Price Adjustments and Asymmetry in the Philippine Retail Gasoline Market

This paper employs ordered probit, partial adjustment, and vector error correction models to characterize price adjustments in the Philippine retail gasoline market since its deregulation. It finds that pricing decisions of oil firms depend significantly on eight weeks of previous changes in crude cost. It shows that the speed of adjustment of retail prices to its long-run equilibrium relation with crude cost has been following an accelerating trend but is vulnerable to intervening factors. Lastly, it provides empirical evidence that pump prices respond quicker and more fully to increases in crude cost rather than to decreases.gasoline, price asymmetry, price adjustment, Philippines

The Philippine Central Bank's Monetary Policy Reaction Function from 1992 to 2003

This paper attempts to provide an empirical determination of the Philippine central bank's (BSP) recent monetary policy stance, before and after its adoption of the inflation targeting framework, as revealed by its interest rate setting behavior. Employing Clarida, Gali, and Gertler's (1998, 2000) forward-looking model, it finds that the BSP has indeed been stabilizing inflation by and large through its key policy rate, though it appears to be accommodative with respect to the output gap. In addition, currency stability and expansionary money supply (M1) growth are other concerns of the BSP, though significantly so only in earlier periods.monetary policy, inflation, interest rates, inflation targeting, macroeconomics, central bank, taylor rule, stabilization, Philippines, BSP, forward-looking

Análisis de los fenómenos electromagnéticos a través de las formas diferenciales y los tensores

Se utilizará el formalismo de los tensores y las formas diferenciales aplicados al electromagnetismo clásico, de tal manera que se puedan visualizar geométricamente los diferentes métodos para analizar los mismos fenómenos físicos. Se estudiarán las ecuaciones de Maxwell por medio de los dos métodos para comparar las ventajas de uno respecto al otro en la conceptualización y el abordaje de situaciones problémicas

Absence of an embryonic stem cell DNA methylation signature in human cancer.

BackgroundDifferentiated cells that arise from stem cells in early development contain DNA methylation features that provide a memory trace of their fetal cell origin (FCO). The FCO signature was developed to estimate the proportion of cells in a mixture of cell types that are of fetal origin and are reminiscent of embryonic stem cell lineage. Here we implemented the FCO signature estimation method to compare the fraction of cells with the FCO signature in tumor tissues and their corresponding nontumor normal tissues.MethodsWe applied our FCO algorithm to discovery data sets obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and replication data sets obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) data repository. Wilcoxon rank sum tests, linear regression models with adjustments for potential confounders and non-parametric randomization-based tests were used to test the association of FCO proportion between tumor tissues and nontumor normal tissues. P-values of < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.ResultsAcross 20 different tumor types we observed a consistently lower FCO signature in tumor tissues compared with nontumor normal tissues, with 18 observed to have significantly lower FCO fractions in tumor tissue (total n = 6,795 tumor, n = 922 nontumor, P < 0.05). We replicated our findings in 15 tumor types using data from independent subjects in 15 publicly available data sets (total n = 740 tumor, n = 424 nontumor, P < 0.05).ConclusionsThe results suggest that cancer development itself is substantially devoid of recapitulation of normal embryologic processes. Our results emphasize the distinction between DNA methylation in normal tightly regulated stem cell driven differentiation and cancer stem cell reprogramming that involves altered methylation in the service of great cell heterogeneity and plasticity

Challenges and emerging technical solutions in on-growing salmon farming

Farming of Atlantic salmon has grown rapidly from its start in the early 1970s until today, with production approaching two million tonnes. Sea cages are the dominant production system for the on-growing stage of salmon farming. It represents an effective production system with lower investment and running costs than land-based systems. The development and improvement of the sea cage farming system has been one of the most important factors for the growth of the salmon farming industry. However, during recent years certain problems related to their placement in the open marine environment have proved highly challenging, increasing operating costs and impacting on industry public relations. The problems are mainly due to parasites, diseases and escape of fish. In this article, emerging technical solutions for solving those problems are described

Hip Arthroscopy Made Simple, Easy, and Elegant. A Novel Variant of the Outside-In Technique

Hip Arthroscopy (HA) is considered to be a demanding surgery with a steep and slow learning curve. Adequate HA instrumentation is required to perform a reproducible surgery. The technique most commonly used to access the hip is through the central compartment or from the “Inside-Out” with continuous distraction and specialized access equipment. Newer techniques start from the peripheral compartment called “Outside-In” techniques, these techniques have a safer access with a more controlled environment avoiding iatrogenic scuffing of the acetabulum, labrum or femoral head. The purpose of this surgical and novel variant technique from the “Outside-In” which we call simple, easy, and elegant is an excellent choice and can be part of the armament for young surgeons who are initiating in hip arthroscopy and preservation, our technique has been very reproducible and reliable with good to excellent results with very few complications

Construct Validity of the Pig Intestine Model in the Simulation of Laparoscopic Urethrovesical Anastomosis

Introduction: Laparoscopic training models are increasingly important in urology to allow trainees to improve their laparoscopic skills prior to going to the operating room. For a training model to be valid, it must correlate with performance in a real case. The model must also discriminate between experienced and inexperienced subjects. [See PDF for complete abstract

Laparoscopic-Simulator Box: a Simple Design for Surgical Residency Programs to Improve Trainees’ Laparoscopic Skills

Introduction: Since the introduction and evolution of laparoscopic surgery, there have been some concerns related to surgical training in this field. Laparoscopic box trainers and virtual simulators appear as useful devices which have been demonstrating effectiveness in learning surgical skills. However, these tools remain inaccessible for many centers around the world. Our intent is to share our experience in successful design to inspire others in surgical residency programs to build such boxes for training in laparoscopic techniques and also to encourage the use of simulators in educational centers. [See PDF for complete abstract

Assessment of anastomotic leakage: A Novel System for the Training of Surgeons to Perform a Tubular Anastomosis and Objectively Evaluate Anastomotic Leak

Introduction: Dehiscence of the suture line of an anastomosis can lead to reoperation, temporary or permanent stoma, and even sepsis or death. Few techniques for the laboratory training of tubular anastomosis use ex-vivo animal tissues. We describe a novel model that can be used in the laboratory for the training of anastomosis in tubular tissues and objectively assess any anastomotic leak. [See PDF for complete abstract