Business Executive Perspectives on Quantitative Easing: An Agent-Based Exploration

Sovereign default contagion was one of the most debated topics during the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis. Despite all the improvements in the financial situation since 2010, namely after European Central Bank quantitative easing policies, the nature of the problem and the policy prescriptions are still under dispute today. Using an agent-based model, we simulate sovereign default contagion for different monetary policy options in a world where governments have random incomes, different heterogeneous borrowing behaviors and risk aversion levels and where countries can enter into ex-ante agreements to protect themselves against default. Our simulations showed that default contagion can be a very fast and “destructive” process, and that monetary policy can have a very important role in preventing sovereign defaults through zero interest rate and quantitative easing policies.

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Total etch dentin bonding systems: scanning electron microscopy of the resin-dentin hybrid layer

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100130092 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 1092-1093

Author(s):

Jorge Perdigao

Keyword(s):

Composite Resin ◽

Mechanical Interlocking ◽

Hybrid Layer ◽

Agent Based ◽

Dentin Bonding ◽

Acid Agent ◽

Bond Strengths ◽

Main Component ◽

Bonding Systems ◽

New Generation

In 1955, Buonocore introduced the etching of enamel with phosphoric acid. Bonding to enamel was created by mechanical interlocking of resin tags with enamel prisms. Enamel is an inert tissue whose main component is hydroxyapatite (98% by weight). Conversely, dentin is a wet living tissue crossed by tubules containing cellular extensions of the dental pulp. Dentin consists of 18% of organic material, primarily collagen. Several generations of dentin bonding systems (DBS) have been studied in the last 20 years. The dentin bond strengths associated with these DBS have been constantly lower than the enamel bond strengths. Recently, a new generation of DBS has been described. They are applied in three steps: an acid agent on enamel and dentin (total etch technique), two mixed primers and a bonding agent based on a methacrylate resin. They are supposed to bond composite resin to wet dentin through dentin organic component, forming a peculiar blended structure that is part tooth and part resin: the hybrid layer.

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