Has the long-run velocity of M2 shifted? Evidence from the P* model

An examination of one of the P-Star model's primary assumptions: the constancy of M2's long-run velocity, or V-Star. Using actual data through the end of 1992, the authors find that simulations of the model under a variety of hypotheses regarding changes in V-Star provide little support for a dramatic shift in that measure.Inflation (Finance) ; Money supply ; Velocity of money

Chemical Vapour Deposition of Amorphous Ru(P) Thin Films from Ru Trialkylphosphite Hydride Complexes

The ruthenium phosphite hydride complexes H2Ru(P(OR)(3))(4) (R = Me (1), Et (2), Pr-i (3)) were used as CVD precursors for the deposition of films of amorphous ruthenium-phosphorus alloys. The as-deposited films were X-ray amorphous and XPS analysis revealed that they were predominantly comprised of Ru and P in zero oxidation states. XPS analysis also showed the presence of small amounts of oxidized ruthenium and phosphorus. The composition of the films was found to depend on ligand chemistry as well as the deposition conditions. The use of H-2 as the carrier gas had the effect of increasing the relative concentrations of P and O for all films. Annealing films to 700 degrees C under vacuum produced films of polycrystalline hcp Ru while a flowing stream of H-2 resulted in polycrystalline hcp RuP.Welch Foundation F-816Petroleum Research FundAmerican Chemical Society 47014-ACSNSF 0741973Chemistr

Mrgprd Enhances Excitability in Specific Populations of Cutaneous Murine Polymodal Nociceptors

The Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor D (Mrgprd) is selectively expressed in nonpeptidergic nociceptors that innervate the outer layers of mammalian skin. The function of Mrgprd in nociceptive neurons and the physiologically relevant somatosensory stimuli that activate Mrgprd^-expressing (Mrgprd^+) neurons are currently unknown. To address these issues, we studied three Mrgprd knock-in mouse lines using an ex vivo somatosensory preparation to examine the role of the Mrgprd receptor and Mrgprd+ afferents in cutaneous somatosensation. In mouse hairy skin, Mrgprd, as marked by expression of green fluorescent protein reporters, was expressed predominantly in the population of nonpeptidergic, TRPV1-negative, C-polymodal nociceptors. In mice lacking Mrgprd, this population of nociceptors exhibited decreased sensitivity to cold, heat, and mechanical stimuli. Additionally, in vitro patch-clamp studies were performed on cultured dorsal root ganglion neurons from Mrgprd^(–/–) and Mrgprd^(+/–) mice. These studies revealed a higher rheobase in neurons from Mrgprd^(–/–) mice than from Mrgprd^(+/–) mice. Furthermore, the application of the Mrgprd ligand β-alanine significantly reduced the rheobase and increased the firing rate in neurons from Mrgprd^(+/–) mice but was without effect in neurons from Mrgprd^(–/–) mice. Our results demonstrate that Mrgprd influences the excitability of polymodal nonpeptidergic nociceptors to mechanical and thermal stimuli

Cell wall protection by the Candida albicans class I chitin synthases

Open Access funded by Medical Research Council Acknowledgments We thank Kevin Mackenzie in the Microscopy and Histology Core Facility (Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen), and Donna MacCallum for helpful statistical advice. This work was supported by grants from the Wellcome Trust (0868827 and 080088) including a Wellcome Trust Strategic Award (097377) and an Investigator Award to NG (101873), an MRC New Investigator Award to ML (MR/J008230/1) and a PhD scholarship awarded to KP from the Ministry of Sciences and Technology and Chiang Mai University, Thailand. Author contributions are as follows: KP constructed strains, performed the majority of the experiments, analyzed the data and contributed to the preparation of the manuscript. JA produced Fig. S1 using the data from the phosphoproteomic analysis conducted by SP and AB. NG conceived and designed experiments, analyzed data and commented on drafts of the manuscript. ML constructed strains, conceived, designed and performed experiments, analyzed data and wrote the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Field-Based Assessment of the Role of Porcine Cytomegalovirus in Respiratory Disease of Nursery Pigs

Porcine cytomegalovirus (PCMV) is an ubiquitous infectious agent in swine population throughout the world. Field and some experimental observations have suggested that PCMV plays an important role in causing or enhancing respiratory and/or reproductive disease of swine. However, no actual measure of this has been documented. As the first step in assessing the economic significance of PCMV infection for swine herds in the United States, a field-based case-control study was conducted to evaluate the potential role of the virus in respiratory disease of young swine. The data in this study, thus far, suggest that there may be an association between PCMV infection and increased risk of respiratory disease development in nursery pig populations and that, as was expected, PCMV infection is a common finding among nursery pigs. In an era in which multifactorial respiratory disease and associated decrease in production efficiency is such a large concern, it may be prudent to consider PCMV when developing and implementing strategies for production management and pig flow

