THE EFFECT OF ARMINGTON STRUCTURE ON WELFARE EVALUATIONS IN GLOBAL CGE-MODELS

In this paper, the welfare results in trade liberalisation scenarios in global CGE models (like GTAP) are analysed. The default modeling strategy in trade is the Armington assumption with bilateral trade flows in industries. The negative terms of trade effects that often dominate the negative welfare outcome in simulation experiments are decomposed to imports and exports price effects. The numerical examples show that even in unilateral liberalisation with decreasing import tariffs, the welfare effects are dominated by domestic price level changes that also drive the exports prices. The numerical examples are built around simple GTAP tariff cut experiments with 3x3 country and commodity aggregation. The inherent feature in this type of models is that they support arguments for unilateral market access, like preferences, at the expense of multilateral trade liberalisation.CGE Modeling, trade liberalisation, terms of trade, International Relations/Trade, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Reform in the EU Sugar Regime: Impact on the Global Sugar Markets

The ongoing trade negotiations, unilateral trade concessions and obligations under the WTO are pushing the EU sugar regime to undertake reforms. These reforms will alter the positions of developing countries in the global sugar markets. A complete unilateral liberalisation of the EU sugar sector is simulated to depict the winners and losers in the global sugar markets if no preferences are governing the imports of sugar into the EU. The supply responses, which strongly affect the outcomes, are dependent on both the nature of substitution for sugar as well as on the efficiency of sugar production in different countries. The multiregion general equilibrium framework (GTAP) is used for this analysis. The results show that the total liberalisation of sugar imports from the LDCs will be a major threat to the EU sugar regime. The current regime limits sugar imports from all developing countries or some efficient producers, if the production cost data is a right estimate of the potential supply response from developing countries. The LDCs will be the winners under the EBA concession supported by the current regime, but a few efficient sugar producers will be the winners if the current regime is entirely liberalised.EU sugar regime, reform, developing countries, unilateral liberalisation, GTAP, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade, E17, F17, Q18,

Modelling the impacts of multilateral agricultural trade liberalization on the EU

The objective of this paper is to explore the implications of domestic policy reforms and trade liberalisation on EU and global agricultural markets by utilising the GTAP model. The results suggest that CAP reforms in conjunction with the removal of export subsidies and tariff reductions according to the proposals from the EU and the US in the WTO would decrease EU's production, reduce EU's exports, and increase EU's imports in almost all the examined agricultural products. For countries such as Australia, the US, and the MERCOSUR group, higher world prices stimulate domestic agricultural production, partly offsetting the EU output decline.EU, WTO, tariff reductions, export subsidies, CAP reforms, GTAP model, International Relations/Trade,

Implications of Trade Liberalization and Domestic Reforms on EU Agricultural Markets

The objective of this paper is to explore the overall effects of further trade liberalization and the implemented CAP reforms on EU agricultural production, imports and exports within different EU regions by using the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model. The GTAP model is used to compare a lower tariff reduction formula (EU Proposal) with a higher reduction formula (US Proposal) in order to show how sensitive the examined agricultural commodity/sector is to the different tariff reduction formulae. This analysis reveals that EU imports would escalate and EU exports would plummet with declining EU production because of trade liberalization and domestic policy reforms in the EU agricultural markets and sectors.EU, WTO, CAP reforms, tariff reductions, export subsidies, Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance, Demand and Price Analysis, Environmental Economics and Policy, Financial Economics, International Relations/Trade, Q1,

Serine 58 of 14-3-3ζ Is a molecular switch regulating ASK1 and oxidant stress-induced cell death

Oxidant stress is a ubiquitous stressor with negative impacts on multiple cell types. ASK1 is a central mediator of oxidant injury, but while mechanisms of its inhibition, such as sequestration by 14-3-3 proteins and thioredoxin, have been identified, mechanisms of activation have remained obscure and the signaling pathways regulating this are not clear. Here, we report that phosphorylation of 14-3-3ζ at serine 58 (S58) is dynamically regulated in the cell and that the phosphorylation status of S58 is a critical factor regulating oxidant stress-induced cell death. Phosphorylation of S58 releases ASK1 from 14-3-3ζ, and ASK1 then activates stress-activated protein kinases, leading to cell death. While several members of the mammalian sterile 20 (Mst) family of kinases can phosphorylate S58 when overexpressed, we identify Ste20/oxidant stress response kinase 1 (SOK-1), an Mst family member known to be activated by oxidant stress, as a central endogenous regulator of S58 phosphorylation and thereby of ASK1-mediated cell death. Our findings identify a novel pathway that regulates ASK1 activation and oxidant stress-induced cell death

High-resolution microscopic diffusion anisotropy imaging in the human hippocampus at 3T

