A Model of Trade and Exchange Rate Projections: Equations and Parameters

This paper contains a detailed description of a model of trade and exchange rates. A verbal summary of the model may be found in NBER Working Paper #389. The model contains equations for import demands, bilateral trade flows and trade prices for 26 regions and three commodities. A simple exchange rate model used developments in current accounts to model changes in nominal exchange rates. The regions covered are the twenty-three OECD countries and three non-OECD region: LDCs, OPEC, and the centrally planned economies (CPEs). Sector A contains an algebraic description of the model and a glossary of variables and parameters. Section B is a detailed discussion of the equations and the sources of the parameter values.

A Model of Trade and Exchange Rate Projections

This paper develops and applies a model of world trade and exchange rates to analyze dynamic interaction of the current account and exchange rate. The model is designed to concentrate on the determination of trade flows, prices and exchange rates for the OECD member countries but it also covers oil exporting countries, other developing countries and Centrally Planned Economies. The model contains exchange rate equations, based on the asset market approach, for major OECI) countries and adjustable pegging rules for small OECD countries and for non-oil LDOs. These provide the link from asset accumulation through the current account to the exchange rate. With the integration of exchange rate equations into the trade model, it can be used to analyze outcomes of different exchange rate regimes and alternative growth prospects in the OECD area. Simulation results indicate that the model produces a smooth and slow adjustment process for exchange rates and current accounts. They also show that with the higher growth target for an individual country large current account deficits may occur or large changes in real exchange rates are needed to reach the external equilibrium.

Preventing Ventilator Associated Pneumonia

The most common nosocomial (hospital acquired) infection is Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP). VAP increases morbidity and mortality rates. 8-28% of critical care patients develop VAP. VAP also increases the length of a hospital stay and adds $20,000-40,000 to the cost. Insurance companies will not cover this cost. The purpose of this study is to determine the best method to reduce the occurrence of VAP

Role of Nutrition in Alcoholic Liver Disease: Summary of the Symposium at the ESBRA 2017 Congress.

The symposium, "Role of Nutrition in Alcoholic Liver Disease", was held at the European Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism Congress on 9 October 2017 in Crete, Greece. The goal of the symposium was to highlight recent advances and developments in the field of alcohol and nutrition. The symposium was focused on experimental and clinical aspects in relation to the role of different types of dietary nutrients and malnutrition in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). The following is a summary of key research presented at this session. The speakers discussed the role of dietary fats and carbohydrates in the development and progression of alcohol-induced multi-organ pathology in animal models of ALD, analyzed novel nutrition-related therapeutics (specifically, betaine and zinc) in the treatment of ALD, and addressed clinical relevance of malnutrition and nutrition support in ALD. This summary of the symposium will benefit junior and senior faculty currently investigating alcohol-induced organ pathology as well as undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students and fellows

Study of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons on an amino bonded phase liquid chromatographic column in the normal and reversed phase

Experiments were run using an n-propyl amine polar bonded phase (Chromosorb LC-9) liquid chromatographic column in both the normal and reversed phase mode. Results confirm that the mechanism of separation in the normal phase is due mainly to a charge transfer interaction between the lone pair electrons on the stationary phase nitrogen and the ..pi.. electron cloud of the solute PNAs. Elution order seems to depend upon a combination of ..pi.. energy, and type of ring condensation of the solute. Plots of log I versus number of aromatic carbons for catacondensed PNAs suggest that while the specific interaction is different than that seen in silica chromatography, the overall adsorption effect is comparable. In the reversed phase there may be two types of separation mechanisms: (1) a pure partitioning effect in highly polar mobile phases (methanol/water), or (2) a mixture of liquid-solid adsorption and liquid-liquid partition in less polar solvent systems (acetonitrile/water)

The Archaeology of Hassanamesit Woods: The Sarah Burnee/Sarah Boston Farmstead

Between 2003 and 2013 the Fiske Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Massachusetts Boston conducted an intensive investigation of the Sarah Burnee/Sarah Boston Farmstead on Keith Hill in Grafton, Massachusetts. The project employed a collaborative method that involved working closely with the Town of Grafton, through the Hassanmesit Woods Management Committee, and the Nipmuc Nation, the state recognized government of the Nipmuc people. Yearly excavation and research plans were decided through consultation with both the Nipmuc Tribal Council, their designated representative, Dr. D. Rae Gould, and the Hassanamesit Woods Management Committee. Dr. Gould also played a continuous and active role in reviewing and collaborating on research activities including scholarly presentations at national and international academic meetings and public presentations at the community level. Large scale excavation between 2006 and 2013 focused on the Sarah Burnee/Sarah Boston farmstead that was occupied intensively between 1750 and 1840. Sarah Burnee and Sarah Boston were two of four Nipmuc women to own and possibly reside on the 206 acre parcel that today comprises Hassanamesit Woods. The other two, Sarah Robins and Sarah Muckamaug, were Sarah Burnee’s grandmother and mother respectively. Excavation, archaeogeophysical survey, soil chemistry, and micromorphological and macrobotanical analysis were combined with the analysis of material culture and faunal material to generate a detailed picture of Nipmuc life during the 18th and 19th centuries. Excavation also found evidence of earlier indigenous occupations spanning some 6,000 years. The most intensive period of occupation covered the period 1750 to 1840, but with a significant spike the period 1790 to 1830. This appears to coincide with the coming of age of Sarah Boston who continues to live in the household with her mother Sarah Burnee Philips. Based on a combination of the documentary, architectural and archaeological data, it seems that an addition was made the structure between 1799 and 1802. A rich material assemblage of more than 120,000 artifacts was recovered from the site that provides detailed information on cultural practices including foodways, exchange networks, agricultural activities and other work-related activities such as basket making. A wealth of foodways related artifacts as well as faunal and floral remains provide ample evidence of daily meals and feasting. The latter conclusion is particularly important because of the implications is has for demonstrating that the Hassanamisco Nipmuc were regularly engaged in political activities. We believe the findings of the project provide empirical evidence that counters arguments made by the Bureau of Indian Affairs that the Hassanamisco Nipmuc did not persist as a politically and culturally continuous community

Two contemporaneous mitogenomes from terminal Pleistocene burials in eastern Beringia

Pleistocene residential sites with multiple contemporaneous human burials are extremely rare in the Americas. We report mitochondrial genomic variation in the first multiple mitochondrial genomes from a single prehistoric population: two infant burials (USR1 and USR2) from a common interment at the Upward Sun River Site in central Alaska dating to ~11,500 calendar years before present (cal B.P.). Using a targeted capture method and next-generation sequencing we determined that the USR1 infant possessed variants that define mitochondrial lineage C1b, while the USR2 genome falls at the root of lineage B2, allowing us to refine younger coalescence age estimates for these two clades. C1b and B2 are rare to absent in modern populations of Northern North America. Documentation of these lineages at this location in the Late Pleistocene provides evidence for the extent of mitochondrial diversity in early Beringian populations, which supports the expectations of the Beringian Standstill Model

The Versatile Molecular Complex Component LC8 Promotes Several Distinct Steps of Flagellar Assembly

LC8 is present in various molecular complexes. However, its role in these complexes remains unclear. We discovered that although LC8 is a subunit of the radial spoke (RS) complex in Chlamydomonas flagella, it was undetectable in the RS precursor that is converted into the mature RS at the tip of elongating axonemes. Interestingly, LC8 dimers bound in tandem to the N-terminal region of a spoke phosphoprotein, RS protein 3 (RSP3), that docks RSs to axonemes. LC8 enhanced the binding of RSP3 N-terminal fragments to purified axonemes. Likewise, the N-terminal fragments extracted from axonemes contained LC8 and putative spoke-docking proteins. Lastly, perturbations of RSP3’s LC8-binding sites resulted in asynchronous flagella with hypophosphorylated RSP3 and defective associations between LC8, RSs, and axonemes. We propose that at the tip of flagella, an array of LC8 dimers binds to RSP3 in RS precursors, triggering phosphorylation, stalk base formation, and axoneme targeting. These multiple effects shed new light on fundamental questions about LC8-containing complexes and axoneme assembly