234 research outputs found
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Multiple Wh-Movement is not Special: The Subregular Complexity of Persistent Features in Minimalist Grammars
Minimalist grammars have been criticized for their inability to analyze successive cyclic movement and multiple wh-movement in a manner that is faithful to the Minimalist literature. Persistent features have been proposed in the literature as a potential remedy (Stabler 2011, Laszakovits 2018). We show that not all persistent features are alike. The persistent features involved in multiple wh-movement do not increase subregular complexity, making this phenomenon appear very natural from the perspective of MGs. The persistent features in successive-cyclic movement, on the other hand, change the subregular nature of movement, favoring an alternative treatment along the lines of Kobele (2006
Brexit: the major trade disruption came after the UK-EU agreement took effect in 2021
The impact of Brexit on UK trade is a highly contested topic. Rebecca Freeman, Kalina Manova, Thomas Prayer, and Thomas Sampson summarise the findings of new research on how Brexit has affected the UK’s goods trade with the EU relative to the rest of the world
UK trade in the wake of Brexit
This paper studies the impact of Brexit on the UK's trade with the EU relative to its trade with the rest of the world. We find no evidence that uncertainty and anticipation effects led to a significant decline in relative UK trade with the EU during the period after the UK voted for Brexit in 2016 and before the change in policy was implemented under the new Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) in 2021. However, the UK's departure from the EU's single market and customs union at the start of 2021 caused a major shock to UK-EU trade. We estimate that the new TCA trade relationship led to a sudden and persistent 25% fall in relative UK imports from the EU. In contrast, we find a smaller and only temporary decline in relative UK exports to the EU, but nevertheless a large and sustained drop in the extensive margin of exports, driven by the exit of low-value relationships. The timing and asymmetry of Brexit effects on UK imports and exports is puzzling and provides evidence of important differences in adjustment to integration and disintegration shocks
Antithrombin significantly influences platelet adhesion onto immobilized fibrinogen in an in-vitro system simulating low flow
BACKGROUND: Adhesion of platelets onto immobilized fibrinogen is of importance in initiation and development of thrombosis. According to a recent increase in evidence of a multiple biological property of antithrombin, we evaluated the influence of antithrombin on platelet adhesion onto immobilized fibrinogen using an in-vitro flow system. METHODS: Platelets in anticoagulated whole blood (29 healthy blood donors) were labelled with fluorescence dye and perfused through a rectangular flow chamber (shear rates of 13 s(-1 )to 1500 s(-1)). Platelet adhesion onto fibrinogen-coated slips was assessed using a fluorescence laser-scan microscope and compared to the plasma antithrombin activity. Additionally the effect of supraphysiological AT supplementation on platelets adhesion rate was evaluated. RESULTS: Within a first minute of perfusion, an inverse correlation between platelet adhesion and plasma antithrombin were observed at 13 s(-1 )and 50 s(-1 )(r = -0.48 and r = -0.7, p < 0.05, respectively). Significant differences in platelet adhesion related to low (92 ± 3.3%) and high (117 ± 4.1%) antithrombin activity (1786 ± 516 U vs. 823 ± 331 U, p < 0.05) at low flow rate (13 s(-1), within first minute) have been found. An in-vitro supplementation of whole blood with antithrombin increased the antithrombin activity up to 280% and platelet adhesion rate reached about 65% related to the adhesion rate in a non-supplemented blood (1.25 ± 0.17 vs. 1.95 ± 0.4 p = 0.008, respectively). CONCLUSION: It appears that antithrombin in a low flow system suppresses platelet adhesion onto immobilized fibrinogen independently from its antithrombin activity. A supraphysiological substitution of blood with antithrombin significantly reduces platelet adhesion rate. This inhibitory effect might be of clinical relevance
Towards an\u2028 EU research and innovation policy agenda for nature-based solutions & re-naturing cities. Final report of the Horizon 2020 expert group on nature-based solutions and re-naturing cities.
