The DR-CAFTA and the extensive margin : a firm-level analysis

This paperexamines the export behavior of Dominican Republic exporters following the implementation of the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement in 2007. Using a firm-level dataset for 2002-2009, the authors investigate the effects of a tariff reduction on the extensive margin. The analysis distinguishes the impact on the entry of new firms, exports of new products, and entry into the Agreement’s markets. The paper analyzes whether the agreement prevents incumbent exporters from exiting the market. The results suggest that tariff cuts had a positive although very small effect on the extensive margin. A decline in tariffs also seems to reduce the probability of exit, but the effect is also small. The evidence calls for complementary policies aiming at helping exporters maximize the benefits of the agreement.Free Trade,Markets and Market Access,Debt Markets,Export Competitiveness,Trade Policy

Transcranial magnetic stimulation as a new tool to control pain perception.

Treatment for chronic pain is frequently unsuccessful or characterized by side-effects. The high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) has been suggested in the management of refractory chronic pain. Various studies have shown that HF-rTMS sessions of long-duration applied at primary motor cortex induce pain relief through mechanisms of plastic changes. Efficacy of rTMS mostly depends on stimulation parameters, but this aspect requires better characterization. A rationale to target other cortical areas exists. Current data are promising, but a careful analysis of stimulation settings and maintenance treatment design are need

Measuring and modelling Internet diffusion using second level domains: the case of Italy

The last 10 years witnessed an exponential growth of the Internet. According to Hobbes' Internet Timeline, the Internet hosts are about 93 million, while in 1989 they were 100,000. The same happens for second level domain names. In July 1989 the registered domains were about 3,900 while they were over 2 million in July 2000. This paper reports about the construction of a database containing daily observations on registrations of second level domain names underneath the it ccTLD in order to analyse the diffusion of Internet among families and businesses. The section of the database referring to domains registered by individuals is analysed. The penetration rate over the relevant population of potential adopters is computed at highly disaggregated geographical level (province). A concentration analysis is carried out to investigate whether the geographical distribution of Internet is less concentrated than population and income suggesting a diffusive effect. Regression analysis is carried out using demographic, social, economic and infrastructure indicators. Finally we briefly describe the further developments of our research. At the present we are constructing a database containing domains registered by firms together with data about the registrants; the idea is to use this new database and the previous one in order to check for the existence of power laws both in the number of domains registered in each province and in the number of domains registered by each firm.Domain names, Internet metrics, Diffusion, Power laws, Zipf s law

State- or trait-like individual differences in dream recall. Preliminary findings from a within-subjects study of multiple nap REM sleep awakenings

We examined the question whether the role of EEG oscillations in predicting presence/absence of dream recall (DR) is explained by "state-" or "trait-like" factors. Six healthy subjects were awakened from REM sleep in a within-subjects design with multiple naps, until a recall and a non-recall condition were obtained. Naps were scheduled in the early afternoon and were separated by 1 week. Topographical EEG data of the 5-min of REM sleep preceding each awakening were analyzed by power spectral analysis [Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)] and by a method to detect oscillatory activity [Better OSCillations (BOSC)]. Both analyses show that REC is associated to higher frontal theta activity (5-7 Hz) and theta oscillations (6.06 Hz) compared to NREC condition, but only the second comparison reached significance. Our pilot study provides support to the notion that sleep and wakefulness share similar EEG correlates of encoding in episodic memories, and supports the "state-like hypothesis": DR may depend on the physiological state related to the sleep stage from which the subject is awakened rather than on a stable individual EEG pattern

Radioactivity in drinking water: regulations, monitoring results and radiation protection issues

INTRODUCTION: Drinking waters usually contain several natural radionuclides: tritium, radon, radium, uranium isotopes, etc. Their concentrations vary widely since they depend on the nature of the aquifer, namely, the prevailing lithology and whether there is air in it or not. AIMS: In this work a broad overview of the radioactivity in drinking water is presented: national and international regulations, for limiting the presence of radioactivity in waters intended for human consumption; results of extensive campaigns for monitoring radioactivity in drinking waters, including mineral bottled waters, carried out throughout the world in recent years; a draft of guidelines for the planning of campaigns to measure radioactivity in drinking water proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (ARPA) of Lombardia

In response to: Collet-Sicard Syndrome After Jefferson Fracture.

