality dynamics of 22 northern hardwood stands with well-known disturbance histories in southern Quebec, Canada. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of short- and long-term growth trends on both the probability of mortality and the radial growth response of trees following partial cutting. This was first achieved by identifying growth release episodes and characterizing growth patterns prior to tree death from entire tree-ring series of 86 live and 26 dead sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) trees. Using mixed-effects logistic regression, we quantified the effects of short- and long-term growth trends, as well as external variables such as neighbourhood competition and tree vigour status on the probability of mortality and growth release events. Results showed that long periods of continuous growth decline or long periods of slow radial growth after a severe decrease occurred in 88% of dead trees. These growth patterns were associated with a progressive decline in tree vigour that was mostly initiated by drought and insect defoliations during the 1980s, thereby supporting the relevance of studying long-term tree-ring chronologies to deduce causes of post-harvest mortality. Our model showed that predictions of post-cut mortality events could be significantly improved by considering long-term radial growth trends (25 years before cutting) in individual trees. In terms of growth response, 24% of live trees had a release event occurring after the selection cut, which is slightly lower than the response induced by natural disturbance in previous decades. None of the tested long-term growth variables were significantly related to the occurrence of growth release events. Consequently, suppressed sugar maple trees appear to maintain their capacity to respond positively to gap creation, regardless of the length of the suppression period. We conclude that while decreasing trends in long-term radial growth increase mortality probabilities, the growth release potential of trees is negatively impacted by the presence of defects affecting tree vigour (e.g. fungal infections and cambial necroses) and positively related to the removal of neighbouring trees, rather than to prior growth trends.

Сезонна динаміка флористичної та екоморфічної структури трав’яного покриву урочища балка Тунельна (м. Дніпро)

Наведено результати аналізу біолого-екологічних та структурних особливостейтравостою степового, лучного та лісового фітоценозів урочища балка Тунельна (м. Дніпро), вивчених за допомогою геоботанічних методів. Показано особливості сезон-ної динаміки екоморфічного складу та флористичної структури досліджених угру-повань, визначено їхню ступінь антропогенної трансформації в умовах промислово-го мегаполісу.

All-orders behaviour and renormalons in top-mass observables

We study a simplified model of top production and decay, consisting in a virtual vector boson W* decaying into a massive-massless t- overline{b} quark-antiquark pair. The top has a finite width and further decays into a stable vector boson W and a b quark. We then consider the emission or the virtual exchange of one gluon, with all possible light-quark loop insertions. These are the dominant diagrams in the limit of an infinite number of light flavours. We devise a procedure to compute this process fully, by analytic and numerical methods, and for any infrared-safe final-state observables. We examine the results at arbitrary orders in perturbation theory, and assess the factorial growth associated with renormalons. We look for renormalon effects leading to corrections of order ΛQCD, that we dub “linear” renormalons, in the inclusive cross section (with and without selection cuts), in the mass of the reconstructed-top system, and in the average energy of the final-state W boson, considering both the pole and the overline{mathrm{MS}} scheme for the top mass. We find that the total cross section without cuts, if expressed in terms of the overline{mathrm{MS}} mass, does not exhibit linear renormalons, but, as soon as selection cuts are introduced, jets-related linear renormalons arise in any mass scheme. In addition, we show that the reconstructed mass is affected by linear renormalons in any scheme and that the average energy of the W boson (that we consider as a simplified example of leptonic observable), in any mass scheme, has a renormalon in the narrow-width limit, that is however screened at large orders for finite top widths, provided the top mass is in the overline{mathrm{MS}} scheme.

