Free Trade Reimagined: The World Division of Labor and the Method of Economics

Free Trade Reimagined begins with a sustained criticism of the heart of the emerging world economy, the theory and practice of free trade. Roberto Mangabeira Unger does not, however, defend protectionism against free trade. Instead, he attacks and revises the terms on which the traditional debate between free traders and protectionists has been joined. Unger's intervention in this major contemporary debate serves as a point of departure for a proposal to rethink the basic ideas with which we explain economic activity. He suggests, by example as well as by theory, a way of understanding contemporary economies that is both more realistic and more revealing of hidden possibilities for transformation than are the established forms of economics. One message of the book is that we need not choose between accepting and rejecting globalization; we can have a different globalization. Traditional free trade doctrine rests on shaky empirical and theoretical ground. Unger takes a new approach to show when international trade is likely to be useful or harmful to the socially inclusive economic growth that every nation wants. Another message is that the movement of people and ideas is more important than the movement of things and money, and that freedom to change the institutions defining a market economy is just as important as freedom to exchange goods on the basis of those institutions. Free Trade Reimagined ranges broadly within and outside economics. Presenting technical issues in plain language, it appeals to the general reader. It puts a disciplined imagination in the service of rebellion against the dictatorship of no alternatives that characterizes life and thought today.free trade, world economy, protectionism, economic activity, transformation, globalization, economic growth, mobility, institutional change, market economy, freedom

Sistemas de informação e linguagens documentárias no contexto dos regimes de informação: um exercício conceitual

O artigo apresenta o conceito de regime de informação aos gestores de informação, como contribuição aos processos de adaptação e adequação de sistemas de informação e linguagens documentárias para atender às necessidades informacionais dos usuários. Regimes de informação são modos de produção informacional dominantes numa formação econômico-social que pressupõem, necessariamente, em seu contexto fontes de informação que são disseminadas e exercem influência no contexto social em que estão estabelecidas. Nesse aspecto, as sociedades têm regimes de informação através dos quais organizam a produção material e simbólica e representam a dinâmica das relações sociais. Dentre as diversas formas de manifestações institucionais atuais, destacam-se os sistemas de recuperação da informação, a manifestação per se do fenômeno que move o regime. Os sistemas de recuperação da informação, por sua vez, usam linguagens documentárias para organizar e comunicar a informação organizada nos inúmeros “agregados de informação”, que Barreto (1996) define como “estruturas” que armazenam “estoques de informação” e podem atuar como “agentes”, ou “mediadores”, entre uma fonte de informação e seus usuários

Socio-economic, political, and institutional sustainability of agroforestry in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala

Promoting sustainable agricultural practices such as agroforestry (AF) could improve long-term productivity, enhance a sustainable rural livelihood and reduce pressure on natural resources and ecosystems in the tropics. However, AF seems to have adoption problems due to external market forces, lack of skills, financial resources and know-how ending in low flexibility and discontinuity of farmers in practicing AF. The objective of this study is to identify social, institutional, and economic factors that influence the adoption of AF on the household and community level, taking the region Alta Verapaz in Guatemala as a case study. Alta Verapaz is amongst the poorest regions in the country but also a tropical biodiversity hotspot where current agricultural practices are threatening forest environments and social development objectives. Our study explores how capital accessibility and institutional incentives are related to farmer’s livelihood sustainability and AF compositions. The methodology is composed by semi-structured interviews with nineteen farmers and field observations. The interviews have been analysed based on a qualitative content analysis by using the inductive category development. Based on these outcomes, the study found that human and economical capitals are favoured in communities were institutions are present especially through AF training offers, creation of farmers cooperatives and economic incentives. The role of institutions resulted to be crucial in the promotion of organic AF methods, forest protection and creation of long-term income. The combination of agricultural diversification with institutional incentives is one key livelihood strategy adopted by the farmers in order to achieve a socio-economic and ecological sustainability of their households. The further promotion of community forestry projects, expansion of networks and ongoing agricultural trainings as well as the diversification of agricultural systems could be beneficial for farmers in Alta Verapaz

