Monopolistic Competition with Two-Part Tariffs

Non-uniform pricing equilibria are shown to dominate uniform pricing equilibria in free entry, monopolistically competitive markets with identical consumers. The non-uniform pricing equilibrium is welfare optimal. Comparisons of Cournot and non-uniform pricing equilibria in terms of the equilibrium number of firms and sales per firm show that the positioning of Cournot equilibria relative to the welfare optimal configuration of firms and outputs depends on the relative curvatures of inverse demand and average cost functions, entry-induced rotation of inverse demand functions, and the relative price effects of changes in own and other firms outputs. The choice between the non-uniform and uniform pricing interpretations of equilibria in differentiated product markets may have important implications for policy analysis

Crafting a Systematic Literature Review on Open-Source Platforms

This working paper unveils the crafting of a systematic literature review on open-source platforms. The high-competitive mobile devices market, where several players such as Apple, Google, Nokia and Microsoft run a platforms- war with constant shifts in their technological strategies, is gaining increasing attention from scholars. It matters, then, to review previous literature on past platforms-wars, such as the ones from the PC and game-console industries, and assess its implications to the current mobile devices platforms-war. The paper starts by justifying the purpose and rationale behind this literature review on open-source platforms. The concepts of open-source software and computer-based platforms were then discussed both individually and in unison, in order to clarify the core-concept of 'open-source platform' that guides this literature review. The detailed design of the employed methodological strategy is then presented as the central part of this paper. The paper concludes with preliminary findings organizing previous literature on open-source platforms for the purpose of guiding future research in this area.Comment: As presented in 10th IFIP WG 2.13 International Conference on Open Source Systems, OSS 2014, San Jos\'e, Costa Rica, May 6-9, 201

Iron deposits in the knee joints of a thalassemic patient

The overall prognosis for patients with β-thalassemia has improved considerably during the past decades mainly due to regular blood transfusions, improvements in chelation therapy, and enhanced surveillance with imaging studies examining iron overload and other clinical complications. However, the prolonged survival of these patients leads to the development of other health problems including degenerative diseases such as arthropathies, which require further attention since they have a significant impact on the quality of life. In the current case report, we present a 45-year-old white man with β-thalassemia complaining of non-traumatic pain and restriction in the range of motion of both knees. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a tear in the medial meniscus of the left knee as well as iron deposits in both knees. Histological findings confirmed the presence of hemosiderin in both joints. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of macroscopically documented iron deposits in the knee joints of a patient with β-thalassemia using MRI

Conditional Deletion of Sost in MSC‐derived lineages Identifies Specific Cell Type Contributions to Bone Mass and B Cell Development

Sclerostin (Sost) is a negative regulator of bone formation and blocking its function via antibodies has shown great therapeutic promise by increasing both bone mass in humans and animal models. Sclerostin deletion in Sost knockout mice (Sost‐/‐) causes high bone mass (HBM) similar to Sclerosteosis patients. Sost‐/‐ mice have been shown to display an up to 300% increase in bone volume/total volume (BV/TV), relative to aged matched controls, and it has been postulated that the main source of skeletal Sclerostin is the osteocyte. To understand the cell‐type specific contributions to the HBM phenotype described in Sost‐/‐ mice, as well as to address the endocrine and paracrine mode of action of sclerostin, we examined the skeletal phenotypes of conditional Sost loss‐of‐function (SostiCOIN/iCOIN) mice with specific deletions in (1) the limb mesenchyme (Prx1‐Cre; targets osteoprogenitors and their progeny); (2) mid‐stage osteoblasts and their progenitors (Col1‐Cre); (3) mature osteocytes (Dmp1‐Cre) and (4) hypertrophic chondrocytes and their progenitors (ColX‐Cre). All conditional alleles resulted in significant increases in bone mass in trabecular bone in both the femur and lumbar vertebrae, but only Prx1‐Cre deletion fully recapitulated the amplitude of the HBM phenotype in the appendicular skeleton and the B cell defect described in the global knockout. Despite wildtype expression of Sost in the axial skeleton of Prx1‐Cre deleted mice, these mice also had a significant increase in bone mass in the vertebrae, but the Sclerostin released in circulation by the axial skeleton did not affect bone parameters in the appendicular skeleton. Also, both Col1 and Dmp1 deletion resulted in a similar 80% significant increase in trabecular bone mass, but only Col1 and Prx1 deletion resulted in a significant increase in cortical thickness. We conclude that several cell types within the Prx1‐osteoprogenitor derived lineages contribute significant amounts of Sclerostin protein to the paracrine pool of Sost, in bone

