Legal Families and Environmental Protection: Is there a Causal Relationship?

In this paper we build up the analysis of La Porta et al. (1998), to investigate the importance of legal families in explaining the variations in pollution emissions in different countries. The main intuition behind our analysis is that the nations in which the rights of shareholders are more protected, promote real and financial investment; this increases the speed at which the per-capita income corresponding to the declining branch of the Environmental Kutznets Curve (EKC) is achieved. In econometrics different regression analyses were performed using as dependent variables three different kinds of pollutants (CO2, fine suspended particulates and waste), including as an explanation some financial variables never before considered in this kind of study.Dummy Variables, Environmental Kutznets Curve, Legal Families, Panel Data, Pollution Emissions

Natural Resources Dynamics: Another Look

In this paper we study the problem of exhaustible resources and renewable resources in a theoretical endogenous growth framework, under various assumptions. In particular, we consider the hypotheses that those two inputs are or are not technologically perfect substitutes of each other. Moreover, we develop the starting model accounting for the negative externality of waste accumulation. Finally, a comparative analysis is made between Pigouvian tax and waste recycling as an environmental policy to internalize the negative externality represented by refuse accumulation.Economic growth, Endogenous technological progress, Exhaustible resources, Pigouvian taxes, Renewable natural inputs, Technological substitutability

Is the Discount Rate Relevant in Explaining the Environmental Kuznets Curve?

In this paper we use Pindyck’s model (2002) to show that the discount rate may play an important role in explaining for the income-pollution pattern observed in the real world. Low levels of income involve high values of discount rate, that are obstacles to the adoption of a pollution abatement policy. Only when the discount rate falls, as a consequence of growth, will it be possible to implement measures for emissions reduction. Thus we are able to derive an inverse U-shaped income-pollution pattern, making use of an argument that has never yet been introduced in the economic debate on this issue.Discount rate, Environmental Kuznets Curve, Income, Stock pollutants

The international strengthening of IPR and air pollution abatement: the role of the TRIPs agreement

This paper comes in the wake of the literature considering technological progress as the main device to offset air pollution caused by economic activity. The issue has been extensively studied in general, but there is no previous research on the effects that an international strengthening of legal protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) due to the Uruguay Round Agreement and the Annex on Trade-Related aspects of the IPR (TRIPs, for short), underwritten in 1994, may have had on worldwide emissions, as a result of the discovery of new or more efficient air pollution abatement technologies. Different econometric models are used to give a quantitative measure of the TRIPs agreement to reduce air pollution. In particular, the impact of the TRIPs is addressed using a dummy variable and the index of Ginarte and Park (Ginarte, Park 1997) that is one of the more commonly used indicators of TRIPs enforcement employed in economic literature. The findings of this research partially support the idea that the strengthening of a uniform minimum standard protection level of IPR, among the member countries of the World Trade Organization, may help to reduce air pollution emissions

Nanopower CMOS transponders for UHF and microwave RFID systems

At first, we present an analysis and a discussion of the design options and tradeoffs for a passive microwave transponder. We derive a set of criteria for the optimization of the voltage multiplier, the power matching network and the backscatter modulator in order to optimize the operating range. In order to match the strictly power requirements, the communication protocol between transponder and reader has been chosen in a convenient way, in order to make the architecture of the passive transponder very simple and then ultra-low-power. From the circuital point of view, the digital section has been implemented in subthreshold CMOS logic with very low supply voltage and clock frequency. We present different solutions to supply power to the transponder, in order to keep the power consumption in the deep sub-µW regime and to drastically reduce the huge sensitivity of the subthreshold logic to temperature and process variations. Moreover, a low-voltage and low-power EEPROM in a standard CMOS process has been implemented. Finally, we have presented the implementation of the entire passive transponder, operating in the UHF or microwave frequency range

Drinking wine at home: Hedonic analysis of sicilian wines using quantile regression

