FTA law in WTO dispute settlement: Peru–additional duty and the fragmentation of trade law

There is a serious imbalance between the sclerosis of the political system of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the automatic adoption of WTO Appellate Body judicial reports. The question is whether the WTO Appellate Body will recognize bilateral political agreements (such as under Free Trade Agreements, FTAs) that modify WTO obligations between two parties. In addressing this question, the Appellate Body decision in Peru–Additional Duty on Imports of Certain Agricultural Products is important. The decision addressed the availability of defenses under FTAs in WTO disputes, as well as under public international law generally. After critically assessing the decision, we set forth a series of judicial and political choices for addressing the interaction of WTO and FTA rules going forward. In particular, we contend that clear modifications of WTO commitments under an FTA should be recognized by WTO panels as a defense, but subject to the FTA itself complying with WTO requirements under GATT Article XXIV. The case is important not only for trade specialists, but generally for policymakers and scholars of global governance in a world of fragmented international treaties

Artifact Mitigation in High-Fidelity Hypervisors

17 USC 105 interim-entered record; under temporary embargo.U.S. Government affiliation is unstated in article text

CARTT: Cyber Automated Red Team Tool

Military weapon systems are often built using embedded, non-IP (Internet Protocol) based computer systems that are not regularly updated and patched due to their isolation. As adversaries expand their capability to exploit and penetrate these systems, we must be able to verify they are not susceptible to cyber-attack. Currently, cyber red teams are employed to assess the security of systems and networks in isolated environments, however, this method can be costly and time-consuming, and the availability of red teams is limited. To address this need and resource shortfall, we have developed the Cyber Automated Red Team Tool (CARTT) that leverages open source software and methods to discover, identify, and conduct a vulnerability scan on a computer system’s software. The results of the vulnerability scan offer possible mitigation strategies to lower the risk from potential cyber-attacks without the need for a dedicated cyber red team operating on the target host or network

2010 Olympic Costs and Benefits

Hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics cannot be justified on economic grounds alone. "The Games are not attractive from a financial point of view," says Dr. Marvin Shaffer, co-author of the study and one of the architects of British Columbia's Multiple Account Guidelines (used for undertaking cost-benefit analyses of major capital projects). "If Vancouver hosts the 2010 Winter Olympics, there will be a substantial net cost to British Columbians in the order of $1.2 billion."Alan Greer, co-author of the study, says the economic benefits of hosting the Games are limited. "Job creation estimates have been wildly exaggerated. Realistic employment estimates range from 1,500 to 5,600 jobs created over the seven years the Games are estimated to have an impact. Based on a net cost of$1.2 billion to host the Games, that's a public subsidy of $220,000 to$820,000 per job."The Olympics also carry significant environmental and social risks. "There are some innovative ideas in the Bid Book for mitigating social and environmental costs, but many of them haven't been budgeted and, if implemented, will likely mean increases to the overall cost of the Games." says Celine Mauboules, co-author of the study."That's not to say the Olympics don't have benefits," says Mauboules. "The positive impacts for British Columbians include the pride and enjoyment from hosting the Games, the opportunity to attend events, and the use of new sports, housing and transportation facilities, to name a few."Seth Klein, the CCPA's BC Director, says the question for policy makers and the public is: Do the benefits outweigh the substantial price tag that comes with hosting the Games? "To date, the public has received inadequate information about the costs and benefits of hosting the Winter Olympics. We've basically done government's job for them. Both federal and provincial guidelines recommend the use of multiple account evaluations for such an initiative. Yet neither level of government, nor the Bid Corporation, has undertaken such an evaluation.""The Olympics have too often been pitched as having miraculous economic powers," says Klein "They do not. Like all public policy choices, they come with benefits and costs, and will require trade-offs.

Modeling the public health impact of malaria vaccines for developers and policymakers

