scholarly journals The Economics of Credence Goods: An Experiment on the Role of Liability, Verifiability, Reputation, and Competition

2011 ◽  
Vol 101 (2) ◽  
pp. 526-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uwe Dulleck ◽  
Rudolf Kerschbamer ◽  
Matthias Sutter

Credence goods markets are characterized by asymmetric information between sellers and consumers that may give rise to inefficiencies, such as under- and overtreatment or market breakdown. We study in a large experiment with 936 participants the determinants for efficiency in credence goods markets. While theory predicts that liability or verifiability yield efficiency, we find that liability has a crucial, but verifiability at best a minor, effect. Allowing sellers to build up reputation has little influence, as predicted. Seller competition drives down prices and yields maximal trade, but does not lead to higher efficiency as long as liability is violated. (JEL D12, D82)

Weed Science ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 544-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. Horvath

Earlier studies on the source of signals controlling correlative inhibition of root buds (underground adventitious buds located on the lateral roots) inEuphorbia esulaindicated that either growing meristems (apical or axillary buds) or fully expanded leaves could prevent root buds from breaking quiescence. An investigation of the production and transport requirements of the leaf-derived signal is described. As few as three leaves remaining on budless stems greatly reduced the growth of (but not the number of growing) root buds. Also, light and CO2fixation were necessary for the leaf effects on root bud growth, but not necessary for correlative inhibition imposed by growing axillary buds. Treatment of plants with Ametryn induced root bud growth on budless plants but not on plants with intact axillary buds. The polar auxin transport inhibitor N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid prevented transmission or the signal from growing axillary buds, but it had only a minor effect on the transmission of the leaf-derived signal. Treatment of plants with gibberellic acid (GA) induced growth of root buds under otherwise noninducing conditions to some extent in all plants. However, the greatest effects of GA were on plants with intact leaves (meristemless/budless and meristemless). GA had no significant effect on root bud quiescence under conditions that induced root bud growth.


Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (18) ◽  
pp. 3635-3644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Maes ◽  
Elizabeta Nemeth ◽  
G. David Roodman ◽  
Alissa Huston ◽  
Flavia Esteve ◽  
...  

Abstract Hepcidin is the principal iron-regulatory hormone and a pathogenic factor in anemia of inflammation. Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) frequently present with anemia. We showed that MM patients had increased serum hepcidin, which inversely correlated with hemoglobin, suggesting that hepcidin contributes to MM-related anemia. Searching for hepcidin-inducing cytokines in MM, we quantified the stimulation of hepcidin promoter-luciferase activity in HuH7 cells by MM sera. MM sera activated the hepcidin promoter significantly more than did normal sera. We then examined the role of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), the major transcriptional regulators of hepcidin. Mutations in both BMP-responsive elements abrogated the activation dramatically, while mutations in the IL-6–responsive signal transducer and activator of transcription 3-binding site (STAT3-BS) had only a minor effect. Cotreatment with anti–BMP-2/4 or noggin-Fc blocked the promoter induction with all MM sera, anti–IL-6 blocked it with a minority of sera, whereas anti–BMP-4, -6, or -9 antibodies had no effect. BMP-2–immunodepleted MM sera had decreased promoter stimulatory capacity, and BMP-2 concentrations in MM sera were significantly higher than in normal sera. Our results demonstrate that BMP-2 is a major mediator of the hepcidin stimulatory activity of MM sera.


2014 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 788-795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inke Wallrodt ◽  
Lotte Jelsbak ◽  
Line E. Thomsen ◽  
Lena Brix ◽  
Sébastien Lemire ◽  
...  

