U.S. Antidumping Policies: The Case of Steel

This paper examines the controversy surrounding recent allegations that foreign producers are dumping steel products onto U.S. markets. The paper is in four sections, which take four quite distinct views of dumping and recent U.S. antidumping policies, emphasizing the changing definition of dumping and the development of administrative procedures. Section II focuses on the application of these procedures to the international steel trade, taking as a case study the most noteworthy of recent innovations : the Trigger Price Mechanism for steel. Section III considers models that can be used to analyze dumping. The models of most relevance to the practices currently at issue in the steel industry seem to us models of oligopolistic rivalry in imperfectly competitive, segmented markets. We develop a model designed to identify crucial factors upon which the incidence of dumping will depend: the number of firms producing for each national market,their costs, their market shares, and the extent to which they recognizeand exploit their mutual dependence. Finally, in Section IV we calibrate these models to illustrate how the extent of dumping and the effects of the TPM depend on the model's parameters.

Reliable online social network data collection

Large quantities of information are shared through online social networks, making them attractive sources of data for social network research. When studying the usage of online social networks, these data may not describe properly users’ behaviours. For instance, the data collected often include content shared by the users only, or content accessible to the researchers, hence obfuscating a large amount of data that would help understanding users’ behaviours and privacy concerns. Moreover, the data collection methods employed in experiments may also have an effect on data reliability when participants self-report inacurrate information or are observed while using a simulated application. Understanding the effects of these collection methods on data reliability is paramount for the study of social networks; for understanding user behaviour; for designing socially-aware applications and services; and for mining data collected from such social networks and applications. This chapter reviews previous research which has looked at social network data collection and user behaviour in these networks. We highlight shortcomings in the methods used in these studies, and introduce our own methodology and user study based on the Experience Sampling Method; we claim our methodology leads to the collection of more reliable data by capturing both those data which are shared and not shared. We conclude with suggestions for collecting and mining data from online social networks.Postprin

Religious beliefs and ethnocentrism: A comparison between the Dutch and white South Africans

Contains fulltext : 3344.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Plural religious beliefs: A comparison between the Dutch and white South Africans

Contains fulltext : 3355.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)wetenschappelijk tijdschrift van de Nederduits Hervormde Kerk in Zuid-Afrik

Minimum target prices for production of direct acting antivirals and associated diagnostics to combat Hepatitis C Virus

Combinations of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) can cure hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the majority of treatment-naïve patients. Mass treatment programs to cure HCV in developing countries are only feasible if the costs of treatment and laboratory diagnostics are very low. This analysis aimed to estimate minimum costs of DAA treatment and associated diagnostic monitoring. Clinical trials of HCV DAAs were reviewed to identify combinations with consistently high rates of sustained virological response across hepatitis C genotypes. For each DAA, molecular structures, doses, treatment duration, and components of retrosynthesis were used to estimate costs of large-scale, generic production. Manufacturing costs per gram of DAA were based upon treating at least 5 million patients per year and a 40% margin for formulation. Costs of diagnostic support were estimated based on published minimum prices of genotyping, HCV antigen tests plus full blood count/clinical chemistry tests. Predicted minimum costs for 12-week courses of combination DAAs with the most consistent efficacy results were: US$122 per person for sofosbuvir+daclatasvir; US$152 for sofosbuvir+ribavirin; US$192 for sofosbuvir+ledipasvir; and US$115 for MK-8742+MK-5172. Diagnostic testing costs were estimated at US$90 for genotyping US$34 for two HCV antigen tests and US$22 for two full blood count/clinical chemistry tests. Conclusions: Minimum costs of treatment and diagnostics to cure hepatitis C virus infection were estimated at US$171-360 per person without genotyping or US$261-450 per person with genotyping. These cost estimates assume that existing large-scale treatment programs can be established. (Hepatology 2015;61:1174–1182

Cytokine activation during attacks of the hyperimmunoglobulinemia D and periodic fever syndrome

Item does not contain fulltex

Correlation between proinflammatory cytokines and antiinflammatory mediators and the severity of disease in meningococcal infections

Contains fulltext : 4804.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access