This study examines the effect of legal central bank independence on inflation in developing countries. In spite of the policy consensus suggesting that central bank independence is an effective tool ...to control inflation, the evidence is still limited, particularly for developing countries. Using a novel dataset, we analyze the effect of central bank independence on inflation for a sample of 118 developing countries between 1980 and 2013. We find that higher central bank independence is associated with lower inflation rates. This effect on inflation is stronger the more democratic a country is, but it is also present in non-democratic countries. Our results are robust to different specifications and methodologies. Furthermore, we find that all dimensions included in the measurement of central bank independence (objectives, personnel, policy, and financial independence) contribute to curb inflation. Our results shed light on which types of reforms may be more effective at fighting inflation in developing countries.
•Central bank independence (CBI) reduces inflation in developing countries.•We use new data on legal CBI, covering 118 developing countries between 1980 and 2013.•We find an anti-inflationary effect of CBI in democracies and in non-democracies.•All components of our measure of CBI contribute to lower inflation.
This book is an unprecedented attempt to analyze the role of the law in the global movement for social justice. Case studies in the book are written by leading scholars from both the global South and ...the global North, and combine empirical research on the ground with innovative sociolegal theory to shed new light on a wide array of topics. Among the issues examined are the role of law and politics in the World Social Forum; the struggle of the anti-sweatshop movement for the protection of international labour rights; and the challenge to neoliberal globalization and liberal human rights raised by grassroots movements in India and indigenous peoples around the world. These and other cases, the editors argue, signal the emergence of a subaltern cosmopolitan law and politics that calls for new social and legal theories capable of capturing the potential and tensions of counter-hegemonic globalization.
Antibiotics are widely used as growth promoters in animal husbandry; among them, the tetracyclines are a chemical group of relevance, due to their wide use in agriculture, surpassing in quantities ...applied almost every other antibiotic family. Seeing the considerable amounts of tetracyclines used worldwide, monitoring of these antibiotics is paramount. Advances must be made in the analysis of antibiotics to assess correct usage and dosage of tetracyclines in food and feedstuffs and possible residues in pertinent environmental samples. The tetracyclines are still considered a clinically relevant group of antibiotics, though dissemination of tolerance and resistance determinants have limited their use. This review focuses on four different aspects: (i) tetracyclines, usage, dosages, and regulatory issues that govern their food-related application, with particular attention to the prohibitions and restrictions that several countries have enforced in recent years by agencies from both the United States and the European Union, (ii) analytical methods for tetracyclines, determination, and residues thereof in feedstuffs and related matrices with an emphasis on the most relevant and novel techniques, including both screening and confirmatory methods, (iii) tetracycline resistance and tetracycline-resistant bacteria in feedstuff, and (iv) environmental and health risks accompanying the use of tetracyclines in animal nutrition. In the last two cases, we discuss the more relevant undesirable effects that tetracyclines exert over bacterial communities and nontarget species including unwanted effects in farmers.
Enzyme immobilization is extensively studied to improve enzyme properties in catalysis and analytical applications. Here, we introduce a simple and versatile enzyme immobilization platform based on ...adhesion‐promoting peptides, namely Matter‐tags. Matter‐tags immobilize enzymes in an oriented way as a dense monolayer. The immobilization platform was established with three adhesion‐promoting peptides; Cecropin A (CecA), liquid chromatography peak I (LCI), and Tachystatin A2 (TA2), that were genetically fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein and to two industrially important enzymes: a phytase (from Yersinia mollaretii) and a cellulase (CelA2 from a metagenomic library). Here, we report a universal and simple Matter‐tag–based immobilization platform for enzymes on various materials including polymers (polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate), metals (stainless steel and gold), and silicon‐based materials (silicon wafer). The Matter‐tag–based enzyme immobilization is performed at ambient temperature within minutes (<10 min) in an aqueous solution harboring the phytase or cellulase by immersing the targeted material. The peptide LCI was identified as universal adhesion promoter; LCI immobilized both enzymes on all investigated materials. The attachment of phytase‐LCI onto gold was characterized with surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy obtaining a dissociation constant value (KD) of 2.9·10−8 M and a maximal surface coverage of 504 ng/cm².
A universal immobilization platform based on adhesion promoting peptides, namely, Matter‐tags, was developed. Matter‐tags immobilize enzymes in an oriented way as dense monolayer on various materials including synthetic polymers (polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate), metals (stainless steel and gold) and silicon‐based materials. The immobilization is performed as single step application at ambient temperature within minutes by immersion of the material in an aqueous solution harboring the Matter‐tag‐fusion proteins.
This paper analyzes the inflation targeting experience of developing countries as an effective monetary policy framework to promote changes in the currency composition of their international debt. ...Using matching with difference-in-differences to address the self-selection bias, we find that inflation targeting has led to a 3–6 percentage point reduction in the foreign currency share of international debt in targeting countries when compared to non-targeting countries, with the effect especially pronounced for sovereign international debt. Differentiating by type of owner, we find a reduction of the foreign currency share in foreign-held total sovereign debt but no effect on domestic-held debt. Furthermore, from the analysis of the US dollar and euro shares, we find that inflation targeting has contributed to a 9 percentage points lower dollar share in international debt in targeting countries compared to non-targeting countries, while the effect on the euro share is negligible. This not only provides evidence that the structural features of international financial markets matter, but also that monetary policy can help developing countries reduce their reliance on foreign currency debt, especially if it is held by foreign investors.
