The DTM packet service and protocol

The purpose of this document is to describe and specify the service of the DMT Packet Service (DPS) and Segmentation and Re-assembly (SAR) protocol, implementing the service. The document consists of two sections, one for the service and one for the protocol. The intent of the document is to specify, not to justify the design

To Pee, or Not to Pee:A Review on Envenomation and Treatment in European Jellyfish Species

There is a growing cause for concern on envenoming European species because of jellyfish blooms, climate change and globalization displacing species. Treatment of envenomation involves the prevention of further nematocyst release and relieving local and systemic symptoms. Many anecdotal treatments are available but species-specific first aid response is essential for effective treatment. However, species identification is difficult in most cases. There is evidence that oral analgesics, seawater, baking soda slurry and 42–45 °C hot water are effective against nematocyst inhibition and giving pain relief. The application of topical vinegar for 30 s is effective on stings of specific species. Treatments, which produce osmotic or pressure changes can exacerbate the initial sting and aggravate symptoms, common among many anecdotal treatments. Most available therapies are based on weak evidence and thus it is strongly recommended that randomized clinical trials are undertaken. We recommend a vital increase in directed research on the effect of environmental factors on envenoming mechanisms and to establish a species-specific treatment. Adequate signage on jellyfish stings and standardized first aid protocols with emphasis on protective equipment and avoidance of jellyfish to minimize cases should be implemented in areas at risk

Rational Herding in Microloan Markets

Microloan markets allow individual borrowers to raise funding from multiple individual lenders. We use a unique panel data set that tracks the funding dynamics of borrower listings on Prosper.com, the largest microloan market in the United States. We find evidence of rational herding among lenders. Well-funded borrower listings tend to attract more funding after we control for unobserved listing heterogeneity and payoff externalities. Moreover, instead of passively mimicking their peers (irrational herding), lenders engage in active observational learning (rational herding); they infer the creditworthiness of borrowers by observing peer lending decisions and use publicly observable borrower characteristics to moderate their inferences. Counterintuitively, obvious defects (e.g., poor credit grades) amplify a listing's herding momentum, as lenders infer superior creditworthiness to justify the herd. Similarly, favorable borrower characteristics (e.g., friend endorsements) weaken the herding effect, as lenders attribute herding to these observable merits. Follow-up analysis shows that rational herding beats irrational herding in predicting loan performance

Abject failure to Abenomics: the strategic narrative rebirth of Abe Shinzo

Abe Shinzō served as Prime Minister of Japan from September 2006 to September 2007, and again from December 2012 to September 2012. His first term made him one of the shortest-serving Japanese prime ministers; his second made him the longest-serving premier in the nation’s history. This radical transformation in fortunes raises important questions about how political actors can reinvent themselves and alter public opinion of their own capacity to lead. This thesis argues that the projection of a compelling political narrative of national economic regeneration played a key role in Abe Shinzō’s political transformation. I examine this reconstruction of political fortunes through the lens of a strategic narrative framework. Although other academic research has analysed Abe’s transformation through examination of his policies and political networks, there has been a lack of studies exploring how Abe communicated his new political approach to his audiences. Strategic narrative research in the field of International Relations has shown that stories and their formation by political actors play a critical role in shaping the discursive environment in which politics are done. Through careful analysis of the stories Abe Shinzō told during the LDP presidential election campaigns of 2006 and 2012, the general elections of 2012 and 2014, and the Upper House elections of 2007 and 2013, I demonstrate that Abe’s effective deployment of strategic narratives was a crucial factor in his re-emergence as a central figure in post-war Japanese politics and introduce a strategic narrative framework to domestic Japanese politics for the first time. By forming and projecting a compelling narrative focused on a set of economic policies known as ‘Abenomics’, Abe placed himself at the centre of a story of national regeneration; by arguing narratively that Japan’s continued economic recovery was inextricably linked to the success of Abenomics, Abe was able to lead his party to three successive election victories. I also demonstrate Abe’s narrative flexibility, examining the complexification of his strategic narrative over time, introducing the concept of ‘Proactive Contribution to Peace’ as he sought to link his story of national economic regeneration to one of greater Japanese contribution to global security. Crucially, these narratives were also broadly accepted by Abe’s domestic and international media audiences, allowing ’Abenomics’ to become the dominant narrative about the direction of Japanese politics, both within and outside of the country. Overall, I offer a new account of Abe Shinzō’s re-emergence as the central figure in Japanese politics and demonstrate the persuasive power of strategic narratives in the setting of domestic politics

The solo sonatas of George Frideric Handel, with particular reference to the sonatas for flute and recorder.