Justice Beyond Borders? Australia and the International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court (ICC) came into being on 1 July 2002. A four-person team opened an office in The Hague and will collect reports and allegations of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity until judges and a prosecutor are appointed towards the end of 2003. Although the court was heralded by many states and international lawyers as the most important positive development in international law since the formation of the United Nations, it did not get off to an auspicious start. The Bush administration was concerned that US military forces operating overseas would be particularly vulnerable to what it described as 'politicised' prosecutions. It therefore insisted that not only would it not be a part of the ICC, but also that it would not sanction the continuation of UN peacekeeping operations. Closer to home, the Australian Senate only ratified the ICC's founding treaty, the Rome Statute, after a bitter debate that split both the Liberal and National parties. This was the case even though the Howard government-and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer in particular-had been a leading advocate of the court and ratification of the Rome Statute had been a Liberal Party election promise in 2001. The cost that Downer, and pro-ICC Attorney-General Daryl Williams had to pay in order to appease restive conservative backbenchers, the National Party, and an increasingly reluctant (and pro-US) Prime Minister and secure the ratification was a declaration that reaffirmed the primacy of the Australian judicial system over the ICC. The declaration insisted that no Australian would be prosecuted by the court without the consent of the Attomey-General, and asserted Australia's right to define what is meant by the crimes of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. We argue that although Downer and Williams should be commended for their commitment to international justice, the declaration attached to Australia's ratification was unnecessary and unhelpful. The first and third aspects of the declaration were unnecessary: the principle of complementarity enshrined in the Rome Statute means that the ICC already recognises the primacy of domestic jurisdiction, and the crimes covered are already considered to fall under universal jurisdiction, as the Nuremberg, Tokyo and more recent Pinochet trials showed (see Weller 1999). The second is unhelpful because it contravenes both the letter and the spirit of the Rome Statute. We will begin, then, by tracing the development of the ICC debate in Australian politics. In 1998, the government was an enthusiastic advocate of the court but by 2002 an alliance of an ardently pro-US Prime Minister, vocal right-wing parliamentarians and their supporters, and The Australian (and its foreign affairs editor Greg Sheridan in particular) combined to put ratification in doubt. Contrary to Prime Minister John Howard's claims, this debate was not well informed. Instead, it was characterised by hearsay, inaccuracy and scare-mongering. The subsequent section of the article demonstrates this by focusing on the background to, and creation of, the Rome Statute

A characteristics framework for Semantic Information Systems Standards

Semantic Information Systems (IS) Standards play a critical role in the development of the networked economy. While their importance is undoubted by all stakeholders—such as businesses, policy makers, researchers, developers—the current state of research leaves a number of questions unaddressed. Terminological confusion exists around the notions of “business semantics”, “business-to-business interoperability”, and “interoperability standards” amongst others. And, moreover, a comprehensive understanding about the characteristics of Semantic IS Standards is missing. The paper addresses this gap in literature by developing a characteristics framework for Semantic IS Standards. Two case studies are used to check the applicability of the framework in a “real-life” context. The framework lays the foundation for future research in an important field of the IS discipline and supports practitioners in their efforts to analyze, compare, and evaluate Semantic IS Standard

'Education, education, education' : legal, moral and clinical

This article brings together Professor Donald Nicolson's intellectual interest in professional legal ethics and his long-standing involvement with law clinics both as an advisor at the University of Cape Town and Director of the University of Bristol Law Clinic and the University of Strathclyde Law Clinic. In this article he looks at how legal education may help start this process of character development, arguing that the best means is through student involvement in voluntary law clinics. And here he builds upon his recent article which argues for voluntary, community service oriented law clinics over those which emphasise the education of students

