Influence of hydraulics on the dowsntream migratory route of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

The interaction between hydrodynamics and the upstream migration of fish has been investigated in several studies over the past few years, but there has been a relative lack of investigation into the effects of hydraulics on the downstream migration of fish. In Norway, mortality associated with downstream migration is strongly related to hydropower production. However, there is a poor understanding of how fish choose their migratory routes, which limits the development of measures to mitigate the impact of anthropogenic structures on fish migration. The current study aimed to analyze the effect of hydraulics on the choice of downstream migration route of Atlantic salmon smolts (Salmo salar) in the proximity of an intake to a hydropower plant in Norway. We combined computational fluid dynamic modeling with 3-Dimensional acoustic telemetry positioning of a group of tagged smolts to investigate the interaction between fish and the flow dynamics, and to determine the influence of this interaction on fish migratory routes. A Hidden Markov Model was used to predict migratory routes based on the relations found between the hydraulic variables and fish behaviour. Results showed relationships between fish migratory routes and the different components of flow velocity. The knowledge acquired in this study is expected to inform opportunities and decision making in aquatic resources management and engineering design to increase fish survival past hydropower intakes and other anthropogenic structures

Taxing the Informal Economy: The Current State of Knowledge and Agendas for Future Research

This paper reviews the literature on taxation of the informal economy, taking stock of key debates and drawing attention to recent innovations. Conventionally, the debate on whether to tax has frequently focused on the limited revenue potential, high cost of collection, and potentially adverse impact on small firms. Recent arguments have increasingly emphasised the more indirect benefits of informal taxation in relation to economic growth, broader tax compliance, and governance. More research is needed, we argue, into the relevant costs and benefits for all, including quasi-voluntary compliance, political and administrative incentives for reform, and citizen-state bargaining over taxation

THE ROLE OF INTERDEPENDENCE IN THE MICRO-FOUNDATIONS OF ORGANIZATION DESIGN: TASK, GOAL, AND KNOWLEDGE INTERDEPENDENCE

Interdependence is a core concept in organization design, yet one that has remained consistently understudied. Current notions of interdependence remain rooted in seminal works, produced at a time when managers’ near-perfect understanding of the task at hand drove the organization design process. In this context, task interdependence was rightly assumed to be exogenously determined by characteristics of the work and the technology. We no longer live in that world, yet our view of interdependence has remained exceedingly task-centric and our treatment of interdependence overly deterministic. As organizations face increasingly unpredictable workstreams and workers co-design the organization alongside managers, our field requires a more comprehensive toolbox that incorporates aspects of agent-based interdependence. In this paper, we synthesize research in organization design, organizational behavior, and other related literatures to examine three types of interdependence that characterize organizations’ workflows: task, goal, and knowledge interdependence. We offer clear definitions for each construct, analyze how each arises endogenously in the design process, explore their interrelations, and pose questions to guide future research

Evaluation of Power Production Asymmetry during Cycling in Persons with Multiple Sclerosis

Lower limb asymmetries have been observed in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), and have been associated with mobility impairment. An incremental cycling test was performed on a cycle ergometer to determine peak power output (PPO) and peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak). Then, participants cycled at 50%, 60%, and 70% of their PPO to assess the contribution of each lower limb to power production. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to detect group × intensity differences in power production asymmetry. Eight PwMS and six healthy individuals (Non-MS) completed the study. No statistically significant (p > 0.05) group × intensity interactions or main effects were present when examining between-limb differences in power production. The current data do not indicate a statistically significant difference in power production asymmetry between groups and exercise intensities. Previous research has established a 10% difference between contralateral limbs as a threshold for asymmetry. The average asymmetry in power production in PwMS exceeded the 10% threshold at all measured outputs, suggesting the presence of asymmetry in power production.Ye

Acute and Chronic Effects of Whole-Body Vibration on Balance, Postural Stability, and Mobility in Women With Multiple Sclerosis

