THE REAL RATE OF PROTECTION: THE STABILIZING EFFECT OF PRICE POLICIES AND DIRECT PAYMENTS

Traditional indicators of protection refer to the level effect of price policies on income and ignore the stabilizing effect. We derive a measure of the real rate of protection which incorporates these dual dimensions. The income stabilizing effects of price policy protection lead to a greater level of real protection than would be measured conventionally. Computed real protection rates for the European Union wheat market over the pre- and post-MacSharry reform periods were found to be some 3-5 percent greater than traditional indicators. Moreover, the compensatory payments to farmers following the 1992 reforms had a major risk reducing impact.International Relations/Trade,

Modifications in C trumpets as they effect performance practice among professional musicians

The modern C trumpet is a configuration of cylindrical and conical brass tubing that is folded twice into a rectangular shape much like that of the B-flat trumpet. The C trumpet is 4 feet in length and sounds at concert pitch, one step higher than the B-flat trumpet (the B-flat trumpet is about 4 and a half feet long) (Grove\u27s 213)

PRODUCT COMPLEMENTARITY IN PRODUCTION: THE BY-PRODUCT CASE

Production Economics,

Pancreatic cancer patient survival correlates with DNA methylation of pancreas development genes.

DNA methylation is an epigenetic mark associated with regulation of transcription and genome structure. These markers have been investigated in a variety of cancer settings for their utility in differentiating normal tissue from tumor tissue. Here, we examine the direct correlation between DNA methylation and patient survival. We find that changes in the DNA methylation of key pancreatic developmental genes are strongly associated with patient survival

Estrogen and Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity

During the past several years, there has been increasing interest in the effects of estrogen on neural function. This enthusiasm is driven, in part, by the results of early clinical studies suggesting that estrogen therapy given after menopause may prevent, or at least delay, the onset of Alzheimer\u27s disease in older women. However, later clinical trials of women with probable Alzheimer\u27s disease had contrary results. Much of the current research related to estrogen and brain function is focused in two directions. One involves clinical studies that examine the potential of estrogen in protecting against cognitive decline during normal aging and against Alzheimer\u27s disease (neuroprotection). The other direction, which is the primary focus of this review, involves laboratory studies that examine the mechanisms by which estrogen can modify the structure of nerve cells and alter the way neurons communicate with other cells in the brain (neuroplasticity). In this review, we examine recent evidence from experimental and clinical research on the rapid effects of estrogen on several mechanisms that involve synaptic plasticity in the nervous system, including hippocampal excitability, long-term potentiation and depression related to sex and aging differences, cellular neuroprotection and probable molecular mechanisms of the action of estrogen in brain tissue