Abstract: In recent decades, the Sicilian wine industry has experienced a booming expansion because of the growing preferences of Italian consumers for Sicilian wines, especially in extra-regional markets. These consumers have been paying closer attention to Sicilian premium wines. For this reason, the objective of this study is to inform professional investors and wine managers about the consumer preferences with respect to the most important segment categories of domestically consumed Sicilian wines. Using the quantile regression technique, we analyzed the role of wine attributes and prices as an information tool in order to value for each wine segment the implicit price of the attributes affecting wine consumers\u2019 choices. The results indicate that Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Geographical Indication (PGI) certification is the main determinant in the wine price mechanisms and certified wines achieve premium prices that are progressively higher as the price level of the wine increases. Furthermore the effect of the brand on price formation seems to have a significant impact for low-end wines, whereas it has no specific impact on the price mechanism for high-end wines. Keywords: Consumer Scan Dataset, Geographic Origin, Hedonic Price, Robust Regression, Wine Consumptio

Double localization and multiple recurrences of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans of the female breast: A rare clinical case

Not availabl

Practical approach to respiratory emergencies in neurological diseases

Many neurological diseases may cause acute respiratory failure (ARF) due to involvement of bulbar respiratory center, spinal cord, motoneurons, peripheral nerves, neuromuscular junction, or skeletal muscles. In this context, respiratory emergencies are often a challenge at home, in a neurology ward, or even in an intensive care unit, influencing morbidity and mortality. More commonly, patients develop primarily ventilatory impairment causing hypercapnia. Moreover, inadequate bulbar and expiratory muscle function may cause retained secretions, frequently complicated by pneumonia, atelectasis, and, ultimately, hypoxemic ARF. On the basis of the clinical onset, two main categories of ARF can be identified: (i) acute exacerbation of chronic respiratory failure, which is common in slowly progressive neurological diseases, such as movement disorders and most neuromuscular diseases, and (ii) sudden-onset respiratory failure which may develop in rapidly progressive neurological disorders including stroke, convulsive status epilepticus, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, phrenic neuropathy, myasthenia gravis, and Guillain-Barr\ue9 syndrome. A tailored assistance may include manual and mechanical cough assistance, noninvasive ventilation, endotracheal intubation, invasive mechanical ventilation, or tracheotomy. This review provides practical recommendations for prevention, recognition, management, and treatment of respiratory emergencies in neurological diseases, mostly in teenagers and adults, according to type and severity of baseline disease

Autonomic function in elderly uremics studied by spectral analysis of heart rate

Autonomic function in elderly uremics studied by spectral analysis of heart rate.BackgroundAging determines an altered response of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) to physiologic stresses. A widespread autonomic damage is well recognized in chronic renal failure (CRF).MethodsWe studied 30 CRF patients, aged 19 to 85 years, who were on bicarbonate hemodialysis. Surface electrocardiogram was recorded on lying and 65° head-up tilt standing positions. A dedicated software, using an autoregressive modeling technique, allowed to calculate power spectral analysis (PSA) of heart rate variability, assessing a low-frequency band in the range 0.03 to 0.15 Hz, and a high-frequency band in the range 0.15 to 0.33 Hz. Low-frequency and high-frequency components are regarded, but not invariably, as specific markers of sympathetic and parasympathetic activities, respectively, and the low-frequency/high frequency ratio as an index of sympathovagal balance.ResultsIn normal controls, low-frequency band value and low-frequency/high-frequency ratio on standing resulted significantly reduced in the group older than 65 years when compared with those younger than 65 years; an opposite finding was seen in high-frequency band value on standing. In uremic patients, low-frequency band on lying resulted significantly lower only in elderly uremics when compared with elderly controls, whereas low-frequency band on standing was significantly lower in elderly than in younger uremics. Regression analysis showed a significant inverse relationship between aging and most low-frequency band values, especially in uremics. The comparison of linear regression models confirmed that a sympathetic autonomic derangement is greatly present in older uremics, in particular after 50 years of age.ConclusionOur data support assertion that combination of aging and CRF increases the chance of autonomic derangement being present