As the climate emergency intensifies, rights-based climate cases – litigation that is based on human rights law – are becoming an increasingly important tool for securing more ambitious climate ...action. This book is the first to offer a systematic analysis of the universe of these cases known as human rights and climate change (HRCC) cases. By combining theory, empirical documentation, and strategic debate among preeminent scholars and practitioners from around the world, the book captures the roots, legal innovations, empirical richness, impact, and challenges of this dynamic field of sociolegal practice. It looks specifically at the sociolegal origins and trajectory of HRCC cases, the legal innovations of this type of litigation, and the strategies and impacts of these cases. In doing so, this book equips litigators, researchers, practitioners, students, and concerned citizens with an understanding of an important method of holding governments and corporations accountable for climate harms. This book is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
•DRIFT-MS operando monitoring of the reforming of ethanol.•Evolution of organic species on the surface and proposed reaction mechanism.•Comparison between Ni, Co and the Ni-Co bimetallic phase in the ...reaction with TOF.
The oxidative steam reforming of ethanol (OSRE) reaction to produce hydrogen under non-equilibrium conditions was successfully achieved using mixed oxides (MO) of Ni and Co. The catalysts were synthesized with hydrotalcite (HT) type as a precursor by simultaneous coprecipitation assisted by microwaves. The solids were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The OSRE reaction was also implemented under operando conditions by diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy with Fourier transform coupled to mass spectrometry (DRIFT-MS) to study the path of molecules on the surface of these solids. The results confirmed the presence of the reduced phases of Ni and Co for all the systems and revealed that the OII/OI ratio increased for the samples containing Co, indicating that the greatest number of oxygen vacancies is present in these solids, which explains their high capacity to oxidize CO to CO2 in the catalytic test. It was possible to show that the NiCo bimetallic phase presents better catalytic performance for the production of hydrogen by effectively breaking the C-C bond and oxidizing the CHx species on the surface, which is reflected in the complete conversion of ethanol and a high selectivity to CO2 and H2 over other products such as CO, CH4, and acetaldehyde.
The postulation of hydrogen as an energy carrier for the future and the possibility of obtaining it from a renewable source such as various alcohols, has positioned the oxidative steam reforming of ...ethanol (OSRE) process as very promising to produce H2 at low temperatures. Motivated by the absence of a study that in a rigorous, articulated and coherent manner establishes the maximum correlation of the results reported in the literature regarding the current knowledge of the OSRE and with the perspective of identifying or proposing the ideal catalyst and reaction conditions, this manuscript addresses, for the first time to our knowledge, several aspects concerning a fundamental level understanding of the OSRE process and focuses on the influence of both the main experimental parameters of the reaction (such as temperature, molar ratios of the feed stream and space velocity), as well as the most noted aspects of the catalyst (structural, basic/acid and Redox properties and metallic phases). Special emphasis is placed on the conditions that lead to obtaining high H2 selectivity at relatively low temperatures and with high catalyst stability. Consequently, the ideal catalyst and conditions for the OSRE are proposed.
•Aspects for the fundamental understanding of the OSRE.•Ideal catalyst and conditions for the OSRE for H2 production.•Comparison of catalytic performance in the OSRE for H2 production reported so far.
Wound infections originate when exogenous or endogenous bacterial pathogens can circumvent the barrier of the wound dressing and invade the wound bed. Bacterial colonization causes inflammation, ...stalls the healing process, and carries the risk of dissemination to other tissues. In addition, current antimicrobial dressings fail to resolve an infection once it has been established because debris of the killed bacteria rapidly accumulates on their surface and hampers the antimicrobial action. Faced with this challenge, hybrid synthetic‐natural water‐soluble macromolecules are designed that self‐assemble onto the surface of dressings to generate an antifouling brush functionalized with endolysin, a bactericidal enzyme that poses no harm for eukaryotic cells. The simultaneous action of the brush and the enzyme not only prevents the colonization of the dressing, but also enables the coating to kill planktonic bacteria with even higher efficiency than the free enzyme. Remarkably, the Kill&Repel coating could completely eradicate bacteria in a simulated infection without allowing the adhesion of residues on the surface. Thus, this strategy opens a revolutionary approach for protecting and treating an infected wound in a safer and more efficient manner.
The bioinspired Kill&Repel coatings are formed by the self‐assembly of biohybrid molecules that generate brushes functionalized with endolysins, combining antifouling properties with selective bactericidal activity. The synergistic action of both building blocks results in an excellent barrier to molecular and cellular fouling and boosts the activity of the endolysin, enabling the coatings to resolve a simulated infection from multiresistant bacteria.
PDF
