Combinatorial interpretations of the Jacobi-Stirling numbers

The Jacobi-Stirling numbers of the first and second kinds were introduced in 2006 in the spectral theory and are polynomial refinements of the Legendre-Stirling numbers. Andrews and Littlejohn have recently given a combinatorial interpretation for the second kind of the latter numbers. Noticing that these numbers are very similar to the classical central factorial numbers, we give combinatorial interpretations for the Jacobi-Stirling numbers of both kinds, which provide a unified treatment of the combinatorial theories for the two previous sequences and also for the Stirling numbers of both kinds.Comment: 15 page

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Combined Consumption of Alcohol and a High-fat Diet: Effects on Behavior and Health in Male and Female C57B1/6J Mice

Poor diets and alcohol are known to affect both behavior and overall health. Each by itself can produce an increase in anxiety and can affect insulin and leptin, important indicators of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. This project investigated how combined high-fat diet and access to alcohol affected feeding and drinking behaviors, anxiety-like behaviors, glucose tolerance, and leptin and insulin levels in C57BL/6J male and female mice. Mice were separated into three food groups: high-fat diet, low-fat diet, and regular chow and each group was paired with either water or forced 10%-alcohol. Weekly body weight, and food and drink intake measurements were recorded. Anxiety-like behaviors were measured using the open-field and light-dark box. Hedonic substitution was tested to determine if the addition of a high-fat diet or alcohol would affect alcohol or diet preference, respectively. Mice consuming high-fat diets exhibited increased insulin and leptin levels, but alcohol consumption had no effect on these hormones. There were differences between the high-fat diet and regular chow with respect to explorative behaviors in the open field test; both males and females given alcohol showed more anxiety-like behavior in the light dark box test. High-fat diet mice had the most impaired glucose tolerance compared to the regular chow and low-fat diet; mice consuming high-fat diet and alcohol combined had slightly improved glucose tolerance for both sexes. Females overall were more active than males. These results suggest that consumption of high-fat diets are more powerful in affecting behavior and health compared to moderate alcohol consumption and that physiologically, males are more affected by the high-fat diet than females

Leadership Cultural Intelligence: A Path to Highly Effective Global Operations

This is a comparative study of how to achieve highly effective leadership in foreign cultures. The collective findings reveal that effective leadership is significantly limited when not accompanied by conscious efforts to apply cultural intelligence as a leadership dynamic in global operations. It reviews the science of leadership in terms of visionary transformation of organizations by leaders and the application of cultural intelligence operating in foreign culture environments. It evaluates the effect of cultural differences in the key leadership areas of innovation, a primary determinate of effective organizational performance, and ethical behavior applied across different cultural groups. Published research from three formative industry studies, the GLOBE Research Project, the EU Study of Organizational Innovation in Foreign Operations, and the Resick et al. Study of Ethical Values and Leadership as well as published views from military experts by Barnes, Doty and Myers, form the theoretical models against which highly effective leadership and cultural intelligence can be measured. This study compares findings from a practical research project conducted by the author where a collection of interviews with established experts in international business and national defense and security operations are analyzed against the theoretical model. The findings test and validate the hypothesis that leadership cultural intelligence is a prerequisite for highly effective leadership in foreign-based operations. A recommendation is provided for organizations to consider when fielding ex-patriot and military leadership into foreign-based operations

Conceptions abénakies des droits ancestraux

Inscrit dans la perspective du pluralisme juridique — qui implique la reconnaissance d’ordres juridiques autochtones parallèles antérieurs à la colonisation, dont la survie les pose encore de nos jours en concurrence avec l’État canadien pour l’allégeance des Autochtones –, l’article qui suit analyse le contenu, la portée et l’ordonnancement des droits ancestraux des Abénakis qui en sont les héritiers et les interprètes, à partir de leur discours contemporain issu de leurs traditions normatives. Les résultats colligés mènent à croire qu’il existe désormais une nouvelle forme hybride et évolutive de pluralisme, où un ordre juridique, quoique formellement créé par l’État, mais sous-tendu par la communauté entière, énonce, interprète et applique, en fonction de sa tradition, un régime particulier fondé sur ses valeurs et, par conséquent, provenant de l’extérieur de l’État.As part and parcel from the perspective of legal pluralism that implies the recognition of parallel indigenous legal orders prior to colonization, whose survival still today raises issues in competition with the Canadian State for the allegiance of Indigenous Peoples, this paper analyzes the content, scope and sequence of aboriginal rights among the Abenakis who are the heirs and interpreters thereof, based on their contemporary discourse rooted in their normative traditions. The compilation of results leads one to believe that there now exists a new hybrid and evolving form of pluralism, where a legal order, although formally created by the State, but upheld by the entire community, affrms, interprets and applies on the basis of its traditions a unique system founded upon its values and, consequently, issuing from outside the State

