1,192 research outputs found
Come back Marshall, all is forgiven? : Complexity, evolution, mathematics and Marshallian exceptionalism
Marshall was the great synthesiser of neoclassical economics. Yet with his qualified assumption of self-interest, his emphasis on variation in economic evolution and his cautious attitude to the use of mathematics, Marshall differs fundamentally from other leading neoclassical contemporaries. Metaphors inspire more specific analogies and ontological assumptions, and Marshall used the guiding metaphor of Spencerian evolution. But unfortunately, the further development of a Marshallian evolutionary approach was undermined in part by theoretical problems within Spencer's theory. Yet some things can be salvaged from the Marshallian evolutionary vision. They may even be placed in a more viable Darwinian framework.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio
Effect of intracerebroventricularly injected insulin on urinary sodium excretion by cerebroventricular streptozotocin-treated rats
Recent evidence suggests that insulin may influence many brain functions. It is known that intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of nondiabetogenic doses of streptozotocin (STZ) can damage insulin receptor signal transduction. In the present study, we examined the functional damage to the brain insulin receptors on central mechanisms regulating glomerular filtration rate and urinary sodium excretion, over four periods of 30 min, in response to 3 ”l insulin or 0.15 NaCl (vehicle) injected icv in STZ-treated freely moving Wistar-Hannover rats (250-300 g). The icv cannula site was visually confirmed by 2% Evans blue infusion. Centrally administered insulin (42.0 ng/”l) increased the urinary output of sodium (from 855.6 ± 85.1 to 2055 ± 310.6 delta%/min; N = 11) and potassium (from 460.4 ± 100 to 669 ± 60.8 delta%/min; N = 11). The urinary sodium excretion response to icv insulin microinjection was markedly attenuated by previous central STZ (100 ”g/3 ”l) administration (from 628 ± 45.8 to 617 ± 87.6 delta%/min; N = 5) or by icv injection of a dopamine antagonist, haloperidol (4 ”g/3 ”l) (from 498 ± 39.4 to 517 ± 73.2 delta%/min; N = 5). Additionally, insulin-induced natriuresis occurred by increased post-proximal tubule sodium rejection, despite an unchanged glomerular filtration rate. Excluding the possibility of a direct action of STZ on central insulin receptor-carrying neurons, the current data suggest that the insulin-sensitive response may be processed through dopaminergic D1 receptors containing neuronal pathways.1193119
Sign Rules for Anisotropic Quantum Spin Systems
We present new and exact ``sign rules'' for various spin-s anisotropic
spin-lattice models. It is shown that, after a simple transformation which
utilizes these sign rules, the ground-state wave function of the transformed
Hamiltonian is positive-definite. Using these results exact statements for
various expectation values of off-diagonal operators are presented, and
transitions in the behavior of these expectation values are observed at
particular values of the anisotropy. Furthermore, the effects of sign rules in
variational calculations and quantum Monte Carlo calculations are considered.
