Offshoring and the Role of Trade Agreements

The rise of offshoring of intermediate inputs raises important questions for commercial policy. Do the distinguishing features of offshoring introduce novel reasons for trade policy intervention? Does offshoring create new problems of global policy cooperation whose solutions require international agreements with novel features? Can trade agreements that are designed to address problems that arise when trade predominantly takes the form of the exchange of final goods be expected to perform in a world where offshoring is prevalent? In this paper we provide answers to these questions, and thereby initiate the study of trade agreements in the presence of offshoring. We do so by deriving the Nash and internationally efficient trade policy choices of governments in an environment in which some trade flows involve the exchange of customized inputs, contracts governing these transactions are incomplete, and the matching between final-good producers and input suppliers may involve search frictions. By characterizing the differences between Nash and internationally efficient policies in this environment, and by comparing these differences to those that would arise in the absence of offshoring of customized inputs, we seek to understand the implications of offshoring for the role of trade agreements. Our findings indicate that the rise of offshoring is likely to complicate the task of trade agreements, because in the presence of offshoring, (i) the mechanism by which countries can shift the costs of intervention on to their trading partners is more complicated and extends to a wider set of policies than is the case when offshoring is not present, and (ii) because the underlying problem that a trade agreement must address in the presence of offshoring varies with the political preferences of member governments. As a consequence, the increasing prevalence of offshoring is likely to make it increasingly difficult for governments to rely on simple and general rules -- such as reciprocity and non-discrimination -- to help them solve their trade-related problems.

Biogenesis of the multifunctional lipid droplet: lipids, proteins, and sites

Lipid droplets (LDs) are ubiquitous dynamic organelles that store and supply lipids in all eukaryotic and some prokaryotic cells for energy metabolism, membrane synthesis, and production of essential lipid-derived molecules. Interest in the organelle's cell biology has exponentially increased over the last decade due to the link between LDs and prevalent human diseases and the discovery of new and unexpected functions of LDs. As a result, there has been significant recent progress toward understanding where and how LDs are formed, and the specific lipid pathways that coordinate LD biogenesis

Cutaneous leiomyosarcoma arising in a smallpox scar

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous leiomyosarcoma (CLM) is a very rare smooth muscle tumour that accounts for about 2–3% of all superficial soft tissue sarcomas. Although the development of various malignancies in scar tissue is well known, we report the first case of a CLM developing in a small pox scar. CASE PRESENTATION: A 66-year-old man presented with a painless, slow-growing lump in a small pox scar on his left shoulder. Histological biopsies showed the lesion to be a primary, well-differentiated cutaneous leiomyosarcoma. A CT scan of the thorax was conducted, which showed no signs of metastases. The complete lesion was then surgically excised, and histopathological examination revealed a radically excised cutaneous type leiomyosarcoma After 13 months’ review the patient was doing well with no evidence of tumour recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of a CLM arising in a small pox scar. Although the extended time interval between scarring and malignant changes makes it difficult to advise strict follow-up for patients with small pox scars, one should be aware that atypical changes and/or symptoms occurring in a small pox scar could potentially mean malignant transformation

Engineering geological mapping in Wallonia (Belgium) : present state and recent computerized approach

An engineering geological map can be defined as a geological map with a generalized representation of all the components of a geological environment which are strongly required for spatial planning, design, construction and maintenance of civil engineering buildings. In Wallonia (Belgium) 24 engineering geological maps have been developed between the 70s and the 90s at 1/5,000 or 1/10,000 scale covering some areas of the most industrialized and urbanized cities (Liège, Charleroi and Mons). They were based on soil and subsoil data point (boring, drilling, penetration test, geophysical test, outcrop. . . ). Some displayed data present the depth (with isoheights) or the thickness (with isopachs) of the different subsoil layers up to about 50 m depth. Information about geomechanical properties of each subsoil layer,useful for engineers and urban planners, is also synthesized. However, these maps were built up only on paper and progressively needed to be updated with new soil and subsoil data. The Public Service of Wallonia and the University of Liège have recently initiated a study to evaluate the feasibility to develop engineering geological mapping with a computerized approach. Numerous and various data (about soil and subsoil) are stored into a georelational database (the geotechnical database – using Access, Microsoft®). All the data are geographically referenced. The database is linked to a GIS project (using ArcGIS, ESRI®). Both the database and GIS project consist of a powerful tool for spatial data management and analysis. This approach involves a methodology using interpolation methods to update the previous maps and to extent the coverage to new areas. The location (x, y, z) of each subsoil layer is then computed from data point. The geomechanical data of these layers are synthesized in an explanatory booklet joined to maps