The phage-shock protein (Psp) system is believed to manage membrane stress in all Enterobacteriaceae and has recently emerged as being important for virulence in several pathogenic species of this phylum. The core of the Psp system consists of the pspA–D operon and the distantly located pspG gene. In Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), it has recently been reported that PspA is essential for systemic infection of mice, but only in NRAMP1+ mice, signifying that attenuation is related to coping with divalent cation starvation in the intracellular environment. In the present study, we investigated the contribution of individual psp genes to virulence of S. Typhimurium. Interestingly, deletion of the whole pspA–D set of genes caused attenuation in both NRAMP1+ and NRAMP1− mice, indicating that one or more of the psp genes contribute to virulence independently of NRAMP1 expression in the host. Investigations of single gene mutants showed that knock out of pspB reduced virulence in both types of mice, while deletion of pspA only caused attenuation in NRAMP1+ mice, and deletion of pspD had a minor effect in NRAMP1− mice, while deletions of either pspC or pspG did not affect virulence. Experiments addressed at elucidating the role of PspB in virulence revealed that PspB is dispensable for uptake to and intracellular replication in cultured macrophages and resistance to complement-induced killing. Furthermore, the Psp system of S. Typhimurium was dispensable during pIV-induced secretin stress. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that removal of PspB reduces virulence in S. Typhimurium independently of host NRAMP1 expression, demonstrating that PspB has roles in intra-host survival distinct from the reported contributions of PspA.


1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 77-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Majone ◽  
P. Massanisso ◽  
R. Ramadori

In various activated sludge systems, the biomass grows under transient (unbalanced) conditions and the storage response (formation of internal polymers as the fastest adaptation to the changing environment) becomes important. Till now the role of storage on population dynamics has been deeply investigated under anaerobic (EBPR processes) or aerobic (bulking control) conditions. Little attention has been given to processes including anoxic conditions even though in many of them storage phenomena are likely to occur (anoxic selectors, nitrogen removal processes with addition of an external source of readily biodegradable COD or with aerobic contact/anoxic stabilization). For these reasons, the aim of the present work was to investigate storage and succeeding use of stored products under anoxic and mixed (anoxic/aerobic) conditions. Batch experiments have shown that a mixed culture selected under aerobic conditions and intermittent feed (acetate-limited medium), was also able to take up acetate (90–100 mgCOD/gCOD h) and store it as PHB (35–40 mgCOD/gCOD h) under anoxic conditions. After acetate depletion, the stored PHB was used for growth and maintenance. The NUR on acetate in the presence of storage was 20 mgN/gVSS h (which corresponded to a COD removal of 6.9 mgCOD/mgN) while it dropped to 10–3 mgN/gVSS h in the “endogenous phase” when denitrification was on the stored PHB. The presence of aerobic conditions instead of anoxic ones had a major positive effect on the rate and yield of PHB storage while it had only a minor effect on the rate of PHB consumption. The latter observation can be explained by assuming that the hydrolysis of the stored product is the rate limiting step of the “endogenous” metabolism and that the hydrolysis rate is not highly dependent on aerobic-anoxic conditions. Cross-comparison of PHB storage and consumption under aerobic/anoxic conditions made it possible to determine that, in the particular mixed culture under investigation, all aerobic heterotrophs able to store were also able to denitrify.


2003 ◽  
Vol 71 (9) ◽  
pp. 5386-5388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Humphreys ◽  
Gary Rowley ◽  
Andrew Stevenson ◽  
William J. Kenyon ◽  
Michael P. Spector ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT FkpA is a peptidylprolyl isomerase whose expression is regulated by the alternative sigma factor, sigma factor E (σE). In contrast to the results of a previous report, inactivation of fkpA was found to have only a minor effect on the ability of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium to invade and survive within epithelial and macrophage cell lines and cause infection in mice. However, an effect of the fkpA mutation on serovar Typhimurium virulence was seen if the mutation was combined with mutations in surA or htrA, two other σE-regulated genes, which encode proteins involved in protein folding and/or degradation in the periplasm.


2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 276-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ladislav Hosák

AbstractThe Val158Met polymorphism of the COMT gene is functional, easily detectable, and significantly related to metabolism of catecholamines, which underlie pathogenesis of a significant number of mental disorders. Evidence for the role of this polymorphism in schizophrenia, substance dependence, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anorexia nervosa and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is summed up in this review article. The results make it unlikely that the COMT gene plays an important role in these mental disorders, although a minor effect can not be excluded. Future studies on the COMT gene in mentally ill subjects should be stratified by clinical subtypes of the disorder, gender and ethnicity. Studies of endophenotypes instead of the complex disorder seem to be another promising research strategy. Gene-gene and gene-environment interactions should also be considered. The COMT gene is probably not “a gene for” any mental disorder, but the Val158Met polymorphism appears to have pleiotropic effects on human behavior.


