Does Structure Dominate Regulation? The Case of an Input Monopolist.

This paper constructs a simple repeated game model to analyze how industry outcomes alter if a regulated input monopolist is allowed to integrate into the downstream retail market. Integration helps overcome double marginalization-a feature well known in the existing literature. Unlike existing static models, however, integration also makes tacit collusion more difficult in a repeated game framework. If the regulated input price exceeds marginal cost, an integrated monopolist has an incentive to increase retail sales as this raises upstream profits. It will be less willing to engage in any tacitly collusive conduct in the downstream market and it has a greater incentive to cheat on any collusive arrangement. We show that these effects may dominate input price regulation. A social planner may prefer the upstream monopoly to participate in the downstream market, even if integration leads to a higher regulated input price. The anti-competitive effects of the higher input price are more than offset by the pro-competitive effects of integration.MONOPOLIES ; GAMES ; PRICES ; MARKET

Using 'Bill and Keep' Interconnect Arrangements to Soften Network Competiti on.

This paper demonstrates that low (below marginal cost) interconnect or access charges can be used to sustain high subscription prices in an environment of network competition with two-part tariffs and price discrimination. This result stands in contrast to other results in the literature suggesting that high interconnect charges can play a collusive role.MONOPOLIES ; TELECOMMUNICATIONS ; COMPETITION

Mobile Network Competition, Customer Ignorance and Fixed-to-Mobile Call Prices.

This paper examines the influence of mobile network competition on the prices of fixed-to-mobile calls. Because fixed line customers cannot, in general, distinguish the identity of a specific mobile network, these networks have market power when setting termination charges for calls from fixed lines. We show that: (1) unregulated mobile termination charges will result in higher than monopoly call prices; (2) the regulation of termination charges and prices downward will affect mobile subscription rates and may lower these rates; and (3) regulation of any mobile carrier's termination charges can reduce fixed to mobile prices but will result in an increase in unregulated carriers' termination charges. When fixed line consumers can distinguish between the different mobile networks they are calling, fixed to mobile call prices will fall relative to their level under customer ignorance. Direct mobile charging for termination also exerts downward pressure on the total fixed to mobile call price. A low cost method of lowering fixed to mobile charges would be to facilitate the identification of carriers by consumers and to restructure billing so that mobile networks are able to directly charge fixed line consumers for termination services.TELECOMMUNICATIONS ; PRICES ; REGULATION

Sequential Parimutuel Games.

In a parimutuel betting system, a successful player's return depends on the number of players who choose the same action. This paper examines a general solution for two-action sequential parimutuel games, and shows how the (unique) equilibrium of such games leads to a simple pattern of behaviour. In particular, we show that there is an advantage to being an early mover, that early players might choose actions with an ex ante low probability of success, and that player action choices can 'flip' with small changes in the parameters of the game.GAME THEORY ; INVESTMENTS

Novel chemistry and applications of polythiazyl

Diverse investigations into the synthesis, formation, reactivity and stability of disulfur dinitride, S2N2, enabled through the fabrication of custom-made apparatus and tailored reaction conditions, are reported. The polymerisation process of the former to the (super)conductive polythiazyl material has also been explored by means of both single crystal X-ray diffraction and in situ reaction chemistry...

Coexpression of rat P2X2 and P2X6 subunits in Xenopus oocytes.

Transcripts for P2X(2) and P2X(6) subunits are present in rat CNS and frequently colocalize in the same brainstem nuclei. When rat P2X(2) (rP2X(2)) and rat P2X(6) (rP2X(6)) receptors were expressed individually in Xenopus oocytes and studied under voltage-clamp conditions, only homomeric rP2X(2) receptors were fully functional and gave rise to large inward currents (2-3 microA) to extracellular ATP. Coexpression of rP2X(2) and rP2X(6) subunits in Xenopus oocytes resulted in a heteromeric rP2X(2/6) receptor, which showed a significantly different phenotype from the wild-type rP2X(2) receptor. Differences included reduction in agonist potencies and, in some cases (e.g., Ap(4)A), significant loss of agonist activity. ATP-evoked inward currents were biphasic at the heteromeric rP2X(2/6) receptor, particularly when Zn(2+) ions were present or extracellular pH was lowered. The pH range was narrower for H(+) enhancement of ATP responses at the heteromeric rP2X(2/6) receptor. Also, H(+) ions inhibited ATP responses at low pH levels (<pH 6.3). The pH-dependent blocking activity of suramin was changed at this heteromeric receptor, although the potentiating effect of Zn(2+) on ATP responses was unchanged. Thus, the rP2X(2/6) receptor is a functionally modified P2X(2)-like receptor with a distinct pattern of pH modulation of ATP activation and suramin blockade. Although homomeric P2X(6) receptors function poorly, the P2X(6) subunit can contribute to functional heteromeric P2X channels and may influence the phenotype of native P2X receptors in those cells in which it is expressed

Soil and canary seed yield response over three years to a single application of poultry manure on a heavy clay soil near Regina, SK

Non-Peer Reviewe

Presacral Teratocarcinoma Presenting as Anal Fistula and Rectal Adenocarcinoma: A Unique Case Presentation and Literature Review

Somatic malignancy arising from presacral or retroperitoneal primary teratoma is extremely rare. We report the case of a 37-year-old male patient with adenocarcinoma of respiratory type arising from primary presacral teratoma, but which first presented as anal fistula and rectal adenocarcinoma. The two tumors show the same morphology and immunophenotype (CK7–CK20+CDx2+). Malignant adenocarcinoma transformations from the normal respiratory epithelium are also found. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second case of respiratory type adenocarcinoma arising from primary presacral mature cystic teratoma

Polymerisation of S2N2 to (SN)(x) as a tool for the rapid imaging of fingerprints removed from metal surfaces

Polymerisation of S2N2 to (SN)x on metallic surfaces is induced by interaction with the minute corrosion signatures of removed (by washing) fingerprints; as vapour-phase S2N2 is employed, it follows that the process has the potential to rapidly screen large/convoluted metal pieces, such as explosive device fragments whose prints were wiped by the detonation

Experimentally testing and assessing the predictive power of species assembly rules for tropical canopy ants.

Understanding how species assemble into communities is a key goal in ecology. However, assembly rules are rarely tested experimentally, and their ability to shape real communities is poorly known. We surveyed a diverse community of epiphyte-dwelling ants and found that similar-sized species co-occurred less often than expected. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that invasion was discouraged by the presence of similarly sized resident species. The size difference for which invasion was less likely was the same as that for which wild species exhibited reduced co-occurrence. Finally we explored whether our experimentally derived assembly rules could simulate realistic communities. Communities simulated using size-based species assembly exhibited diversities closer to wild communities than those simulated using size-independent assembly, with results being sensitive to the combination of rules employed. Hence, species segregation in the wild can be driven by competitive species assembly, and this process is sufficient to generate observed species abundance distributions for tropical epiphyte-dwelling ants.TMF was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council, the project “Biodiversity of Forest Ecosystems” CZ.1.07/2.3.00/20.0064 co-financed by the European Social Fund and the state budget of the Czech Republic, an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant (DP140101541), Yayasan Sime Darby, and the Czech Science Foundation (Reg, nos. 14-32302S,14-04258S).This is the final published version. It first appeared at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ele.12403/abstract