Macroeconomic Aspects of European Integration: Fiscal Policy, Trade Integration and the European Business Cycle

We analyze the role of fiscal policy and intra-European trade in business cycle synchronization in the EU for the period 1995-2008. There is a broad consensus that the relationship between fiscal policy and business cycle comovements and between trade integration and cyclical synchronization are subject to endogeneity problems. We instrument fiscal budget surplus by means of (exogenous) political determinants of fiscal policy acknowledged by the literature, while trade integration is instrumented using covariates which summarize the integration status of countries in the sample, GDP per capita differences with respect to the EU and trade specialization within the EU framework. Our results show that both fiscal policy and trade integration are important determinants of cyclical synchronization. We can conclude that once a high degree of trade integration is reached by countries involved in the European integration process, the role of fiscal policy is particularly relevant and differences in fiscal shocks should be analyzed in detail as a source of coherence in cyclical comovements in Europe. Furthermore, fiscal deficits are shown to be an important potential source of idiosyncratic macroeconomic fluctuations, especially in the eurozone. Our results confirm the rationale of monitoring fiscal developments to assess the adequacy of potential future EMU countries and the need for a broad agreement concerning fiscal policy at the EU level.Monetary union, business cycles, synchronization, trade integration, fiscal policy

A study of glucose storage polymers: teosinte starch, starch crystallinity, and cyanobacterial glycogen

This collection of studies focused on characterization of maize and teosinte starches, creation of a model system for studying starch crystallinity, and examination of cyanobacterial glycogen accumulation in various media conditions. Chalco teosinte, BSSS maize, BSSS maize-Chalco teosinte cross, and commercial normal maize starches all exhibited A-type X-ray diffraction patterns, similar degrees of crystallinity, amylopectin molecular weights, and amylose contents. Chalco teosinte starch granules were small, broken, or hollow; other starch granules were spherical or polygonal. Average branch chain length was smallest for Chalco teosinte starch (degree of polymerization (dp) 23.5) and largest for commercial normal maize starch (dp 25.3). Differential scanning calortimetry analysis showed that Chalco teosinte starch had the lowest onset gelatinization temperature (610C) and enthalpy change of gelatinization (11.4 J/g), but the highest rate of retrogradation (56.2% in 7 days). Pasting properties determined using a Rapid Visco Analyzer differed widely. Chalco teosinte starch had the lowest peak viscosity (135.8 RVU), and BSSS maize-Chalco teosinte cross starch had the highest (187.3 RVU). Starch is cold-water insoluble and semi-crystalline, but glycogen is considered cold-water soluble and non-crystalline. Starch crystallinity was studied with a starch model system prepared from amorphous waxy-maize starch and highly crystalline normal-maize starch Naegeli dextrin (83% crystalline). These components, and mixtures thereof, were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Degree of crystallinity, determined by X-ray diffraction, increased linearly with increasing amounts of Naegeli dextrin. However, enthalpy change of melting and melting temperature, determined by DSC, demonstrated a second order relationship. Glycogen production by cyanobacteria (Synechocystis PCC 6803) was studied using media conditions that varied in glucose and nitrogen contents, and glycogen was extracted with ethanol only or ethanol and trichloroacetic acid. Glycogen accumulation was the highest in glucose-abundant nitrogen-deficient media (30 mg/L), but growth rate was the highest in glucose and nitrogen-abundant media. Average branch chain length ranged from dp 9.5 (glucose and nitrogen-abundant media) to dp 11.2 (glucose-abundant nitrogen-deficient media). Thus, media nutrient content influenced cyanobacterial growth rate, amount accumulated, and molecular structure of glycogen. Minor differences were observed between glycogen samples extracted with ethanol only and with ethanol and trichloroacetic acid

Next-generation sequencing identifies the natural killer cell microRNA transcriptome

Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes important for early host defense against infectious pathogens and surveillance against malignant transformation. Resting murine NK cells regulate the translation of effector molecule mRNAs (e.g., granzyme B, GzmB) through unclear molecular mechanisms. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate the translation of their mRNA targets, and are therefore candidates for mediating this control process. While the expression and importance of miRNAs in T and B lymphocytes have been established, little is known about miRNAs in NK cells. Here, we used two next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms to define the miRNA transcriptomes of resting and cytokine-activated primary murine NK cells, with confirmation by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and microarrays. We delineate a bioinformatics analysis pipeline that identified 302 known and 21 novel mature miRNAs from sequences obtained from NK cell small RNA libraries. These miRNAs are expressed over a broad range and exhibit isomiR complexity, and a subset is differentially expressed following cytokine activation. Using these miRNA NGS data, miR-223 was identified as a mature miRNA present in resting NK cells with decreased expression following cytokine activation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that miR-223 specifically targets the 3′ untranslated region of murine GzmB in vitro, indicating that this miRNA may contribute to control of GzmB translation in resting NK cells. Thus, the sequenced NK cell miRNA transcriptome provides a valuable framework for further elucidation of miRNA expression and function in NK cell biology

High-throughput gene discovery in the rat

The rat is an important animal model for human diseases and is widely used in physiology. In this article we present a new strategy for gene discovery based on the production of ESTs from serially subtracted and normalized cDNA libraries, and we describe its application for the development of a comprehensive nonredundant collection of rat ESTs. Our new strategy appears to yield substantially more EST clusters per ESTs sequenced than do previous approaches that did not use serial subtraction. However, multiple rounds of library subtraction resulted in high frequencies of otherwise rare internally primed cDNAs, defining the limits of this powerful approach. To date, we have generated >200,000 3′ ESTs from >100 cDNA libraries representing a wide range of tissues and developmental stages of the laboratory rat. Most importantly, we have contributed to ∼50,000 rat UniGene clusters. We have identified, arrayed, and derived 5′ ESTs from >30,000 unique rat cDNA clones. Complete information, including radiation hybrid mapping data, is also maintained locally at http://genome.uiowa.edu/clcg.html. All of the sequences described in this article have been submitted to the dbEST division of the NCBI

Attention diversion improves response inhibition of immediate reward, but only when it is beneficial: An fMRI Study

Deficits of self-control are associated with a number of mental state disorders. The ability to direct attention away from an alluring stimulus appears to aid inhibition of an impulsive response. However, further functional imaging research is required to assess the impact of shifts in attention on self-regulating processes. We varied the level of attentional disengagement in an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-based Go/No-go task to probe whether diversion of attention away from alluring stimuli facilitates response inhibition. We used the attention-grabbing characteristic of faces to exogenously direct attention away from stimuli and investigated the relative importance of attention and response inhibition mechanisms under different delayed reward scenarios [i.e., where forgoing an immediate reward ($1) led to a higher ($10) or no payoff in the future]. We found that diverting attention improved response inhibition performance, but only when resistance to an alluring stimulus led to delayed reward. Region of interest analyses indicated significant increased activity in posterior right inferior frontal gyrus during successful No-go trials for delayed reward trials compared to no delayed reward trials, and significant reduction in activity in the superior temporal gyri and left caudate in contexts of high attentional diversion. Our findings imply that strategies that increase the perceived benefits of response inhibition might assist individuals in abstaining from problematic impulsive behaviors

Co-limitation towards lower latitudes shapes global forest diversity gradients

The latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) is one of the most recognized global patterns of species richness exhibited across a wide range of taxa. Numerous hypotheses have been proposed in the past two centuries to explain LDG, but rigorous tests of the drivers of LDGs have been limited by a lack of high-quality global species richness data. Here we produce a high-resolution (0.025° × 0.025°) map of local tree species richness using a global forest inventory database with individual tree information and local biophysical characteristics from ~1.3 million sample plots. We then quantify drivers of local tree species richness patterns across latitudes. Generally, annual mean temperature was a dominant predictor of tree species richness, which is most consistent with the metabolic theory of biodiversity (MTB). However, MTB underestimated LDG in the tropics, where high species richness was also moderated by topographic, soil and anthropogenic factors operating at local scales. Given that local landscape variables operate synergistically with bioclimatic factors in shaping the global LDG pattern, we suggest that MTB be extended to account for co-limitation by subordinate drivers

