The deposition and storage of hepatic lipids in the frog Ascaphus truei (Stejneger) : an electron microscopic histochemical and chromatographic study

Electron microscopic, histochemical and thin-layer chromatographic techniques have been used to study some cytological changes associated with seasonal lipid deposition in the liver of Ascaphus. Histochemical and chromatographic information has shown that unsaturated triglycerides occur in great quantities in the liver of pre-ovulatory females and may serve as a solvent for estrogenic compounds as well as for carotenoids. This infiltration of hepatic cells is definitely sexually dimorphic and the livers of males show only a limited seasonal variability. A tri-laminate interface, of about the same dimensions as typical plasma membranes, was observed around the intracellular lipids. This interface suggests that pinocytotic uptake augments the stores produced by intracellular lipogenesis proposed by other authors. The failure to observe colloidal lipid globules, chylomicra, anywhere in the liver suggests a subtle movement of lipids from extra hepatic reserves such as the skeletal muscle and other tissues. Preliminary electron microscopic and chromatographic data indicate a seasonal cessation of bile secretion during the winter fasting period. The sequence of morphological changes characteristic of the post-ovulatory rejuvenation phase further indicate that the rough vesicular endoplasmic reticulum represents a developmental stage in the formation of the compact tubular reticulum of the parenchymal cells

The Free-Rider Problem: A Pedagogical Note (Using Indifference Curve Technology)

This brief note develops a pedagogically useful new (albeit still rudimentary) way of teaching the free-rider concept. This simple approach applies the familiar tools of indifference curve analysis to the topic at hand. Since so many students of economics are well versed in indifference curves, this approach is suggested as a useful supplement to the usual textbook treatment, which generally adopts supply-demand analysis

The Free-Rider Problem: A Pedagogical Note (Using Indifference Curve Technology)

This brief note develops a pedagogically useful new (albeit still rudimentary) way of teaching the free-rider concept. This simple approach applies the familiar tools of indifference curve analysis to the topic at hand. Since so many students of economics are well versed in indifference curves, this approach is suggested as a useful supplement to the usual textbook treatment, which generally adopts supply-demand analysis

Digital afx: digital dressing and affective shifts in Sin City and 300

In Sin City (Robert Rodriguez, 2005) and 300 (Zack Snyder, 2006) extensive post-production work has created stylised colour palettes, manipulated areas of the image, and added or subtracted elements. Framing a discussion around the terms ‘affect’ and ‘emotion’, this paper argues that the digital technologies used in Sin City and 300 modify conventional interactions between representational and aesthetic dimensions. Brian Massumi suggests affective imagery can operate through two modes of engagement. One mode is embedded in a meaning system, linked to a speci?c emotion. The second is understood as an intensi?cation whereby a viewer reacts but that reaction is not yet gathered into an alignment with meaning. The term ‘digital afx’ is used to describe manipulations that produce imagery allowing these two modes of engagement to coexist. Digital afx are present when two competing aesthetic strategies remain equally visible within sequences of images. As a consequence the afx mingle with and shift the content of representation

Inequality and violent crime: evidence from data on robbery and violent theft

This article argues that the link between income inequality and violent property crime might be spurious, complementing a similar argument in prior analysis by the author on the determinants of homicide. In contrast, Fajnzylber, Lederman & Loayza (1998; 2002a, b) provide seemingly strong and robust evidence that inequality causes a higher rate of both homicide and robbery/violent theft even after controlling for country-specific fixed effects. Our results suggest that inequality is not a statistically significant determinant, unless either country-specific effects are not controlled for or the sample is artificially restricted to a small number of countries. The reason why the link between inequality and violent property crime might be spurious is that income inequality is likely to be strongly correlated with country-specific fixed effects such as cultural differences. A high degree of inequality might be socially undesirable for any number of reasons, but that it causes violent crime is far from proven

Increasing the utilisation of sorghum, millets and pseudocereals : developments in the science of their phenolic phytochemicals, biofortification and protein functionality

There is considerable interest in sorghum, millets and pseudocereals for their phytochemical content, their nutritional potential and their use in gluten-free products. They are generally rich in a several phenolic phytochemicals. Research has indicated that the phenolics in these grains may have several important health-promoting properties: prevention and reduction of oxidative stress, anti-cancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive and cardiovascular disease prevention. However, increased research on the actual health-promoting properties of foods made from these grains is required. Biofortified (macro and micronutrient enhanced) sorghum and millets are being developed through conventional breeding and recombinant DNA technology to combat malnutrition in developing countries. Enhanced nutritional traits include: high amylopectin, high lysine, improved protein digestibility, provitamin A rich, high iron and zinc, and improved mineral bioavailability through phytate reduction. Some of these biofortified cereals also have good agronomic characteristics and useful commercial end-use attributes, which will be important to their adoption by farmers. Knowledge of the structure of their storage proteins is increasing. Drawing on research concerning maize zein, which shows that it can produce a visco-elastic wheat-like dough, it appears that the storage proteins of these minor grains also have this potential. Manipulation of protein b-sheet structure seems critical in this regard.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jcshb201

Maritime search and rescue in Nunavut, Canada : strengthening the system from the bottom up

Due to the impacts of climate change, maritime search and rescue requirements are increasing across Nunavut. The region’s vast size and cold climate combine to make time the enemy of all responders. The substantial distances involved in responding with Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) icebreakers or Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft based in the South mean that the arrival of federal resources on scene can take significant time. There are few vessels of opportunity in the region. Historically, however, there has been little sustained investment in community-based marine Search and Rescue (SAR) capabilities in the territory. This started to change in 2015 with the launch of the CCG’s Arctic SAR Project and, in 2018, with the creation of the Coast Guard’s new Arctic Region. This poster outlines the status of the community-based marine SAR system in Nunavut, assess efforts by the Coast Guard and its partners to strengthen the system, and suggest broadly applicable best practices

Centerscope

Centerscope, formerly Scope, was published by the Boston University Medical Center "to communicate the concern of the Medical Center for the development and maintenance of improved health care in contemporary society.

The Impossibility of a Perfectly Competitive Labor Market

Using the institutional theory of transaction cost, I demonstrate that the assumptions of the competitive labor market model are internally contradictory and lead to the conclusion that on purely theoretical grounds a perfectly competitive labor market is a logical impossibility. By extension, the familiar diagram of wage determination by supply and demand is also a logical impossibility and the neoclassical labor demand curve is not a well-defined construct. The reason is that the perfectly competitive market model presumes zero transaction cost and with zero transaction cost all labor is hired as independent contractors, implying multi-person firms, the employment relationship, and labor market disappear. With positive transaction cost, on the other hand, employment contracts are incomplete and the labor supply curve to the firm is upward sloping, again causing the labor demand curve to be ill-defined. As a result, theory suggests that wage rates are always and everywhere an amalgam of an administered and bargained price. Working Paper 06-0