Evaluating administrative burdens through SCM: some indications from the Italian experience

A methodology to measure administrative burdens, based on the Dutch Standard Cost Model (SCM), has been applied in a large number of European countries, coupled in most cases with the commitment to a reduction target. This paper compares the application of the method in different national context and discusses its weaknesses and strengths against more complete forms of evaluation of the adequacy of regulation. The paper also discusses some indication arisen during the measurement of administrative burdens through SCM in Italy. Our main conclusion is that the SCM is a potentially useful tool and could provide motivation for culture change in policymaking. Its major strength, which lies mainly in its pragmatic approach and the possibility of commitment on a quantitative target, may be at the same time a source of weakness and may deliver some misleading results. Also some basic concepts of the model need a more rigorous definition to be consistently applied in different countries.administrative burdens; better regulation; costs of regulation; European governance; standard cost model

Mixed Partial Derivatives and Fubini\u27s Theorem

A most fascinating aspect of calculus is its power to surprise even an experienced mathemat ician. Just when it appears that all ideas, results and connections have been discovered and thorough ly analyzed, the horizon suddenly broadens and somebody cries the familiar eureka . The reason could be either a new result, a simpler way to prove an existing theorem, or a previously missed connection between different ideas. This potential for enrichment is second to none, and it reaffirms the unparalleled educational value of this area of mathematics

Global Stability and Plus-Global Stability. An Application to Forward Neural Networks

A necessary and sufficient condition for a discrete dynamical system to be globally stable and plus-globally stable are first established in Section 2. The V-condition is introduced and Theorems 3.5 and 3.7 are presented in Section 3. The two theorems link the V-condition to the most relevant properties of globally stable and plus-globally stable discrete dynamical systems. In Section 4 we provide a simple application to a convergence problem for forward neural networks

A novel approach to cancer therapy using melanin-containing patches

In recent decades, the incidence of melanoma has been steadily raising, even if it is still considered to be a rare cancer. In contrast with what is observed in other solid tumors, melanomas principally affect young and middle-aged individuals who are often still in the prime of their carriers and are involved in raising a family. Surgery is the first-line treatment, in particular for early-stage melanomas; unfortunately, patients often develop metastasis, and the presence of a first tumor increases the chance to develop a second melanoma (1)

Population parameters of the sea urchin Arbacia dufresnii (Blainville, 1825) from North Patagonian gulfs invaded by kelp Undaria pinnatifida (Harvey) Suringar, 1873

Undaria pinnatifida, es un alga que ha invadido la costa de Argentina hace más de 20 años y presenta diferentes tiempos de invasión en distintos sitios. Dado que los erizos de mar son herbívoros generalistas que suelen tener un rol relevante en la resistencia a la invasión de algas, y que Arbacia dufresnii es el erizo de mar más abundante en las zonas costeras del norte de la Patagonia, el objetivo de esta trabajo fue relacionar parámetros poblacionales de este equinoideo con la presencia del alga invasora. Durante el año 2012 se realizaron muestreos en diferentes momentos del año, de acuerdo al ciclo de vida del alga, en sitios con una invasión avanzada de U. pinnatifida (Golfo Nuevo), invadidos recientemente (Golfo San José, Punta Tehuelche) y un sitio no invadido (Golfo San José, Zona 39). Los sitios invadidos por U. pinnatifida presentaron mayor densidad del erizo de mar respecto de las zonas desprovistas del alga invasora. A su vez, la densidad de A. dufresnii varió con el ciclo de vida del alga. Esto fue acompañado por variaciones en la distribución de tallas. De esta forma, bajo la hipótesis de que disponibilidad de alimento influencia el tamaño corporal y en la densidad poblacional de los erizos de mar, los cambios comunitarios producidos por la formación de las praderas estacionales de U. pinnatifida y la posibilidad de que sea nueva fuente de alimento estacional para el erizo mar, afectarían los parámetros poblacionales de A. dufresnii. A su vez, la superficie proporcionada por el alga invasora en determinadas épocas del año permitiría el asentamiento o protección a los reclutas del equinoideo.The Asian seaweed Undaria pinnatifida invaded Argentina in 1992 (Golfo Nuevo, Patagonia). Its range has expanded and it has changed the native benthic community. Sea urchins are usually generalist herbivores that have a key role in controlling seaweeds. Arbacia dufresnii is the most abundant sea urchin in the coastal areas of northern Patagonia. The aim of this study was to relate the population parameters of A. dufresnii to the presence of the invasive seaweed. In 2012 we sampled sites with different invasion stages (advanced: Golfo Nuevo, recently invaded: San José Gulf, Punta Tehuelche; no invasion: San José Gulf, Zona 39). Sea urchin density was higher in the invaded sites and varied with the seaweed cycle. In addition, there were variations in the size distribution in the invaded sites. The invasive algae probably affects urchin populations because it is a new source of food that changes environmental structure (it provides microhabitat for new recruits) and affects the native benthic community.Fil: Epherra, Lucía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral; ArgentinaFil: Martelli, Antonela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos; ArgentinaFil: Morsan, Enrique Mario. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Biología Marina y Pesquera Almirante Storni; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rubilar Panasiuk, Cynthia Tamara. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia; Argentin

Semaine d'Etude Mathématiques et Entreprises 5 : Reconstruction de couches géologiques à partir de données discrètes

Ce rapport synthétise le travail de recherche mis en oeuvre durant la cinquième Semaine d'Etude Maths-Entreprises à l'Ecole des Mines de Nancy. Le sujet a été proposé par le consortium GOCAD: comment reconstituer efficacement le sous-sol terrestre à partir de données discrètes éparses ? Un état de l'art est d'abord effectué sur les différentes méthodes existantes : cokrigeage statistique (Calcagno et al., 2008), discrétisation numérique (Caumon et al., 2013) et modélisation physique entre deux horizons géologiques (Hjelle and Petersen, 2011). Ensuite, nous avons tenté d'adapter l'approche (Hjelle and Petersen, 2011) à notre problématique. Il s'agit de représenter chaque couche géologique par les points d'annulation d'une fonction dont l'évolution est gérée par une loi qui contient les informations connues et permettra la reconstitution in fine du sous-sol. Finalement, on effectue la résolution numérique de l'équation de Hamilton-Jacobi associée à cette loi de propagation, s'aidant de (Osher and Fedkiw, 2003). Par souci de simplicité et surtout par manque de temps, le modèle sera résolu numériquement en 2-D et sans failles