Contingent trade policy and economic efficiency.

This paper develops an efficiency theory of contingent trade policies. We model the competition for a domestic market between one domestic and one foreign firm as a pricing game under incomplete information about production costs. The cost distributions are asymmetric because the foreign firm has to pay a trade cost. We show that the foreign firm prices more aggressively to overcome its cost disadvantage. The resulting possibility of an inefficient allocation justifies the use of contingent trade policy on efficiency grounds. Contingent trade policy that seeks to maximize global welfare can avoid the potential inefficiency. National governments, on the other hand, make excessive use of contingent trade policy due to rent shifting motives. The expected inefficiency of national policy is larger (smaller) for low (high) trade costs compared to the laissez-faire case. In general, there is no clear ranking between the laissez-faire outcome and a contingent national trade policy.

Contingent trade policy and economic efficiency

This paper develops an efficiency theory of contingent trade policies. We model the competition for a domestic market between one domestic and one foreign firm as a pricing game under incomplete information about production costs. The cost distributions are asymmetric because the foreign firm has to pay a trade cost. We show that the foreign firm prices more aggressively to overcome its cost disadvantage. The resulting possibility of an inefficient allocation justifies the use of contingent trade policy on efficiency grounds. Contingent trade policy that seeks to maximize global welfare can avoid the potential inefficiency. National governments, on the other hand, make excessive use of contingent trade policy due to rent shifting motives. The expected inefficiency of national policy is larger (smaller) for low (high) trade costs compared to the laissez-faire case. In general, there is no clear ranking between the laissez-faire outcome and a contingent national trade policy.

Development of lithium-thionyl chloride batteries for Centaur

Lithium thionyl chloride (LiSOCl2) primary cells and batteries have received considerable attention over the last several years because of their high theoretical specific energy and energy density. The objective was to develop a 300 wh/kg cell capable of safe operation at C/2 rate and active storage life for 5 to 10 years. This technology would replace other primary cell technologies in NASA applications mainly the silver zinc (AgZn) batteries presently in use. The LiSOCl2 system exceeds the capabilities of the AgZn in terms of specific energy of 300 wh/kg (compared with 100 wh/kg for AgZn), active storage life of 10 to 20 times the 3 to 6 months active storage and has a significantly lower projected cost

Contingent Trade Policy and Economic Efficiency

This paper develops an efficiency theory of contingent trade policies. We model the competition for a domestic market between one domestic and one foreign firm as a pricing game under incomplete information about production costs. The cost distributions are asymmetric because the foreign firm has to pay a trade cost. We show that the foreign firm prices more aggressively to overcome its cost disadvantage. The resulting possibility of an inefficient allocation justifies the use of contingent trade policy on efficiency grounds. Contingent trade policy that seeks to maximize global welfare can avoid the potential inefficiency. National governments, on the other hand, make excessive use of contingent trade policy due to rent shifting motives. The expected inefficiency of national policy is larger (smaller) for low (high) trade costs compared to the laissez-faire case. In general, there is no clear ranking between the laissez-faire outcome and a contingent national trade policy.contingent trade policy, efficiency

Biological and ultrastructural studies on herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 in eggs.

The relevant published literature concerning the nature of herpes simplex virus and its growth in fertile hens' eggs was reviewed. Laboratory strains and fresh isolates of types 1 and 2 were grown on the chorioallantoic membrane of fertile hens' eggs and examined by biological, histological and ultra-structural techniques. The type 1 strains induced small discreet pocks, gave no haemorrhage of the chorioallantoic membrane, or embryo, embryos did not die and virus was recovered only from the inoculated membrane. Similar inoculation with the type 2 strains induced large necrotic pocks and haemorrhage of the chorioallantoic membrane as well as haemorrhage and death of the embryo; virus was recovered from the inoculation site, allantoic fluid, amniotic fluid and various selected organs of the embryo. Inoculation of either virus type into the allantoic cavity did not result in spread to the embryo. The effects of adaptation to growth in eggs were examined. Temperature marker tests in eggs showed that fresh isolates of type 1 grew less readily on the chorioallantoic membrane at elevated temperatures than those of type 2. There was no difference in the capacity of laboratory strains of either type to grow in eggs at these temperatures. Primary chick embryo fibroblasts and other egg-derived cell cultures were used to examine the growth characteristics of a strain of each virus type; the results obtained in vitro could not be entirely predicted from those in ovo. The structure of the chorioallantoic membrane and the lesions produced by each virus type following inoculation were examined by optical and electron microscopy. The type 1 induced lesion was basically proliferative and confined primarily to the chorion with some inflammatory cell infiltration into the mesoderm, particularly following prolonged incubation. With the type 2 lesion, reaction occurred throughout the entire thickness of the membrane and haemorrhages, necroses, ulceration and cellular infiltration of the mesoderm were the most prominent features. The fine structure of the herpesvirus lesions and of viral morphogenesis was examined. Inoculation with type 2 virus resulted in many more infected chorion cells compared with type 1, whilst the cells of the mesoderm and the blood vessels also became infected with type 2 virus but not type 1. Features specific to type 2 virus infected cells were the presence of two types of intra-nuclear granules and lattice structures in both nuclei and cytoplasm. Cores with various structured forms were also found in type 2 capsids but not in those of type 1. The results of this study were discussed in relation to other published work

A practical experience with independent verification and validation

One approach to reducing software cost and increasing reliability is the use of an independent verification and validation (IV & V) methodology. The Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) applied the IV & V methodology to two medium-size flight dynamics software development projects. Then, to measure the effectiveness of the IV & V approach, the SEL compared these two projects with two similar past projects, using measures like productivity, reliability, and maintain ablilty. Results indicated that the use of the IV & V methodology did not help the overall process nor improve the product in these cases

The Photometric Period of the Cataclysmic Variable HV Andromedae

We present four nights of time-resolved photometry of the cataclysmic variable star HV And. Our time series analysis has revealed a prominent period at 3.368 +/- 0.060 hours, as well as some low frequency power. We interpret this signal, from saw-tooth waves in the light curve, as evidence of superhumps in HV And.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures; accepted for publication in New Astronom