Recommender system for ablation lines to treat complex atrial tachycardia

Background and Objective: Planning the optimal ablation strategy for the treatment of complex atrial tachycardia (CAT) is a time consuming task and is error-prone. Recently, directed network mapping, a technology based on graph theory, proved to efficiently identify CAT based solely on data of clinical interventions. Briefly, a directed network was used to model the atrial electrical propagation and reentrant activities were identified by looking for closed-loop paths in the network. In this study, we propose a recommender system, built as an optimization problem, able to suggest the optimal ablation strategy for the treatment of CAT. Methods: The optimization problem modeled the optimal ablation strategy as that one interrupting all reentrant mechanisms while minimizing the ablated atrial surface. The problem was designed on top of directed network mapping. Considering the exponential complexity of finding the optimal solution of the problem, we introduced a heuristic algorithm with polynomial complexity. The proposed algorithm was applied to the data of i) 6 simulated scenarios including both left and right atrial flutter; and ii) 10 subjects that underwent a clinical routine. Results: The recommender system suggested the optimal strategy in 4 out of 6 simulated scenarios. On clinical data, the recommended ablation lines were found satisfactory on 67% of the cases according to the clinician’s opinion, while they were correctly located in 89%. The algorithm made use of only data collected during mapping and was able to process them nearly real-time. Conclusions: The first recommender system for the identification of the optimal ablation lines for CAT, based solely on the data collected during the intervention, is presented. The study may open up interesting scenarios for the application of graph theory for the treatment of CAT

LA ÉTICA, COMPONENTE ESENCIAL DE LA FORMACIÓN CIUDADANA. PAPEL DE LA UNIVERSIDAD CUBANA: LA ÉTICA COMPONENTE ESENCIAL DE LA FORMACIÓN CIUDADANA

The article addresses the role of ethics in the construction of a more just and equitable society, essential in civic education, in dialectical unity with humanism and values. The performance of the universities in the positive transformation of the Cuban socialist social project in the face of a global problem regarding morality and the regulation of human behavior. Throughout history, behavioral parameters have been established, codes to evaluate the performance of individuals, which has been the subject of multiple theories and conceptions that make it possible to adjust individual performance with what society demands (historical moment), in addition to identify what might be called a morally responsible citizen.El artículo aborda el papel de la ética en la construcción de una sociedad más justa y equitativa, esencial en la formación ciudadana, en unidad dialéctica con el humanismo y los valores. La actuación de las universidades en la transformación positiva del proyecto social socialista cubano frente a una problemática global en cuanto a la moral y la regulación de las conductas del ser humano. A lo largo de la historia se han establecido parámetros de conducta, códigos para evaluar el desempeño de los individuos, lo cual ha sido objeto de múltiples teorías y concepciones que posibilitan ajustar la actuación individual con lo que exige la sociedad (momento histórico), además de identificar lo que pudiera llamarse, un ciudadano moralmente responsable

Disulfide bridge-dependent dimerization triggers FGF2 membrane translocation into the extracellular space

Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) exits cells by direct translocation across the plasma membrane, a type I pathway of unconventional protein secretion. This process is initiated by phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2)-dependent formation of highly dynamic FGF2 oligomers at the inner plasma membrane leaflet, inducing the formation of lipidic membrane pores. Cell surface heparan sulfate chains linked to glypican-1 (GPC1) capture FGF2 at the outer plasma membrane leaflet, completing FGF2 membrane translocation into the extracellular space. While the basic steps of this pathway are well understood, the molecular mechanism by which FGF2 oligomerizes on membrane surfaces remains unclear. In the current study, we demonstrate the initial step of this process to depend on C95-C95 disulfide-bridge-mediated FGF2 dimerization on membrane surfaces, producing the building blocks for higher FGF2 oligomers that drive the formation of membrane pores. We find FGF2 with a C95A substitution to be defective in oligomerization, pore formation, and membrane translocation. Consistently, we demonstrate a C95A variant of FGF2 to be characterized by a severe secretion phenotype. By contrast, while also important for efficient FGF2 secretion from cells, a second cysteine residue on the molecular surface of FGF2 (C77) is not involved in FGF2 oligomerization. Rather, we find C77 to be part of the interaction interface through which FGF2 binds to the α1 subunit of the Na,K-ATPase, the landing platform for FGF2 at the inner plasma membrane leaflet. Using cross-linking mass spectrometry, atomistic molecular dynamics simulations combined with a machine learning analysis and cryo-electron tomography, we propose a mechanism by which disulfide-bridged FGF2 dimers bind with high avidity to PI(4,5)P2 on membrane surfaces. We further propose a tight coupling between FGF2 secretion and the formation of ternary signaling complexes on cell surfaces, hypothesizing that C95-C95-bridged FGF2 dimers are functioning as the molecular units triggering autocrine and paracrine FGF2 signaling

TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2 mediate TRAIL-dependent apoptosis in activated primary human B lymphocytes