They are illustrated by a simple variational treatment of a one-dimensional
anisotropic spin model.Comment: 4 pages, 1 ps-figur
Capture of time-loss overuse soccer injuries in the national collegiate athletic associationâs injury surveillance system, 2005â2006 through 2007â2008
Context: Overuse injuries are reported to account for nearly 50% of sports injuries and, due to their progressive nature and the uncertainty regarding date of onset, are difficult to define and categorize. Comparing the capture rates of overuse injuries between injury-surveillance systems and medical records can clarify completeness and determinants of how overuse injuries are represented in injury-surveillance data. Objective: To estimate the capture rate of time-loss medical-attention overuse injuries in menâs and womenâs soccer in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance System (NCAA ISS) compared with medical records maintained by certified athletic trainers and assess the differences in completeness of capture and factors contributing to those differences. Design: Capture-recapture study. Setting: Fifteen NCAA institutions provided NCAA ISS and medical record data from menâs and womenâs soccer programs from 2005â2006 through 2007â2008. Patients or Other Participants: National Collegiate Athletic Association menâs and womenâs soccer players. Main Outcome Measure(s): Time-loss medical-attention overuse injuries were defined as injuries with an overuse mechanism of injury in the NCAA ISS or medical records. Capture rates were calculated as the proportion of total overuse injuries classified as having overuse mechanisms in the NCAA ISS and the NCAA ISS and medical records combined. Results: The NCAA ISS captured 63.7% of the total estimated overuse mechanisms of injury in menâs and womenâs soccer players. The estimated proportion of overuse injury mechanisms captured by both the NCAA ISS and medical records was 37.1%. The NCAA ISS captured more overuse injury mechanisms in menâs soccer than in womenâs soccer (79.2% versus 45.0%, v2 ÂŒ 9.60; P ÂŒ .002) athletes. Conclusions: From 2005â2006 through 2007â2008, the NCAA ISS captured only two thirds of time-loss medical-attention overuse mechanisms of injury in menâs and womenâs soccer players. Future researchers should consider supplementing injury-surveillance data with a clinical record review to capture the burden of these injuries
Estimation of useful-stage energy returns on investment for fossil fuels and implications for renewable energy systems
The net energy implications of the energy transition have so far been analysed at best at the final energy stage. Here we argue that expanding the analysis to the useful stage is crucial. We estimate fossil fuelsÊŒ useful-stage energy returns on investment (EROIs) over the period 1971â2020, globally and nationally, and disaggregate EROIs by end use. We find that fossil fuelsÊŒ useful-stage EROIs (~3.5:1) are considerably lower than at the final stage (~8.5:1), due to low final-to-useful efficiencies. Further, we estimate the final-stage EROI for which electricity-yielding renewable energy would deliver the same net useful energy as fossil fuels (EROI equivalent) to be approximately 4.6:1. The EROIs of electricity-yielding renewable energy systems, based on published estimations, are found to be higher than the determined EROI equivalent, even considering the effects of intermittency under a range of energy transition scenarios. Results suggest that the energy transition may happen without a decline in net useful energy, countering the view that renewable energy systems cannot replace fossil fuels without incurring a substantial energy penalty
The terrestrial landscapes of tetrapod evolution in earliest Carboniferous seasonal wetlands of SE Scotland
The Lower Mississippian (Tournaisian) Ballagan Formation in SE Scotland yields tetrapod fossils that provide fresh insights into the critical period when these animals first moved onto land. The key to understanding the palaeoenvironments where they lived is a detailed analysis of the sedimentary architecture of this formation, one of the thickest and most completely documented examples of a coastal floodplain and marginal marine succession from this important transitional time anywhere in the world. Palaeosols are abundant, providing a unique insight into the early Carboniferous habitats and climate.
More than 200 separate palaeosols are described from three sections through the formation. The palaeosols range in thickness from 0.02 to 1.85 m and are diverse: most are Entisols and Inceptisols (63%), indicating relatively brief periods of soil development. Gleyed Inseptisols and Vertisols are less common (37%). Vertisols are the thickest palaeosols (up to 185 cm) in the Ballagan Formation and have common vertic cracks. Roots are abundant through all the palaeosols, from shallow mats and thin hair-like traces to sporadic thicker root traces typical of arborescent lycopods.
