MFN status and the choice of tariff regime

The gradualist approach to trade liberalization views the uniform tariffs implied by MFN status as an important step on the path to free trade. We investigate whether a regime of uniform tariffs will be preferable to discriminatory tariffs when countries engage in non-cooperative interaction in multilateral trade. The analysis includes product differentiation and asymmetric costs. We show that with the cost asymmetry the countries will disagree on the choice of tariff regime. When the choice of import tariffs and export subsidies is made sequentially the uniform tariff regime may not be sustainable, because of an incentive to deviate to a discriminatory regime. Hence, an international body is needed to ensure compliance with tariff agreement

Identification of the protein kinases Pyk3 and Phg2 as regulators of the STATc-mediated response to hyperosmolarity

Cellular adaptation to changes in environmental osmolarity is crucial for cell survival. In Dictyostelium, STATc is a key regulator of the transcriptional response to hyperosmotic stress. Its phosphorylation and consequent activation is controlled by two signaling branches, one cGMP- and the other Ca(2+)-dependent, of which many signaling components have yet to be identified. The STATc stress signalling pathway feeds back on itself by upregulating the expression of STATc and STATc-regulated genes. Based on microarray studies we chose two tyrosine-kinase like proteins, Pyk3 and Phg2, as possible modulators of STATc phosphorylation and generated single and double knock-out mutants to them. Transcriptional regulation of STATc and STATc dependent genes was disturbed in pyk3(-), phg2(-), and pyk3(-)/phg2(-) cells. The absence of Pyk3 and/or Phg2 resulted in diminished or completely abolished increased transcription of STATc dependent genes in response to sorbitol, 8-Br-cGMP and the Ca(2+) liberator BHQ. Also, phospho-STATc levels were significantly reduced in pyk3(-) and phg2(-) cells and even further decreased in pyk3(-)/phg2(-) cells. The reduced phosphorylation was mirrored by a significant delay in nuclear translocation of GFP-STATc. The protein tyrosine phosphatase 3 (PTP3), which dephosphorylates and inhibits STATc, is inhibited by stress-induced phosphorylation on S448 and S747. Use of phosphoserine specific antibodies showed that Phg2 but not Pyk3 is involved in the phosphorylation of PTP3 on S747. In pull-down assays Phg2 and PTP3 interact directly, suggesting that Phg2 phosphorylates PTP3 on S747 in vivo. Phosphorylation of S448 was unchanged in phg2(-) cells. We show that Phg2 and an, as yet unknown, S448 protein kinase are responsible for PTP3 phosphorylation and hence its inhibition, and that Pyk3 is involved in the regulation of STATc by either directly or indirectly activating it. Our results add further complexities to the regulation of STATc, which presumably ensure its optimal activation in response to different environmental cues

Two <em>Dictyostelium</em> Tyrosine Kinase-Like kinases function in parallel, stress-induced STAT activation pathways

When Dictyostelium cells are hyperosmotically stressed, STATc is activated by tyrosine phosphorylation. Unusually, activation is regulated by serine phosphorylation and consequent inhibition of a tyrosine phosphatase: PTP3. The identity of the cognate tyrosine kinase is unknown, and we show that two tyrosine kinase–like (TKL) enzymes, Pyk2 and Pyk3, share this function; thus, for stress-induced STATc activation, single null mutants are only marginally impaired, but the double mutant is nonactivatable. When cells are stressed, Pyk2 and Pyk3 undergo increased autocatalytic tyrosine phosphorylation. The site(s) that are generated bind the SH2 domain of STATc, and then STATc becomes the target of further kinase action. The signaling pathways that activate Pyk2 and Pyk3 are only partially overlapping, and there may be a structural basis for this difference because Pyk3 contains both a TKL domain and a pseudokinase domain. The latter functions, like the JH2 domain of metazoan JAKs, as a negative regulator of the kinase domain. The fact that two differently regulated kinases catalyze the same phosphorylation event may facilitate specific targeting because under stress, Pyk3 and Pyk2 accumulate in different parts of the cell; Pyk3 moves from the cytosol to the cortex, whereas Pyk2 accumulates in cytosolic granules that colocalize with PTP3

Two Isomeric Thienoacenes in Thin Films Unveiling the Influence of Molecular Structure and Intermolecular Packing on Electronic Properties

Isomerism of molecular structures is often encountered in the field of organic semiconductors, but little is known about how it can impact electronic and charge transport properties in thin films. This study reveals the molecular orientation, electronic structure, and intermolecular interactions of two isomeric thienoacenes DN4T and isoDN4T in thin films, in relation to their charge transport properties. Utilizing scanning tunneling microscopy STM , angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy ARUPS , and near edge X ray absorption fine structure measurements NEXAFS , we systematically analyze the behavior of these isomers from submonolayer to multilayer coverage on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite HOPG as substrates. We find that at submonolayer coverage both DN4T and isoDN4T molecules predominantly adopt a nearly flat lying orientation on the surface, minimizing intermolecular interactions. The distinct emission features of the highest occupied molecular orbital HOMO level in ARUPS enables the determination of molecular reorganization energies. These are found to be in good agreement with theoretical predictions, suggesting superior charge transport in DN4T compared to isoDN4T. Notably, thickness dependent photoemission measurements reveal a significant splitting approximately 450 meV of the HOMO level of isoDN4T, attributed to polarizationinduced effects rather than wave function overlap, indicating a nuanced interplay between molecular packing and electronic properties. Our results underscore the importance of molecular packing and substrate interactions in determining the electronic structure and transport properties of organic semiconductor thin films. Substrate induced polymorphism and the crucial role of polarization induced effects influencing charge transport are highlighted. These insights are pivotal for future engineering of molecular and thin film structures, aiming to enhance the performance of organic semiconductor based device

