Trade Policy Under Asymmetric Information

We consider optimal trade policy for a large country with private information. We show that the optimal tariff leads to a signaling equilibrium with higher tariffs and lower welfare than under complete information, whereas the optimal import quota replicates the complete information equilibrium and thus is superior to the tariff. We also show that, with the tariff, the country may be better off being uninformed. Finally, we show that if the importing nation cannot commit to its tariff, the use of futures contracts together with the dynamically consistent tariff leads to the same equilibrium as under complete information with commitment.

Symptom improvement and remission in untreated adults seeking treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common psychiatric condition that results in significant distress and impairment, and high societal costs. OCD is widely considered to be a chronic condition, however, our understanding of the chronicity of the disorder, and the incidence of spontaneous remission, has largely relied on longitudinal studies of individuals who have received treatment. The aim of the current study is to examine symptom improvement and rate of spontaneous remission in individuals with OCD who were assigned to a no-treatment control group within a randomized controlled trial using a meta-analytic approach. Twelve studies (n = 282; mean age = 35.52; 60.03 % female) were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled within-group effect size was negligible (g = -0.14; 95 % CI [-0.25, -0.04]) and only 4 % of participants demonstrated spontaneous remission across an average of 10.92 weeks (event rate = 0.04; [95 % CI: 0.01, 0.11]). Sample size and duration of OCD symptoms significantly moderated the effect size for symptom change. No moderators were found for symptom remission. The findings add to the small body of literature demonstrating that OCD has a chronic and unremitting course without treatment

Psi-series solutions of the cubic H\'{e}non-Heiles system and their convergence

The cubic H\'enon-Heiles system contains parameters, for most values of which, the system is not integrable. In such parameter regimes, the general solution is expressible in formal expansions about arbitrary movable branch points, the so-called psi-series expansions. In this paper, the convergence of known, as well as new, psi-series solutions on real time intervals is proved, thereby establishing that the formal solutions are actual solutions

Satellite-derived volume loss rates and glacier speeds for the Juneau Icefield, Alaska

Abstract We provide a high-resolution map of elevation change rates at the Juneau Icefield (JIF), southeastern Alaska, in order to quantify its contribution to sea-level rise between 2000 and 2009/2013. We also produce the first high-resolution map of ice speeds at the JIF, which we use to constrain flux and look for acceleration. We calculate using stacked digital elevation models (DEMs) from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), taking into account SRTM C-band penetration via comparison with SRTM X-band elevations. Overall, the JIF is losing mass less rapidly (0.13 ± 0.12 m w.e. a –1 ) than other Alaskan icefields (0.79 m w.e. a –1 ). We determine glacier speeds using pixel-tracking on optical image pairs acquired from 2001 to 2010 by ASTER, from radar image pairs acquired between 2007 and 2011 and from radar interferometry in 1995. We detect seasonal speed variations but no interannual acceleration, ruling out dynamics as the cause of the observed thinning. Thinning must therefore be due to the documented warming in the region. Flux measurements confirm this for Mendenhall Glacier, showing that calving constitutes only 2.5–5% of mass loss there

Thermal injury healing in the context of neocollagenogenesis induction: preclinical randomized experimental study

Background. The healing of skin wounds having various etiologies is known to involve a multistep process characterized by certain intercellular interactions affecting dermal cells, their attachment, migration, and differentiation. Here, recovery is interpreted as the return of dermis to its original state. The fact is, however, that the dermal extracellular matrix (ECM) is structurally impaired, which suppresses the regulatory and repository functions of the dermis, leading to the formation of a scar that inhibits several biological functions in the affected area and causes aesthetic problems associated with mobility.Objectives. To evaluate the structural features of dermis during wound healing using a calcium-containing biodegradable implant.Methods. The study used 60 rats that were inflicted with a third-degree burn injury (partially damaged dermis). The selected animals were divided into two groups: experimental and control. On post-burn day 14, a calcium-containing biodegradable implant was administered to rats from the experimental group, while a sterile saline solution was used in the control group. Material was sampled at two months (74 days) and four months (134 days). In order to assess the morphological state of the burn area, its sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, according to Mallory and Van-Gieson. For the selective detection of collagens, immunohistochemical tests using antibodies to collagen types I and III (Abcam, England) were employed. To characterize dermal cells, the authors used antibodies to vimentin (LabVision, USA), as well as to СD-68 (cluster of differentiation 68), α-SMA (alpha-smooth muscle actin), CD-105 (cluster of differentiation 105), and VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) receptors (Abcam, England). The obtained results were processed using the Statistica 6 software (StatSoft, USA).Results. The administration of a calcium-containing biodegradable filler during the burn healing process was found to ensure local fibroblast activation with the formation of collagen types I and III. When the implant residence time was prolonged up to four months, an increase in the number of macrophages expressing CD-68 receptors was observed. Of note is that these cells retained their localization, while α-SMA-expressing cells were localized in both the superficial and deep dermal compartments. The number of cells expressing CD-105 and VEGF rose as well.Conclusion. The use of the biodegradable filler is found to be promising in terms of post-burn dermal regeneration, as well as providing a dermal ECM, whose collagen network composition and assembly are similar to the original. Here, macrophages act as the primary synthesis regulators of the dermal ECM and stimulate fibroblasts, which ensures re-epithelialization and angiogenesis of the inflicted area

10KP: A phylodiverse genome sequencing plan.

Understanding plant evolution and diversity in a phylogenomic context is an enormous challenge due, in part, to limited availability of genome-scale data across phylodiverse species. The 10KP (10,000 Plants) Genome Sequencing Project will sequence and characterize representative genomes from every major clade of embryophytes, green algae, and protists (excluding fungi) within the next 5 years. By implementing and continuously improving leading-edge sequencing technologies and bioinformatics tools, 10KP will catalogue the genome content of plant and protist diversity and make these data freely available as an enduring foundation for future scientific discoveries and applications. 10KP is structured as an international consortium, open to the global community, including botanical gardens, plant research institutes, universities, and private industry. Our immediate goal is to establish a policy framework for this endeavor, the principles of which are outlined here