Assessing proposals for a transatlantic free trade area.

Initiatives to reduce transatlantic trade barriers or to harmonize trade-related domestic policies in the EU and the US appear regularly on the agenda of policy makers. The last decade saw also considerable steps in transatlantic economic cooperation focusing on special aspects. In February 2002, a new call for a study on the benefits of a transatlantic free trade area (TAFTA) was made by the President of the EU Council to facilitate further liberalization schemes. This article examines recent developments in transatlantic economic policies, discusses changes in approaches in transatlantic regionalism and presents estimates of the economic consequences of transatlantic liberalization. Given the expected small benefits of a TAFTA and the induced costs for multilateral liberalization negotiations, the article discusses alternatives to TAFTA and argues for a multilateral approach, eventually being accompanied by some sort of open regionalism.Außenhandelsliberalisierung; Freihandelszone; EU-Staaten; USA;

TAFTA: fuelling trade discrimination or global liberalisation?

This paper analyses the prospects and problems of a Transatlantic Free Trade Area (TAFTA) between the European Union and the United States. Possible economic reasons for the proposal of TAFFA such as the intensity of bilateral trade and a strong interdependence in investment flows and the similarity of the EU and the US in their factor endowment and tariff structure are examined. There are cases shining favourably on the idea, but the implementation of TAFTA will imply substantial costs due to the internal and external consequences. The main problem of a free trade area between the two most important economic blocs is the impact on the multilateral approach of trade liberalisation. The authors suggest a Transatlantic Liberalisation Initiative (TALI) as an alternative to TAFTA. Under TALI, the EU and the US should accelerate their implementation of their Uruguay Round commitments and liberalise in areas that are not yet covered by WTO agreements. This should be done under the Most-Favoured Nation clause and would be a strong motivating force for multilateral liberalisation. In addition, TALI could be a forerunner in reducing market segmentation and in establishing a semiinternal market between Europe and America.Transatlantic Free Trade Area,regional integration,European Union,multilateral liberalisation,United States

Sugarcane seed response to 2,4-D and alternative herbicides for red morningglory (Ipomoea coccinea L.) control

Field studies conducted over two growing seasons evaluated the effect of 2,4-D applied at 1.6 kg ai/ha to LCP 85-384 sugarcane (Saccharum interspecific hybrid) 7, 5, 3, and 1 wk before planting (WBP). Sugarcane was planted in mid-September using both whole stalk and billet (45 cm) seed pieces. When 2,4-D was applied 5 wk or closer to planting, sugarcane shoot emergence and population averaged across planting methods was reduced 5, 7, and 28 wk after planting (WAP) when compared to the nontreated control. Sugarcane height in one of two years was reduced when 2,4-D was applied 5 wk or closer to harvest of sugarcane for seed and sugarcane and sugar yield were reduced around 11% when compared with the nontreated control. For LCP 85-384 a 7 wk period should be allowed between 2,4-D application and harvest for seed when planted using whole stalks or billets. In field studies complete control of red morningglory (Ipomoea coccinea L.) 30 and 60 cm in height was obtained 14 or 21 days after treatment (DAT) over two years with 2,4-D at 0.53 kg/ha, 2,4-D at 0.4 kg/ha or more plus dicamba, atrazine at 2.23 kg ai/ha, flumioxazin at 0.10 kg ai/ha, sulfentrazone at 0.35 kg ai/ha, and V10064 at 1.75 kg ai/ha. Red morningglory 1.8 m tall was controlled 100% 28 DAT the first year with 2,4-D at 1.06 kg/ha and 78% the second year. In the second year when herbicides were applied three weeks earlier than the previous year and when weed growth was more vigorous, the 2,4-D plus the 2,4-D and dicamba premix at 0.79 + 0.1 / 0.04 kg/ha provided control greater than that of 2,4-D alone at 1.06 kg/ha, but was the only treatment that included dicamba to control red morningglory equal to that of 2,4-D at 1.59 kg/ha (87%). Directed applications to the lower 45 cm of 1.8 m red morningglory plants with atrazine at 4.47 kg/ha, sulfentrazone at 0.35 kg/ha, and V10064 at 1.75 kg/ha the first year controlled weeds at least 96%, but control was 23 to 30 percentage points less the second year

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) response to plant density, insect pest management, and harvest-aid application strategies