Caractérisation morphologique et homogénéisation élastique et visco-élastique de polymères renforcés de nano-plaquettes d'argile

This work aims to understand the influence of nano-clay platelets on the mechanical behavior of nano–reinforced polymers. This understanding requires a good description of the micro-structure and a characterization of the mechanical behavior of these materials (elastic and visco-elastic). At the micro-scale, the size of the aggregates of nano-platelets and their spatial distribution were observed using TEM. At the nano-scale, the d-spacing between platelets within an aggregate was measured using XRD. These experimental techniques highlighted intercalated micro-structures. At the macroscale, monotonic tensile tests and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) have been performed to study the mechanical behavior of the materials. To predict the macroscopic elastic behavior, the combination of two approaches has been considered; hybrid and matrix-inclusion models. This needed tool allows to anticipate the behavior of these materials without process them. By the consideration of the morphology into the modeling scheme, the influence of the micro-structure on the macroscopic behavior can be studied. The considered multiscale approach is able to estimate the macroscopic behavior of an intercalated nano-composite, in which a polymeric matrix is reinforced by stacks of bi-layers sandwiches (nano-clay platelets and polymer). It was observed from their comparison that the modeling predictions well bounded the experimental data in elasticity. This multi-scale approach was extended in the context of viscoelasticity and the predictions in this context were in good agreement with the experimental data for the complex modulus and for the storage and loss moduli.L'objectif de ce travail est de comprendre l'influence de nano-plaquettes d'argile sur le comportement mécanique de polymères nano-renforcés. Cette compréhension nécessite une caractérisation fine de la micro-structure mais aussi l'étude du comportement mécanique de ces matériaux (en élasticité et en visco-élasticité). A l’échelle microscopique, la taille des agrégats de plaquettes d'argile et la distribution spatiale de ces agrégats ont été observées au TEM. A l’échelle nanoscopique, le d-spacing entre plaquettes d'un agrégat a été mesuré en utilisant la XRD. Ces techniques expérimentales ont permis de mettre en évidence une micro-structure intercalée. A l’échelle macroscopique, des essais de traction monotones ainsi que des essais dynamiques (DMA) ont été réalisé afin d'étudier le comportement mécanique des matériaux. Pour prédire les propriétés élastiques macroscopiques, la combinaison de deux approches a été envisagée; modèles hybrides et modèles matrice-inclusion. Cet outil permet d'anticiper les propriétés de ces matériaux sans avoir à les fabriquer ainsi que de tester simplement l'influence de la micro-structure sur le comportement macroscopique. Le schéma d'homogénéisation mis en place permet de prendre en compte la micro-structure intercalée d'une matrice polymère renforcée par des empilements de sandwiches bi-couches (plaquettes d'argile et polymère). On observe, en élasticité, un bon encadrement des données expérimentales. Une extension de cette approche en visco-élasticité a été développée. Les prédictions en visco-élasticité comparées aux données expérimentales ont fourni une bonne estimation du module complexe et des modules de conservation et de perte

Threat and Political Opportunity and the Development of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood

In order to better understand the Muslim Brotherhood's role in contemporary Egyptian politics, this paper studies how the Brotherhood's development has been shaped by interaction with the strong secular state and the changing political environment. By examining how social movements develop in authoritarian states, this paper demonstrates the effects of threat and political opportunity environments on the Muslim Brotherhood. The use of escalating state repression caused some elements of the Muslim Brotherhood to splinter off and form violent extremist organizations, while enabling political participation through increased institutional access and participation in competitive elections caused the mainstream Muslim Brotherhood to moderate and work toward democratic reform within the system