Delegation with a Reciprocal Agent

We consider a model in which a principal may delegate the choice of a project to a better informed agent. The preferences of the agent and the principal about which project should be undertaken may be discordant. Moreover, the agent benefits from being granted more discretion in the project choice and may be motivated by reciprocity. We find that the relationship between the agent's reciprocity and discretion crucially depends on the conflict of interest with the principal. When preferences are more congruent (discordant), discretion is broader (more limited) if the agent is more reciprocal. Hence, reciprocity mitigates (exacerbates) a mild (severe) conflict of interest. We also present supportive evidence for the predictions of our model using the German Socio-Economic Panel dataset

Delegation with a Reciprocal Agent [WP]

We consider a model in which a principal may delegate the choice of a project to a better informed agent. The preferences of the agent and the principal about which project should be undertaken can be discordant. Moreover, the agent benefits from being granted more discretion in the project choice and may be motivated by reciprocity. We find that the impact of the agent's reciprocity on the discretion he receives crucially depends on the conflict of interest with the principal. If preferences are very discordant, the principal is more likely to retain authority about the choice of the project when the agent is more reciprocal. Hence, reciprocity exacerbates a severe conflict of interest. In contrast, if preferences are more congruent, discretion is broader when the agent is more reciprocal. Hence, reciprocity mitigates a mild conflict of interest. In addition, we find that the possibility of being able to offer monetary payments to the agent can make the principal worse off when the agent reciprocates. We also empirically test the predictions of our model using the German Socio-Economic Panel finding some support for our theoretical results

Corruption and the regulation of innovation

We study the optimal design of regulation for innovative activities which can have negative social repercussions. We compare two alternative regimes which may provide firms with different incentives to innovate and produce: lenient authorization and strict authorization. We find that corruption plays a critical role in the choice of the authorization regime. Corruption exacerbates the costs of using lenient authorization, under which production of socially harmful goods is always authorized. In contrast, corruption can be socially beneficial under strict authorization, since it can mitigate an over-investment problem. In the second part of the paper, we explore the design of bonuses, taxes, and ex-post liability to improve the regulatory outcome

Efficient copyright filters for online hosting platforms

This paper documents the existence of significant gender gaps in STEM occupations in Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Mexico and estimates the aggregate costs associated with these gaps in Mexico. For Mexico we calibrate and simulate a version of the general equilibrium occupational choice model of Hsieh et al. (2019) to estimate the output losses associated with these differences since 1992. We find that if barriers in STEM occupations were eliminated aggregate output would have been between 1% and 10% larger, depending on the year. If female-specific social norms were also eliminated, the rise in aggregate output would be between 1.4% and 14%. For comparison purposes, we also compute the gains of eliminating all the distortions in high-skilled occupations as well as in all occupations. We find that aggregate output would rise between 16.5% and 3.6% in the former group of occupations and between 36.7% and 12% in the latter

Platform Liability with Reputational Sanctions

This paper presents a framework where sellers, an online platform with monopoly power, and consumers transact. We study the interaction between the imposition of liability on the platform, the reputational sanctions exerted by consumers, and the internal measures adopted by the platform to keep in check the sellers, whenever a product generates losses to consumers. We show that introducing direct legal liability of the platform (i) may have both positive and negative effects for safety investments and (ii) is generally welfare-increasing albeit it may be detrimental for welfare when legal costs are sizable. Additionally, when sellers are heterogeneous with respect to either their sensitivity to consumers' or platform' sanctions, we find that platform legal liability will affect the selection of participating sellers, although the sign and size of the effect largely depend on parameter values

Efficacy of Supra-HFR in Removing FGF23 and Cytokines: A Single Session Analysis

Background/Aim: Supra hemodiafiltration with reinfusion of the endogenous ultrafiltrate (Supra-HFR) is a dialysis technique used to improve uremic toxin removal in the range of the middle molecular weight molecules. Supra-HFR does not require the preparation and online infusion of high purity dialysis water because it allows the production of an endogenous ultrafiltrate that undergoes detoxification through an adsorbing resin. Patients and Methods: We investigated the ability of Supra-HFR to remove fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), interleukin 8 (IL-8), and transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha) after a single session dialysis in nine patients affected by end stage renal disease (ESRD). The same patients underwent a single session of online hemodiafiltration (OLHDF) to evaluate possible differences in FGF23 and IL-6 levels. Results: A significant reduction in FGF23 was observed with both Supra-HFR (p=0.001) and OL-HDF. As for TNF-alpha and TGF-alpha, which were measured using Supra-HFR only, their percentage values were significantly lower at the end of dialysi