Soil CO2 efflux in uneven-aged and even-aged Norway spruce stands in southern Finland

Abstract: Even-aged forests usually act as carbon sinks during most of their rotation. However, after clearcut they become sources of carbon for a period of several years. Applying uneven-aged forest management with selective cuttings will maintain tree cover and reduce the environmental impact on forest floor. The aim of this study was to compare the soil CO2 efflux between uneven-aged and even-aged Norway spruce stands with similar site properties, to investigate the effect of management practices on soil CO2 efflux and its possible correlation with soil environmental and chemical properties. We measured soil CO2 efflux in even- and uneven-aged Norway spruce stands (Picea abies [L.] Karst) in southern Finland during the summer of 2013 using closed chamber method on fixed measuring points. The study included two uneven-aged stands and two even-aged stands (a clearcut site and a mature even-aged stand). Soil moisture and soil temperature were measured at the same time as soil CO2 efflux. Soil cores were collected from the topsoil of each study plot to determine soil carbon and nitrogen concentrations. Mean soil CO2 efflux through the summer was highest in the clearcut plot (0.367 mg m-2 s-1) followed by the uneven-aged stands (0.298 and 0.257 mg m-2 s-1, respectively) and the smallest fluxes were measured in the mature even-aged stand (0.224 mg m-2 s-1). There was no statistically significant difference in soil CO2 efflux between the even- and uneven-aged stands of the same site fertility. Even- and uneven-aged stands did not differ significantly in soil moisture or soil temperature. Soil CO2 efflux increased steadily with soil temperature, whereas increasing soil moisture considerably increased soil CO2 efflux at lower moisture levels but only moderately at higher soil moisture levels. Soil carbon and nitrogen concentration did not differ between the study plots of the same fertility. Uneven-aged structure forestry did not prevent the increase in soil CO2 efflux after cuttings. However, the large variation in soil CO2 efflux rates within the uneven-aged stands suggests that the stand level CO2 efflux can be controlled with the intensity of the cutting.

Ultrasonic vs Drill Implant Site Preparation: Post-Operative Pain Measurement Through VAS, Swelling and Crestal Bone Remodeling: A Randomized Clinical Study.

Background: Piezosurgery is a surgical procedure that is able to perform osteotomies by a micrometric and selective cut of the bone tissue. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate two different techniques; an ultrasonic device, and a drill approach for implant site preparation. Methods: A total of fifty patients were recruited for the randomized clinical trial to receive dental implants for fixed prosthetic restoration in the posterior mandible and were allotted to two groups. In Group A the implant site was prepared following a drilling technique, while in Group B the implant site was prepared using an ultrasonic device; moreover, the operative duration was recorded. Postoperative pain and swelling were evaluated at 1, 2, 4, and 6 days. The crestal bone resorption was measured at 3 months from implant placement by a three-dimensional tomography evaluation. Results: The findings suggest that osteotomies performed by an ultrasonic device cause less pain and swelling. On the other hand, the piezoelectric preparation was characterized by a significative increase in the operative time. No statistical differences in crestal bone resorption were evident in the two different approaches. Conclusions: According to the outcome of the study, ultrasonic implant bed preparation can be used with success in implantology and could be considered a suitable alternative to traditional drilling techniques for dental fixture placement.

Piezosurgery for Infra- and Supratentorial Craniotomies in Brain Tumor Surgery

Piezoelectric surgery represents an innovative technique to perform safe and effective osteotomies and is an alternative to traditional bony tissue management using rotating or perforating instruments. We evaluated the safety and feasibility of craniotomies using an ultrasonic device that allows the selective cut of mineralized structures, avoiding damages to the vascular, dural, and parenchymal structures. We analyzed a series of 300 patients (age range, 1-81 years; SD ± 15.2) who underwent elective cranial surgery for brain tumors, in which the craniotomy was performed using a piezoelectric device. Pre- and postoperative imaging, clinical notes, and intraoperative details were collected. There were 197 patients (66%) who underwent surgery for supratentorial tumors; the remaining 103 patients (34%) underwent surgery for infratentorial ones. Tumors involved the skull base in 125 cases. Meningiomas, gliomas, and schwannomas represented the most common histotypes. Duraplasty for dural damages was not necessary in all cases; no venous sinuses or parenchymal injuries were reported during bone work. We noted in 13 cases (4.3%) a minor dural tear, requiring only direct sutures. Bone flaps were always intact after craniotomy. No subgaleal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection or CSF leak was recorded. Because of the minimal bone gap, we always achieved correct bone flap ossification. No reabsorption or mobilization of bone flap was noted. We illustrate the feasibility and safety of a piezosurgical cutter to perform craniotomies. This alternative technique appears to be safe, with excellent cosmetic effects, adding another tool to the neurosurgical armamentarium.