Despite the popularity of Handel’s solo sonatas, up-to-date information about their history and authenticity is not always easy for performers to access. Background information about Handel’s orchestras and the musicians who played in them is presented in Chapter 1 to give context to the solo sonatas, the majority of which were written and published in London during the 1720s and 1730s respectively. Chapter 2 brings together and examines the existing scholarly research on the sources, chronology and authenticity of the solo sonatas. The autographs, eighteenth-century manuscript sources, and early published editions are listed and summarised. The format of the modern collected editions and the HWV system of identification are critically considered. The music itself is examined in Chapter 3 with reference to the range, key, and movement types present in Handel’s solo sonatas. The sonatas for recorder and flute are discussed in more detail in Chapters 4- 7, with the focus on the four solo sonata chosen for the PhD recital (HWV 378, HWV 369, HWV 365, and HWV 359b). The instruments of the time and place are considered, and their influence on Handel’s idiomatic writing for the recorder and flute. New borrowings have been discovered in the course of this research, which are presented in the dissertation and were illustrated in the PhD recital. Aspects of performance practice are discussed with particular reference to Handel’s writing for flute and recorder, such as use of articulation marks, and possible models of ornamentation for the solo sonatas. Inauthentic sonatas for the flute published by Walsh, and Walsh and Hare, as works by Handel are also discussed. A thematic catalogue of the sixteen authentic solo sonatas is presented as an appendix. Appendix 2 contains the PhD recital programme

A Soluble Guanylate Cyclase–Dependent Mechanism Is Involved in the Regulation of Net Hepatic Glucose Uptake by Nitric Oxide in Vivo

OBJECTIVE We previously showed that elevating hepatic nitric oxide (NO) levels reduced net hepatic glucose uptake (NHGU) in the presence of portal glucose delivery, hyperglycemia, and hyperinsulinemia. The aim of the present study was to determine the role of a downstream signal, soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), in the regulation of NHGU by NO. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Studies were performed on 42-h–fasted conscious dogs fitted with vascular catheters. At 0 min, somatostatin was given peripherally along with 4× basal insulin and basal glucagon intraportally. Glucose was delivered at a variable rate via a leg vein to double the blood glucose level and hepatic glucose load throughout the study. From 90 to 270 min, an intraportal infusion of the sGC inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4] oxadiazolo[4,3-a] quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) was given in −sGC (n = 10) and −sGC/+NO (n = 6), whereas saline was given in saline infusion (SAL) (n = 10). The −sGC/+NO group also received intraportal SIN-1 (NO donor) to elevate hepatic NO from 180 to 270 min. RESULTS In the presence of 4× basal insulin, basal glucagon, and hyperglycemia (2× basal ), inhibition of sGC in the liver enhanced NHGU (mg/kg/min; 210–270 min) by ∼55% (2.9 ± 0.2 in SAL vs. 4.6 ± 0.5 in −sGC). Further elevating hepatic NO failed to reduce NHGU (4.5 ± 0.7 in −sGC/+NO). Net hepatic carbon retention (i.e., glycogen synthesis; mg glucose equivalents/kg/min) increased to 3.8 ± 0.2 in −sGC and 3.8 ± 0.4 in −sGC/+NO vs. 2.4 ± 0.2 in SAL (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS NO regulates liver glucose uptake through a sGC-dependent pathway. The latter could be a target for pharmacologic intervention to increase meal-associated hepatic glucose uptake in individuals with type 2 diabetes