Field studies evaluated the effect of plant population and seeding configuration on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) growth and yield. Seeding configuration did not influence plant growth and development parameters. Averaged across seeding configurations, plants grown at a density of 152,833 plants ha-1 were taller than plants grown at 50,958 and 33,975 plants ha-1, and produced fewer mainstem nodes than all other populations. A 4- and 5-day (2003) and 13- and 14-day (2004) delay in peak bloom was associated with populations of 50,958 and 33,975 plants ha-1, respectively, when compared to 152,833 plants ha-1. Lint yield was not significantly reduced until plant population was lowered to 33,975 (30.5 cm plant spacing) or 50,958 (three plants per hill, 60 cm hill spacing) plants ha-1. Fiber properties were not influenced by plant population or seeding configuration. In field experiments conducted at two Louisiana locations, the effect of late-season insect simulated defoliation (manual leaf removal) and premature harvest-aid application on cotton yield and fiber quality was evaluated. Results suggest a negative impact on yield and fiber quality should not occur when terminating management strategies for late-season bottom defoliating insects at plant development ≥ NAWF5 (five nodes above the uppermost first position white flower, i.e. cutout) +550 HU (heat units), while harvest-aid application should not be initiated until plant development exceeds NAWF5+750 HU. Data obtained from field studies conducted in both Louisiana and Tennessee, which evaluated the effect of carrier volume and nozzle type on cotton harvest-aid efficacy, determined that harvest-aids should be applied through flat fan or hollow cone nozzles at carrier volumes of at least 93.5 L ha-1. These applications are necessary to maximize efficacy, by increasing canopy penetration by spray droplets, to achieve adequate defoliation for a once over harvest. Defoliation timing experiments in Louisiana identified 40 to 60 percent open bolls as the stage of crop maturity when harvest-aid application will result in maximum lint yields. However, a second harvest may be necessary to realize maximum lint yield. Delaying defoliation until after 75 percent open bolls may have detrimental effects on fiber quality resulting in discounts and reduced gross revenue

Enzyme activity and dynamics in near-anhydrous conditions

Water is widely assumed to be essential for life 1, although the exact molecular basis of this requirement is unclear 2-4. Water facilitates protein motions 5-9 and although enzyme activity has been demonstrated at low hydrations in organic solvents 10-13, such non-aqueous solvents may allow the necessary motions for catalysis. To examine enzyme function in the absence of solvation and bypass diffusional constraints we have tested the ability of an esterase to catalyse alcoholysis as an anhydrous powder, using a closed reaction system in which the substrates and products of the enzyme reaction are gaseous 14-15, and where the water content can be well defined 16. At hydrations equivalent to 3 (±2) molecules of water per molecule of enzyme, activity is observed that is several orders of magnitude greater than non-enzymatic catalysis. Neutron spectroscopy indicates that the fast (≤nanosecond) global anharmonic dynamics of the anhydrous functional enzyme are heavily suppressed. The results indicate that neither hydration water nor the solvent-activated fast anharmonic dynamics are required for enzyme function. An implication of these results is that one of the essential requirements of water for life may lie with its role as a diffusion medium rather than any of its more specific properties

Urinary proteomics can define distinct diagnostic inflammatory arthritis subgroups

Current diagnostic tests applied to inflammatory arthritis lack the necessary specificity to appropriately categorise patients. There is a need for novel approaches to classify patients with these conditions. Herein we explored whether urinary proteomic biomarkers specific for different forms of arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), osteoarthritis (OA)) or chronic inflammatory conditions (inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)) can be identified. Fifty subjects per group with RA, PsA, OA or IBD and 50 healthy controls were included in the study. Two-thirds of these populations were randomly selected to serve as a training set, while the remaining one-third was reserved for validation. Sequential comparison of one group to the other four enabled identification of multiple urinary peptides significantly associated with discrete pathological conditions. Classifiers for the five groups were developed and subsequently tested blind in the validation test set. Upon unblinding, the classifiers demonstrated excellent performance, with an area under the curve between 0.90 and 0.97 per group. Identification of the peptide markers pointed to dysregulation of collagen synthesis and inflammation, but also novel inflammatory markers. We conclude that urinary peptide signatures can reliably differentiate between chronic arthropathies and inflammatory conditions with discrete pathogenesis

Treinamento e desenvolvimento gerencial: Softway Contact Center

TCC (graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Sócio Econômico, Curso de Administração.A arte de liderar tem chamado a atenção do homem desde o inicio da sua história. Houve épocas em que ser líder era sinônimo de ter pulso forte ou mesmo falar com autoridade. Hoje, no entanto, a liderança segue outros passos e o líder passou a ser visto como alguém capaz de dialogar com os membros de sua equipe e saber mudar sua estratégia de atuação sempre que for necessário. O líder ainda pode atuar como facilitador e ser um agenciador do processo motivacional, estimulando os colaboradores para que possam alcançar objetivos comuns e desenvolver competências necessárias à organização. Nesse contexto, o investimento em treinamento e desenvolvimento torna-se fundamental para qualquer empresa. Os lideres precisam estar alinhados com os objetivos organizacionais, fazer a diferença.Em um ambiente cheio de incertezas e mudanças constantes, estar preparado para novos desafios é fundamental. Por isso o processo de capacitação da linha de frente da empresa é tão importante e precisa contribuir efetivamente para o sucesso da empresa. Mensurar isso foi desafio deste trabalho. Foram realizadas pesquisas com o objetivo de verificar o retorno do treinamento para média e alta gerência. No primeiro momento, os pesquisados foram os subgerentes, gerentes e superintendentes. Na segunda parte, os operadores de telemarketing, liderados por esses colaboradores. 0 resultado obtido contemplou a real efetividade do programa de treinamento e desenvolvimento gerencial: A Escola Permanente de Liderança