A Step-By-Step Technique for the Piezosurgical Removal of Fractured Implants.

With the increasing popularity of dental implants, the removal of fractured implants has become a major challenge for clinicians. Several tools can be used for the removal of osseointegrated implants; however, few of these have the characteristics of easy control, selective cutting, and rapid healing. In this study, the authors describe a step-by-step technique for the removal of osseointegrated fractured implants via multiple peri-implant osteotomies performed using a piezoelectric device and appropriate inserts. All patients ended with primary wound closure without any soft tissue dehiscence and no healing problems during the postoperative period. As the use of ultrasonic inserts enables precise and selective cuts, piezosurgical implant removal is an attractive alternative to trephine burs or rotary drills.

Санітарний стан соснових деревостанів після проведення санітарних рубок вибіркових, у кулісах та дрібноконтурних ділянках в осередках ураження короїдом верхівковим

Дослідження проведено у Житомирському Поліссі впродовж 2017 р. Проаналізовано санітарний стан деревостанів сосни звичайної в осередках ураження короїдом верхівковим після проведення санітарних рубок вибіркових (СРВ), а також окремо – у кулісах і дрібноконтурних ділянках. Виявлено, що основним шкідником, який зумовлює всихання досліджених сосняків, є короїд верхівковий. Продемонстровано, що в соснових кулісах та дрібноконтурних ділянках найбільша кількість обстежених деревостанів – сильно ослаблені (58,5 %), всихаючі – 29,2 %, ослаблені – 7,7 % та мертві – 4,6 %. Особливо варто наголосити, що серед досліджуваних сосняків немає здорових деревостанів. Встановлено, що після проведення СРВ максимальна частка сильно ослаблених сосняків становила 42,7 %, що є меншим порівняно з відповідним показником для куліс і дрібноконтурних ділянок. Водночас, частка ослаблених насаджень значно більша після проведення СРВ – 21,3 %, а мертвих – значно менша (2,7 %) порівняно з відповідним показником для куліс та дрібноконтурних ділянок. Зроблено висновок про те, що санітарні рубки вибіркові в осередках ксилофагово-офіостомового комплексу не дають очікуваного ефекту, і за один-два вегетаційні періоди санітарний стан соснових деревостанів значно погіршується, як і санітарний стан сосняків у кулісах та дрібноконтурних ділянках. Обґрунтовано пропозицію про внесення змін у чинні нормативні документи для ведення лісового господарства через гостру дію ксилофагово-офіостомового комплексу.

Comparing structural attributes in uneven-aged managed and unmanaged sugar maple stands

We used 11 silvicultural trials in forests dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) to compare the development of structural attributes between unmanaged stands and stands subjected to two selection cuttings. Results showed that managed stands had significantly lower amounts of large live and dead trees, lower downed coarse woody debris (CWD) volume and lower density of large trees with wildlife cavities compared to unmanaged stands. Despite these differences, both managed and unmanaged stands had sufficient amounts of large trees and large trees with wildlife cavities to maintain excavator bird habitat based on minimum target guidelines from the literature. In both managed and unmanaged stands, minimum target guidelines to emulate old-growth conditions were not met: at least 30 live trees ha⁻¹ >49.0 cm in diameter at breast height, and at least 11 m³ ha⁻¹ of downed CWD volume with large-end diameter >44.0 cm. We discuss management options to promote the development of structural attributes in managed, uneven-aged sugar maple stands.

The Gaia/IPHAS and Gaia/KIS value-added catalogues

We present a sub-arcsecond cross-match of Gaia DR2 against the INT Photometric H-alpha Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane Data Release 2 (IPHAS DR2) and the Kepler-INT Survey (KIS). The resulting value-added catalogues (VACs) provide additional precise photometry to the Gaia photometry (r, i and H-alpha for IPHAS, with additional U and g for KIS). In building the catalogue, proper motions given in \gaia\ DR2 are wound back to match the epochs of IPHAS DR2, thus ensuring high proper motion objects are appropriately cross-matched. The catalogues contain 7,927,224 and 791,071 sources for IPHAS and KIS, respectively. The requirement of >5-sigma parallax detection for every included source means that distances out to 1--1.5 kpc are well covered. We define two additional parameters for each catalogued object: (i) $f_c$, a magnitude-dependent tracer of the quality of the Gaia astrometric fit; (ii) $f_{FP}$, the false-positive rate for parallax measurements determined from astrometric fits of a given quality at a given magnitude. Selection cuts based on these parameters can be used to clean colour-magnitude and colour-colour diagrams in a controlled and justified manner. We provide both full and light versions of the VAC, with VAC-light containing only objects that represent our recommended trade-off between purity and completeness. Uses of the catalogues include the identification of new variable stars in the matched data sets, and more complete identification of H-alpha-excess emission objects thanks to separation of high-luminosity stars from the main sequence.

