Who benefits from price indexation?

We consider two products traded in two duopoly markets, where competition is assumed a la Hotelling. Firms A and B are operating in Market 1, while Firm B is also competing in Market 2 with Firm C. Prices in Market 2 are pegged linearly to the average price in Market 1. We show that price indexation has anticompetitive consequences that always benefit Firm A, and that benefit Firm B operating in both markets if the size of the reference market is large enough.Hotelling, prices, indexation

A Unidirectional Hotelling Model

The standard hotelling model with linear transportation costs predicts an aggregation of the two competing firms in the middle of the customers support interval (Minimum Differentiation Principle). Using quadratic transportation costs, the two firms would locate in the opposite extremities of the interval (Maximum Differentiation Principle). Both cases assume bidirectional purchasing ability : a consumer can buy from a firm whether it is located on her right or on her left. In a situation where a consumer can buy only from firms located on her right (left), we show that one firm would locate at the right (left) end of the hotelling line while the other would locate at 3/5 (2/5) from the left end.Hotelling, unidirectional, equilibrium, location

Quantification of ciprofloxacin in pharmaceutical products from various brands using FT-NIR: A comparative investigation of PLS and MCR-ALS.

peer reviewedThis study aims to quantify ciprofloxacin in commercial tablets with varying excipient compositions using Fourier Transform Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-NIR) and chemometric models: Partial Least Squares (PLS) and Multivariate Curve Resolution - Alternating Least Squares (MCR-ALS). Matrix variation, arising from differences in excipient compositions among the tablets, can impact quantification accuracy. We discuss this phenomenon, emphasizing potential issues introduced by varying certain excipients and its importance in reliable ciprofloxacin quantification. We evaluated the performance of PLS and MCR-ALS models independently on two sets of tablets, each containing the same drug substance but different excipients. The statistical results revealed promising results with PLS prediction error of 0.38% w/w of the first set and 0.47% w/w of the second set, while MCR-ALS achieved prediction errors of 0.67% w/w of the first set and 1.76% w/w of the second set. To address the challenge of matrix variation, we developed single models for PLS and MCR-ALS using a dataset combining both first and second sets. The PLS single model demonstrated a prediction error of 4.3% w/w and a relative error of 6.41% w/w, while the MCR-ALS single model showed a prediction error of 1.88% w/w and a relative error of 1.29% w/w. We then assessed the performance of the single PLS and MCR-ALS models developed based on the combination of the first and the second set in quantifying ciprofloxacin in various commercial tablet brands containing new excipients. The PLS model achieved a prediction error ranging between 6.2% w/w and 8.39% w/w, with relative errors varied between 8.53% w/w and 12.82% w/w. On the other hand, the MCR-ALS model had a prediction error between 1.11% w/w and 2.66% w/w, and the relative errors ranging from 0.8% to 1.74% w/w

Embryonic paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma: a case report

INTRODUCTION: An embryonic paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma is a very rare mesenchymal tumor. It is an intrascrotal tumor that is localized in paratesticular structures such as the epididymis or spermatic cord. Rhabdomyosarcoma is most often observed in children and adolescents, presenting as a painless scrotal mass. CASE PRESENTATION: Our patient was an 18-year-old Moroccan man who presented with a painless left scrotal mass that had evolved over four months. An inguinal orchiectomy was performed. A histological examination of the excised tissue revealed an embryonic rhabdomyosarcoma. Our patient had three sessions of chemotherapy with vincristine, actinomycin C and cyclophosphamide. Each chemotherapy session was conducted over five days, with a cycle of 21 days. Our patient was assessed two months after the last chemotherapy session and demonstrated good clinical improvement. CONCLUSION: Paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare aggressive tumor manifesting in children and very young adults. Localized forms have a good prognosis whereas metastatic tumors show very poor results. A well-defined treatment based on surgery and chemotherapy yields good results

The welfare effects of unbundling gas storage and distribution

We use a stylized gas system to study the use of access-to-gas storage in a seasonal model. In a duopoly setting, we find that welfare is higher under vertical integration and open access organization than under separate management of storage and distribution. This raises questions about recent regulatory reforms in the gas sectors in the US and Europe, supporting the separation of storage and merchant activities. In the absence of other justifying reasons such as encouraging competition by creating a level playing field, separating the management and accounting functions of storage activities from those of distribution may be a better option than real divestiture, on the basis of welfare arguments.

