The Politics of Trade Liberalization in the Presence of FDI Incentives

This paper examines whether inward FDI incentives can soften the political constraints associated with trade liberalization. After introducing the role of capital inflows into the political economy of trade framework pioneered by Grossman and Helpman (1994, 1995 and 1996), the paper traces the e¤ects of FDI incentives on the politically sustainable equilibrium level of trade protection. In particular, the paper shows that FDI incentives reduce the politically sustainable level of trade protection when capital-owners are politically organized, while they inhibit the process of trade liberalization when labor is the main influential political force. Welfare implications are also considered.

Do Depositors Discipline Swiss Banks?

In this paper, we test for the presence of market discipline in the Swiss deposit market. In particular, we examine whether depositors monitor their banks by withdrawing their saving deposits whenever the fundamentals of their bank is no longer satisfactory. We use a panel of bank-specific data an 250 Swiss banks over the period 1987-1998. We find considerable evidence of market discipline, in the sense that depositors are sensitive to bank-specific fundamentals, to institutional differences across bank groups, and to institutional changes in the Swiss depositor protection system. Our study complements the existing literature which predominantly builds on price indicators of market discipline (like yield spreads) by an approach based on quantities (the uninsured share of deposits). As few banks have traded debt outstanding, our approach is applicable to a much larger number of banks, including banks from non-industrialized countries.

Vascular Damage in Kidney Disease: Beyond Hypertension

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is highly prevalent and a multiplier of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cannot be completely explained by traditional Framinghan risk factors. Consequently, greater emphasis has been placed in nontraditional risk factors, such as inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, sympathetic overactivation, protein-energy wasting oxidative stress, vascular calcification, and volume overload. The accumulation of uremic toxins (and the involvement of genetic factors) is responsible for many of the clinical consequences of a condition known as uremia. In this brief paper, we discuss mechanisms involved in the vascular damage of CKD patients, aiming to point out that important factors beyond hypertension are largely responsible for endothelial activation and increased CVD risk, with potential impact on risk stratification and development of novel therapeutic options

MEDIDA SOCIOEDUCATIVA EM MEIO ABERTO: desafios à execução na Política de Assistência Social

RESUMO: O objetivo deste artigo é discutir como têm sido executadas as medidas socioeducativas em meio aberto (Liberdade Assistida e Prestação de Serviço à Comunidade) pela Política de Assistência Social. Foi realizado um estudo empírico, no segundo semestre de 2016, no CREAS do município de Tijucas de abordagem qualitativa, por meio de entrevista semiestruturada realizada com seis sujeitos da política de assistência social no município, representantes do Conselho Municipal dos Direitos da Criança e do Adolescente e com um(a) juiz(a) de direito, além da análise de documentos institucionais. Os dados sugerem importantes desafios técnicos, políticos e operacionais no cotidiano do acompanhamento aos adolescentes a serem superados – entre eles o da articulação intersetorial entre as políticas publicas – tendo em vista que esses tem dificultado o cumprimento da medida socioeducativa pelo adolescente autor de ato infracional, conforme determina o SINASE (Lei nº 12.594/2012)

Monitoramento do risco ambiental de agrotóxicos: princípios e recomendações.

Uso de Agrotóxicos no Brasil. Princípios do Monitoramento de Risco Ambiental. Exposição Ambiental aos Agrotóxicos. Efeitos Ambientais dos Agrotóxicos. Plano de Monitoramento do Risco Ambiental. Procedimentos de Amostragem. Indicadores de Risco Ambiental. Recomendações Técnicas para Monitoramento do Risco Ambiental.bitstream/CNPMA/5810/1/documentos_42.pd

La ordenanza de la edificación como instrumento de diseño urbano

La investigación tiene como objeto de estudio la morfología urbana de la ciudad de Recife como resultado de las ordenanzas puestas en práctica en la ciudad, particularmente aquellas de naturaleza normativa, elaboradas desde los principios del siglo XX hasta el inicio de los años de 1980. Enfoca el ideario del Movimiento Moderno traducido en la formulación de esas normativas y los modelos de ciudad previstos y resultantes de tales instrumentos. En el caso de la ciudad de Recife, las ordenanzas puestas en práctica en la década de 1950 consolidan las premisas del pensamiento moderno en la configuración de la ciudad, ya en curso en distintas ciudades durante la década de 1940, y auñan los modelos del pensamiento moderno, transformados y adaptados a las singularidades locales, resultando en un urbanismo que une las pautas del Movimiento Moderno sin perder las tradiciones urbanísticas de la ciudad. Así mismo, a partir de la década de 1950 ocurre un cambio importante en la manera de proyectar la ciudad, donde las ordenanzas de la edificación basadas en parámetros constructivos abstractos, en la cuantificación del volumen edificado, devienen protagonistas de la ordenación de las ciudades.The object of this research is the study of the urban morphology of the city of Recife as a result of its urban laws. The work focuses on how modern movement ideals translated into the formulation of the urban laws and the expected and observed results derived from it. In the case of the city of Recife, it’s urban laws from the 1950s strengthened the assumptions of modern ideals, already underway in several cities since the 1940s. However, transformed and adapted to local singularities, resulting in an urbanism that unites the principles of the modern ideals without losing sight of the urban’s traditions of Recife. Furthermore, it is after 1950 that the way to design the city changes and land usage laws based on abstract parameters and the quantification of the bucking building become protagonists in the city´s masterplanning.Peer Reviewe

The performance of crosslinking with divinyl sulfone as controlled by the interplay between the chemical modification and conformation of hyaluronic acid

Hyaluronic acid (HA) microparticles crosslinked with divinyl sulfone (DVS) are primarily used in viscosupplementation to restore the viscoelastic properties of synovial fluid in the treatment of joint diseases. The crosslinking degree provides the swelling and rheological properties required for injectable application and biological stability. In this work, we studied the effects of alkaline medium on the crosslinking performance between HA and DVS. The crosslinking degree was evaluated based on the modification of the swelling and rheological properties of HA microparticles crosslinked at 1/1 HA/DVS mass ratio. Stable microparticles were obtained by shearing in the narrow pH range of 11.79 to 12.63. The microparticles exhibited gel-like dynamic mechanical behavior in the frequency range examined. Alkalinity increased the swelling and decreased the viscoelasticity of the HA microparticles. Ultimately, the interplay between the chemical modification and conformation of HA chains may control viscoelasticity and swelling at the levels required for specific applications263506512CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQsem informaçã

Genetic characterization of Guinea-Bissau using a 12 X-chromosomal STR system: inferences from a multiethnic population

A male West African sample from Guinea-Bissau (West-African coast) was genetically analyzed using 12 X chromosomal short tandem repeats that are grouped into four haplotype groups. Linkage disequilibrium was tested (p ≤ 0.0008) and association was detected for the majority of markers in three out of the four studied haplotype clusters. The sample of 332 unrelated individuals analyzed in this study belonged to several recognized ethnic groups (n = 18) which were used to evaluate the genetic variation of Guinea-Bissau’s population. Pairwise genetic distances (FST) did not reveal significant differences among the majority of groups. An additional 110 samples from other countries also belonging to West Africa were as well compared with the sample of Guinea-Bissau. No significant differences were found between these two groups of West African individuals, supporting the genetic homogeneity of this region on the X chromosome level. The generation of over 100 DNA West African sequences provided new insights into the repeat sequence structure of some of the present X-STRs. Parameters for forensic evaluation were also calculated for each X-STR, supporting the potential application of these markers in typical kinship scenarios. Also, the high power of discrimination values for samples of female and male origin observed in this study, confirms the usefulness of the present X-STRs in identification analysis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio