The Empirical Analysis of Cigarette Tax Avoidance and Illicit Trade in Vietnam, 1998-2010

Illicit trade carries the potential to magnify existing tobacco-related health care costs through increased availability of untaxed and inexpensive cigarettes. What is known with respect to the magnitude of illicit trade for Vietnam is produced primarily by the industry, and methodologies are typically opaque. Independent assessment of the illicit cigarette trade in Vietnam is vital to tobacco control policy. This paper measures the magnitude of illicit cigarette trade for Vietnam between 1998 and 2010 using two methods, discrepancies between legitimate domestic cigarette sales and domestic tobacco consumption estimated from surveys, and trade discrepancies as recorded by Vietnam and trade partners. The results indicate that Vietnam likely experienced net smuggling in during the period studied. With the inclusion of adjustments for survey respondent under-reporting, inward illicit trade likely occurred in three of the four years for which surveys were available. Discrepancies in trade records indicate that the value of smuggled cigarettes into Vietnam ranges from $100 million to $300 million between 2000 and 2010 and that these cigarettes primarily originate in Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia, and Australia. Notable differences in trends over time exist between the two methods, but by comparison, the industry estimates consistently place the magnitude of illicit trade at the upper bounds of what this study shows. The unavailability of annual, survey-based estimates of consumption may obscure the true, annual trend over time. Second, as surveys changed over time, estimates relying on them may be inconsistent with one another. Finally, these two methods measure different components of illicit trade, specifically consumption of illicit cigarettes regardless of origin and smuggling of cigarettes into a particular market. However, absent a gold standard, comparisons of different approaches to illicit trade measurement serve efforts to refine and improve measurement approaches and estimates.     

Diet of the Indochinese silvered langur (Trachypithecus germaini) in Kien Luong Karst area,Kien Giang Province

The Indochinese silvered langur (Trachypithecus germaini) is distributed to the west of Mekong River in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam. During a two‐year study, from May 2014 to May 2016, we collected 320.44 hr of behavior, with 17,040 feeding bouts recorded (142 hr) for T. germaini on Chua Hang Karst Mountain, Kien Luong District, Kien Giang Province, Vietnam. Feeding accounted for 45% of the Indochinese silvered langurs’ activity budget. The plant diet of the Indochinese silvered langurs was principally composed of young leaves (58%), followed by mature leaves (9.5%), fruits (22.7%), flowers (4.7%), buds (3.3%), petioles (1.2%), and other (0.5%). A total of 58 plant species were fed on by the silvered langurs, and leaves of eight species (Phyllathus reticulatus, Ficus rumphii, Ficus tinctoria, Ficus microcarpa, Cayratia trifolia, Streblus ilicifolia, Combretum latifolium, and Streblus asper) were fed on throughout the year. P. reticulatus was most frequently eaten (13.9% feeding time, n = 1,733). Food selection differed significantly between months and seasons. The Indochinese silvered langurs ate 27 plant species in the wet season compared with 23 plant species in the dry season. Leaf chemical composition of two food categories, 16 eaten species (with 10 most frequently consumed species and six least consumed species), and four noneaten species, were analyzed. Feeding samples from eaten species in the Indochinese silvered langurs's diet contained lower amounts of condensed tannin, lignin, protein, ash, and lipids, but a higher amount of total sugar compared with samples from noneaten species. Furthermore, the most frequently consumed species contained lower amounts of lignin compared with the less frequently consumed species. Using a generalized linear model with five variables, including neutral detergent fiber (NDF), total sugar, lignin, lipid, and calcium (Ca) indicated that NDF positively correlated and lignin content negatively correlated with feeding records in the diet of these langur.     

Human esterase D gene: complete cDNA sequence,genomic structure,and application in the genetic diagnosis of human retinoblastoma

Summary The gene encoding human esterase D (EsD), a member of the nonspecific esterase family, is a useful genetic marker for retinoblastoma (RB) and Wilson's disease. Previously we identified a cDNA clone from this gene and determined its chromosomal location. In this report, we present the complete cDNA sequence of the human EsD gene. A long open reading frame encoded a predicted protein of 282 amino acids with molecular weight of 30 kD. A computer-assisted search of a protein sequence data base revealed homology with two other esterases, acetylcholinesterase of Torpedo and esterase-6 of Drosophila. Homologous region were centered around presumptive active sites, suggesting that the catalytic domains of the esterases are conserved during evolution. Three genomic clones of this gene were also isolated and characterized by restriction mapping. At least ten exons were distributed over a 35-kb (kilobase pair) region; each exon contained an average of 100 basepairs (bp). A polymorphic site for Apa I, located within an intron of the esterase D gene, can be used to identify chromosome 13 carrying defective RB alleles within retinoblastoma families.     

Neurophysiology of geniculate ganglion (facial nerve) taste systems: species comparisons

On the basis of various measures taken from geniculate gangliontaste neurons in four species, it was concluded that withineach species the neurons could be subdivided into distinct functionalgroups. In this report, the neural groups of different specieswere directly compared. Units from all four species were studiedwith a common test series of solutions in addition to otherstimuli. Since these stimuli were presented at the same concentrationsto all species, direct quantitative comparisons across specieswere possible for a wide range of chemical compounds. In addition,the neural groups were compared with respect to spontaneousand evoked activity measures, latency to electrical stimulation,and receptive field characteristics. These neurophysiologicaldata suggest a basic model of four distinct subgroups: acidunits, salt units, amino acid units, and X units.     

ATP sulfurylase from Penicillium chrysogenum: measurements of the true specific activity of an enzyme subject to potent product inhibition and a reassessment of the kinetic mechanism

Homogeneous ATP sulfurylase from Penicillium chrysogenum has been reported to have an extremely low activity toward its physiological inorganic substrate, sulfate. This low activity is an artifact resulting from potent product inhibition by 5'-adenylylsulfate (APS) (Ki less than 0.25 microM). Assays based on 35S incorporation from 35SO4(2-) into charcoal-adsorbable [35S]APS are nonlinear with time, even in the presence of a large excess of inorganic pyrophosphatase. However, in the presence of excess APS kinase (along with excess pyrophosphatase), the ATP sulfurylase reaction is linear with time and the enzyme has a specific activity (Vmax) of 6 to 7 units mg protein-1 corresponding to an active site turnover number of at least 400 min-1. Monovalent oxyanions such as NO3-, ClO3-, ClO4-, and FSO3- are competitive with sulfate (or molybdate) and essentially uncompetitive with respect to MgATP. However, thiosulfate (SSO3(2-)), a true sulfate analog and dead-end inhibitor of the enzyme (competitive with sulfate or molybdate), exhibited clear noncompetitive inhibition against MgATP. Furthermore, APS was competitive with both MgATP and molybdate in the molybdolysis assay. These results suggest (a) that the mechanism of the normal forward reaction may be random rather than ordered and (b) that the monovalent oxyanions have a much greater affinity for the E X MgATP complex than for free E. In this respect, FSO3-, ClO4-, etc., are not true sulfate analogs although they might mimic an enzyme-bound species formed when MgATP is at the active site. The nonlinear ATP sulfurylase reaction progress curves (with APS accumulating in the presence of excess pyrophosphatase or PPi accumulating in the presence of excess APS kinase) were analyzed by means of "average velocity" plots based on an integrated rate equation. This new approach is useful for enzymes subject to potent product inhibition over a reaction time course in which the substrate concentrations do not change significantly. The analysis showed that ATP sulfurylase has an intrinsic specific activity of 6 to 7 units mg protein-1. Thus, the apparent stimulation of sulfurylase activity by APS kinase results from the continual removal of inhibitory APS rather than from an association of the two sulfate-activating enzymes to form a "3'-phospho-5'-adenylylsulfate synthetase" complex in which the sulfurylase has an increased catalytic activity. The progress curve analyses suggest that APS is competitive with both MgATP and sulfate, while MgPPi is a mixed-type inhibitor with respect to both substrates. The cumulative data point to a random sequence for the forward reaction with APS release being partially rate limiting.     

Segregation of mouse hemopoietic progenitor cells using the monoclonal antibody,YBM/42

A rat monoclonal antibody, YBM/42, directed against mouse leukocyte common antigen, was used for the analysis and separation of hemopoietic progenitor cells from mouse bone marrow and fetal liver. Cells were fractionated on a FACS-II cell sorter and the resulting subpopulations examined for their morphology and ability to form colonies in agar (for day 7 colonies) and methylcellulose (for day 2 erythroid clones). The antibody bound to all leukocytes, including blast cells and day 7 hemopoietic progenitor cells (day 7 colony forming cells, CFC), but not to erythrocytes or nucleated erythroid cells. This antibody can be used to advantage to enrich for early progenitor cells from mouse fetal liver, in which the majority of cells (70%) are nucleated erythroid cells. In day 12 fetal liver, approximately 10% of all cells bind this antibody strongly and, of these approximately 70% are blast cells. Contained within this positive population are 95% of all day 7 CFC. In the most enriched fraction about 20% of the cells formed day 7 colonies. This represents a 25-fold enrichment over unsorted fetal liver. The negative fractions contain 94% of all cells forming erythroid clones (≥8 cells) on day 2 of culture (day 2 CFU-E). In the most enriched fraction, 20% of the cells are day 2 CFU-E. Day 7 CFC can therefore be well separated from day 2 CFU-E, with good recovery of both cell types, by use of a single label. Day 7 colony forming cells were classified as granulocyte (G-CFC), macrophage (M-CFC), mixed granulocyte/macrophage (GM-CFC), pure erythroid (E), or mixed erythroid (E_mix). A high enrichment for multipotential cells is achieved and constitues 3–5% of cells in the most enriched fraction. Most types of day 7 CFC could not be separated with YMB/42, but GM-CFC and M-CFC exhibit a broader distribution than the other CFC with regard to fluorescence intensity. This implicit heterogeneity in GM-CFC and M-CFC is further substantiated by the finding that myeloid progenitors in the different FACS fractions also share a differential reactivity to different sources of growth factors.     

