Does trade creation by social and business networks hold in services? An analysis for Accommodation and Restaurants in Spain

Recent literature on the border effect fostered research on informal barriers to trade and the role of networks promoting it. In relation to social networks, it has been shown that the intensity of trade of goods is positively correlated with the migration flows between any pair of countries/regions. In this article it is investigated if such a relation also holds for the Spanish domestic trade flows of services. With this aim, a gravity model rooted in the Dixit–Stiglitz–Krugman theoretical frameworks is used taking advantage of a unique dataset on interregional trade flows of some of the main sectors linked to Tourism, namely, Accommodation and Restaurants. A different analysis of each sector separately is carried out, finding a big positive effect for Restaurants, but no effect for the Hostel industry. These novel results can be explained by forces driving the demand in each sector. Migration linkages are measured by means of Register data, regarding the stock of people born in each region living in the others. Business networks are approached by a matrix of companies in different regions operating in these key sectors that are connected.Gravity model; bilateral exports; border effect; Social and business networks; internal migration; interregional trade.

Integration of the EU Consumer Credit Market: Proposal for a More Efficient Regulatory Model. CEPS Working Documents No. 213, 1 November 2004

Since the adoption of the current Consumer Credit Directive 87/102/EC in 1986, the EU consumer credit market has changed significantly in terms of size and structure. Although amendments were introduced in 1990 and 1999, the Directive no longer addresses the needs of the market. Cross-border lending in the EU has been estimated to be only 2 to 5% of total EU lending, partly owing to variations in the applicable legislation across member states. The reason for the persistent legal differences is that the current regulatory model is based on a minimum harmonisation approach (together with the rules of Art. 5 of the Rome Convention) and national regulators have different views about consumer protection. To move towards greater consistency, the Commission sought to change the regulatory approach from minimum to total harmonisation in its proposed new Consumer Credit Directive. Yet this regulatory method presents several difficulties. The EU legislative process is too long and rigid for a fast-changing market. Further, member states do not wish to lose regulatory powers on issues that may need rapid adaptations to meet social or economic needs. This paper argues that one way forward is to draw from the experience of the strategies used to achieve integration of EU financial markets and adapt it to the field of consumer credit. A variation of the Lamfalussy approach, in which comitology procedures are used in the legislative process, would radically improve the regulatory process for consumer credit. By involving the member states to a greater extent and allowing for quick adaptations, such an approach would ultimately lead to a greater level of market integration

Liver transplantation

Purpose of review: Long-term survival of liver transplant recipients is threatened by increased rates of de-novo malignancy and recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), both events tightly related to immunosuppression. Recent findings: There is accumulating evidence linking increased exposure to immunosuppressants and carcinogenesis, particularly concerning calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs), azathioprine and antilymphocyte agents. A recent study including 219 HCC transplanted patients showed that HCC recurrence rates were halved if a minimization of CNIs was applied within the first month after liver transplant. With mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors as approved immunosuppressants for liver transplant patients, pooled data from several retrospective studies have suggested their possible benefit for reducing HCC recurrence. Summary: Randomized controlled trials with sufficiently long follow-up are needed to evaluate the influence of different immunosuppression protocols in preventing malignancy after LT. Currently, early minimization of CNIs with or without mTOR inhibitors or mycophenolate seems a rational strategy for patients with risk factors for de-novo malignancy or recurrence of HCC after liver transplant. A deeper understanding of the immunological pathways of rejection and cancer would allow for designing more specific and safer drugs, and thus to prevent cancer after liver transplant

Predictors of CD4 cell count response to first-line combination antiretroviral treatment among HIV-positive adult patients from the Asia-Pacific region