A study of glucose storage polymers: teosinte starch, starch crystallinity, and cyanobacterial glycogen

This collection of studies focused on characterization of maize and teosinte starches, creation of a model system for studying starch crystallinity, and examination of cyanobacterial glycogen accumulation in various media conditions. Chalco teosinte, BSSS maize, BSSS maize-Chalco teosinte cross, and commercial normal maize starches all exhibited A-type X-ray diffraction patterns, similar degrees of crystallinity, amylopectin molecular weights, and amylose contents. Chalco teosinte starch granules were small, broken, or hollow; other starch granules were spherical or polygonal. Average branch chain length was smallest for Chalco teosinte starch (degree of polymerization (dp) 23.5) and largest for commercial normal maize starch (dp 25.3). Differential scanning calortimetry analysis showed that Chalco teosinte starch had the lowest onset gelatinization temperature (610C) and enthalpy change of gelatinization (11.4 J/g), but the highest rate of retrogradation (56.2% in 7 days). Pasting properties determined using a Rapid Visco Analyzer differed widely. Chalco teosinte starch had the lowest peak viscosity (135.8 RVU), and BSSS maize-Chalco teosinte cross starch had the highest (187.3 RVU). Starch is cold-water insoluble and semi-crystalline, but glycogen is considered cold-water soluble and non-crystalline. Starch crystallinity was studied with a starch model system prepared from amorphous waxy-maize starch and highly crystalline normal-maize starch Naegeli dextrin (83% crystalline). These components, and mixtures thereof, were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Degree of crystallinity, determined by X-ray diffraction, increased linearly with increasing amounts of Naegeli dextrin. However, enthalpy change of melting and melting temperature, determined by DSC, demonstrated a second order relationship. Glycogen production by cyanobacteria (Synechocystis PCC 6803) was studied using media conditions that varied in glucose and nitrogen contents, and glycogen was extracted with ethanol only or ethanol and trichloroacetic acid. Glycogen accumulation was the highest in glucose-abundant nitrogen-deficient media (30 mg/L), but growth rate was the highest in glucose and nitrogen-abundant media. Average branch chain length ranged from dp 9.5 (glucose and nitrogen-abundant media) to dp 11.2 (glucose-abundant nitrogen-deficient media). Thus, media nutrient content influenced cyanobacterial growth rate, amount accumulated, and molecular structure of glycogen. Minor differences were observed between glycogen samples extracted with ethanol only and with ethanol and trichloroacetic acid.</p

Determinants of Crude Oil Prices: Supply, Demand, Cartel or Speculation?

Understanding the factors driving crude oil price developments is essential for assessing their effects. This paper examines four groups classifying a total of some thirty potential determinants of crude oil prices: fundamental factors, i.e. supply and demand, factors relating to the structure of the crude oil market (OPEC), and factors associated with the behavior of financial market participants (speculation). Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) allows us to analyze a multitude of potential explanatory variables under model uncertainty and to quantify their robustness in explaining oil price inflation (price changes in percent). The results of our analysis suggest that the significance of individual factors varies over time. While no single factor dominates throughout the entire period under review (1983 to 2008), models explaining short-term movements in oil prices should always include headline inflation indicators and take into account the persistence of oil prices. In the 1990s, also the production quota of Saudi Arabia – a factor relating to the market structure – played a significant role; in the 2000s, both supply and demand (European demand for oil and refining capacities) have been highly important factors. The results of our analysis do not preclude the possibility that determinants other than those discussed here may become significant in the long run. While fundamental shortage conditions play a key role in driving up the pricoil price, Bayesian model averaging