1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 843-850
Author(s):  
Angela P Lyon ◽  
Nicola J Banton ◽  
Donal H Macartney

The kinetics and mechanism of the formation and dissociation of a series of [2]pseudorotaxanes, comprised of α -cyclodextrin (α -CD) as the cyclic component and the ([Me3N(CH2)nNMe3]2+ (n = 8-12), [Me2EtN(CH2)10NEtMe2]2+, and [Me3P(CH2)10PMe3]2+) dications as the threads, were determined by means of 1H and 31P NMR in aqueous solution. The length of the polymethylene chain (n) of the thread, which has a minor effect on the rate constant for pseudorotaxane formation, is important in the kinetics of the dissociation reactions, with the longer, more hydrophobic chains resulting in slower pseudorotaxane dissociation. The replacement of one methyl substitutent by an ethyl group in each of the end groups on the [Me3N(CH2)10NMe3]2+ thread results in a 30-fold decrease in the formation rate constant. Replacements, by ethyls, of two or all of the methyl substitutents prevent the formation of the pseudorotaxane, even after prolonged heating. The pseudorotaxane containing the {Me3P(CH2)10PMe3.; α-CD}2+ thread forms only at elevated temperatures by a slippage mechanism, and the rate constant for its self-assembly at 75°C (8 x 10-5 M-1 s-1) is more than 106 smaller than the rate constant at 75°C (200 M-1 s-1) extrapolated for the corresponding {Me3N(CH2)10NMe3 . α -CD}2+complex. The enthalpies and entropies of activation for the formation and dissociation of the [2]pseudorotaxanes decrease with an increase in the size and hydrophobicity of the end groups, suggesting a reduced role of desolvation of the quaternized atoms in the threading or dethreading processes.Key words: pseudorotaxane, α -cyclodextrin, kinetics, self-assembly, slippage, supramolecular.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 3200-3200
Author(s):  
Matthias Krusch ◽  
Julia Salih ◽  
Lothar Kanz ◽  
Helmut R Salih

Abstract CML is characterized by the BCR-ABL fusion protein, which mediates the oncogenic signaling. This led to the development of BCR-ABL inhibitors revolutionizing therapy of CML. However, as recently reported for Dasatinib (Schade et al., Blood 111:1366 (2008); Blake et al., Blood 111:4415 (2008)), these agents may impair the activity of immune effector cells like NK cells and T cells. After initiating oncogenic events, development and progression of clinically apparent malignancy is dependent on the evasion of the tumor cells from immunosurveillance. In light of the important role of NK cell reactivity against leukemia we compared the influence of Imatinib, Nilotinib and Dasatinib on the reactivity of both resting and IL-2 activated NK cells against CML cells to identify the compound with the least immuno-compromising side effects. First, the effects of the compounds on NK cell reactivity in concentrations corresponding to plasma peak levels were studied. Dasatinib (200nM) completely abolished NK cell granule mobilization, cytotoxicity and IFN-γ production, while no substantial inhibition was observed with Imatinib (5μM) and Nilotinib (3.6μM) mediated a minor but significant inhibition (p<0.05, Student’s T-test). Presence of the compounds in concentrations corresponding to IC50 levels (Imatinib 600nM, Nilotinib 30nM, Dasatinib 10nM) revealed no influence of Imatinib and Nilotinib, while Dasatinib still significantly reduced NK cell cytotoxicity and IFN-γ production up to 60%. Since Dasatinib, in addition to BCR-ABL, potently inhibits SRC kinases, which are involved in the activation of MAPK pathways and thus crucial for NK cell cytotoxicity, we determined the influence of the compounds on ERK phosphorylation. While no inhibitory effect was observed using Imatinib and Nilotinib, Dasatinib markedly reduced ERK phosphorylation in NK cells. Our data demonstrate that NK cell anti-tumor reactivity is not inhibited by clinically relevant concentrations of Imatinib. While Nilotinib may mediate a minor effect, Dasatinib substantially impairs NK cell reactivity by inhibition of signaling pathways crucial for NK cell effector functions. For a given patient, the choice and dosing of the most suitable BCR-ABL inhibitor may thus require careful consideration of its influence on the immune system, especially in view of the important role of NK cells in the immunesurveillance of residual leukemia.