The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence, Obesity and Eating Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Mapping Review

Eating and weight disorders often develop early in life and cause a long-standing significant health burden. Given the documented role of emotional intelligence (EI) in shaping the body image and predicting the onset of eating disorders, knowledge of the mechanisms involved in EI among youth is fundamental to designing specific interventions for screening and prevention of obesity and eating disorders (EDs). The present systematic mapping review was aimed to explore and quantify the nature and distribution of existing research investigating the impact of EI on EDs in young people. A systematic search for relevant articles was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases. The Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS) was used to assess the included studies' methodological quality. The included studies' results were mapped based on stratification by age groups (children, preadolescents, and adolescents), population (clinical vs. non-clinical) and disordered eating outcomes. Nine studies were included, supporting the association between EI and body image dissatisfaction, ED risk and bulimic symptomatology, but not with anorexic symptoms. Research on children and clinical populations was scant. Further studies are needed to deepen the role of EI in the genesis and maintenance of EDs

Tumour cell-derived small extracellular vesicles modulate macrophage immunosuppressive phenotype associated with PD-L1 expression

Introduction: Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a key role in promoting tumour progression, by exerting an immunosuppressive phenotype associated with M2 polarization and with the expression of CD204 and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1). It is well known that tumour-derived extracellular vesicles (TEVs) play a pivotal role in the tumour microenvironment, influencing TAM behaviour. The study was aimed to examine the effect of TEVs derived from colon cancer and multiple myeloma cells on macrophage functions. Methods: Non-polarized macrophages (M0) differentiated from THP-1 cells were co-cultured, for 3 up to 48 hours, with TEVs derived from a colon cancer cell line, SW480, and multiple myeloma cell line, MM1.S. The expression of M2 and TAM markers (respectively CD163 and CD204) as well as of PD-L1 and Interleukin 6 (IL6) were evaluated at mRNA and protein level. The apoptotic rate of CD3+ T cells cocultured with TEV-treated M0 macrophages was analysed by FACS. Results: Our results indicate that TEVs can significantly upregulate the expression of surface markers of M2-like phenotype (CD163) and TAM (CD204) as well as of PD-L1, inducing macrophages to acquire an immunosuppressive phenotype. In parallel, we found that TEVs were also able to induce a significant increase of IL6 expression at both mRNA and protein levels and to activate the STAT3 signalling pathway. Since PD-1/PD-L1 axis is involved in the inhibition of T cells, we assessed the ability of macrophages treated with TEVs to affect T cell viability. We found that CD3+ T cells co-cultured with TEVs-treated M0 showed an increase of their apoptotic rate in comparison to CD3 + T cells grown in the presence of untreated macrophages. Summary/Conclusion: Cumulatively, these preliminary data suggest that TEVs contribute to the immunosuppressive status of TAMs, promoting tumour growth and progression. Funding: Grant from the Fondazione AIRC per la Ricerca sul Cancro to Riccardo Alessandro (grant n° 18783)

Impact of Single Hemodialysis Treatment on immune Cell Subpopulations

: Hemodialysis (HD) is known to trigger a chronic inflammatory status, affecting the innate and acquired immune response. This study was aimed at a comparative analysis of immune cell subsets, proliferation, and apoptosis in subjects receiving chronic HD treatment with respect to a healthy control. Regardless of the dialysis filter used, we observed a reshaping of the acquired immune component both with respect to healthy patients and between the various sessions of dialysis treatment, with an impairment of CD3 cells, along with an increase in CD4 and CD8 cell populations producing pro-inflammatory factors such as IL-17 and IFN-gamma. The population of B cells, monocytes and NK cells were not impaired by the dialysis procedure. These results confirmed the high impact of the HD treatment on the patient's immune system, underlying the imbalance of T cell counterparts