Budgetary Separation of Powers in the American States and the Tax Level: A Regression Discontinuity Analysis

A political regime has budgetary separation of powers if the power with the prerogative to raise taxes is not the full residual claimant of a tax increase. In the American states two conditions are needed: the governor must have the line item veto, and the political interests of the legislative majority and the governor must not be perfectly aligned. Political alignment between the executive and the legislative depends on the numbers of seats the governor's party controls in the state legislature; it changes discontinuously as we move from a unifed to a divided government. We use regression discontinuity design to establish a causal relation between a divided government and lower tax rates in states with line item veto. In states with block veto such relation is not present. We estimate the jump in the tax level at the discontinuity semiparametrically.Separation of powers, line item veto, tax level, regression discontinuity, semiparametric.

Conductors\u27 Annotated Scores: A Comprehensive Study

Conductors’ annotations have a different nature and goal from those of orchestral musicians. The purpose of this study is to obtain a better understanding of the process of conductors’ annotations based on examined scores[1]collected from professional conductors and supported by a questionnaire answered by twenty-seven participants. Certain questions provided a better understanding of the elements used in conductors’ annotations. For example: Why do some conductors prefer to use symbols, words, numbers, or colors? What kind of annotations are more suitable to specific repertories? Why are reinforcement markings, although redundant, so popular among conductors and why do some conductors consider the score as a document that should not be modified under any circumstances? Analysis of the scores as well as the questionnaire responses show some similarities among conductors’ annotated scores and orchestra musicians’ annotations. However, the utility and nature of the conductors’ annotations are so unique that they resulted in a different outcome from the research of musicians’ annotations used as a reference for this research. Despite the similarities among conductors’ annotations, the study found no clearly defined or standardized process. Rather, the findings include individual solutions annotated by conductors to make the music more readable and to provide a unique, personal specific analysis in order to achieve a better understanding of the piece. Further research emphasizing the annotation process of world-renowned conductors and their practices across an array of works and musical styles should be undertaken as a means of determining their individual approaches to the art and craft of conducting. [1]This study used Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no 5, in E minor, Op.64 as reference instead of an open choice so that some aspects of the analysis could only be compared to the same musical content. However, some conductors sent an annotated score of other work, which the author accepted considering that the focus of this research was the annotations rather than the music itself

Consenso da Sociedade Brasileira de Cefaleia sobre o tratamento da migrânea crônica

Chronic migraine poses a significant personal, social and economic burden and is characterized by headache present on 15 or more days per month for at least three months, with at least eight days of migrainous headache per month. It is frequently associated with analgesic or acute migraine medication overuse and this should not be overlooked. The present consensus was elaborated upon by a group of members of the Brazilian Headache Society in order to describe current evidence and to provide recommendations related to chronic migraine pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment. Withdrawal strategies in medication overuse headache are also described, as well as treatment risks during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Oral topiramate and onabotulinum toxin A injections are the only treatments granted Class A recommendation, while valproate, gabapentin, and tizanidine received Class B recommendation, along with acupuncture. biofeedback, and mindfulness. The anti-CGRP or anti-CGRPr monoclonal antibodies, still unavailable in Brazil, are promising new drugs already approved elsewhere for migraine prophylactic treatment, the efficacy of which in chronic migraine is still to be definitively proven777509520A migrânea (enxaqueca) crônica determina uma carga pessoal, social e econômica significativa e é caracterizada por dor de cabeça presente em quinze ou mais dias por mês por ao menos três meses, com no mínimo oito dias de cefaleia migranosa a cada mês. É frequentemente associada ao uso excessivo de medicação analgésica ou antimigranosa aguda e isso não deve ser negligenciado. Este consenso foi elaborado por um grupo de membros da Sociedade Brasileira de Cefaleia, para descrever as evidências atualmente disponíveis e fornecer recomendações relacionadas ao tratamento farmacológico e não farmacológico da migrânea crônica. Estratégias de retirada na cefaleia por uso excessivo de medicamentos também são descritas, assim como os riscos dos tratamentos durante a gravidez e a amamentação. O topiramato oral e as injeções de toxina onabotulínica A são os únicos tratamentos que receberam a recomendação classe A, enquanto que o valproato, a gabapentina e a tizanidina receberam recomendação classe B, juntamente com acupuntura, biofeedback e mindfulness. Os anticorpos monoclonais anti-CGRP ou anti-CGRPr, ainda não disponíveis no Brasil, são novos fármacos promissores, já aprovados em outros países para o tratamento profilático da migrânea, cuja eficácia na migrânea crônica ainda está por ser definitivamente comprovad

Rationale, study design, and analysis plan of the Alveolar Recruitment for ARDS Trial (ART): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is associated with high in-hospital mortality. Alveolar recruitment followed by ventilation at optimal titrated PEEP may reduce ventilator-induced lung injury and improve oxygenation in patients with ARDS, but the effects on mortality and other clinical outcomes remain unknown. This article reports the rationale, study design, and analysis plan of the Alveolar Recruitment for ARDS Trial (ART). Methods/Design: ART is a pragmatic, multicenter, randomized (concealed), controlled trial, which aims to determine if maximum stepwise alveolar recruitment associated with PEEP titration is able to increase 28-day survival in patients with ARDS compared to conventional treatment (ARDSNet strategy). We will enroll adult patients with ARDS of less than 72 h duration. The intervention group will receive an alveolar recruitment maneuver, with stepwise increases of PEEP achieving 45 cmH(2)O and peak pressure of 60 cmH2O, followed by ventilation with optimal PEEP titrated according to the static compliance of the respiratory system. In the control group, mechanical ventilation will follow a conventional protocol (ARDSNet). In both groups, we will use controlled volume mode with low tidal volumes (4 to 6 mL/kg of predicted body weight) and targeting plateau pressure <= 30 cmH2O. The primary outcome is 28-day survival, and the secondary outcomes are: length of ICU stay; length of hospital stay; pneumothorax requiring chest tube during first 7 days; barotrauma during first 7 days; mechanical ventilation-free days from days 1 to 28; ICU, in-hospital, and 6-month survival. ART is an event-guided trial planned to last until 520 events (deaths within 28 days) are observed. These events allow detection of a hazard ratio of 0.75, with 90% power and two-tailed type I error of 5%. All analysis will follow the intention-to-treat principle. Discussion: If the ART strategy with maximum recruitment and PEEP titration improves 28-day survival, this will represent a notable advance to the care of ARDS patients. Conversely, if the ART strategy is similar or inferior to the current evidence-based strategy (ARDSNet), this should also change current practice as many institutions routinely employ recruitment maneuvers and set PEEP levels according to some titration method.Hospital do Coracao (HCor) as part of the Program 'Hospitais de Excelencia a Servico do SUS (PROADI-SUS)'Brazilian Ministry of Healt

Replication data for: Incumbency Effects in a Comparative Perspective: Evidence from Brazilian Mayoral Elections

High rerunning rates among incumbents and among the two major parties, allow studies of US incumbency advantage to bypass the selection problem of who chooses to rerun. In countries where rerunning is not widespread among individuals or parties, estimation using methods developed for the US may result in a sample selection bias. In countries with party switching, there may be a disconnect between party and individual estimates. This paper proposes a definition of incumbency advantage that is valid for countries that present any of these characteristics and that is valid for cross-country comparison: the effect of incumbency for an individual politician on the unconditional probability of winning. I illustrate the issues raised in this paper with evidence from Brazilian Mayoral elections