The introduction of combination antiretroviral treatment (ART) has had substantial impact on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic [1, 2]. Patients responding to ART have reduced HIV viral replication and lower rates of HIV-associated morbidity, mortality and AIDS-related events [3-5]. Recommendations on when to initiate ART is largely based upon the CD4 T lymphocyte cell count [6-10]. The CD4 T lymphocyte cell is generally regarded as an indicator of immune deficiency and used as a prognostic marker of HIV disease progression [11-13]. Early World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines recommended ART initiation when patients were at an advanced stage of HIV or in asymptomatic stages of HIV with a CD4 cell count below 200cells/μL [6]. However, recent research has suggested that initiating ART at higher CD4 cell count levels has greater benefits in preventing further disease progression, further HIV transmission and reduced occurrence of opportunistic infections [14-17]. Although ideal, earlier ART initiation has been difficult to implement, particularly in low-income or resource-limited countries, as it requires patients to access health care facilities to receive HIV testing and diagnosis at early stages of disease progression [18, 19]. The Asia Pacific region retains a heavy burden of the HIV epidemic, with close to 5 million people living with HIV in 2013 [20, 21]. Despite an increasing push towards earlier initiation of ART, barriers to receiving care have contributed to the inability of many HIV-positive patients, within the Asia-Pacific region, to be diagnosed and initiate ART at higher CD4 cell count levels [22, 23]. In 2012, UNAIDS estimates for the Asia-Pacific region indicated that the number of people accessing ART has increased yet, the treatment coverage rate remains lower than the global average at 51% and a majority of people living with HIV are not diagnosed [21]. Patients presenting with CD4 cell counts <200 cells/μL require longer periods of time to fully restore CD4 cell count levels which increases there susceptibility to treatment failure and death [23]. Other factors, such as previous exposure to mono/duo therapy and older age, are also known to hinder CD4 restoration [24, 25]. The study objective is to examine the CD4 cell count response to first-line ART among HIV-positive patients from the TREAT Asia HIV Observational database low intensity transfer (TAHOD-LITE). Factors associated with mean CD4 cell count at 12 months will also be evaluated. Study findings will be useful for guiding decision making in future programs addressing the HIV-epidemic in the Asia-Pacific region

Spillovers of health education at school on parents' physical activity

To prevent modern diseases such as obesity, cancer, cardiovascular conditions and diabetes, which have reached epidemic-like proportions in the last decades, many health experts have called for students to receive Health Education (HED) at school. Although this type of education aims mainly to improve children's health profiles, it might affect other family members as well. This paper exploits state HED reforms as quasi-natural experiments to estimate the causal impact of HED received by children on their parents' physical activity. We use data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) for the period 1999-2005 merged with data on state HED reforms from the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) Health Policy Database, and the 2000 and 2006 School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS). To identify the spillover effects of HED requirements on parents' behavior we use a "differences-in-differences-in-differences" (DDD) methodology in which we allow for different types of treatments. We find a positive effect of HED reforms at elementary school on parents' probability of doing light physical activity. The implementation of HED for the first time increases fathers' probability of engaging in physical activity in 14 percentage points, although it does not seem to affect mothers' probability of being physically active. We find evidence of two channels that may drive these spillovers. We conclude that information sharing between children and parents as well as the specialization of parents in doing typically-male or female activities with their children may play a role in generating these indirect effects and in turn in shaping healthy lifestyles within the household.Physical activity, Healthy lifestyles, Indirect treatment effects, Health education, Triple differences

Synthesis and reactivity of cyclopentadienyl chloro, imido and alkylidene tungsten (VI) complexes

This paper describes the synthesis and characterization of alkylidene pentamethylcyclopentadienyl imido tungsten(VI) complexes via α-hydrogen abstraction processes from suitable alkyl derivatives. Reaction of WCp*Cl4 with one equivalent of NH2R (R=tBu, 2,6-Me2–C6H3), two equivalents of NEt3 and subsequent oxidation with PCl5 affords the pentamethylcyclopentadienyl imido tungsten derivatives, WCp*(NtBu)Cl32 and WCp*(N-2,6-(Me2)–C6H3)Cl34. Alkylation of complexes 2 and 4 with 1.5 equivalents of ZnMe2 under appropriate conditions yields the trimethyl derivatives WCp*(NtBu)Me35 and WCp*(N-2,6-(Me2)–C6H3)Me3 6. Exposure of complex 6 to sun-light leads to the formation of WCp*(N-2,6-(Me2)–C6H3)(CH2)Me 7 through a α-hydrogen abstraction process. Analogously, complex 2 reacts with 1.5 equivalents of Mg(CH2Ph)-(thf)2 or three equivalents of LiCH2SiMe3 to give the alkylidene complexes, WCp*(NtBu)(CHPh)(CH2Ph) 8 and WCp*(NtBu)(CHSiMe3)Cl 9, through a spontaneous α-hydrogen abstraction process in these cases