2013 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 960-969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Schaake ◽  
Anna Drees ◽  
Petra Grüning ◽  
Frank Uliczka ◽  
Fabio Pisano ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTIn this study, an oral minipig infection model was established to investigate the pathogenicity ofYersinia enterocoliticabioserotype 4/O:3. O:3 strains are highly prevalent in pigs, which are usually symptomless carriers, and they represent the most common cause of human yersiniosis. To assess the pathogenic potential of the O:3 serotype, we compared the colonization properties ofY. enterocoliticaO:3 with O:8, a highly mouse-virulentY. enterocoliticaserotype, in minipigs and mice. We found that O:3 is a significantly better colonizer of swine than is O:8. Coinfection studies with O:3 mutant strains demonstrated that small variations within the O:3 genome leading to higher amounts of the primary adhesion factor invasin (InvA) improved colonization and/or survival of this serotype in swine but had only a minor effect on the colonization of mice. We further demonstrated that a deletion of theinvAgene abolished long-term colonization in the pigs. Our results indicate a primary role for invasin in naturally occurringY. enterocoliticaO:3 infections in pigs and reveal a higher adaptation of O:3 than O:8 strains to their natural pig reservoir host.


Author(s):  
Valerii Stepankov ◽  

One of the significant events of Ukraine's struggle for independence during the first period of the National Revolution (1648 – June 1652) was Loev campaign of its troops, which despite the defeat and hetman S.M. Krychevsky’s death nevertheless prevented the Lithuanians invasion. Though for the first time in historiography V. Lypynskyі proved convincingly in his monographic study the falsity of neglecting its role in the Ukrainian-Polish military-political confrontation in the summer of 1649, as well as the works of subsequent scholars (including modern ones) did. But up to now Lithuanian theater of hostilities has been considered traditionally as an event with a minor effect. However this is far from the case! For example although it was not decisive in 1649 and 1651, it is by no means possible to interpret as something insignificant. It is firstly. Secondly, except for confessions ("confession") of captured Ukrainian soldiers and rebels, the lack of Ukrainian origin sources (no one letter, universal, report, diary, message or the story of the battle participant have been saved) is still a major obstacle for the reconstruction by the researchers of more or less a complete picture of the Ukrainian army’s Loev campaign. They only managed to reproduce the most important events in very general / contour features and even then through the prism of information material from Lithuanian and Polish sources. Instead, its course with the Lithuanian units’ participation is depicted scrupulously thanks to the efforts of Polish authors. However in general due to the schematic presentation of the Ukrainian command strategic plan, the steps taken for its implementation, the factors that significantly changed the course of the battle and determined its results, the overall panorama of the event looks somewhat simplified, devoid of internal dynamics and drama and in some ways with the spraying of popularity while imaging the infallibility of the Lithuanian polny hetman J. Radziwill decisions and actions. In order to outline the ways to correct shortcomings and fill scientific gaps the author’s research focus is on identifying a number of actual problems of the Ukrainian army’s Loev campaign. Having analyzed heritage and discovered source base, the author considers those actual problems need rethinking, finding new ways to solve them, further discussions or even starting their study. They included the following ones: to clarify the essence of B. Khmelnytsky's strategic plan, developed in May-June, regarding the place and role of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) in the forthcoming campaign against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; to find out the time and place of the Acting Hetman S. Krychevsky departure to the Lithuanian theater of hostilities and the route of its promotion; to specify the number of soldiers who took part in the battle on both sides; to find out the essence of S. Krychevsky’s activity since his appearance in Chernobyl (about July, 8) till the capture of Kholmech (July, 29); to determine the nature of his relations with colonel S. Pobodailo, who defended the crossing of the Dnieper opposite Loev; to coverage the action plan of the latter, the reasons for their passivity and inconsistency with the attack of the Acting Hetman on the Lithuanian camp in the morning of July, 31, etc. The author is aware that hoping for their full clarification will be a fiction until the sources which had been created by Ukrainians, the participants of the campaign are found. Nevertheless, the painstaking work of researchers in archives and manuscripts departments of scientific libraries in Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania and other countries will undoubtedly enrich the existing source base as a whole and contribute, albeit slightly, to enrich knowledge in the study of this problem.


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