Badgers: generating data quality deficits with Python

Generating context specific data quality deficits is necessary to experimentally assess data quality of data-driven (artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML)) applications. In this paper we present badgers, an extensible open-source Python library to generate data quality deficits (outliers, imbalanced data, drift, etc.) for different modalities (tabular data, time-series, text, etc.). The documentation is accessible at https://fraunhofer-iese.github.io/badgers/ and the source code at https://github.com/Fraunhofer-IESE/badgersComment: 17 pages, 16 figure

Metabolic pathway engineering for production of 1,2-propanediol and 1-propanol by Corynebacterium glutamicum

Siebert D, Wendisch VF. Metabolic pathway engineering for production of 1,2-propanediol and 1-propanol by Corynebacterium glutamicum. Biotechnology for Biofuels. 2015;8(1): 91.Background Production of the versatile bulk chemical 1,2-propanediol and the potential biofuel 1-propanol is still dependent on petroleum, but some approaches to establish bio-based production from renewable feed stocks and to avoid toxic intermediates have been described. The biotechnological workhorse Corynebacterium glutamicum has also been shown to be able to overproduce 1,2-propanediol by metabolic engineering. Additionally, C. glutamicum has previously been engineered for production of the biofuels ethanol and isobutanol but not for 1-propanol. Results In this study, the improved production of 1,2-propanediol by C. glutamicum is presented. The product yield of a C. glutamicum strain expressing the heterologous genes gldA and mgsA from Escherichia coli that encode methylglyoxal synthase gene and glycerol dehydrogenase, respectively, was improved by additional expression of alcohol dehydrogenase gene yqhD from E. coli leading to a yield of 0.131 mol/mol glucose. Deletion of the endogenous genes hdpA and ldh encoding dihydroxyacetone phosphate phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase, respectively, prevented formation of glycerol and lactate as by-products and improved the yield to 0.343 mol/mol glucose. To construct a 1-propanol producer, the operon ppdABC from Klebsiella oxytoca encoding diol dehydratase was expressed in the improved 1,2-propanediol producing strain ending up with 12 mM 1-propanol and up to 60 mM unconverted 1,2-propanediol. Thus, B 12 -dependent diol dehydratase activity may be limiting 1-propanol production. Conclusions Production of 1,2-propanediol by C. glutamicum was improved by metabolic engineering targeting endogenous enzymes. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, production of 1-propanol by recombinant C. glutamicum was demonstrated for the first time

Comorbidity burden in axial spondyloarthritis: a cluster analysis

Objectives To examine how comorbidities cluster in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and whether these clusters are associated with quality of life, global health and other outcome measures. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of consecutive patients meeting ASAS criteria for axSpA in Liverpool, UK. Outcome measures included quality of life (EQ5D), global health and disease activity (BASDAI). We used hierarchical cluster analysis to group patients according to 38 pre-specified comorbidities. In multivariable linear models, the associations between distinct comorbidity clusters and each outcome measure were compared, using axSpA patients with no comorbidities as the reference group. Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, symptom duration, BMI, deprivation, NSAID-use and smoking. Results We studied 419 patients (69% male, mean age 46 years). 255 patients (61%) had at least one comorbidity, among whom the median number was 1 (range 1–6). Common comorbidities were hypertension (19%) and depression (16%). Of 15 clusters identified, the most prevalent clusters were hypertension-coronary heart disease and depression-anxiety. Compared with patients with no comorbidities, the fibromyalgia-irritable bowel syndrome cluster was associated with adverse patient-reported outcome measures; these patients reported 1.5-unit poorer global health (95%CI 0.01, 2.9), reduced quality of life (0.25-unit lower EQ5D; 95%CI −0.37, −0.12) and 1.8-unit higher BASDAI (95% CI 0.4, 3.3). Similar effect estimates were found for patients in the depression-anxiety cluster. Conclusion Comorbidity is common among axSpA patients. The two most common comorbidities were hypertension and depression. Patients in the depression-anxiety and fibromyalgia-IBS clusters reported poorer health and increased axSpA severity