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Current Application of Advancing Spectroscopy Techniques in Food Analysis: Data Handling with Chemometric Approaches

In today’s era of increased food consumption, consumers have become more demanding in terms of safety and the quality of products they consume. As a result, food authorities are closely monitoring the food industry to ensure that products meet the required standards of quality. The analysis of food properties encompasses various aspects, including chemical and physical descriptions, sensory assessments, authenticity, traceability, processing, crop production, storage conditions, and microbial and contaminant levels. Traditionally, the analysis of food properties has relied on conventional analytical techniques. However, these methods often involve destructive processes, which are laborious, time-consuming, expensive, and environmentally harmful. In contrast, advanced spectroscopic techniques offer a promising alternative. Spectroscopic methods such as hyperspectral and multispectral imaging, NMR, Raman, IR, UV, visible, fluorescence, and X-ray-based methods provide rapid, non-destructive, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly means of food analysis. Nevertheless, interpreting spectroscopy data, whether in the form of signals (fingerprints) or images, can be complex without the assistance of statistical and innovative chemometric approaches. These approaches involve various steps such as pre-processing, exploratory analysis, variable selection, regression, classification, and data integration. They are essential for extracting relevant information and effectively handling the complexity of spectroscopic data. This review aims to address, discuss, and examine recent studies on advanced spectroscopic techniques and chemometric tools in the context of food product applications and analysis trends. Furthermore, it focuses on the practical aspects of spectral data handling, model construction, data interpretation, and the general utilization of statistical and chemometric methods for both qualitative and quantitative analysis. By exploring the advancements in spectroscopic techniques and their integration with chemometric tools, this review provides valuable insights into the potential applications and future directions of these analytical approaches in the food industry. It emphasizes the importance of efficient data handling, model development, and practical implementation of statistical and chemometric methods in the field of food analysis

Towards a Novel Approach for Tumor Volume Quantification

In medical image processing, evaluating the variations of lesion volume plays a major role in many medical applications. It helps radiologists to follow-up with patients and examine the effects of therapy. Several approaches have been proposed to meet with medical expectations. The present work comes within this context. We present a new approach based on the local dissimilarity volume (LDV) that is a 3D representation of the local dissimilarity map (LDM). This map presents a useful means to compare two images, offering a localization of information. We proved the effectiveness of this method (LDV) compared to medical techniques used by radiologists. The result of simulations shows that we can quantify lesion volume by using the LDV method, which is an efficient way to calculate and localize the volume variation of anomalies. It allowed a time savings with the compete satisfaction of an expert during the medical treatment

Current application of advancing spectroscopy techniques in food analysis:data handling with chemometric approaches

Abstract In today’s era of increased food consumption, consumers have become more demanding in terms of safety and the quality of products they consume. As a result, food authorities are closely monitoring the food industry to ensure that products meet the required standards of quality. The analysis of food properties encompasses various aspects, including chemical and physical descriptions, sensory assessments, authenticity, traceability, processing, crop production, storage conditions, and microbial and contaminant levels. Traditionally, the analysis of food properties has relied on conventional analytical techniques. However, these methods often involve destructive processes, which are laborious, time-consuming, expensive, and environmentally harmful. In contrast, advanced spectroscopic techniques offer a promising alternative. Spectroscopic methods such as hyperspectral and multispectral imaging, NMR, Raman, IR, UV, visible, fluorescence, and X-ray-based methods provide rapid, non-destructive, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly means of food analysis. Nevertheless, interpreting spectroscopy data, whether in the form of signals (fingerprints) or images, can be complex without the assistance of statistical and innovative chemometric approaches. These approaches involve various steps such as pre-processing, exploratory analysis, variable selection, regression, classification, and data integration. They are essential for extracting relevant information and effectively handling the complexity of spectroscopic data. This review aims to address, discuss, and examine recent studies on advanced spectroscopic techniques and chemometric tools in the context of food product applications and analysis trends. Furthermore, it focuses on the practical aspects of spectral data handling, model construction, data interpretation, and the general utilization of statistical and chemometric methods for both qualitative and quantitative analysis. By exploring the advancements in spectroscopic techniques and their integration with chemometric tools, this review provides valuable insights into the potential applications and future directions of these analytical approaches in the food industry. It emphasizes the importance of efficient data handling, model development, and practical implementation of statistical and chemometric methods in the field of food analysis