Twin Crises and the Financial Accelerator

The incidence of simultaneous banking and currency crises is a recurring theme in emerging economies operating under fixed or quasi-fixed exchange rates. This thesis conducts an empirical analysis of the underlying determinants of so called “twin crises” by applying a probit econometric model to a sample of 48 emerging economies during the 1980-2013 period. Current account deficits are found to be a robust driver of twin crises, with vulnerability increasing in the size of the deficit relative to GDP. There is also evidence that real exchange rate appreciation and higher levels of short-term debt relative to reserves increase crisis probability. Recommendations for prevention policies include a reduction in agency costs through improved regulation and data transparency, the implementation of a managed float exchange rate regime, and the use of price-based controls on capital inflows

Caveat Emptor! The Rhetoric of Choice in Food Politics

This project is about a form of corporate predation that entails both policy influence and cultural legitimation. Neoliberal explanations of the inability of citizens to thrive in the current socio- economic condition typically rest on a combination of victim-blaming and appeals to the individualistic rhetoric that assumes we all enjoy equality of opportunity and freedom of choice. It is common for corporate lobbyists, and politicians under their influence, to argue against consumer protection on the grounds that such efforts are paternalistic, and that they therefore undermine consumer sovereignty. By this logic, illnesses that are highly correlated to diet are problems that consumers can avoid, and it is not the duty of food companies or government to prevent consumers from making “bad choices.” Implicit in this moralistic narrative is that consumers have sufficient knowledge about the alternatives to enable them to make “good choices.” Major food lobbies use their political influence to oppose government regulations of food, based on the reasoning that consumers deserve the right to choose. Food industry groups also will sometimes invest heavily to prevent legal requirements to disclose information that might enable consumers to make informed choices, creating a predatory double-bind. In this essay, I discuss how the rhetoric of choice is employed by the food industry, how it is formulated within the political context of the United States, and how that rhetoric poses threats to food systems globally

Synthetic Studies on the Pseudopterosins and trans-4-Methyl-L-Proline

The Pseudopterosin family of diterpene glycosides was isolated in 1986 from the Caribbean sea-plume Pseudopterogorgia elisabethea. Pseudopterosin E is one of the most potent anti-inflammatory agents currently know, being fifty times more active than indomethacin in preventing phorbol myristate acetate topically-induced inflammation in the mouse ear oedema model. In the first section of this thesis, an attempted synthetic strategy towards Pseudopterosin E is reported. Our initial retrosynthesis adopted an intramolecular Diels- Alder reaction (IMDA) to form the tricarbocyclic core of the natural product. It was envisaged that elaboration of the IMDA product would lead to a key intermediate in the Corey et al. synthesis of Pseudopterosin E. The remainder of our synthesis would be after Corey. Free trans-4-methyl-L-proline was first obtained from Worcester Pearmain apples in 1952. It is a constituent part of several natural products; Grisemelycin, Mycoplanecin A, and the Monamycins, all of which have potent biological activity profiles. In the second section of this thesis, several synthetic approaches to trans-4- methyl-L-proline are reported

A letra da Lei: as telecomunicações e a pessoa corporativa

Este artigo examina a regulação da propriedade da televisão a cabo e da telefonia nos Estados Unidos, especialmente no que diz respeito à razão histórica e às implicações associadas para o fortalecimento contínuo do tratamento das infra-estruturas de telecomunicações como propriedade privada. Apesar do fato de que esses sistemas originaram um significante grau de presença pública, no caso da história da regulação do cabo, eles foram tudo menos concessões em prol dos esforços para definir e impor obrigações de interesse público aos proprietários dos sistemas. Com essa autonomia privada, os donos de operadoras de tv a cabo  desfrutaram dos benefícios libertários da Primeira Emenda, ao mesmo tempo em que detinham largos poderes para censurar a expressão nas suas redes controlando o acesso e exercitando outras formas de discriminação aos programadores de canais televisivos. Este poder foi recentemente incrementado pela decisão do Supremo Tribunal estado-unidense que afirma o direito dos proprietários de redes físicas de cabo de discriminar provedores de Internet que buscam sua capacidade excedente de rede, um modelo que as companhias telefônicas têm intenção de adotar. Com poderes desenfreados de censura privada, que está além do alcance dos tribunais, combinada a uma tremenda e largamente desregulada capacidade de sobrevivência, as companhias de TV a cabo são um exemplo de aparatos repressivos para silenciar e monitorar a liberdade de expressão pública e a discordância com a implícita benção do governo federal

Factors associated with material deprivation in persons with multiple sclerosis in Switzerland: Cross-sectional data from the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry.