The prohibitin-repressive interaction with E2F1 is rapidly inhibited by androgen signalling in prostate cancer cells

Prohibitin (PHB) is a tumour suppressor molecule with pleiotropic activities across several cellular compartments including mitochondria, cell membrane and the nucleus. PHB and the steroid-activated androgen receptor (AR) have an interplay where AR downregulates PHB, and PHB represses AR. Additionally, their cellular locations and chromatin interactions are in dynamic opposition. We investigated the mechanisms of cell cycle inhibition by PHB and how this is modulated by AR in prostate cancer. Using a prostate cancer cell line overexpressing PHB, we analysed the gene expression changes associated with PHB-mediated cell cycle arrest. Over 1000 gene expression changes were found to be significant and gene ontology analysis confirmed PHB-mediated repression of genes essential for DNA replication and synthesis, for example, MCMs and TK1, via an E2F1 regulated pathway-agreeing with its G1/S cell cycle arrest activity. PHB is known to inhibit E2F1-mediated transcription, and the PHB:E2F1 interaction was seen in LNCaP nuclear extracts, which was then reduced by androgen treatment. Upon two-dimensional western blot analysis, the PHB protein itself showed androgen-mediated charge differentiation (only in AR-positive cells), indicating a potential dephosphorylation event. Kinexus phosphoprotein array analysis indicated that Src kinase was the main interacting intracellular signalling hub in androgen-treated LNCaP cells, and that Src inhibition could reduce this AR-mediated charge differentiation. PHB charge change may be associated with rapid dissociation from chromatin and E2F1, allowing the cell cycle to proceed. The AR and androgens may deactivate the repressive functions of PHB upon E2F1 leading to cell cycle progression, and indicates a role for AR in DNA replication licensing

Impact of “Grain to Green” Programme on echinococcosis infection in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of China

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is endemic among the human population of Xiji County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, where the prevalence is estimated to be between 2.2% and 3.6%. Government-run sheep abattoirs in Xiji County have closed in recent years and, as a consequence, slaughter is carried out mostly at rural market places. The market place in Xinglong Township, Xiji County, is home to an increasing number of stray dogs and the lack of government control over slaughter practices potentially favours Echinococcus granulosus transmission. A survey of sheep, goats and cattle reared in Xiji County was conducted in Xinglong Market and Xinglong Township to determine prevalence and transmission dynamics of E. granulosus infection. The liver and lungs of all livestock aged one year and older were examined macroscopically post mortem; visual examination and palpation of organs determined overall prevalence of E. granulosus. Cysts consistent in appearance with E. granulosus were observed in 2/184 sheep (prevalence 1.0%) and 1/55 of the cattle examined (prevalence 1.8%); 0/13 goats were found to be infected. However, microscopic examination of these suspected cysts failed to confirm these samples as E. granulosus, giving a prevalence of confirmed infection of zero percent in all three species. The prevalence of liver fluke was 61.3% in sheep and 12.7% in cattle with a significant difference between males and females (p ≤ 0.001). Considering the high prevalence of echinococcosis in the local human population, the absence of CE observed among commercially slaughtered livestock was surprising. Several explanations for this discrepancy and their implications are proposed.The study was supported by funds of NNSFC, China (30960339), NHMRC, Australia (APP1009539). DJG is an Australian Research Council Fellow (DECRA); ACAC is NHMRC Senior Research Fellow; DPM is NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow; YRY is Griffith University Research Fellow

De jure determinants of new firm formation: how the pillars of constitutions influence entrepreneurship

This paper provides empirical evidence supporting the view that constitutions are the primary and fundamental institutional determinant of entrepreneurship. It shows that some of the provisions contained in national constitutions are positively and significantly associated with a standard measure of entrepreneurial dynamics, namely the rate of new business density. Using for 115 countries a novel dataset containing the characteristics of the constitutions enacted in the world, applying an IV-GMM treatment to deal with the endogeneity of constitutional rules, and controlling for de facto variables, the paper finds that provisions about the right to conduct/establish a business, the right to strike, consumer protection, anti-corruption, and compulsory education promote higher rates of new firm formation. Contrasting results are instead obtained for provisions concerning protection of intellectual property rights