1. Nature-based solutions harness the power and sophistication of nature to turn environmental, social and economic challenges into innovation opportunities. They can address a variety of societal challenges in sustainable ways, with the potential to contribute to green growth, 'future-proofing' society, fostering citizen well-being, providing business opportunities and positioning Europe as a leader in world markets. \u2028
2. Nature-based solutions are actions which are inspired by, supported by or copied from nature. They have tremendous potential to be energy and resource-efficient and resilient to change, but to be successful they must be adapted to local conditions. \u2028
3. Many nature-based solutions result in multiple co-benefits for health, the economy, society and the environment, and thus they can represent more efficient and cost-effective solutions than more traditional approaches. \u2028
4. An EU Research & Innovation (R&I) agenda on nature-based solutions will enable Europe to become a world leader both in R&I and in the growing market for nature-based solutions. For this, the evidence base for the effectiveness of nature-based solutions needs to be developed and then used to implement solutions. Both need to be done in conjunction with stakeholders. The potential for transferability and upscaling of solutions also requires further investigation. There is also a need to develop a systemic approach that combines technical, business, finance, governance, regulatory and social innovation. \u2028
5. Four principal goals have been identified that can be addressed by nature-based solutions:
�� Enhancing sustainable urbanisation through nature-based solutions can stimulate economic growth as well as improving the environment, making cities more attractive, and enhancing human well-being. \u2028
�� Restoring degraded ecosystems using nature-based solutions can improve the resilience of ecosystems, enabling them to deliver vital ecosystem services and also to meet other societal challenges. \u2028
�� Developing climate change adaptation and mitigation using nature-based solutions can provide more resilient responses and enhance the storage of carbon. \u2028
�� Improving risk management and resilience using nature-based solutions can lead to greater benefits than conventional methods and offer synergies in reducing multiple risks. \u2028
6. Based on the four goals, seven nature-based solutions for R&I actions are recommended to be taken forward by the European Commission and Member States:
�� Urban regeneration through nature-based solutions \u2028
�� Nature-based solutions for improving well-being in urban areas \u2028
�� Establishing nature-based solutions for coastal resilience \u2028
�� Multi-functional nature-based watershed management and ecosystem restoration \u2028
�� Nature-based solutions for increasing the sustainability of the use of matter and energy \u2028
�� Nature-based solutions for enhancing the insurance value of ecosystems \u2028
�� Increasing carbon sequestration through nature-based solutions \u2028This report was produced by the Horizon 2020 Expert Group on 'Nature-Based Solutions and Re- Naturing Cities', informed by the findings of an e-consultation and a stakeholder workshop. \u202
An untrained deep learning method for reconstructing dynamic magnetic resonance images from accelerated model-based data
The purpose of this work is to implement physics-based regularization as a
stopping condition in tuning an untrained deep neural network for
reconstructing MR images from accelerated data. The ConvDecoder neural network
was trained with a physics-based regularization term incorporating the spoiled
gradient echo equation that describes variable-flip angle (VFA) data.
Fully-sampled VFA k-space data were retrospectively accelerated by factors of
R={8,12,18,36} and reconstructed with ConvDecoder (CD), ConvDecoder with the
proposed regularization (CD+r), locally low-rank (LR) reconstruction, and
compressed sensing with L1-wavelet regularization (L1). Final images from CD+r
training were evaluated at the \emph{argmin} of the regularization loss;
whereas the CD, LR, and L1 reconstructions were chosen optimally based on
ground truth data. The performance measures used were the normalized root-mean
square error, the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), and the structural
similarity index (SSIM). The CD+r reconstructions, chosen using the stopping
condition, yielded SSIMs that were similar to the CD (p=0.47) and LR SSIMs
(p=0.95) across R and that were significantly higher than the L1 SSIMs
(p=0.04). The CCC values for the CD+r T1 maps across all R and subjects were
greater than those corresponding to the L1 (p=0.15) and LR (p=0.13) T1 maps,
respectively. For R > 12 (<4.2 minutes scan time), L1 and LR T1 maps exhibit a
loss of spatially refined details compared to CD+r. We conclude that the use of
an untrained neural network together with a physics-based regularization loss
shows promise as a measure for determining the optimal stopping point in
training without relying on fully-sampled ground truth data.Comment: 45 pages, 7 figures, 2 Tables, supplementary material included (10
figures, 4 tables
Integration of unaccompanied migrant youth in the United States: a call for research
Between October 2013 and July 2016, over 156,000 children travelling without their guardians were apprehended at the U.S.–Mexico border and transferred to the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). During that same period, ORR placed over 123,000 unaccompanied migrant youth – predominantly from Central America – with a parent or other adult sponsor residing in the U.S. Following placement, local communities are tasked with integrating migrant youth, many of whom experience pre- and in-transit migration traumas, family separation, limited/interrupted schooling, and unauthorised legal status, placing them at heightened risk for psychological distress, academic disengagement, maltreatment, and human trafficking. Nonetheless, fewer than 10% of young people receive formal post-release services (PRS). This paper addresses the paucity of research on the experiences of the 90% of children and youth without access to PRS. To bridge this gap, this article: (a) describes the post-release experiences of unaccompanied youth, focusing on legal, family, health, and educational contexts; (b) identifies methodological and ethical challenges and solutions in conducting research with this population of young people and their families; and (c) proposes research to identify structural challenges to the provision of services and to inform best practices in support of unaccompanied youth
Influence of Lipid Heterogeneity and Phase Behavior on Phospholipase A2 Action at the Single Molecule Level
We monitored the action of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) on L- and
D-dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) Langmuir monolayers by mounting a
Langmuir-trough on a wide-field fluorescence microscope with single molecule
sensitivity. This made it possible to directly visualize the activity and
diffusion behavior of single PLA2 molecules in a heterogeneous lipid
environment during active hydrolysis. The experiments showed that enzyme
molecules adsorbed and interacted almost exclusively with the fluid region of
the DPPC monolayers. Domains of gel state L-DPPC were degraded exclusively from
the gel-fluid interface where the build-up of negatively charged hydrolysis
products, fatty acid salts, led to changes in the mobility of PLA2. The
mobility of individual enzymes on the monolayers was characterized by single
particle tracking (SPT). Diffusion coefficients of enzymes adsorbed to the
fluid interface were between 3 mu m^2/s on the L-DPPC and 4.6 mu m^/s on the
D-DPPC monolayers. In regions enriched with hydrolysis products the diffusion
dropped to approx. 0.2 mu m^2/s. In addition, slower normal and anomalous
diffusion modes were seen at the L-DPPC gel domain boundaries where hydrolysis
took place. The average residence times of the enzyme in the fluid regions of
the monolayer and on the product domain were between approx. 30 and 220 ms. At
the gel domains it was below the experimental time resolution, i.e. enzymes
were simply reflected from the gel domains back into solution.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure
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