Measures of the Real GDP of U.S. Trading Partners: Methodology and Results

This paper provides the details of the construction of new quarterly measures of the real GDPs of the 36 U.S. trading partners that are taken into consideration by the Federal Reserve in its "broad exchange rate" indexes. These new measures have some important advantages. First, they allow the construction of various income aggregates and sub-aggregates, which makes it possible, for example, to match the Federal Reserve's "broad," "major-currency," and "other important" trading partner effective exchange rates and, more broadly, to discuss the geographical and geopolitical determinants of U.S. trade. Second, they allow the construction of variants of the two different types of measures that are utilized in the literature, namely direct and export-share-weighted sums of trading-partner real GDPs. Finally, given that our new measures of GDP for these countries can be directly compared to each other, they can be of interest for other researchers who need a consistent dataset on a quarterly basis.international growth, economic measurement, GDP quarterly estimates

"How Fragile is the U.S. Economy?"

As we projected in a previous strategic analysis, the U.S. economy experienced growth rates higher than 4 percent in 2004. The question we want to raise in this strategic analysis is whether these rates will persist or come back down. We believe that several signs point in the latter direction. In what follows, we analyze the evidence and explore the alternatives facing the U.S. economy.

Combined immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy with nivolumab and ipilimumab causing acute-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus following a single administration: two case reports.

The use of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy is becoming a standard of care for several cancers. Monoclonal antibodies targeting cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) or its ligand (PD-L1) cause a broad spectrum of autoimmune adverse events. ICI-induced type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is extremely rare (< 1%) but potentially life-threatening. It appears to be more common with PD-1 blockade (or combination immunotherapy) than with anti-CTLA-4 therapy, often during the first three to six months of therapy. We report an acute onset T1DM with severe inaugural diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and remarkably elevated Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase antibody (GADA) titres following a single administration of combined ICI therapy with nivolumab (anti-PD-1) and ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4) in two adult patients with advanced metastatic melanoma. In these cases, the time to diabetes onset was remarkably short (two and five weeks), and one presented with fulminous T1DM in a previous long-standing type 2 diabetes mellitus. Oncological patients treated with combination therapy of anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 can develop a particular pattern of T1DM, with very rapid onset within a few weeks after starting ICI therapy, even in the presence of an existing type 2 diabetes. ICI-induced T1DM is a medical emergency in presence of severe inaugural DKA and requires a collaboration between specialists and primary care physicians, as well as patient education, for early diagnosis and supportive care

The direct renin inhibitor aliskiren improves vascular remodelling in transgenic rats harbouring human renin and angiotensinogen genes

In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that chronic treatment with the direct rennin inhibitor aliskiren improves the remodelling of resistance arteries in dTGR (double-transgenic rats). dTGR (5 weeks) were treated with aliskiren (3 mg/kg of body mass per day) or ramipril (1 mg/kg of body mass per day) for 14 days and compared with age-matched vehicle-treated dTGR. BP (blood pressure) was similarly reduced in both aliskiren-treated and ramipril-treated rats compared with control dTGR (167± 1 and 169± 2 mmHg compared with 197± 4 mmHg respectively; P<0.05). The M/L (media-to-lumen) ratio assessed on pressurized preparations was equally reduced in aliskiren-treated and ramipril-treated rats compared with controls (6.3± 0.5 and 6.4±0.2% compared with 9.8± 0.4% respectively; P<0.05). Endothelium-dependent and -independent relaxations were similar among the groups. L-NAME (NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester) significantly reduced acetylcholine-induced dilation in drug-treated dTGR. This effect was significantly more prominent in aliskiren-treated rats. eNOS (endothelial NO synthase) expression showed a 2-fold increase only in aliskiren-treated dTGR as compared with controls (P<0.01) and ramipril-treated dTGR (P<0.05). Plasma nitrite, as an index of NO production, was significantly increased in dTGR treated with either aliskiren or ramipril compared with controls. Only aliskiren induced a 2-fold increase in plasma nitrite, which was significantly greater than that induced by ramipril (P<0.05). gp91phox expression and ROS (reactive oxygen species) production in aorta were significantly and similarly reduced by both drugs. In conclusion, equieffective hypotensive doses of aliskiren or ramipril reduced the M/L ratio of mesenteric arteries and improved oxidative stress in dTGR. However, only aliskiren increased further NO production in the vasculature. Hence, in dTGR, direct renin inhibition induces favourable effects similar to that induced by ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibition in improving vascular remodelling through different mechanisms. © The Authors Journal compilation. 2013 Biochemical Society

Agriculture in the Face of Changing Markets, Institutions and Policies: Challenges and Strategies

Since the late 1980s, agriculture in Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) has been under considerable adjustment pressure due to changing political, economic and institutional environments. These changes have been linked to the transition process, as well as the ongoing integration into the European Union and the world market. Reduced subsidies, increased environmental and food quality demands, as well as structural changes in the supply, processing and food retailing sector call for major structural adjustments and the improvement of farmersâ managerial abilities. Though such changes always carry significant threats to farms, they also offer new opportunities for the farms' entrepreneurial engagement. Upcoming changes in the agricultural environment and their possible consequences for farm structures across Europe are thus still timely subjects. The objective of the IAMO Forum 2006 is to contribute to the success of agriculture in the CEECs, as well as their neighboring countries, in todayâs increasingly competitive environment. Concrete questions the conference focuses on are: What are the most suitable farm organizations, cooperative arrangements and contractual forms? How to improve efficiency and productivity? Where do market niches lie and what are the new product demands? This book contains 33 invited and selected contributions. These papers will be presented at the IAMO Forum 2006 in order to offer a platform for scientists, practitioners and policy-makers to discuss challenges and potential strategies at the farm, value chain, rural society and policy levels in order to cope with the upcoming challenges. IAMO Forum 2006, as well as this book, would not have been possible without the engagement of many people and institutions. We thank the authors of the submitted abstracts and papers, as well as the referees, for their evaluation of the abstracts from which the papers were selected. In particular, we would like to express our thanks to OLIVER JUNGKLAUS, GABRIELE MEWES, KLAUS REINSBERG and ANGELA SCHOLZ, who significantly contributed to the organization of the Forum. Furthermore, our thanks goes to SILKE SCHARF for her work on the layout and editing support of this book, and to JIM CURTISS, JAMIE BULLOCH, and DÃNALL Ã MEARÃIN for their English proof-reading. As experience from previous years documents, the course of the IAMO Forum continues to profit from the support and engagement of the IAMO administration, which we gratefully acknowledge. Last but not least, we are very grateful to the Robert Bosch Foundation, the Federal Ministry of Nutrition, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV), the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Haniel Foundation and the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe (IAMO) for their respective financial support.Agribusiness, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Farm Management, Industrial Organization, International Development, Labor and Human Capital, Land Economics/Use, Productivity Analysis,

Performance of spanish white Macael marble exposed to narrow- and medium-range temperature cycling

Se aplican ciclos de estrés térmico de medio (100/-20 ºC y 75/-20 ºC) y bajo (50/-20 ºC) rango sobre probetas de mármol blanco de Macael (Almería, España), y se evalúa ciclo a ciclo su incidencia mediante ultrasonidos. Los resultados indican un considerable descenso de velocidad de los ultrasonidos en las muestras sometidas a estrés de 100/-20 ºC, más moderado en el caso de 75/-20 ºC, poco significativo en el caso de 50/-20 ºC. Las variaciones de velocidad tienen lugar durante los primeros 5-7 ciclos, permaneciendo los valores constantes en ciclos posteriores. Los resultados proporcionados por medidas de dureza de Schmidt, y de rotura por compresión uniaxial son coincidentes con los proporcionados por los ultrasonidos. Las imágenes de microscopía petrográfica y electrónica (SEM) manifiestan una cierta descohesión granular en zonas muy superficiales de las probetas sometidas a 40 ciclos de 100/-20 ºC. La coincidencia entre los datos por las técnicas de rotura por compresión, medidas de dureza superficial y ultrasonidos indican la validez de estas dos últimas —técnicas no destructivas, NDT— en el control de la incidencia de ciclos de stress térmico sobre las características mecánicas de materiales pétreos.White marble specimens from Macael in the Spanish province of Almeria were exposed to narrow- (50/ -20 ºC) and medium- (100/-20 ºC and 75/-20 ºC) range thermal stress cycles. The effects were monitored with ultrasound techniques. Ultrasound velocity declined considerably in samples subjected to 100/-20 ºC cycles, more moderately when the range was 75/-20 ºC and insignificantly when it was narrowed to 50/-20 ºC. All variations were recorded in the first five to seven cycles, with values flattening thereafter. The Schmidt hardness and compression test results concurred with the ultrasound findings. Petrographic and scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging revealed some very superficial granular decohesion in the specimens subjected to forty 100/-20 ºC cycles. The concurrent results from compression testing on the one hand and surface hardness and ultrasound measurements on the other confirmed the validity of the latter two nondestructive techniques (NDT) for determining the effects of thermal stress cycling on stone mechanical strength.La investigación presentada en este artículo es parte del Proyecto MAT 2004-06804-CO2-0 del Plan Nacional de Investigación científica, Desarrollo e Innovación Tecnológica (Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología) y llevado a cabo en el Grupo de Investigación RNM 0179 de la Junta de Andalucía

The financial fragility and the crisis of the Greek government sector

The purpose of this paper is to develop Minskyan financial fragility indices for the government sector and to examine the financial structure of the Greek government before and after the onset of the sovereign debt crisis in 2009. We provide empirical evidence that clearly shows the growing financial fragility of the Greek public sector in the 2000s. We also assess the effectiveness of the implemented bailout adjustment programmes in Greece and claim that the conducted austerity measures and fiscal consolidation have not significantly improved the financial posture of the Greek government sector. We argue that the implementation of fiscal and wage austerity in an economy that lacks structural competitiveness produces prolonged recession and unemployment with adverse feedback effects on the financial fragility of the government