The acute and chronic effects of whole-body vibration (WBV) on balance, postural stability, and mobility were evaluated in 21 women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) randomly assigned to control (n = 9) or experimental (n = 12) groups. To assess acute responses, outcome variables were assessed before and immediately after a session of WBV (five 30-second bouts of vibration; frequency 30 Hz; amplitude 3 mm; 1-minute rest intervals) during their first visit (week 1) using field (Timed-Up and Go; 500-m walk; Berg Balance Scale) and laboratory tests (NeuroCom Balance Master and EquiTest System—Sensory Organization Test, Adaptation Test, Limits of Stability, Modified Clinical Test for Sensory Integration of Balance, Unilateral Stance, Tandem Walk, Step/Quick Turn). Acute responses were also measured after their fifth visit for only the Adaptation and Sensory Organization tests. For the chronic responses, participants were exposed to the WBV protocol once a week, for a total of 5 weeks, and then at week 5, were reassessed with the Adaptation and the Sensory Organization tests. Neither acute nor chronic exposure to the WBV protocols used in this study resulted in significant improvements (P > .05) in balance, postural stability, or mobility as assessed by either field or laboratory tests. However, based on promising results from other studies that have used WBV with other clinical populations, either alone or in conjunction with exercise, additional studies that increase the dose of vibration exposure, both acutely and chronically, should be conducted in patients with MS.Declaration of Conflicting Interests The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Funding The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.Ye

Local Government Revenue Mobilisation in Anglophone Africa

This paper examines opportunities and constraints facing local revenue mobilisation in anglophone Africa, with an emphasis on urban settings. It discusses specific revenue instruments and their effects on economic efficiency, income distribution and accountability. In particular, it addresses political and administrative constraints facing various revenue instruments and factors affecting citizens’ compliance. The analysis is illustrated with examples from across anglophone Africa. A general conclusion emerging from the study is that local revenues mobilised in most local government authorities in Africa are necessary but not sufficient to develop and supply adequate services for the fast-growing population. On this basis, areas for further research on local government revenue mobilisation in Africa are identifiedDfI

Angiotensin II potentiates α-adrenergic vasoconstriction in the elderly

Abstract Aging is characterized by increased sympatho-excitation, expressed through both the α-adrenergic and RAAS (renin-angiotensin-aldosterone) pathways. Although the independent contribution of these two pathways to elevated vasoconstriction with age may be substantial, significant cross-talk exists that could produce potentiating effects. To examine this interaction, 14 subjects (n = 8 young, n = 6 old) underwent brachial artery catheterization for administration of AngII (angiotensin II; 0.8-25.6 ng/dl per min), NE [noradrenaline (norepinephrine); 2.5-80 ng/dl per min] and AngII with concomitant α-adrenergic antagonism [PHEN (phentolamine); 10 μg/dl per min]. Ultrasound Doppler was utilized to determine blood flow, and therefore vasoconstriction, in both infused and contralateral (control) limbs. Arterial blood pressure was measured directly, and sympathetic nervous system activity was assessed via microneurography and plasma NE analysis. AngII sensitivity was significantly greater in the old, indicated by both greater maximal vasoconstriction ( − 59 + − 4 % in old against − 48 + − 3 % in young) and a decreased EC 50 (half-maximal effective concentration) (1.4 + − 0.2 ng/dl per min in old against 2.6 + − 0.7 μg/dl per min in young), whereas the maximal NE-mediated vasoconstriction was similar between these groups ( − 58 + − 9 % in old and − 62 + − 5 % in young). AngII also increased venous NE in the old group, but was unchanged in the young group. In the presence of α-adrenergic blockade (PHEN), maximal AngII-mediated vasoconstriction in the old was restored to that of the young ( − 43 + − 8 % in old and − 39 + − 6 % in young). These findings indicate that, with healthy aging, the increased AngII-mediated vasoconstriction may be attributed, in part, to potentiation of the α-adrenergic pathway, and suggest that cross-talk between the RAAS and adrenergic systems may be an important consideration in therapeutic strategies targeting these two pathways

Different paths to the modern state in Europe: the interaction between domestic political economy and interstate competition

Theoretical work on state formation and capacity has focused mostly on early modern Europe and on the experience of western European states during this period. While a number of European states monopolized domestic tax collection and achieved gains in state capacity during the early modern era, for others revenues stagnated or even declined, and these variations motivated alternative hypotheses for determinants of fiscal and state capacity. In this study we test the basic hypotheses in the existing literature making use of the large date set we have compiled for all of the leading states across the continent. We find strong empirical support for two prevailing threads in the literature, arguing respectively that interstate wars and changes in economic structure towards an urbanized economy had positive fiscal impact. Regarding the main point of contention in the theoretical literature, whether it was representative or authoritarian political regimes that facilitated the gains in fiscal capacity, we do not find conclusive evidence that one performed better than the other. Instead, the empirical evidence we have gathered lends supports to the hypothesis that when under pressure of war, the fiscal performance of representative regimes was better in the more urbanized-commercial economies and the fiscal performance of authoritarian regimes was better in rural-agrarian economie

In Vivo Evaluation of Retinal Neurodegeneration in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

To evaluate macular morphology in the eyes of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) with or without optic neuritis (ON) in previous history.Optical coherence tomography (OCT) examination was performed in thirty-nine patients with MS and in thirty-three healthy subjects. The raw macular OCT data were processed using OCTRIMA software. The circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and the weighted mean thickness of the total retina and 6 intraretinal layers were obtained for each eye. The eyes of MS patients were divided into a group of 39 ON-affected eyes, and into a group of 34 eyes with no history of ON for the statistical analyses. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to determine which parameter can discriminate best between the non-affected group and controls.The circumpapillary RNFL thickness was significantly decreased in the non-affected eyes compared to controls group only in the temporal quadrant (p = 0.001) while it was decreased in the affected eyes of the MS patients in all quadrants compared to the non-affected eyes (p<0.05 in each comparison). The thickness of the total retina, RNFL, ganglion cell layer and inner plexiform layer complex (GCL+IPL) and ganglion cell complex (GCC, comprising the RNFL and GCL+IPL) in the macula was significantly decreased in the non-affected eyes compared to controls (p<0.05 for each comparison) and in the ON-affected eyes compared to the non-affected eyes (p<0.001 for each comparison). The largest area under the ROC curve (0.892) was obtained for the weighted mean thickness of the GCC. The EDSS score showed the strongest correlation with the GCL+IPL and GCC thickness (p = 0.007, r = 0.43 for both variables).Thinning of the inner retinal layers is present in eyes of MS patients regardless of previous ON. Macular OCT image segmentation might provide a better insight into the pathology of neuronal loss and could therefore play an important role in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with MS

The Political Economy of Tax Reform in Bangladesh: Political Settlements, Informal Institutions and the Negotiation of Reform

political economy, tax reform, political settlementsThis paper explores the political economy of tax reform in Bangladesh over several decades, shedding light on the complex factors that account for unusually effective and sustained resistance to significant reform. We contend that it is necessary to understand both deep-seated formal and informal institutions and the micro-level incentives that shape the negotiation of short-term reform in order to comprehend tax outcomes. We describe a tax system that is highly informal, largely manual and characterised by high levels of discretion and corruption. However, despite appearing highly dysfunctional on the surface, this system serves the core interests of powerful political, economic and administrative actors. Underpinned by robust informal institutions, the current system delivers low and predictable tax rates to businesses, provides extensive discretion and opportunities for corruption to the tax administration, and acts as an important vehicle for political elites to raise funds and distribute patronage and economic rents. While the tax system has not been without reform, individual reform efforts have been constrained by the parameters of this broader settlement, leaving competing interest groups to pursue strategic gains at the margins while seeking to satisfy external reform demands. This tax bargain reflects Bangladesh’s broader political economy, which is characterised by entrenched informal institutions underpinning the combination of generally weak governance and high levels of economic growth – the so-called ‘paradox of Bangladesh’.DfID, NORA