Mean and Extreme Radio Properties of Quasars and the Origin of Radio Emission

We investigate the evolution of both the radio-loud fraction (RLF) and (using stacking analysis) the mean radio-loudness of quasars. We consider how these values evolve as a function of redshift and luminosity, black hole (BH) mass and accretion rate, and parameters related to the dominance of a wind in the broad emission line region. We match the FIRST source catalog to samples of luminous quasars (both spectroscopic and photometric), primarily from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. After accounting for catastrophic errors in BH mass estimates at high-redshift, we find that both the RLF and the mean radio luminosity increase for increasing BH mass and decreasing accretion rate. Similarly both the RLF and mean radio loudness increase for quasars which are argued to have weaker radiation line driven wind components of the broad emission line region. In agreement with past work, we find that the RLF increases with increasing luminosity and decreasing redshift while the mean radio-loudness evolves in the exact opposite manner. This difference in behavior between the mean radio-loudness and the RLF in L-z may indicate selection effects that bias our understanding of the evolution of the RLF; deeper surveys in the optical and radio are needed to resolve this discrepancy. Finally, we argue that radio-loud (RL) and radio-quiet (RQ) quasars may be parallel sequences but where only RQ quasars at one extreme of the distribution are likely to become RL, possibly through slight differences in spin and/or merger history.Comment: 55 pages, 28 figures, accepted to A

What is the Effect of Physical Activity on the Reduction of Macrovascular Complications in Patients Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus?

The increasing prevalence and healthcare burden of type 2 diabetes is a worldwide concern. It is the seventh leading cause of mortality and a significant cause of morbidity. While both the macrovascular and microvascular complications of diabetes can have a profound impact on overall health and quality of life, cardiovascular events are the leading cause of mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes. Adults with diabetes have a two to four-fold increased risk of cerebrovascular events and myocardial infarctions. Oral medications combat insulin resistance and aid in the control of hemoglobin A1c, blood pressure, and cholesterol, therefore, contributing to a decrease in potential complications of diabetes. However, these medications may be costly and unobtainable for those who are uninsured or face barriers in accessing healthcare. The foundation of diabetes management and prevention is rooted in lifestyle modifications, including physical activity. Physical activity has been shown to decrease the risk factors associated with macrovascular complications in adults with type 2 diabetes. Through the optimization and implementation of physical activity into diabetes management, patients with type 2 diabetes can reduce the risk of mortality associated with coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral artery disease

DO QUALITY INCENTIVES MATTER?

We utilize an unusual data set, involving fifteen tomato growers over four years, to analyze the impact of incentive contracts on behavior. Each grower delivers processing tomatoes under a price incentives contract and for a fixed price per ton. Our comparison of the quality of the tomatoes delivered under the two arrangements confirms that growers do respond to incentive contracts by improving tomato quality, as predicted by economic theory. The comparison is not confounded by the usual contract endogeneity and simultaneity problems, due to characteristics of the processing tomato industry and our data set.Tomatoes, marketing, quality incentives, purchasing contracts, Marketing,

Challenging humanitarianism beyond gender as women and women as victims #PressforProgress

Dorothea Hilhorst, Holly Porter and Rachel Gordon argue the lack of inclusivity in gender-targeted humanitarian aid has obscured other realities in which men and women assume different and more complex roles

The Role of NADPH Oxidase and Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in the Pathogenesis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease characterized by loss of tolerance to nuclear antigens and tissue destruction. While the sources of autoantigens in SLE are unknown, release of contents from dying cells and/or inadequate clearance of resulting debris are likely possibilities. Prior reports suggest that neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and its associated death pathway, NETosis, are sources of autoantigen in SLE. However, we showed that inhibition of NETs by targeting the NADPH oxidase complex, via Cybb-deletion, exacerbated disease in the MRL/lpr model of SLE. To clarify the contribution of NETs in SLE pathogenesis, we employed a genetic approach to delete peptidyl arginine deiminase IV (Padi4) and neutrophil elastase (Elane), two distal mediators of NET formation, in MRL/lpr mice. Both Padi4 and Elane deficiency did alter disease course, directly challenging the concept that NETs promote autoimmunity. Therefore, it remains unknown how NADPH oxidase regulates autoimmunity. NADPH oxidase can constrain inflammation by neutrophil, macrophage, and lymphocyte dependent mechanisms. To identify the cell lineage in which Cybb deficiency drives SLE, we employed bone marrow chimera and conditional knockout approaches to delete Cybb in the myeloid compartment of MRL/lpr mice. Myeloid Cybb deficiency is sufficient to worsen glomerular and interstitial nephritis, suggesting that Cybb is protective in SLE due to a fundamental regulatory activity of Cybb within the myeloid compartment. NADPH oxidase is a critical mediator of LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP), which is important for the clearance of dead cells by macrophages. As Cybb modulates SLE pathogenesis by its function in myeloid cells, we assessed LAP in lupus. To test the hypothesis that exacerbated SLE in Cybb-deficient mice is due to defective LAP, we genetically deleted another critical LAP mediator, Rubicon, in Cybb-sufficient and Cybb-deficient SLE prone mice. Unexpectedly, Rubicon deficiency increased the lifespan and ameliorated renal disease in Cybb-deficient MRL/lpr mice. Strikingly, Rubicon deficiency reduced the autoantibody responses to RNA associated autoantigens. These data suggest that a defect in LAP is not a major driver of SLE and highlights RUBICON as a novel mediator of lupus pathogenesis. The mechanism by which myeloid Cybb regulates SLE remains enigmatic and requires further investigation