Detecting Geyser Activity with Infrasound

We monitored geyser activity in the Lower Geyser Basin (LGB) of Yellowstone National Park with dual four-element microphone arrays separated by ~ 600 m. The arrays were independently used to identify incident coherent plane wave energy, then conjoint cross beam back-azimuths from the two arrays were used to precisely locate signal sources. During a week in August 2011 we located repeating infrasound events, peaked in energy between 1 and 10 Hz, originating from at least five independent geothermal features, including the episodically erupting Great Fountain, Fountain and Kaleidoscope Geysers, as well as periodic infrasound from nearby Botryoidal and persistent sound from Firehole Spring. Although activity from nearby cone-type geysers was not detected in the infrasound band up through 50 Hz, the major fountain-type geysers (i.e., with columns greater than 10 m) could be detected at several kilometers, and two minor geysers (i.e., a few meters in eruption height) could be tracked at distances up to a few hundred meters. Detection of geyser activity was especially comprehensive at night when ambient noise was low. We conclude that infrasound monitoring of fountain-type geysers permits convenient tracking of geyser activity, episodicity, signal duration, energy content, and spectral content. These parameters enable objective statistical quantification of geyser behavior and changes over time that may be due to external forcing. Infrasonic study of geyser activity in an individual basin has great monitoring utility and can be reasonably accomplished with two or more distributed sensor arrays

Expression of neurogenin3 reveals an islet cell precursor population in the pancreas

Differentiation of early gut endoderm cells into the endocrine cells forming the pancreatic islets of Langerhans depends on a cascade of gene activation events controlled by transcription factors including the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins. To delineate this cascade, we began by establishing the position of neurogenin3, a bHLH factor found in the pancreas during fetal development. We detect neurogenin3 immunoreactivity transiently in scattered ductal cells in the fetal mouse pancreas, peaking at embryonic day 15.5. Although not detected in cells expressing islet hormones or the islet transcription factors Isl1, Brn4, Pax6 or PDX1, neurogenin3 is detected along with early islet differentiation factors Nkx6.1 and Nkx2.2, establishing that it is expressed in immature cells in the islet lineage. Analysis of transcription factor-deficient mice demonstrates that neurogenin3 expression is not dependent on neuroD1/BETA2, Mash1, Nkx2.2, Nkx6.1, or Pax6. Furthermore, early expression of neurogenin3 under control of the Pdx1 promoter is alone sufficient to drive early and ectopic differentiation of islet cells, a capability shared by the pancreatic bHLH factor, neuroD1/BETA2, but not by the muscle bHLH factor, MyoD. However, the islet cells produced in these transgenic experiments are overwhelmingly α cells, suggesting that factors other than the bHLH factors are required to deviate from a default α cell fate. These data support a model in which neurogenin3 acts upstream of other islet differentiation factors, initiating the differentiation of endocrine cells, but switching off prior to final differentiation. The ability to uniquely identify islet cell precursors by neurogenin3 expression allows us to determine the position of other islet transcription factors in the differentiation cascade and to propose a map for the islet cell differentiation pathway

Barium light source method and apparatus

Visible light emission is obtained from a plasma containing elemental barium including neutral barium atoms and barium ion species. Neutral barium provides a strong green light emission in the center of the visible spectrum with a highly efficient conversion of electrical energy into visible light. By the selective excitation of barium ionic species, emission of visible light at longer and shorter wavelengths can be obtained simultaneously with the green emission from neutral barium, effectively providing light that is visually perceived as white. A discharge vessel contains the elemental barium and a buffer gas fill therein, and a discharge inducer is utilized to induce a desired discharge temperature and barium vapor pressure therein to produce from the barium vapor a visible light emission. The discharge can be induced utilizing a glow discharge between electrodes in the discharge vessel as well as by inductively or capacitively coupling RF energy into the plasma within the discharge vessel

Keys to successful balanced scorecard implementation and use based on published implementation attempts

In recent years many companies have evolved from being centrally located and managed to decentralized, multi-national companies consisting of many separate entities to be strategically managed. In response to this and other changes, such as the need for better measurement of performance, a strategic management tool was developed called the Balanced Scorecard (BSC). This research provides a tool to guide and evaluate BSC implementation. A meta-synthesis approach was used to examine qualitative BSC data available in the literature that suggested eleven keys to successful BSC implementation and use. These keys are then used to benchmark an implementation in a government logistics organization