4,584 research outputs found
A Ricardian Model with Endogenous Comparative Advantage and Endogenous Trade Policy Regimes
This paper develops a general equilibrium model with transaction costs and endogenous and exogenous comparative advantages. In the model, the governments are allowed to choose between tariff war, tariff negotiation, and laissez faire regimes. The model shows that the level of division of labor and the volume of trade increase as transaction conditions improve. In the process of moving to a high level of division of labour, a country may receive more gains from trade even if its terms of trade deteriorate. This is because an expansion of the network size of division of labour can generate productivity gains that outweigh the adverse effect of the terms of trade deterioration. When a high level of division of labor occurs in general equilibrium, if both countries play a Nash tariff game, a tariff war may break out, which can dissipate all the gains from trade. Facing this risk, all governments would prefer trade negotiations to a trade war. A Nash tariff negotiation would result in zero tariff rates. If a medium level of division of labor occurs in general equilibrium, then unilateral tariff protection and unilateral laissez faire policies would coexist. The result provides a plausible story about the evolution of trade policy regimes, and highlights the importance of trade negotiations in achieving trade liberalization.inframarginal analysis of trade theory, Ricardo model, dual structure, underdevelopment
A Non-Mainstream Viewpoint on Apparent Superluminal Phenomena in AGN Jet
The group velocity of light in material around the AGN jet is acquiescently
one (c as a unit), but this is only a hypothesis. Here, we re-derive apparent
superluminal and Doppler formulas for the general case (it is assumed that the
group velocity of light in the uniform and isotropic medium around a jet (a
beaming model) is not necessarily equal to one, e.g., Araudo et al. (2010)
thought that there may be dense clouds around AGN jet base), and show that the
group velocity of light close to one could seriously affect apparent
superluminal phenomena and Doppler effect in the AGN jet (when the viewing
angle and Lorentz factor take some appropriate values).Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, new version accepted for publication in Journal
of Astrophysics and Astronom
An asymmetrical synchrotron model for knots in the 3C 273 jet
To interpret the emission of knots in the 3C 273 jet from radio to X-rays, we
propose a synchrotron model in which, owing to the shock compression effect,
the injection spectra from a shock into the upstream and downstream emission
regions are asymmetric. Our model could well explain the spectral energy
distributions of knots in the 3C 273 jet, and predictions regarding the knots
spectra could be tested by future observations.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure, 1 table, new version accepted for publication in
Ap
Relationship between Crude Oil Prices and Stock Prices of Alternative Energy Companies with Recent Evidence
This paper examines the recent interactive relationships between crude oil prices and stock performances of alternative energy companies. Oil prices and stock index of alternative energy sector are found independent from each other before late 2006. Contrary to existing studies, however, we find significant interdependence between oil prices and stock index of alternative energy industry in the recent years. Since late 2006, oil prices become significantly responsible for the stock performances of alternative energy companies. This finding suggests that the stock market investors of alternative energy sector incorporate oil price shocks into their trading decisions only recently.Crude oil price; Alternative energy; Oil stock index
IsaB Inhibits Autophagic Flux to Promote Host Transmission of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged as a major nosocomial pathogen that is widespread in both health-care facilities and in the community at large, as a result of direct host-to-host transmission. Several virulence factors are associated with pathogen transmission to naive hosts. Immunodominant surface antigen B (IsaB) is a virulence factor that helps Staphylococcus aureus to evade the host defense system. However, the mechanism of IsaB on host transmissibility remains unclear. We found that IsaB expression was elevated in transmissible MRSA. Wild-type isaB strains inhibited autophagic flux to promote bacterial survival and elicit inflammation in THP-1 cells and mouse skin. MRSA isolates with increased IsaB expression showed decreased autophagic flux, and the MRSA isolate with the lowest IsaB expression showed increased autophagic flux. In addition, recombinant IsaB rescued the virulence of the isaB deletion strain and increased the group A streptococcus (GAS) virulence in vivo. Together, these results reveal that IsaB diminishes autophagic flux, thereby allowing MRSA to evade host degradation. These findings suggest that IsaB is a suitable target for preventing or treating MRSA infection
An hourglass model for the flare of HST-1 in M87
To explain the multi-wavelength light curves (from radio to X-ray) of HST-1
in the M87 jet, we propose an hourglass model that is a modified two-zone
system of Tavecchio & Ghisellini (hereafter TG08): a slow hourglass-shaped or
Laval nozzle-shaped layer connected by two revolving exponential surfaces
surrounding a fast spine, through which plasma blobs flow. Based on the
conservation of magnetic flux, the magnetic field changes along the axis of the
hourglass. We adopt the result of TG08---the high-energy emission from GeV to
TeV can be produced through inverse Compton by the two-zone system, and the
photons from radio to X-ray are mainly radiated by the fast inner zone system.
Here, we only discuss the light curves of the fast inner blob from radio to
X-ray. When a compressible blob travels down the axis of the first bulb in the
hourglass, because of magnetic flux conservation, its cross section experiences
an adiabatic compression process, which results in particle acceleration and
the brightening of HST-1. When the blob moves into the second bulb of the
hourglass, because of magnetic flux conservation, the dimming of the knot
occurs along with an adiabatic expansion of its cross section. A similar broken
exponential function could fit the TeV peaks in M87, which may imply a
correlation between the TeV flares of M87 and the light curves from radio to
X-ray in HST-1. The Very Large Array (VLA) 22 GHz radio light curve of HST-1
verifies our prediction based on the model fit to the main peak of the VLA 15
GHz radio light curve.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in A
Optically-Nonactive Assorted Helices Array with Interchangeable Magnetic/Electric Resonance
We report here the designing of optically-nonactive metamaterial by
assembling metallic helices with different chirality. With linearly polarized
incident light, pure electric or magnetic resonance can be selectively
realized, which leads to negative permittivity or negative permeability
accordingly. Further, we show that pure electric or magnetic resonance can be
interchanged at the same frequency band by merely changing the polarization of
incident light for 90 degrees. This design demonstrates a unique approach to
construct metamaterial.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure
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