Effects of selection cuts on winter habitat use of snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) in northern temperate forests

Selection cutting is used in northern temperate forests where regeneration dynamics are driven by gap formation. By creating openings in the canopy, selection cutting modifies shrub cover, an important criterion in winter habitat selection by snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777), a key species in North American forests. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of selection cuts on snowshoe hare habitat and to evaluate the restoration of habitat quality over time. Occurrence indices for snowshoe hare (fecal pellets and tracks) were modelled according to habitat quality parameters for 22 hardwood stands that were subjected to selection cutting between 1993 and 2007 and 30 untreated stands (15 hardwood and 15 mixedwood) in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec. Model selection based on the Akaike second-order information criterion (AICc) identified lateral cover as the only habitat structure parameter having a positive effect on snowshoe hare abundance in the study sites. Indicators of snowshoe hare presence were highest in untreated mixedwood stands but more abundant in selection cuts than in untreated hardwood stands. The use of selection cuts by snowshoe hare increased with time since logging was performed. We conclude that selection cutting exerted a positive effect on the use of hardwood stands by snowshoe hare.

Efecto del manejo forestal sobre algunos servicios ecosistémicos en los bosques templados de México

Un elemento clave para favorecer un manejo forestal sustentable es conocer las compensaciones, sinergias y relaciones de los servicios ecosistémicos generados por los bosques. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo describir la relación entre el manejo forestal y algunos servicios ecosistémicos, en particular la conservación de la diversidad vegetal, producción de madera, regulación de los flujos del agua y el secuestro y almacenamiento de carbono en bosques templados de México. Se revisaron varias bases de datos bibliográficos para encontrar los estudios más relacionados con estos temas, compilándose 57 trabajos. El manejo forestal se materializa a través de prácticas que incluyen aclareos, cortas de regeneración, selección y otros tratamientos complementarios. De manera general, el manejo forestal impacta de forma positiva el abastecimiento de madera (materia prima) y el secuestro y almacén de carbono. Tiene un efecto variable en la conservación de la diversidad vegetal y negativo en el abastecimiento de flujos de agua, al menos al inicio de la intervención silvícola. El impacto y resiliencia del ecosistema depende de la escala espacial y temporal de la perturbación. La identificación, cuantificación y evaluación de las interacciones de los servicios ecosistémicos en los bosques templados de México, puede ayudar a los tomadores de decisiones a minimizar los impactos posibles del manejo forestal sobre los servicios ecosistémicos.

Misery loves company. Strategies for retrenchment in the era of constrained public finance

AbstractThe policy agenda literature shows that budget cuts tend to be rarer and less extreme than budget expansions. This article argues that the character of retrenchment policies is shaped by a combination of domestic and international factors, such as budgetary procedures, intra-coalitional conflicts, and the emergence of urgency situations. Building on the findings of several quantitative studies on budgetary changes, we develop two propositions explaining why the necessity to reduce expenditures usually leads to across-the-board cuts. We also hypothesize two mechanisms which can occasionally produce selective outcomes. This article focuses on the last 30 years to observe how the annual package of public finance corrections has impacted on the main categories of public spending. This analysis combines an original measure of the transformative nature of the yearly fiscal packages approved by parliament with process-tracing methodology. The qualitative analysis focuses on three cases of linear cuts and one deviant case of selective cuts. Findings show that the persistence of frictions in the Italian budgetary process is often a basic reason for the introduction of linear cuts, but the logic of urgency triggered by the European external constraint was able to produce a selective outcome.