We read with great interest the recent article by Shahrvini et al. concerning Collect-Sicard syndrome after Jefferson fracture.1 The authors present a detailed report of the syndrome in an aged woman after an accidental forward fall with head injury. This case is unique, as we found no geriatric patients with associated Jefferson fracture in our previous review of Collect-Sicard syndrome

The great imitator

B.K. a Moroccan 32-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for abdominal pain and vomiting. He showed an increase of inflammation indexes, abdominal free fluid, axillary, inguinal and abdominal lymphadenitis, pleural effusion, ascites and thickened intestinal walls. The patient also presented alopecia and facial erythema, a positive anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) test (1:1280). Lastly the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was made. The patient was treated with high doses of corticosteroid; abdominal pain decreased and pleural effusion and ascites disappeared. After several days he started to complain of significant chest pain. He had a troponin increased above 100 ng/mL, modified electrocardiogram, pericardial effusion and edema of ventricular walls as in myocarditis. The patient was treated successfully with cyclophosphamide and pericardial effusion and chest pain disappeared. After 1 month at the hospital the patient was discharged and referred to a rheumatologist for the follow up. Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease in which autoantibodies and immune-complexes damage heart, joints, skin, blood vessels, liver, kidneys and the nervous system. Ninety percent of individual diagnosed with SLE are women. The course is unpredictable with periods of acute illness alternating with periods of remission. This is a typical disease that requires a differential diagnosis, because the symptoms may vary widely and are unpredictable. According to the American College of Rheumatology, which drew up a reference list of 11 symptoms, SLE is confirmed when 4 out of the 11 symptoms are present simultaneously or symptoms overlap on two separate occasions. Treatment can include corticosteroids and antimalarial drugs, intravenous immunoglobulins and cytotoxic drugs such as cyclophosphamide. Our case is exceptional because it is rare for a young man to be affected. He had 5 out of 11 symptoms: malar rash, serositis, arthritis, hematologic disorder and ANA test positive

The organizational reasons for wrongdoing. The case of Italy’s Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSM)

Many scholars have highlighted the individual, organizational and inter-organizational causes of organizational wrongdoing; others have focused on its (negative) consequences or have analyzed how it can persist and spread between organizations. An underlining assumption shared by many of those studies is that organizational wrongdoing is a deviant, society-damaging phenomenon originating from individual and organizational actors' pursuit of undue advantages. We argue that, at least in some cases, actors may also have "organizational reasons" for wrongdoing, besides self-interest. This article aims at analyzing the organizational reasons for wrongdoing in the CSM affair, a scandal that shed light on the deviant practices for career paths within the Italian judiciary system. By relying on documents and several semi-structured interviews to judges, public prosecutors, and experts in the field, we reconstructed actual practices for career advancement (extra-legal governance) and compared them with formal policies (legal governance). Our analysis shows that deviant practices were not merely occasional episodes of favoritism, but were part of an extra-legal governance system that involved virtually all of Italy's judges. We also found that the CSM decoupled formal policies from actual practices to manage two organizational trade-offs - bureaucratic rules vs. efficiency, and independence vs. accountability. Therefore, besides individual gain, actors had two major "organizational reasons" for wrongdoing: first, they needed to cope with a lack of organizational capabilities and resources; second, they needed to address calls for greater accountability. In the light of our findings, we conclude with some considerations about organizational learning and the relation between law, organizations, and wrongdoing

The Compound Muscle Action Potential as Neurophysiological Marker for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Objectives: To definite the peripheral nervous involvement in ALS through the repeated use of the compound motor action potential (CMAP) to test the progression of disease, to determine different change of phrenic CMAP and forced vital capacity (FVC) in spinal and bulbar onset, and to establish clinical and neurophysiological features of patients with poor prognosis. Material & Methods: CMAP from phrenic, ulnar, and medial plantar nerves, Medical Research Council (MRC) score, revised ALS functional rating scale (ALSFRS-R) and FVC were evaluated in 117 ALS patients every three months in one year-period. Results: Bulbar onset patients had lower FVC but similar amplitude of phrenic CMAP at baseline compared to spinal onset patients. The patients with poor prognosis had lower phrenic CMAP and FVC at baseline. CMAP values, when compared to the rate found in the previous visit, reduced significantly in both poor and good prognosis groups during the entire follow-up period, while the FVC reduced significantly only in the first three months. Conclusions: CMAP is a reproducible sensitive marker for motor neurons loss and collateral reinnervation in ALS also in a short period of time. The changes in CMAP, MRC, FVC and ALSFRS-R score resulted correlated, but CMAP is the only parameter with the advantage to demonstrate objectively the progression of disease in both patients with poor and good prognosis for the entire period of follow-up. It should be used as clinical outcome of ALS in clinical trials, taking advantage of its objectivity and selectivity for peripheral nervous system study