Enantiopure Dinaphtho[2,3-b:2,3-f]thieno[3,2-b]thiophenes: Reaching High Magnetoresistance Effect in OFETs

Chiral molecules are known to behave as spin filters due to the chiral induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. Chirality can be implemented in molecular semiconductors in order to study the role of the CISS effect in charge transport and to find new materials for spintronic applications. In this study, the design and synthesis of a new class of enantiopure chiral organic semiconductors based on the well-known dinaphtho[2,3-b:2,3-f]thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (DNTT) core functionalized with chiral alkyl side chains is presented. When introduced in an organic field-effect transistor (OFET) with magnetic contacts, the two enantiomers, (R)-DNTT and (S)-DNTT, show an opposite behavior with respect to the relative direction of the magnetization of the contacts, oriented by an external magnetic field. Each enantiomer displays an unexpectedly high magnetoresistance over one preferred orientation of the spin current injected from the magnetic contacts. The result is the first reported OFET in which the current can be switched on and off upon inversion of the direction of the applied external magnetic field. This work contributes to the general understanding of the CISS effect and opens new avenues for the introduction of organic materials in spintronic devices

Designing a mHealth clinical decision support system for Parkinson's disease: a theoretically grounded user needs approach.

BACKGROUND: Despite the established evidence and theoretical advances explaining human judgments under uncertainty, developments of mobile health (mHealth) Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) have not explicitly applied the psychology of decision making to the study of user needs. We report on a user needs approach to develop a prototype of a mHealth CDSS for Parkinson's disease (PD), which is theoretically grounded in the psychological literature about expert decision making and judgement under uncertainty. METHODS: A suite of user needs studies was conducted in 4 European countries (Greece, Italy, Slovenia, the UK) prior to the development of PD_Manager, a mHealth-based CDSS designed for Parkinson's disease, using wireless technology. Study 1 undertook Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) including elicitation of user needs, cognitive demands and perceived risks/benefits (ethical considerations) associated with the proposed CDSS, through structured interviews of prescribing clinicians (N = 47). Study 2 carried out computational modelling of prescribing clinicians' (N = 12) decision strategies based on social judgment theory. Study 3 was a vignette study of prescribing clinicians' (N = 18) willingness to change treatment based on either self-reported symptoms data, devices-generated symptoms data or combinations of both. RESULTS: Study 1 indicated that system development should move away from the traditional silos of 'motor' and 'non-motor' symptom evaluations and suggest that presenting data on symptoms according to goal-based domains would be the most beneficial approach, the most important being patients' overall Quality of Life (QoL). The computational modelling in Study 2 extrapolated different factor combinations when making judgements about different questions. Study 3 indicated that the clinicians were equally likely to change the care plan based on information about the change in the patient's condition from the patient's self-report and the wearable devices. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our approach, we could formulate the following principles of mHealth design: 1) enabling shared decision making between the clinician, patient and the carer; 2) flexibility that accounts for diagnostic and treatment variation among clinicians; 3) monitoring of information integration from multiple sources. Our approach highlighted the central importance of the patient-clinician relationship in clinical decision making and the relevance of theoretical as opposed to algorithm (technology)-based modelling of human judgment

Acceptability to patients, carers and clinicians of an mHealth platform for the management of Parkinson's disease (PD_Manager): study protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease is a degenerative neurological condition causing multiple motor and non-motor symptoms that have a serious adverse effect on quality of life. Management is problematic due to the variable and fluctuating nature of symptoms, often hourly and daily. The PD_Manager mHealth platform aims to provide a continuous feed of data on symptoms to improve clinical understanding of the status of any individual patient and inform care planning. The objectives of this trial are to (1) assess patient (and family carer) perspectives of PD_Manager regarding comfort, acceptability and ease of use; (2) assess clinician views about the utility of the data generated by PD_Manager for clinical decision making and the acceptability of the system in clinical practice. METHODS/DESIGN: This trial is an unblinded, parallel, two-group, randomised controlled pilot study. A total of 200 persons with Parkinson's disease (Hoehn and Yahr stage 3, experiencing motor fluctuations at least 2 h per day), with primary family carers, in three countries (110 Rome, 50 Venice, Italy; 20 each in Ioannina, Greece and Surrey, England) will be recruited. Following informed consent, baseline information will be gathered, including the following: age, gender, education, attitudes to technology (patient and carer); time since Parkinson's diagnosis, symptom status and comorbidities (patient only). Randomisation will assign participants (1:1 in each country), to PD_Manager vs control, stratifying by age (1 ≤ 70 : 1 > 70) and gender (60% M: 40% F). The PD_Manager system captures continuous data on motor symptoms, sleep, activity, speech quality and emotional state using wearable devices (wristband, insoles) and a smartphone (with apps) for storing and transmitting the information. Control group participants will be asked to keep a symptom diary covering the same elements as PD_Manager records. After a minimum of two weeks, each participant will attend a consultation with a specialist doctor for review of the data gathered (by either means), and changes to management will be initiated as indicated. Patients, carers and clinicians will be asked for feedback on the acceptability and utility of the data collection methods. The PD_Manager intervention, compared to a symptom diary, will be evaluated in a cost-consequences framework. DISCUSSION: Information gathered will inform further development of the PD_Manager system and a larger effectiveness trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Registry, ISRCTN17396879 . Registered on 15 March 2017