Consider an exchange economy with asymmetric information. What is the set of outcomes that are consistent with common knowledge of rationality and market clearing?We propose the concept of CKRMC as an answer to this question. The set of price functions that are CKRMC is the maximal set F with the property that every fˆˆF defiłdots}nes prices that clear the markets for demands that can be rationalized by some profile of subjective beliefs on F. Thus, the difference between CKRMC and Rational Expectations Equilibrium (REE) is that CKRMC allows for a situation where the agents do not know the true price function and furthermore may have different beliefs about it. We characterize CKRMC, study its properties, and apply it to a general class of economies with two commodities. CKRMC manifests intuitive properties that stand in contrast to the full revelation property of REE. In particular, we obtain that for a broad class of economies: (1) There is a whole range of prices that are CKRMC in every state. (2) The set of CKRMC outcomes is monotonic with the amount of information in the economy.
Pt(IV) complexes must be reduced to kill cancer cells. While reduction rates correlate with reduction potentials, we wanted to check if the rates of reduction depend on the cell line used. The reduction of cis,trans,cis-[PtCl2(OCOCH3)2(NH3)2] by extracts of three cell lines was measured, and the rates follow the order A2780cisR > A2780 > HT-29. The reduction is not carried out by the low molecular weight (MW) antioxidants but primarily by cellular components with MW > 3000.
Individuals can insure themselves perfectly against uncertainty about the length of life by purchasing deferred annuities early in life. In the absence of other uninsurable uncertainties (e.g. income), there will be no residual purchases or sales of annuities later in life, thereby avoiding any adverse-selection. In contrast, the presence of such uncertainties creates an active residual annuity market based on the arrival of new information. We characterize the equilibrium in the residual annuity market and propose a new financial instrument, refundable annuities with a guaranteed refund price, which enables individuals who hold a portfolio of such annuities to better adjust [...]
We present here four Sephardic texts of the 16th century originating in the Ottoman Empire. Although their authors have an unequal level of instruction, belong to different social layers, reside in different cities of the Ottoman Empire and possibly have distinct ethnic origins, common to the four texts is the Castilian language, which shows the undoubted preponderance of this language among the Jews of the Sephardic communities as early as the middle of the 16th century. Nevertheless, all the texts are characterized by the influence of other languages, especially Portuguese and Turkish, alongside the characteristic Hebrew and Aramaic elements found in every Jewish text written in the vernacular languages. The first three testimonies appear in the collection of responsa of the prominent dayyan of Salonika (Salonika 1595) Rabbi Shemu’el de Medina (1506–1589), in the section Hoshen Mishpat. As we can see here, many communities throughout the Ottoman Empire and beyond consulted Medina on halakhic matters. The last text is a letter found in the Cairo Genizah.
Objectives To examine gender differences or similarities regarding the retention rate in the course of a 13-month treatment and in long-term retention up to 14 years among 2683 patients treated in eight (of 10) methadone maintenance clinics located in communities in Israel. Methods The study is based on a computerized set of data on 2683 (331 female and 2352 male) patients older than 18 years of age (mean age=43.30 SD=8.53) who underwent treatment in one of eight methadone maintenance programs in Israel sometimes (or all the time) between January 1, 1991 and October 30, 2005. Results 79.6% of the patients had a 100% retention rate in the 13-month time slot examined. The survival curves for the long-term retention show that retention in treatment was similar for both female and male patients. However, long-term retention is higher among female patients aged 31–40. Conclusion It is premature to conclude that there are no gender differences in retention since there seem to be different profiles of female patients, characterized by different retention rates, as implied by the great variability in the females' retention behavior found in the regression analysis.
Many clinical conditions require regeneration or implantation of bone. This is one focus shared by neurosurgery and orthopedics. Current therapeutic options (bone grafting and protein-based therapy) do not provide satisfying solutions to the problem of massive bone defects. In the past few years, gene- and stem cell-based therapy has been extensively studied to achieve a viable alternative to current solutions offered by modern medicine for bone-loss repair. The use of adult stem cells for bone regeneration has gained much focus. This unique population of multipotential cells has been isolated from various sources, including bone marrow, adipose, and muscle tissues. Genetic engineering of adult stem cells with potent osteogenic genes has led to fracture repair and rapid bone formation in vivo. It is hypothesized that these genetically modified cells exert both an autocrine and a paracrine effects on host stem cells, leading to an enhanced osteogenic effect. The use of direct gene delivery has also shown much promise for in vivo bone repair. Several viral and nonviral methods have been used to achieve substantial bone tissue formation in various sites in animal models. To advance these platforms to the clinical setting, it will be mandatory to overcome specific hurdles, such as control over transgene expression, viral vector toxicity, and prolonged culture periods of therapeutic stem cells. This review covers a prospect of cell and gene therapy for bone repair as well as some very recent advancements in stem cell isolation, genetic engineering, and exogenous control of transgene expression.