Efforts to develop malaria vaccines show promise. Mathematical model-based estimates of the potential demand, public health impact, and cost and financing requirements can be used to inform investment and adoption decisions by vaccine developers and policymakers on the use of malaria vaccines as complements to existing interventions. However, the complexity of such models may make their outputs inaccessible to non-modeling specialists. This paper describes a Malaria Vaccine Model (MVM) developed to address the specific needs of developers and policymakers, who need to access sophisticated modeling results and to test various scenarios in a user-friendly interface. The model's functionality is demonstrated through a hypothetical vaccine.; The MVM has three modules: supply and demand forecast; public health impact; and implementation cost and financing requirements. These modules include pre-entered reference data and also allow for user-defined inputs. The model includes an integrated sensitivity analysis function. Model functionality was demonstrated by estimating the public health impact of a hypothetical pre-erythrocytic malaria vaccine with 85% efficacy against uncomplicated disease and a vaccine efficacy decay rate of four years, based on internationally-established targets. Demand for this hypothetical vaccine was estimated based on historical vaccine implementation rates for routine infant immunization in 40 African countries over a 10-year period. Assumed purchase price was $5 per dose and injection equipment and delivery costs were$0.40 per dose.; The model projects the number of doses needed, uncomplicated and severe cases averted, deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted, and cost to avert each. In the demonstration scenario, based on a projected demand of 532 million doses, the MVM estimated that 150 million uncomplicated cases of malaria and 1.1 million deaths would be averted over 10 years. This is equivalent to 943 uncomplicate cases and 7 deaths averted per 1,000 vaccinees. In discounted 2011 US dollars, this represents $11 per uncomplicated case averted and$1,482 per death averted. If vaccine efficacy were reduced to 75%, the estimated uncomplicated cases and deaths averted over 10 years would decrease by 14% and 19%, respectively.; The MVM can provide valuable information to assist decision-making by vaccine developers and policymakers, information which will be refined and strengthened as field studies progress allowing further validation of modeling assumptions

Mass Spectrometer Containing Multiple Fixed Collectors

A miniature mass spectrometer that incorporates features not typically found in prior mass spectrometers is undergoing development. This mass spectrometer is designed to simultaneously measure the relative concentrations of five gases (H2, He, N2, O2, and Ar) in air, over the relative-concentration range from 10(exp -6) to 1, during a sampling time as short as 1 second. It is intended to serve as a prototype of a product line of easy-to-use, portable, lightweight, highspeed, relatively inexpensive instruments for measuring concentrations of multiple chemical species in such diverse applications as detecting explosive or toxic chemicals in air, monitoring and controlling industrial processes, measuring concentrations of deliberately introduced isotopes in medical and biological investigations, and general environmental monitoring. The heart of this mass spectrometer is an integral combination of a circular cycloidal mass analyzer, multiple fixed ion collectors, and two mass-selective ion sources. By circular cycloidal mass analyzer is meant an analyzer that includes (1) two concentric circular cylindrical electrodes for applying a radial electric field and (2) a magnet arranged to impose a magnetic flux aligned predominantly along the cylindrical axis, so that ions, once accelerated into the annulus between the electrodes, move along circular cycloidal trajectories. As in other mass analyzers, trajectory of each ion is determined by its mass-to-charge ratio, and so ions of different species can be collected simultaneously by collectors (Faraday cups) at different locations intersected by the corresponding trajectories (see figure). Unlike in other mass analyzers, the installation of additional collectors to detect additional species does not necessitate increasing the overall size of the analyzer assembly

Economics of Drip Irrigation for Juice Grape Vineyards in New York State

R.B. 99-01Grape growers need investment and cost guidelines for drip irrigation to evaluate the economics of getting vines into production as quickly as possible and to avoid periods of drought during the productive life of the vineyard. The benefits of irrigation may include: better vine survival, earlier fruit production, greater yields, more efficient distribution of nutrients, less plant stress, reduced yield variability and improved fruit quality. Research was undertaken to determine drip irrigation investment and annual costs. This project was designed to assist growers in determining the investment, fixed and variable annual costs and expected returns from drip irrigation. Irrigation suppliers provided typical equipment needs and investment costs for various drip irrigation designs. Economic worksheets are provided to assist growers in estimating fixed and variable costs of drip irrigation. The economics of yield data were applied to replicated multiyear irrigation studies to assist growers in determining yield response from drip irrigation. Net present value (NPV) methodology was used to determine the discounted break-even investment results from published responses to drip irrigation. Growers with typical drip irrigation systems and various water sources can expect investments in drip irrigation of $550 to$1,150 per acre with 10 acre blocks of vines. Based upon eight years of data from trials in Fredonia, NY, in the Lake Erie grape belt, average yield increases due to irrigation on establishment and growing of Niagara grapes were 2.8 ton per production year per acre, resulting in a break-even investment of approximately $1,600 per acre. But on established minimal pruned Concord grapes, seven years of data showed a 1.1 ton increase due to irrigation and a break-even investment of only$200 per acre which was well below the total cost of a complete microirrigation drip system. On a new planting of Concords, with droughty soils, the analysis may very well show cost effectiveness. Growers who were interviewed were unable to quantify the benefits and costs of drip irrigation but were pleased with their irrigated yields and brix responses from drip irrigation. This analysis has provided the economic rationale for the investment in microirrigation with some varieties and under certain soil types