Geochemical, isotope and clay mineralogical analyses of the palaeosols indicate a range in soil alkalinity and amount of water logging. Estimates of mean annual rainfall from palaeosol compositions are 1000 â1500 mm per year. The high mean annual rainfall and variable soil alkalinities contrast markedly with dry periods that developed deep penetrating cracks and evaporite deposits. It is concluded that during the early Carboniferous, this region experienced a sharply contrasting seasonal climate and that the floodplain hosted a mosaic of closely juxtaposed but distinct habitats in which the tetrapods lived. The diversification of coastal floodplain environments identified here may link to the evolution and movement of tetrapods into the terrestrial realm
Risk of knee osteoarthritis over 24 months in individuals who decrease walking speed during a 12-month period: Data from the osteoarthritis initiative
Objective. To assess the association between change in walking speed over a 12-month period and risk of developing radiographic knee osteoarthritis (rKOA) over a 24-month period. Methods.We included participants without rKOA from the Osteoarthritis Initiative. Change in walking speed was determined from a 20-m walk assessment, calculated using walking speed at 12-month followup minus baseline speed and/or 24-month followup walking speed minus 12-month speed. Incident rKOA was defined as progressing to Kellgren-Lawrence arthritis grading scale ℠2 within 24 months (i.e., incidence between 12 and 36 mos or 24 and 48 mos). Self-reported significant knee injury during the exposure period, age, body mass index (BMI), and Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) score were adjusted for analytically. Results. We included 2638 observations among 1460 unique participants (58% women; aged 59 ± 9 yrs, range 45-79). The mean change in walking speed over 12 months was 0.001 ± 0.13 m/s (range -0.6271 to 1.4968). About 5% of the sample (n = 122) developed rKOA over a 24-month period. After controlling for significant knee injury, age, BMI, and PASE score, we found an 8% relative increase in risk of developing rKOA for every 0.1 m/s decrease in walking speed over a 12-month period (risk ratio 1.08, 95% CI 1.00-1.15, p = 0.05). Conclusion. Evaluating change in speed over a 12-month period using a 20-m walk test may be useful in identifying individuals at increased risk of developing rKOA over the subsequent 24 months. Identification of patients at high risk for developing rKOA would allow medical providers to implement early interventions to maximize joint health
High finesse opto-mechanical cavity with a movable thirty-micron-size mirror
Quantum Matter and Optic
PPARgamma in complex with an antagonist and inverse agonist: a tumble and trap mechanism of the activation helix
Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor Îł (PPARÎł) is a nuclear receptor and target for antidiabetics that increase insulin sensitivity. Owing to the side effects of PPARÎł full agonists, research has recently focused on non-activating ligands of PPARÎł, which increase insulin sensitivity with decreased side effects. Here, we present the crystal structures of inverse agonist SR10171 and a chemically related antagonist SR11023 bound to the PPARÎł ligand-binding domain, revealing an allosteric switch in the activation helix, helix 12 (H12), forming an antagonist conformation in the receptor. H12 interacts with the antagonists to become fixed in an alternative location. Native mass spectrometry indicates that this prevents contacts with coactivator peptides and allows binding of corepressor peptides. Antagonists of related nuclear receptors act to sterically prevent the active configuration of H12, whereas these antagonists of PPARÎł alternatively trap H12 in an inactive configuration, which we have termed the tumble and trap mechanism.Rebecca L. Frkic, Andrew C. Marshall, Anne-Laure Blayo, Tara L. Pukala, Theodore M. Kamenecka, Patrick R. Griffin, and John B. Brunin
A novel Streptococcus pneumoniae human challenge model demonstrates Treg lymphocyte recruitment to the infection site
To investigate local tissue responses to infection we have developed a human model of killed Streptococcus pneumoniae challenge by intradermal injection into the forearm. S. pneumoniae intradermal challenge caused an initial local influx of granulocytes and increases in TNF, IL6 and CXCL8. However, by 48Â h lymphocytes were the dominant cell population, mainly consisting of CD4 and CD8 T cells. Increases in local levels of IL17 and IL22 and the high proportion of CD4 cells that were CCR6+ suggested a significant Th17 response. Furthermore, at 48Â h the CD4 population contained a surprisingly high proportion of likely memory Treg cells (CCR6 positive and CD45RA negative CD4+CD25highCD127low cells) at 39%. These results demonstrate that the intradermal challenge model can provide novel insights into the human response to S. pneumoniae and that Tregs form a substantial contribution of the normal human lymphocyte response to infection with this important pathogen
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