The maintenance of B cell homeostasis requires a tight control of B cell generation, survival, activation, and maturation. In lymphocytes upon activation, increased sensitivity to apoptotic signals helps controlling differentiation and proliferation. The death receptor Fas is important in this context because genetic Fas mutations in humans lead to an autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome that is similar to lymphoproliferation observed in Fas-deficient mice. In contrast, the physiological role of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptors (TRAIL-Rs) in humans has been poorly studied so far. Indeed, most studies have focused on tumor cell lines and on mouse models whose results are difficult to transpose to primary human B cells. In the present work, the expression of apoptosis-inducing TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2 and of the decoy receptors TRAIL-R3 and TRAIL-R4 was systematically studied in all developmental stages of peripheral B cells isolated from the blood and secondary lymphoid organs. Expression of TRAIL-Rs is modulated along development, with highest levels observed in germinal center B cells. In addition, T-dependent and T-independent signals elicited induction of TRAIL-Rs with distinct kinetics, which differed among B cell subpopulations: switched memory cells rapidly upregulated TRAIL-R1 and -2 upon activation while naïve B cells only reached similar expression levels at later time points in culture. Increased expression of TRAIL-R1 and -2 coincided with a caspase-3-dependent sensitivity to TRAIL-induced apoptosis in activated B cells but not in freshly isolated resting B cells. Finally, both TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2 could signal actively and both contributed to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. In conclusion, this study provides a systematic analysis of the expression of TRAIL-Rs in human primary B cells and of their capacity to signal and induce apoptosis. This dataset forms a basis to further study and understand the dysregulation of TRAIL-Rs and TRAIL expression observed in autoimmune diseases. Additionally, it will be important to foresee potential bystander immunomodulation when TRAIL-R agonists are used in cancer treatment.Fil: Staniek, Julian. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Lorenzetti, Raquel. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Heller, Bianca. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Janowska, Iga. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Schneider, Pascal. Universite de Lausanne; SuizaFil: Unger, Susanne. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Warnatz, Klaus. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Seidl, Maximilian. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Venhoff, Nils. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Thiel, Jens. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Smulski, Cristian Roberto. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Rizzi, Marta. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; Alemani

Cosmic Star Formation History to z=1 from a Narrow Emission Line Selected Tunable Filter Survey

We report the results of a deep 3D imaging survey of the Hubble Deep Field North using the Taurus Tunable Filter and the William Herschel Telescope. This survey was designed to search for new line emitting populations of objects missed by other techniques and to measure the cosmic star-formation rate density from a line-selected survey. We observed in three contiguous sequences of narrow band slices in the 7100, 8100 and 9100A regions of the spectrum, corresponding to a cosmological volume of up to 1000 Mpc^3 at z=1, down to a flux limit of 2x 10^-17 ergs cm^-2 s^-1. The survey is deep enough to be highly complete for low line luminosity galaxies. Cross-matching with existing spectroscopy in the field results in a small line-luminosity limited sample, with very highly redshift identification completeness containing seven [OII], Hbeta and Halpha emitters over the redshift range 0.3 - 0.9. Treating this as a direct star-formation rate selected sample we estimate the star-formation history of the Universe to z=1. We find no evidence for any new population of line emitting objects contributing significantly to the cosmological star-formation rate density. Rather from our complete narrow-band sample we find the star-formation history is consistent with earlier estimates from broad-band imaging surveys and other less deep line-selected surveys.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures. ApJ in press (Dec 2004

Spondylo‐epiphyseal dysplasia, Maroteaux type (pseudo‐Morquio syndrome type 2), and parastremmatic dysplasia are caused by <i>TRPV4</i> mutations

AbstractRecent discoveries have established the existence of a family of skeletal dysplasias caused by dominant mutations in TRPV4. This family comprises, in order of increasing severity, dominant brachyolmia, spondylo‐metaphyseal dysplasia Kozlowski type, and metatropic dysplasia. We tested the hypothesis that a further condition, Spondylo‐epiphyseal dysplasia (SED), Maroteaux type (MIM 184095; also known as pseudo‐Morquio syndrome type 2), could be caused by TRPV4 mutations. We analyzed six individuals with Maroteaux type SED, including three who had previously been reported. All six patients were found to have heterozygous TRPV4 mutations; three patients had unreported mutations, while three patients had mutations previously described in association with metatropic dysplasia. In addition, we tested one individual with a distinct rare disorder, parastremmatic dysplasia (MIM 168400). This patient had a common, recurrent mutation seen in several patients with Kozlowski type spondylo‐metaphyseal dysplasia. We conclude that SED Maroteaux type and parastremmatic dysplasia are part of the TRPV4 dysplasia family and that TRPV4 mutations show considerable variability in phenotypic expression resulting in distinct clinical‐radiographic phenotypes. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc