Restrictiveness Index Research Articles

Assessing the Determinants of Services Exports of Pakistan An Application of Extended Gravity Model

The services sector plays a crucial role in Pakistan's economy based on its contribution to GDP and the engagement of most of the labour force with this sector. Services exports provide valuable foreign exchange earnings, and the focus on promoting services exports can resolve the balance of trade issue. Hence, this study investigates the key determinants influencing Pakistan's services exports with its major trading partners. The study employed an extended gravity model through fixed effect, random effect and Poisson-Pseudo Maximum Likelihood (PPML) methods by using data from 2000-2022 and found out that the GDP of the partner country, FDI, employment in services, logistics performance index (LPI), and services trade restrictiveness index (STRI) are important determinants of services exports in Pakistan. Pakistan is the most restrictive economy in the South Asian region which has higher STRI, resultantly the restrictions are negatively affecting the services trade and exports of the country. Moreover, the study evaluated that the USA, UAE, China, and UK are major export markets for export services of Pakistan. Based on these findings, the study suggests that Pakistan should improve its logistics infrastructure and reduce service trade restrictions to boost services exports.

Health optimisation for patients with obesity before elective orthopaedic surgery: a qualitative study of professionals’ views on restrictive approaches and future practice

BackgroundPreoperative health optimisation for elective surgery entails supporting patients to improve their health in preparation for their treatment and recovery. While there is consensus that this process should address obesity, approaches vary across England. Despite guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to the contrary, restrictive approaches with body mass index thresholds for referral to arthroplasty are in use. This qualitative study aimed to investigate the views of professionals on the current use and future implications of these policies.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 professionals including clinicians, commissioners, policymakers, and health service managers, with experience of developing and/or implementing health optimisation policies for elective arthroplasty. Participants were sampled from areas in England with and without restrictive policies. We undertook thematic analysis of the interview data.ResultsParticipants described pre-surgical health optimisation as an important trigger for health improvement but identified current resourcing and inadequacies in provision of weight management support as significant barriers to success. Participants expressed concerns about the appropriateness and fairness of including obesity as a determinant to restrict access to surgery. They described short-term financial pressures underlying the use of restrictive body mass index thresholds and a lack of an evidence base, such that policies amounted to rationing and risked exacerbations of health inequalities. The study identified four priorities for improvements to future health optimisation practices: developing and implementing national guidance with flexibility for local variation, initiating patient engagement in primary care with onward integration across all services, improving resourcing to support effective equitable impact, and addressing wider determinants of obesity through societal change.ConclusionsOverall, participants had limited expectations of the impact of health optimisation policies on obesity without additional support, investment, and national guideline implementation. They raised strong concerns over current restrictive approaches. We conclude that addressing concerns around weight management support service availability and impacts on health inequalities is essential for shaping effective health optimisation policies. Future policy direction should support health optimisation to be offered early (ideally in primary care). Health optimisation interventions should be non-restrictive, inclusive, and well-monitored, particularly around equality impact.

Occupational Licensing restrictions and early-stage entrepreneurship: a US state-level analysis

ABSTRACT Various literatures have evaluated the economic consequences associated with both entrepreneurship and occupational licencing. However, there has been a relative lack of research that attempts to tie the two together. This study empirically investigates if and how occupational licencing restrictions impact early-stage entrepreneurship across US states. By utilizing a new index of state licensure restrictiveness, various measures from the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, along with establishment birth and death rates, our study finds that early-stage entrepreneurship and establishment deaths are negatively and significantly associated with more restrictive occupational licencing, though the channels are nuanced. Implications are discussed.

The impacts of policy restrictions on trade in services

ABSTRACT The objective of this paper is to estimate how different types of policy restrictions affect trade in services. We employ the Service Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI) database and the International Trade in Services Statistics (ITSS) provided by the OECD to compile a sample encompassing 15 service sectors across 48 countries for the period from 2014 to 2018. The estimated results indicate that more restrictive regulations impede international service trade in terms of both the value of trade (intensive margin) and the probability of trade (extensive margin). We also find that the negative impact of policy restrictions on trade does not always increase with increasing restrictiveness. While moderate policy restrictions can facilitate international trade in services, stricter regulations impede it. Finally, the impact of policy regulations on service trade depends on the type and objective of restrictions. Regulations that are discriminatory or target foreign firms tend to reduce trade values, whereas non-discriminatory regulations related to policy transparency enhance service trade between countries.

Palm oil trade restrictiveness index and its impact on world palm oil exports

Palm oil trade restrictiveness index and its impact on world palm oil exports

A novel pan-PI3K inhibitor KTC1101 synergizes with anti-PD-1 therapy by targeting tumor suppression and immune activation

BackgroundPhosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are critical regulators of diverse cellular functions and have emerged as promising targets in cancer therapy. Despite significant progress, existing PI3K inhibitors encounter various challenges such as suboptimal bioavailability, potential off-target effects, restricted therapeutic indices, and cancer-acquired resistance. Hence, novel inhibitors that overcome some of these challenges are needed. Here, we describe the characterization of KTC1101, a novel pan-PI3K inhibitor that simultaneously targets tumor cell proliferation and the tumor microenvironment. Our studies demonstrate that KTC1101 significantly increases the anti-PD-1 efficacy in multiple pre-clinical mouse models.MethodsKTC1101 was synthesized and characterized employing chemical synthesis, molecular modeling, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and mass spectrometry. Its target specificity was confirmed through the kinase assay, JFCR39 COMPARE analysis, and RNA-Seq analysis. Metabolic stability was verified via liver microsome and plasma assays, pharmacokinetics determined by LC–MS/MS, and safety profile established through acute toxicity assays to determine the LD50. The antiproliferative effects of KTC1101 were evaluated in a panel of cancer cell lines and further validated in diverse BALB/c nude mouse xenograft, NSG mouse xenograft and syngeneic mouse models. The KTC1101 treatment effect on the immune response was assessed through comprehensive RNA-Seq, flow cytometry, and immunohistochemistry, with molecular pathways investigated via Western blot, ELISA, and qRT-PCR.ResultsKTC1101 demonstrated strong inhibition of cancer cell growth in vitro and significantly impeded tumor progression in vivo. It effectively modulated the Tumor Microenvironment (TME), characterized by increased infiltration of CD8+ T cells and innate immune cells. An intermittent dosing regimen of KTC1101 enhanced these effects. Notably, KTC1101 synergized with anti-PD-1 therapy, significantly boosting antitumor immunity and extending survival in preclinical models.ConclusionKTC1101's dual mechanism of action—directly inhibiting tumor cell growth and dynamically enhancing the immune response— represents a significant advancement in cancer treatment strategies. These findings support incorporating KTC1101 into future oncologic regimens to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy combinations.

Economic Aspects of Australian Federation: Trade Restrictiveness and Welfare Effects in the Colonies and the Commonwealth, 1900–3*

Australian Federation in 1901 entailed the formation of a customs union among its formerly tariff‐autonomous colonies. Although the elimination of tariff barriers to intercolonial/interstate trade would have been welfare‐enhancing, Australia's common external tariff was set considerably higher than the tariffs on external goods imported by the pre‐Federation colonies, implying a welfare reduction. Using a dataset of 3,584 commodity‐ and colony‐disaggregated imports, this paper estimates trade restrictiveness indices and welfare losses for the Australian colonies and Commonwealth. Despite the high external tariff post Federation, the customs union produced a net static welfare gain conservatively estimated to have been 0.17 per cent of GDP.

The effect of FDI regulatory barriers: evidence from OECD countries

ABSTRACT This study aims to analyse the impact of the OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index on actual FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) flows into the 38 OECD member countries. Using PPML (Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood), GLS (Generalized Least Squares method), and Heckman’s sample selection estimator, this paper undertakes to identify the impact of FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index on FDI inflows to all OECD member countries from 129 partner countries from 2006 to 2021. It finds that the overall level of restrictions, screening and approval measures, and other operational restrictions all have a statistically significant negative sign, except for equity restrictions (ER). This suggests that the higher the level of restrictions on FDI, the less direct investment flows into OECD countries. In other words, liberalizing or reforming FDI restrictions can lead to an increase in inward FDI. Moreover, results show that the impact of even small regulatory relaxations is not negligible. While previous studies have mainly analysed the determinants of FDI inflows based on theories from the investor (supplier) perspective, this study differs in that it provides a reference analysis of FDI policies and laws from the host country’s (demander) perspective, in which areas and to what extent they need to be liberalized.

Study on the mechanism of action of Wu Mei Pill in inhibiting rheumatoid arthritis through TLR4-NF-κB pathway

BackgroundWu Mei Pills (WMP) is a traditional Chinese medication that exhibits considerable anti-inflammatory effects. While WMP has been documented for its efficacy in treating RA, its mechanism of action on the condition remains unestablished.MethodsThe chemical composition of WMP was analyzed through UPLC-MS. Next, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, cell scratch, Transwell, and Western blotting techniques were used to investigate its intrinsic mechanism. Lastly, the effect of WMP in inhibiting RA was explored by applying it to CIA rats.ResultUPLC-MS analysis detected 181 compounds in WMP. RA-FLS migration and invasion mechanisms were significantly hindered by serum containing WMP (2%, 8%). Moreover, WMP (0.5 g/kg, 2 g/kg) restricted arthritis and immune organ indices in CIA rats with type II collagen-induced rheumatoid arthritis by blocking TLR4-NF-κB inflammatory pathway activation.ConclusionsWMP is valuable in mitigating the course of RA through inhibiting the classical TLR4-NF-κB inflammatory pathway and reducing the secretion of inflammatory factors in the serum of RA-FLS and CIA rats. Moreover, it regulates the dynamic balance of MMP-2/TIMP-2, MMP-9/TIMP-1, modulates the mechanism of RA-FLS invasion, and safeguards articular cartilage tissues in RA.

Characteristics of restricted selection indices and geometrical interpretation of restricted breeding values.

Restricted selection is used to control genetic changes in one or more characters. Three main selection indices are adopted for this purpose. First, Kempthorne's index is used to maximize aggregate breeding value (BV) with changes in some traits restricted to zero; second, Harville's index is used to maximize aggregate BV with proportional changes for some traits; and third, Yamada's index is mathematically used to achieve the relative desired changes for all traits. Kempthorne's index is equivalent to Harville's index. However, the relationship between Kempthorne's and Yamada's indices has not been clarified. In addition, the characteristics of restricted selection indices and the relationship between BV and restricted BV (RBV) are also unknown. The aim of this study was to clarify the characteristics of restricted selection indices and describe the relationship between BV and RBV by using linear algebra and geometric techniques, respectively. First, I proved that Yamada's index is part of Kempthorne's index. Second, I investigated the relationship between BVs that were estimated using an ordinary selection index (EBVs) and RBVs estimated using a restricted selection index (ERBVs) and proved that the ERBVs of the restricted traits are proportional to the relative desired changes. Third, I proved that RBV is represented by a linear function of BV and geometrically represented the relationship between BV and RBV. In this study, new findings on restricted selection indices and RBV were obtained. This useful clarification of the relationship between BV and RBV will make it possible to evaluate the response to selection using not only a restricted selection index, but also a restricted BLUP in computer simulation studies.

Preference alignment or executive predominance: The rise of states' rulemaking provisions in the U.S.

Before 1941, U.S. regulatory bodies were unrestricted. By 1946, several states and the federal government had imposed restrictions. It further took 40 years for every state to enact an Administrative Procedures Act (APA), a law that dictates how regulatory agencies promulgate regulations. Despite being overlooked, APAs significantly impact states in often missed or ignored ways. We analyzed each state's rulemaking procedures at four different points in time to see if they've increased or decreased restrictions on regulatory agencies. We created two indexes: a Restrictiveness index, a summative index, and another derived from multiple correspondence analysis. We studied how legislative professionalism, interest group constraint, citizen ideology, and government partisanism affect APA restrictions.

Partial Restricted Selection Indexes to Fix the Length of Days Open in High – Yielding Dairy Cows

Partial Restricted Selection Indexes to Fix the Length of Days Open in High – Yielding Dairy Cows

Research on the Impact of Digital Trade Barriers on International Business and Countermeasures

Abstract In the contemporary digital economy, digital trade barriers have emerged as significant external risks for enterprises engaging in international business despite the digital economy’s role as a critical driver of international commerce. This study examines the relationship between digital trade barriers and international business through a theoretical model, investigating the influence mechanisms of digital trade barriers alongside other factors. Utilizing data from several countries spanning from 2015 to 2022, this research employs correlation analysis, benchmark regression, and robustness tests within a constructed benchmark regression model to explore the impact of digital trade barriers on international business. The findings indicate a significant negative correlation between digital trade barriers and international commerce, with a 1% increase in the trade restriction index of digital services resulting in a 0.217% decrease in international commerce (p<0.01). Additionally, while R&D intensity and total trade have positive effects on the development of international commerce, trade openness appears to have a negative impact. Given these results, it is recommended that governments enhance the construction of digital service trade systems and actively engage in the formulation and convergence of international regulations. Simultaneously, enterprises should elevate their technological capabilities related to digitization to effectively navigate and mitigate the impacts of digital trade barriers.

The Role and Impact of Cross-Border Data Flows in International Business Digital Trade

Abstract Data is an important production factor in the era of the digital economy, and cross-border data flow is a prerequisite for digital trade. The Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (DSTRI) is the basis of this paper’s research on the impact of cross-border data flow on digital trade. Firstly, cross-border data flow and digital trade are refined into cross-border data flow restrictive measures and digital service trade, and the mechanism of cross-border data flow restriction on digital service trade is investigated. Then, the impact model is constructed based on the gravity expansion model, the variable selection is carried out, the model variables are tested from the perspective of Pearson correlation and multicollinearity, and the optimal regression model is selected. Finally, baseline regression results are derived based on the model, and heterogeneity analysis and robustness tests are conducted. Cross-border data flow restrictions have a correlation coefficient of −2.176 with total digital services, and they have both negative and positive effects on the total trade in digital services. The total trade in digital services in DSTRI is negatively impacted by all policy areas of restrictions, which suggests that restrictions in any policy area can hinder the development of digital trade. When conducting the robustness test, cross-border data flow restrictions still have a significant inhibitory effect on digital services trade, which is consistent with the results of the benchmark regression, indicating that the results of the benchmark regression in this paper are reasonable and valid.

The last free traders? Interwar trade policy in the Netherlands and Netherlands East Indies

AbstractThere has still been too little detailed work on the protectionism that emerged in the wake of the Great Depression. In this paper we explore the experiences of two countries that have been largely neglected in the literature, the Netherlands and Netherlands East Indies (NEI). How did these traditionally free‐trading economies respond to the Depression? We construct a detailed product‐level database of tariff and non‐tariff barriers to trade on the basis of primary sources. While ad valorem tariff increases in the Netherlands were largely due to deflation, the country protected agriculture and textiles in a number of ways. Once quotas are taken into account, trade restrictiveness indices suggest that protection in the Netherlands and NEI was comparable to protection in the UK and India, respectively. The NEI quota system was largely geared to protecting Dutch exporters, and succeeded in doing so, but the reverse was not true.

Service Trade Liberalization, Trade Elasticities and Welfare

ABSTRACT This paper estimates the welfare effects of service trade liberalization at the country-sector level. We build a panel dataset combining information on service trade restriction index and bilateral service trade flows for 45 countries and estimate the service trade elasticity for cross-country heterogeneity at short horizons. Findings suggest that countries with smaller service trade share have greater the service trade cost elasticity, and the service trade elasticity ranges from 0.11 to 12.61. Then, we develop the CP mode to quantify the welfare effects from service trade liberalization. This study finds a significant positive relationship between service trade and welfare. During the 2014 –2018 period, service trade liberalization improved global welfare by 1.01%. The empirical results indicate that service trade liberalization mainly improves welfare through productivity effect and scale effect, with the former effect having a greater impact than the latter.

Intermittent fasting, caloric restriction, and ketogenic diet increase bioenergetic health index in monocytes and improve metabolic outcome in subjects with obesity via changes in gut microbiota

Intermittent fasting, caloric restriction, and ketogenic diet increase bioenergetic health index in monocytes and improve metabolic outcome in subjects with obesity via changes in gut microbiota

Evaluating the Effect of Tariff and Non-tariff Barriers on Exports in the Pre and Post China-Pak Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Period

Low trading costs, more significant consumer markets, and favourable economic ties between China and Pakistan provide a strong rationale for bilateral trade. Both countries have signed several bilateral trade agreements to boost mutual trade since 1963. The agreement that marked the beginning of a new era of cooperation between two trading partners and paved the way for free trade agreements was the Early Harvest Program (EHP), implemented in 2006. The first China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA) was signed in November 2006 and became operational in 2007. CPFTA aimed to remove tariff and non-tariff barriers, enhance the comparative value of exports, and increase exportable surplus mainly through technical and financial cooperation. The paper critically evaluates the impact of tariff and non-tariff barriers on Pakistan’s key exports in the pre- and post-CPFTA period. Further, the study quantifies the impact of non-tariff barriers using quantitative techniques of restrictiveness index, converge ratio, and frequency index with 4-digit H.S. code industry-level data. The analysis reveals that China imposed a relatively high tariff rate on Pakistan's top five exports compared to China's other FTA partner countries. The results about the effect of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) show that exports related to cereals, edible fruits, and textile sectors are highly covered under Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and technical barriers to trade (TBT) despite FTA. Our findings have substantial implications for sustained trade ties between China and Pakistan.

Habits and Persistent Food Restriction in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa: A Scoping Review.

The aetiology of anorexia nervosa (AN) presents a puzzle for researchers. Recent research has sought to understand the behavioural and neural mechanisms of these patients' persistent choice of calorie restriction. This scoping review aims to map the literature on the contribution of habit-based learning to food restriction in AN. PRISMA-ScR guidelines were adopted. The search strategy was applied to seven databases and to grey literature. A total of 35 studies were included in this review. The results indicate that the habit-based learning model has gained substantial attention in current research, employing neuroimaging methods, scales, and behavioural techniques. Food choices were strongly associated with dorsal striatum activity, and habitual food restriction based on the self-report restriction index was associated with clinical impairment in people chronically ill with restricting AN. High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) and Regulating Emotions and Changing Habits (REaCH) have emerged as potential treatments. Future research should employ longitudinal studies to investigate the time required for habit-based learning and analyse how developmental status, such as adolescence, influences the role of habits in the progression and severity of diet-related illnesses. Ultimately, seeking effective strategies to modify persistent dietary restrictions controlled by habits remains essential.

Services in the India-EU free trade agreement

This paper analyses the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between EU and India focusing on services trade. Based on the text published by the European Union, it uses the OECD STRI simulator to calculate the preference margins implied by the agreement and next predicts the impact on services trade flows using a general equilibrium structural gravity analysis. I find that the preference margin on the Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI) for Indian exports to the EU is between four and eight basis points depending on the sector, while for EU’s exports to India the preference margin is between 10 and 35 basis points. The predicted effect is more than a doubling of EU services exports to India, while India’s services exports to the EU would increase by about 50%. EU’s trade with the rest of the world would not change much, while India’s exports to the rest of the world would contract by about 3%. Real services output would not change much in the EU or India. Lifting trade restrictions in the telecommunications sector is the most important policy area for facilitating services trade. About half of the predicted export expansion is driven by reforms to domestic regulation.