Very Cold Gas and Dark Matter

We have recently proposed a new candidate for baryonic dark matter: very cold molecular gas, in near-isothermal equilibrium with the cosmic background radiation at 2.73 K. The cold gas, of quasi-primordial abundances, is condensed in a fractal structure, resembling the hierarchical structure of the detected interstellar medium. We present some perspectives of detecting this very cold gas, either directly or indirectly. The H$_2$ molecule has an "ultrafine" structure, due to the interaction between the rotation-induced magnetic moment and the nuclear spins. But the lines fall in the km domain, and are very weak. The best opportunity might be the UV absorption of H$_2$ in front of quasars. The unexpected cold dust component, revealed by the COBE/FIRAS submillimetric results, could also be due to this very cold H$_2$ gas, through collision-induced radiation, or solid H$_2$ grains or snowflakes. The $\gamma$-ray distribution, much more radially extended than the supernovae at the origin of cosmic rays acceleration, also points towards and extended gas distribution.Comment: 16 pages, Latex pages, crckapb macro, 3 postscript figures, uuencoded compressed tar file. To be published in the proceeedings of the "Dust-Morphology" conference, Johannesburg, 22-26 January, 1996, D. Block (ed.), (Kluwer Dordrecht

Globalization, Roundaboutness, and Relative Wages

We depart from the trade and wages literature and its emphasis on North-South trade, examining North-North by developing the basic linkages between trade-based integration and relative wages in an Ethier-type division of labor model. Using this model we identify a formal relationship between international trade, productivity, and wages. We then examine the trivariate relationship between trade, growth in total factor productivity (TFP), and the skill premium in a vector autoregression framework. We find evidence of a long-run relationship between growth in intermediate goods and changes in TFP. Controlling for this relationship we also find a positive relationship between trade and the skill-premium

Non-tariff and overall protection: evidence across countries and over time

This paper analyzes the evolution of the incidence and intensity of non-tariff measures (NTMs). It extends earlier work by measuring protection from NTMs over time from a newly available database and provides evidence on the evolution of NTMs. In particular, building on Kee, Nicita and Olarreaga (2009), this paper estimates the ad valorem equivalents (AVEs) of NTMs for 97 countries at the product level over the period 1997 to 2015. We show that the incidence and the intensity of NTMs were both increasing over this period, with NTMs becoming an even more dominant source of trade protection. We are also able to investigate the evolution of overall protection derived jointly fromtariffs and NTMs. The results show that the overall protection level, for most countries and products, has not decreased despite the fall in tariffs associated with multilateral, regional and bilateral trade agreements in recent decades. We also document an increase in overall trade protection during the recent 2008 financial crisis. Overall, this study sheds light on an under-researched aspect of trade liberalization: the proliferation and increase of NTMs

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

Health risk associated with airborne asbestos

The following paper presents an assessment of health risks associated with air polluted with respirable asbestos fibers in towns of southwest Poland. The aim of the work was to determine whether or not any prevention measures are necessary in order to reduce the level of exposure to the pollutant. The risk assessment was carried out based on the air analyses and the latest asbestos toxicity data published by the Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), USA and Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). It was found that in some sites, the concentration of the asbestos fibers exceeded the acceptable levels, which should be a reason of special concern. The highest concentration of asbestos was found in town centers during the rush hours. In three spots, the calculated maximum health risk exceeded 1E-04 which is considered too high according to the adopted standards. So far, it has not yet been possible to find a reasonable method of ensuring the hazard reduction

Antidumping Protection and Productivity of Domestic Firms: A Firm Level Analysis

We analyze the relationship between Antidumping (AD) Protection and the productivity of EU domestic firms in import-competing industries. For this purpose we identify a panel of domestic firms between 1993 and 2003 that at some point during this period are affected by AD initiations. Using a difference-in-difference approach, we find that AD measures result in improvements of measured productivity for domestic firms. Total Factor Productivity (TFP) of protected firms increases by 2% in the short-run and by 5% to 13% in the long-run. However, there is substantial heterogeneity across firms. The effect of protection depends on the initial 'distance-to-the-frontier firm?in the industry. While protection raises TFP of 'laggard?domestic firms, it lowers TFP for 'efficient?firms that operate close to the efficiency frontier. These results are consistent with recent theoretical work supporting the view that trade policy, under certain conditions, can induce technological catching-up. While this paper evaluates the effectiveness of AD policy it does not engage in a welfare analysis

Key Factors Associated With Pulmonary Sequelae in the Follow-Up of Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients

Introduction: Critical COVID-19 survivors have a high risk of respiratory sequelae. Therefore, we aimed to identify key factors associated with altered lung function and CT scan abnormalities at a follow-up visit in a cohort of critical COVID-19 survivors. Methods: Multicenter ambispective observational study in 52 Spanish intensive care units. Up to 1327 PCR-confirmed critical COVID-19 patients had sociodemographic, anthropometric, comorbidity and lifestyle characteristics collected at hospital admission; clinical and biological parameters throughout hospital stay; and, lung function and CT scan at a follow-up visit. Results: The median [p25–p75] time from discharge to follow-up was 3.57 [2.77–4.92] months. Median age was 60 [53–67] years, 27.8% women. The mean (SD) percentage of predicted diffusing lung capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) at follow-up was 72.02 (18.33)% predicted, with 66% of patients having DLCO < 80% and 24% having DLCO < 60%. CT scan showed persistent pulmonary infiltrates, fibrotic lesions, and emphysema in 33%, 25% and 6% of patients, respectively. Key variables associated with DLCO < 60% were chronic lung disease (CLD) (OR: 1.86 (1.18–2.92)), duration of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) (OR: 1.56 (1.37–1.77)), age (OR [per-1-SD] (95%CI): 1.39 (1.18–1.63)), urea (OR: 1.16 (0.97–1.39)) and estimated glomerular filtration rate at ICU admission (OR: 0.88 (0.73–1.06)). Bacterial pneumonia (1.62 (1.11–2.35)) and duration of ventilation (NIMV (1.23 (1.06–1.42), IMV (1.21 (1.01–1.45)) and prone positioning (1.17 (0.98–1.39)) were associated with fibrotic lesions. Conclusion: Age and CLD, reflecting patients’ baseline vulnerability, and markers of COVID-19 severity, such as duration of IMV and renal failure, were key factors associated with impaired DLCO and CT abnormalities