Purpose Several neurological conditions are associated with microstructural changes in the hippocampus that can be observed using DWI. Imaging studies often use protocols with whole-brain coverage, imposing limits on image resolution and worsening partial-volume effects. Also, conventional single-diffusion-encoding methods confound microscopic diffusion anisotropy with size variance of microscopic diffusion environments. This study addresses these issues by implementing a multidimensional diffusion-encoding protocol for microstructural imaging of the hippocampus at high resolution. Methods The hippocampus of 8 healthy volunteers was imaged at 1.5-mm isotropic resolution with a multidimensional diffusion-encoding sequence developed in house. Microscopic fractional anisotropy (µFA) and normalized size variance (CMD) were estimated using q-space trajectory imaging, and their values were compared with DTI metrics. The overall scan time was 1 hour. The reproducibility of the protocol was confirmed with scan–rescan experiments, and a shorter protocol (14 minutes) was defined for situations with time constraints. Results Mean µFA (0.47) was greater than mean FA (0.20), indicating orientation dispersion in hippocampal tissue microstructure. Mean CMD was 0.17. The reproducibility of q-space trajectory imaging metrics was comparable to DTI, and microstructural metrics in the healthy hippocampus are reported. Conclusion This work shows the feasibility of high-resolution microscopic anisotropy imaging in the human hippocampus at 3 T and provides reference values for microstructural metrics in a healthy hippocampus

Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Secretome Promotes the Immunoregulatory Phenotype and Phagocytosis Activity in Human Macrophages

Human mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (hMSCs) show great promise in cell therapy due to their immunomodulatory properties. The overall immunomodulatory response of hMSCs resembles the resolution of inflammation, in which lipid mediators and regulatory macrophages (Mregs) play key roles. We investigated the effect of hMSC cell-cell contact and secretome on macrophages polarized and activated toward Mreg phenotype. Moreover, we studied the effect of supplemented polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs): docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid, the precursors of lipid mediators, on hMSC immunomodulation. Our results show that unlike hMSC cell-cell contact, the hMSC secretome markedly increased the CD206 expression in both Mreg-polarized and Mreg-activated macrophages. Moreover, the secretome enhanced the expression of programmed death-ligand 1 on Mreg-polarized macrophages and Mer receptor tyrosine kinase on Mreg-activated macrophages. Remarkably, these changes were translated into improvedCandida albicansphagocytosis activity of macrophages. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the hMSC secretome promotes the immunoregulatory and proresolving phenotype of Mregs. Intriguingly, DHA supplementation to hMSCs resulted in a more potentiated immunomodulation with increased CD163 expression and decreased gene expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2 in Mreg-polarized macrophages. These findings highlight the potential of PUFA supplementations as an easy and safe method to improve the hMSC therapeutic potential.Peer reviewe

Compression directions north of the San Fernando Valley determined from borehole breakouts

Borehole breakouts in 4 nearly vertical oil wells, and several other deviated holes, in the San Fernando Valley and Santa Susana Mountains suggest a maximum horizontal compressive stress direction (S_H) of N49°W. These wells provide information about the stress field from 1974 to 1983 in the uppermost crust (<3 km depth) near the aftershock zones of the January 1994 Northridge earthquake and the February 1971 Sylmar earthquake. This direction of S_H is anomalous with respect to the N to NNE directions of S_H seen in other regional data, but is consistent with the structural complexity of this zone, including local changes in strike of major thrust fault zones and the presence of lateral ramps in both the Santa Susana and San Fernando faults

The effects of culture conditions on the functionality of efficiently obtained mesenchymal stromal cells from human cord blood

Background aims. Cord blood (CB) is an attractive source of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) because of its abundant availability and ease of collection. However, the success rate of generating CB-MSCs is low. In this study, our aim was to demonstrate the efficiency of our previously described method to obtain MSCs from CB and further characterize them and to study the effects of different culture conditions on MSCs. Methods. CB-MSC cultures were established in low oxygen (3%) conditions on fibronectin in 10% fetal bovine serum containing culture medium supplemented with combinations of growth factors. Cells were characterized for their adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation capacity; phenotype; and HOX gene expression profile. The functionality of the cells cultured in different media was tested in vitro with angiogenesis and T-cell proliferation assays. Results. We demonstrate 87% efficacy in generating MSCs from CB. The established cells had typical MSC characteristics with reduced adipogenic differentiation potential and a unique HOX gene fingerprint. Growth factor rich medium and a 3% oxygen condition enhanced cell proliferation; however, the growth factor rich medium had a negative effect on the expression of CD90. Dexamethasone-containing medium improved the capacity of the cells to suppress T-cell proliferation, whereas the cells grown without dexamethasone were more able to support angiogenesis. Conclusions. Our results demonstrate that the composition of expansion medium is critical for the functionality of MSCs and should always be appropriately defined for each purpose.Peer reviewe