BACKGROUND Multiple sclerosis (MS) impacts education, future career pathways and working capability and therefore may negatively impact the financial situation of persons with MS (pwMS) in Switzerland. We therefore investigated the financial situation and its influencing sociodemographic and disease-specific factors of pwMS compared to the general Swiss population with focus on material deprivation (MD). METHODS Data on the financial situation of pwMS were collected via a specific questionnaire added to the regular, semi-annual follow-up assessments of the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry. Questions were taken in an unmodified format from the standardized "Statistics on Income and Living Conditions" (SILC) questionnaire 2019 of the Federal Statistical Office of Switzerland which evaluates the financial situation of the general Swiss population, enabling a direct comparison of pwMS with the general Swiss population. RESULTS PwMS were 1.5 times more frequently affected by MD than the general Swiss population (6.3% of pwMS versus 4.2% of the general Swiss population) which was confirmed in a multivariable logistic regression analysis of pooled SILC and Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry (SMSR) data. High symptom burden, having only mandatory schooling, well as having a pending disability insurance application (as opposed to no application or receiving benefits) were associated with a higher odds of MD whereas higher education, older age, having a Swiss citizenship, living with a spouse or a partner or being currently employed were independently associated with a lower odds of MD. CONCLUSION MS has a negative impact on the financial situation and is associated with MD. PwMS with a high symptom burden at the transition from work force to receiving disability benefits appeared to be vulnerable for MD. Higher education, older age, having a Swiss citizenship, living with a spouse or a partner or being currently employed were independently associated with a lower odds of MD

Colloidal stability of nanoparticles derived from simulated cloud-processed mineral dusts.

AbstractLaboratory simulation of cloud processing of three model dust types with distinct Fe-content (Moroccan dust, Libyan dust and Etna ash) and reference goethite and ferrihydrite were conducted in order to gain a better understanding of natural nanomaterial inputs and their environmental fate and bioavailability. The resulting nanoparticles (NPs) were characterised for Fe dissolution kinetics, aggregation/size distribution, micromorphology and colloidal stability of particle suspensions using a multi-method approach. We demonstrated that the: (i) acid-leachable Fe concentration was highest in volcanic ash (1mMg−1 dust) and was followed by Libyan and Moroccan dust with an order of magnitude lower levels; (ii) acid leached Fe concentration in theLibyan dust). The common occurrence of Fe-rich "natural nanoparticles" in atmospheric dust derived materials may indicate their more ubiquitous presence in the marine environment than previously thought

Differentiation-Driven Nucleolar Association of the Mouse Imprinted Kcnq1 Locus

The organization of the genome within the mammalian nucleus is nonrandom, with physiologic processes often concentrated in specific three-dimensional domains. This organization may be functionally related to gene regulation and, as such, may play a role in normal development and human disease processes. However, the mechanisms that participate in nuclear organization are poorly understood. Here, we present data characterizing localization of the imprinted Kcnq1 alleles. We show that nucleolar association of the paternal allele (1) is stimulated during the differentiation of trophoblast stem cells, (ii) is dependent upon the Kcnq1ot1 noncoding RNA, (3) does not require polycomb repressive complex 2, and (4) is not sufficient to preclude transcription of imprinted genes. Although nucleolar positioning has been proposed as a mechanism to related to gene silencing, we find that silencing and perinucleolar localization through the Kcnq1ot1 noncoding RNA are separable events

Major depressive disorder subtypes and depression symptoms in multiple sclerosis: What is different compared to the general population?

OBJECTIVE To compare and characterize major depressive disorder (MDD) subtypes (i.e., pure atypical, pure melancholic and mixed atypical-melancholic) and depression symptoms in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) with persons without MS (Pw/oMS) fulfilling the DSM-5 criteria for a past 12-month MDD. METHODS MDD in PwMS (n = 92) from the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry was compared with Pw/oMS (n = 277) from a Swiss community-based study. Epidemiological MDD diagnoses were based on the Mini-SPIKE (shortened form of the Structured Psychopathological Interview and Rating of the Social Consequences for Epidemiology). Logistic and multinomial regression analyses (adjusted for sex, age, civil status, depression and severity) were computed for comparisons and characterization. Latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted to empirically identify depression subtypes in PwMS. RESULTS PwMS had a higher risk for the mixed atypical-melancholic MDD subtype (OR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.03-4.80) compared to Pw/oMS. MDD in PwMS was specifically characterized by a higher risk of the two somatic atypical depression symptoms 'weight gain' (OR = 6.91, 95% CI = 2.20-21.70) and 'leaden paralysis' (OR = 3.03, 95% CI = 1.35-6.82) and the symptom 'irritable/angry' (OR = 3.18, 95% CI = 1.08-9.39). CONCLUSIONS MDD in PwMS was characterized by a higher risk for specific somatic atypical depression symptoms and the mixed atypical-melancholic MDD subtype. The pure atypical MDD subtype, however, did not differentiate between PwMS and Pw/oMS. Given the high phenomenological overlap with MS symptoms, the mixed atypical-melancholic MDD subtype represents a particular diagnostic challenge