An at Home Cardiorespiratory Monitor in Low Income Countries

ME450 Capstone Design and Manufacturing Experience: Winter 2021This project starts the design process of a device that helps address the issue of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in infants in low income countries. It is a pulse oximeter that is modified to infants small features and constant movement. It also considers the environmental conditions that are associated with most low income countries. The current solution for the problem is a two housing monitor that would be worn the infant's ankle and foot to consistently monitor their blood oxygen levels while they sleep.Prof. Aubree Gordon, Caroline Soyars: Global Health Design Initiativehttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/167653/1/Team_10-Cardiorespiratory_Monitor.pd

Structure and bargaining power in multilateral negotiations : Application to water management policies in France

Environmental policies are characterized by a growing emphasis on participation, devolution and negotiated decision making. Increasingly, centralized top down decision making systems are being replaced by new forms of local governance. In their strongest versions, these involve delegation of formal authority to local stakeholders who are expected to decide collectively upon the management rules of local common-pool resources. Devolution is particularly important in relation to the allocation and management of scarce water resources. Indeed the French water law of 1992 institutionalised the notion of [...].

Structure and Power in Multilateral Negotiations: An Application to French Water Policy

Stakeholder negotiation is an increasingly important policymaking tool. However, relatively little is understood about the relationship between the structure of the negotiating process and the effectiveness with which stakeholders can pursue their individual interests. We apply the Rausser- Simon multilateral bargaining model to a specific negotiation process involving water storage capacity and use in the upper Adour Basin in southwestern France. We focus on a coalition of three stakeholder groups with aligned but distinct interests. In addition to the standard indices of bargaining powerԴhe distribution of political weights (ܡccessݩ and players٠utilities if an agreement is not reached, our analysis identifies other less obvious sources of power. First, a coalition member may benefit when his access is reduced if the redistribution increases the access of another coalition member who has a more favorable ܳtrategic location.ݠSecond, the interests of the coalition as a whole will usually, but not always, be advanced if its members cede access to a pokesmanݠrepresenting their common interests. However, some members may be adversely affected. Third, restricting the extent to which coalition members can make proposals that further their own individual interests at the expense of other coalition members will usually, but not always, harm the coalition as a whole.water, bargaining, negotiations, Environmental Economics and Policy, Institutional and Behavioral Economics,

Gaining insights from Candida biofilm heterogeneity: one size does not fit all

Despite their clinical significance and substantial human health burden, fungal infections remain relatively under-appreciated. The widespread overuse of antibiotics and the increasing requirement for indwelling medical devices provides an opportunistic potential for the overgrowth and colonization of pathogenic Candida species on both biological and inert substrates. Indeed, it is now widely recognized that biofilms are a highly important part of their virulence repertoire. Candida albicans is regarded as the primary fungal biofilm forming species, yet there is also increasing interest and growing body of evidence for non-Candida albicans species (NCAS) biofilms, and interkingdom biofilm interactions. C. albicans biofilms are heterogeneous structures by definition, existing as three-dimensional populations of yeast, pseudo-hyphae, and hyphae, embedded within a self-produced extracellular matrix. Classical molecular approaches, driven by extensive studies of laboratory strains and mutants, have enhanced our knowledge and understanding of how these complex communities develop, thrive, and cause host-mediated damage. Yet our clinical observations tell a different story, with differential patient responses potentially due to inherent biological heterogeneity from specific clinical isolates associated with their infections. This review explores some of the recent advances made in an attempt to explore the importance of working with clinical isolates, and what this has taught us

Deterring Threats to Election Workers: Recommendations for the DOJ task force

False claims of a stolen election in 2020 shook U.S. democracy to its foundation, seeding ideas and establishing behavior that will reverberate in elections for years to come. The unprecedented number of false claims alleging election fraud in 2020 ignited a barrage of threats against election workers in what had traditionally been a very low threat environment.The right to vote cannot be protected unless election officials are permitted to do their jobs free from improper partisan influence, harassment, and abuse. If perpetrators of threats face no consequences for their actions, many of the workers who safeguarded the most secure U.S. election ever, according to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), may choose not to work in future elections, risking election integrity.To help protect election workers from threats—and the foreseeable consequences of such threats on the integrity of future U.S. elections—the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) established an Election Threats Task Force last year that included members from the Criminal Division, the Civil Rights Division, the National Security Division, and the FBI. The Task Force has been notified of hundreds of threats, but progress on investigations and prosecutions has been too slow.Threats against election officials and the January 6th insurrection embody dire threats to our democracy, and both deserve the full attention of the DOJ