Th1 and Th2 clones differ in their response to a tolerogenic signal.

Th1 and Th2 clones specific for human gamma globulin (HGG) were compared and shown to differ in terms of the effects of tolerance induction on Ag-induced proliferation and helper activity. In developing a method to induce tolerance, splenic APC that had been pulsed with HGG and then fixed with 0.15% paraformaldehyde (HGG-FAPC) were used as a means to present Ag to the Th clones in the absence of costimulatory signals. Both Th1 and Th2 clones recognized HGG-FAPC as evidenced by their ability to proliferate to HGG-FAPC. Unlike Th2, Th1 proliferated to HGG-FAPC only in the presence of T cell-depleted allogeneic spleen cells as a source of accessory cell signals. The inability of Th1 cells to proliferate in the absence of costimulatory signals was due to Ag-specific inactivation: Th1 clones preincubated with HGG-FAPC were unable to proliferate when recultured with HGG and irradiated APC. In contrast to Th1 clones, Th2 clones showed no decrease in their Ag-induced proliferative capacity after exposure to any concentration of HGG-FAPC. However, when examined by using a second assay system, that of providing help for anti-HGG antibody production by primed B cells, Th2 preincubated with HGG-FAPC were markedly inhibited (up to 90%) in their ability to provide help. Preincubation with HGG-FAPC also inhibited the helper activity of the one Th1 clone that was found to induce a significant secondary antibody response. Taken together, the results suggest that exposure of Th1 to tolerogen in the form of HGG-pulsed fixed APC inactivates Th1 proliferative capacity, and possibly Th1 helper activity as well. Exposure of Th2 cells to a tolerogen suppresses the mechanism by which the Th2 cells provide Ag-induced B cell help, but does not inhibit the mechanism by which they proliferate to HGG. Furthermore, the results define a model that incorporates Ag processing as well as Ag presentation in the induction of tolerance in vitro.     

Inheritance of cellulose- and lignin-degrading ability as well as endoglucanase isozyme pattern in Dichomitus squalens

Summary The progeny of Dichomitus squalens CBS-432-34 is heterogeneous with respect to specific growth rate on glucose, cellulolytic ([U¹⁴C]cellulose ¹⁴CO₂) and ligninolytic ([¹⁴C]synthetic lignin ¹⁴CO₂) activities with little correlation between these metric characters. Variations do not show clear-cut phenotypes but rather a continuous range between extreme values pointing to multigenic control of these characters. Most homocaryons showed decreased cellulolytic or ligninolytic activity compared to the parent dicaryon. However a few homocaryons were comparable or even superior to the parent dicaryon for ligninolytic or cellulolytic activity with no correlation between each factor. Strains with reduced cellulolytic activity and altered isozyme patterns of endoglucanases were isolated in the progeny of D. squalens CBS-432-34. While the parent strain produced three main endoglucanase multiple enzymes designated EnI, EnII and EnIII, several strains in the progeny produced a different multiple enzyme pattern. In contrast to the quantitative ability to degrade cellulose, multiple enzyme pattern variation in the progeny did not show continuous variations. characterization of heterocaryon phenotypes derived from Ien⁺ and Ien 1 homocaryons and first filial generation (f1) analysis showed that genetic control of the multiple enzyme pattern (Ien 1 phenotype) in D. squalens is complex. Offprint requests to: E. Odier     

Quaternary uplifted coral reef terraces on Alor Island,East Indonesia

A flight of six major coral reef terraces, up to 700 m in altitude, occurs along the eastern and northern sides of Kabola Peninsula, Alor Island, Indonesia. Some radiometric dates have been obtained from unrecrystallized coral samples collected in growth position by three different methods (¹⁴C, ²³⁰Th/²³⁴U, ESR). This enabled the identification of the terraces corresponding to the Holocene and to oxygen-isotope stages 5c, 5e and 7. According to the present elevation of the dated terraces, a 1.0–1.2 mm/y mean rate of uplift can be discerned. Extrapolation of this trend to the whole sequence of terraces reveals a good correlation between the development of major terraces and interglacial or interstadial stages corresponding to astronomically calibrated oxygen isotope records, up to stage 13. The relatively rapid uplift rate in this region minimized the possibility of polycyclic sea-level stands at the same levels and contributed to the good preservation of some morphological reef features. Two superimposed marine notches are visible near the present shoreline, with retreat points at about 5.0 m and 8.6 m respectively above the present MLWST level. They can be interpreted as corresponding to a glacial interstadial (the upper notch) and to the Holocene sea-level peak (the lower one). As Holocene emergence has been less than what could be expected from a 1 mm/y rate of uplift, a major coseismic vertical displacement may occur in the future.This work is a contribution to the IGCP Project 367 Late Quaternary coastal records of rapid change and to the activities of the INQUA Commissions Neotectonics and Shorelines, the task group Paleoseismicity of the Late Holocene of the Inter-Union Commission on the Lithosphere, and the UNESCO-IUGS cooperative programme Earth Processes in Global Change (CLIP Pilot Project)