Commons as Insurance and the Welfare Impact of Privatization

It is shown here that despite the efficiency gains from privatization, when markets are incomplete, all individuals may be made worse off by privatization, even when the resource is equitably privatized. Such market incompleteness is common in the developing world and can explain the often encountered resistance to efficiency enhancing privatizing reforms, especially in the case of village level landholdings and forests. The advantage of commonly held property arises because of its superior insurance properties (which tend to provide income maintenance in low states). Sufficient conditions are established under which any feasible insurance scheme under private property cannot ex ante Pareto dominate allocations under the commons.common property, privatisation, insurance

Worst case and average case cardinality of strictly acute stencils for two dimensional anisotropic fast marching

We study a one dimensional approximation-like problem arising in the discretization of a class of Partial Differential Equations, providing worst case and average case complexity results. The analysis is based on the Stern-Brocot tree of rationals, and on a non-Euclidean notion of angles. The presented results generalize and improve on earlier work

More than intent:A bundling model of MNE-SME interactions

As a counterpoint to Prashantham and Birkinshaw, I present an alternative model of MNE-SME cooperation where either type of firms can take the role of content provider or distributor. I argue that MNEs will interact with SMEs when there are differences in optimal scale between the content creation and distribution stages of the value chain, and it is not feasible or efficient for either party to vertically integrate between these two stages. I then build two 2 x 2 bundling models, one in which the SME provides content and the MNE distributes it, and another with the reverse configuration. In these 2 x 2s the axes are the transactional properties of the two complementary inputs, content and distribution, that MNEs and SMEs bundle to create value. I show that these models can explain the forms taken by MNE-SME cooperation and their dynamics

Device for providing a radiation treatment

The present relates to a device for providing a radiation treatment to a patient comprising :- an electron source for providing a beam of electrons, and- a linear accelerator for accelerating said beam until a predetermined energy, and - a beam delivery module for delivering the accelerated beam from said linear accelerator toward the patient to treat a target volume with a radiation dose, The device further comprises intensity modulation means configured to modulate the distribution of the radiation dose in the target volume according to a predetermined pattern.The pattern is determined to match the dimensions of a target volume of at least about 50 cm3, and/or a target volume located at least about 5 cm deep in the tissue of the patient with said radiation dose,The radiation dose distributed is up to about 20 Gy delivered during an overall treatment time less than about 50 ms

1-in-X" bias: "1-in-X" format causes overestimation of health-related risks

According to the "1-in-X" effect, "1-in-X" ratios (e.g., 1 in 12) trigger a higher subjective probability than numerically equivalent "N-in-X*N" ratios (e.g., 3 in 36). Here we tested: (i) the effect on objective measures, (ii) its consequences for decision-making, (iii) whether this effect is a form of bias by measuring probability accuracy, and (iv) its amplification in people with lower health literacy and numeracy. In parallel-designed experiments, 975 participants from the general adult population participated in one of five experiments following a 2(format: "1-in-X" or "N-in-X*N") × 4(scenarios) mixed design. Participants assessed the risk of contracting a disease on either a verbal probability scale (Exp. 1), or a numerical probability/frequency scale with immediate (Exp. 2-3) or delayed presentation (Exp. 4-5). Participants also made a health-related decision and completed a health literacy and numeracy scale. The "1-in-X" ratios yielded higher probability perceptions than the "N-in-X*N" ratios and affected relevant decisions. Critically, the "1-in-X" ratios led to a larger objective overestimation of numerical probabilities than the "N-in-X*N" ratios. People with lower levels of health literacy and numeracy were not more sensitive to the bias. Health professionals should use "1-in-X" ratios with great caution when communicating to patients, because they overestimate health risks

Computer-Aided Specification, Evaluation and Monitoring of Information Systems

One of the crucial issues in specifying requirements for an In formation System is to guarantee the effectiveness and the efficiency of their future implementation. The objectives of the methodology, proposed in the IDA project and presented in this paper, have been: 1. To propose a model and an associated language for a more rigourous specification of Information Systems, 2. To develop among others two complementary software tools allowing the experimental evaluation of this specification, by prototyping and simulation, before to implement it · and, more recently, 3. To outline an automated monitoring of the implemented Information System

Purines released from astrocytes inhibit excitatory synaptic transmission in the ventral horn of the spinal cord

Spinal neuronal networks are essential for motor function. They are involved in the integration of sensory inputs and the generation of rhythmic motor outputs. They continuously adapt their activity to the internal state of the organism and to the environment. This plasticity can be provided by different neuromodulators. These substances are usually thought of being released by dedicated neurons. However, in other networks from the central nervous system synaptic transmission is also modulated by transmitters released from astrocytes. The star-shaped glial cell responds to neurotransmitters by releasing gliotransmitters, which in turn modulate synaptic transmission. Here we investigated if astrocytes present in the ventral horn of the spinal cord modulate synaptic transmission. We evoked synaptic inputs in ventral horn neurons recorded in a slice preparation from the spinal cord of neonatal mice. Neurons responded to electrical stimulation by monosynaptic EPSCs. We used mice expressing the enhanced green fluorescent protein under the promoter of the glial fibrillary acidic protein to identify astrocytes. Chelating calcium with BAPTA in a single neighboring astrocyte increased the amplitude of synaptic currents. In contrast, when we selectively stimulated astrocytes by activating PAR-1 receptors with the peptide TFLLR, the amplitude of EPSCs evoked by a paired stimulation protocol was reduced. The paired-pulse ratio was increased, suggesting an inhibition occurring at the presynaptic side of synapses. In the presence of blockers for extracellular ectonucleotidases, TFLLR did not induce presynaptic inhibition. Puffing adenosine reproduced the effect of TFLLR and blocking adenosine A1 receptors with DPCPX prevented it. Altogether our results show that ventral horn astrocytes are responsible for a tonic and a phasic inhibition of excitatory synaptic transmission by releasing ATP, which gets converted into adenosine that binds to inhibitory presynaptic A1 receptors