Essays on Tariff Formation

Thesis (PhD) - Indiana University, Economics, 2005In an era of enhanced trade liberalization the study of tariff policy and formation assumes increasing importance. This dissertation explores tariffs under three different contexts. First, we examine the effect of technology on the choice of external tariffs by trading nations. The literature on tariffs usually assumes that trading partners are symmetric in key fundamental parameters such as factor endowments, technology, preferences, policy and institutional frameworks. This is done in the interest of tractability given the complexity of the problems addressed. There thus exists scope for research on the impact of inter-country differences in fundamentals on policy preferences. We examine the relationship between a key asymmetry, namely technology, and tariff selection in a dual general equilibrium model along the lines of Dixit and Norman (1980). We find that it is possible to rank tariffs by comparing the compensated price elasticity of the import demand function. An expression for this elasticity in terms of a technological shift parameter is found and tariffs ranked under various specifications of the parameter. An empirical exercise using a cross-sectional sample of 42 countries finds some evidence of an inverse relationship between technology and tariffs. Second, we study reciprocal trade liberalization in a two country setting that allows for asymmetry in country size. The analysis draws on Furusawa (1999) wherein it is suggested that as long as status-quo tariffs are invariant during the negotiation process, the country with the higher status-quo tariff rate benefits more from the negotiation and vice-versa. We formalize this insight by explicitly introducing country size and asymmetric status-quo tariffs in a Rubinstein-type bargaining model. Our findings indicate that a large country will gain more from tariff negotiations regardless of the patience exhibited by the smaller country during the bargaining process. Third, we use two new measures of openness, namely the Trade Restrictiveness Index and the Mercantile Trade Restrictiveness Index (Anderson and Neary, 1996, 2003) to empirically examine the relationship between a country's size and outward orientation. We find that the negative relationship between country size and openness reported in the literature holds when these two measures are employed

Sigmoid volvulus in pregnancy and puerperium: a surgical and obstetric catastrophe Report of a case and review of the world literature

Sigmoid volvulus is a rare surgical complication occurring in pregnancy and puerperium. Only 84 cases of sigmoid volvulus in pregnancy have been reported in the English literature so far. We have reviewed the available literature on this subject and present another case recently managed at our institution. The available literature suggests that over the years, there has been an improvement in the maternal and fetal outcome for this critical condition, but delay in presentation and a further delay in diagnosis remain a challenge for the treating physicians. Our patient was a 30-week pregnant lady, who presented late with 6days history of abdominal pain, distension and absolute constipation. She had evidence of multi-organ dysfunction at presentation due to complicated sigmoid volvulus. She was resuscitated and surgical exploration revealed gangrenous large bowel. Bowel resection with diverting ileostomy was performed, but she succumbed to the septic shock due to late presentation. Acute surgical pathology may be overlooked in pregnant patients due to reluctance in radiological workup and a high index of suspicion is essential for enhanced outcome. There is a need to increase the awareness amongst the obstetricians and general practitioners. Early diagnosis and referral and timely surgical intervention could significantly improve the outcome of this surgical and obstetric catastrophe

The Effects of Variable Viscosity on the Peristaltic Flow of Non-Newtonian Fluid through a Porous Medium in an Inclined Channel with Slip Boundary Conditions

The present paper investigates the peristaltic motion of an incompressible non-Newtonian fluid with variable viscosity through a porous medium in an inclined symmetric channel under the effect of the slip condition. A long wavelength approximation is used in mathematical modeling. The system of the governing nonlinear partial differential equation has been solved by using the regular perturbation method and the analytical solutions for velocity and pressure rise have been obtained in the form of stream function. In the obtained solution expressions, the long wavelength and low Reynolds number assumptions are utilized. The salient features of pumping and trapping phenomena are discussed explicitly. The flow is investigated in a wave frame of reference moving with velocity of the wave. The features of the flow characteristics are analyzed by plotting the graphs of various values of the physical parameters in detail

Soil Moisture Measuring Techniques and Factors Affecting the Moisture Dynamics: A Comprehensive Review

The amount of surface soil moisture (SSM) is a crucial ecohydrological natural resource that regulates important land surface processes. It affects critical land–atmospheric phenomena, including the division of energy and water (infiltration, runoff, and evaporation), that impacts the effectiveness of agricultural output (sensible and latent heat fluxes and surface air temperature). Despite its significance, there are several difficulties in making precise measurements, monitoring, and interpreting SSM at high spatial and temporal resolutions. The current study critically reviews the methods and procedures for calculating SSM and the variables influencing measurement accuracy and applicability under different fields, climates, and operational conditions. For laboratory and field measurements, this study divides SSM estimate strategies into (i) direct and (ii) indirect procedures. The accuracy and applicability of a technique depends on the environment and the resources at hand. Comparative research is geographically restricted, although precise and economical—direct measuring techniques like the gravimetric method are time-consuming and destructive. In contrast, indirect methods are more expensive and do not produce measurements at the spatial scale but produce precise data on a temporal scale. While measuring SSM across more significant regions, ground-penetrating radar and remote sensing methods are susceptible to errors caused by overlapping data and atmospheric factors. On the other hand, soft computing techniques like machine/deep learning are quite handy for estimating SSM without any technical or laborious procedures. We determine that factors, e.g., topography, soil type, vegetation, climate change, groundwater level, depth of soil, etc., primarily influence the SSM measurements. Different techniques have been put into practice for various practical situations, although comparisons between them are not available frequently in publications. Each method offers a unique set of potential advantages and disadvantages. The most accurate way of identifying the best soil moisture technique is the value selection method (VSM). The neutron probe is preferable to the FDR or TDR sensor for measuring soil moisture. Remote sensing techniques have filled the need for large-scale, highly spatiotemporal soil moisture monitoring. Through self-learning capabilities in data-scarce areas, machine/deep learning approaches facilitate soil moisture measurement and prediction

Anti-inflammatory effects of topical lactobacillus acidophilus and antibiotic in wound repair on the basis of microscopic parameters: a comparative study in rats

Background: Wound treatment still a task for medical professionals, according to the time advancement. We need to elaborate further new interventions to cope up this common factor of community. The objective of the study was to assess the anti-inflammatory topical role of Lactobacillus acidophilus with antibiotic in wound repair of rats based on of microscopic parameters. This comparative study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy Al-Tibri Medical Collage and Hospital Isra University Karachi Campus from December 2018 to April 2019.Methods: Total 18 male of wistar rats were randomly selected for this study. The study comprised of three topical groups Control, Antibiotic and Lactobacillus acidophilus groups respectively.Results: The samples were taken from the wound site for the preparation of microscopic slides, to count the numbers of neutrophils, lymphocytes and macrophages for the evaluation of anti-inflammatory process in both groups on day 3 and 7. Data obtained were analyzed by SPSS version 20 by applying One Way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey’s test.Conclusions: The results were shown potent anti-inflammatory effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus group in comparison with other conventional therapy. The study concludes that the topical application of Lactobacillus acidophilus had remarkable anti-inflammatory effects in wound management