Impact Assessment of Technologies That Mitigate Adverse Circumstances: The Case of Disease-Resistant Beans in Honduras

Constructing appropriate counterfactual scenarios is an ongoing challenge for impact assessment of agricultural research. Using farm-level survey data from Honduras, this paper adapts the Heckman two-step procedure to construct the counterfactual to resistant variety (RV) bean yields by predicting imputed traditional variety yields of RV users.Crop Production/Industries,

Phosphodiesterases and E Prostanoid Receptors in Endometrial Sensitization and Artificially Induced Decidualization

Inhibition of prostaglandin (PG) production renders the sensitized rat endometrium unresponsive to an implanting blastocyst or an artificial stimulus. Responsiveness can however be restored by the co-administration of PGE2, which binds to the four E prostanoid (EP) receptors; EP1, EP2, EP3, or EP4. Furthermore, the EP2 and EP4 receptors stimulate the production of cAMP, suggested to be important in artificially induced decidualization. To investigate PGE2 function, this study looked at the role of the EP2, EP3, and EP4 receptors and cAMP degrading phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzymes in endometrial sensitization and artificially induced stimulation. The EP4 receptor has significantly (p\u3c0.05) greater protein levels in the maximally sensitized endometrium compared to endometria sensitized with low estrogen (Day 5L). Immunolocalization studies showed that the EP2, EP3, and EP4 receptors were differentially present in the luminal and glandular epithelium and co-localized with the PDE enzymes. The role of the individual receptors in artificially induced decidualization was investigated using specific agonists. Agonists for all three receptors resulted in uterine endometrial vascular permeability (EVP) and decidualization that were significantly (p\u3c0.05) greater than vehicle treated animals. However, L09-2688 (EP4 agonist) showed the greatest effects and was not significantly different from PGE2 using either endpoint. Total PDE activity levels were found to be significantly (p\u3c0.05) reduced in the maximally sensitized endometrium compared to Day 5L endometria. The effect of PDE inhibition on artificially induced decidualization was then determined in Day 5L animals. Compared to vehicle, PDE4 inhibition resulted in significantly (p\u3c0.05) greater EVP, while PDE7B inhibition did not. In contrast, both inhibitors resulted in significantly (p\u3c0.05) increased decidualization compared to vehicle treated animals. Collectively these results indicate that EP4 receptor stimulation and PDE4 enzyme inhibition have the greatest effects on EVP and decidualization following an artificial deciduogenic stimulus

Phosphodiesterases and E Prostanoid Receptors in Endometrial Sensitization and Artificially Induced Decidualization

Inhibition of prostaglandin (PG) production renders the sensitized rat endometrium unresponsive to an implanting blastocyst or an artificial stimulus. Responsiveness can however be restored by the co-administration of PGE2, which binds to the four E prostanoid (EP) receptors; EP1, EP2, EP3, or EP4. Furthermore, the EP2 and EP4 receptors stimulate the production of cAMP, suggested to be important in artificially induced decidualization. To investigate PGE2 function, this study looked at the role of the EP2, EP3, and EP4 receptors and cAMP degrading phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzymes in endometrial sensitization and artificially induced stimulation. The EP4 receptor has significantly (p\u3c0.05) greater protein levels in the maximally sensitized endometrium compared to endometria sensitized with low estrogen (Day 5L). Immunolocalization studies showed that the EP2, EP3, and EP4 receptors were differentially present in the luminal and glandular epithelium and co-localized with the PDE enzymes. The role of the individual receptors in artificially induced decidualization was investigated using specific agonists. Agonists for all three receptors resulted in uterine endometrial vascular permeability (EVP) and decidualization that were significantly (p\u3c0.05) greater than vehicle treated animals. However, L09-2688 (EP4 agonist) showed the greatest effects and was not significantly different from PGE2 using either endpoint. Total PDE activity levels were found to be significantly (p\u3c0.05) reduced in the maximally sensitized endometrium compared to Day 5L endometria. The effect of PDE inhibition on artificially induced decidualization was then determined in Day 5L animals. Compared to vehicle, PDE4 inhibition resulted in significantly (p\u3c0.05) greater EVP, while PDE7B inhibition did not. In contrast, both inhibitors resulted in significantly (p\u3c0.05) increased decidualization compared to vehicle treated animals. Collectively these results indicate that EP4 receptor stimulation and PDE4 enzyme inhibition have the greatest effects on EVP and decidualization following an artificial deciduogenic stimulus

Predicting Employment Intention of SSA Beneficiaries: A Theory-Based Approach

Employment has become an integral aspect of American society. Each year, millions of Americans engage in job search as a result of economic conditions, involuntary job loss, completion of their education, or the desire to pursue a new career opportunity. However, the employment reality for persons with disabilities remains stark. In 2012 the employment rate of working-age people with disabilities was 32.7 percent, compared to 73.6 percent for those without disabilities. Given the long-standing employment gap between persons with disabilities and those without disabilities, this exploratory research utilizes the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to predict determinates of Social Security Administration (SSA) beneficiaries job search intentions. This study retained five of the eight variables related to the TPB and provides insight into the barriers that individuals with disabilities face. Specifically, beneficiaries identified (a) they were not working because they could not find a job they were qualified for; (b) previous attempts were discouraging; (c) employers would not give an opportunity; (d) they were not limited by a physical or mental condition, and (e) they were not prevented due to their physical or mental condition. As this is the first study to utilize the TPB with a SSA beneficiary population, it provides a rationale for the need to conduct further investigations regarding the constructs of the theory and related interventions to close the employment gap experienced by persons with disabilities

Lancashire Idylls

Dialecto literario inglés. -- Lancashire. -- Pertenece a la colección 1800-1950 del Salamanca Corpus. -- James Marshall Mather. -- Lancashire Idylls. -- 1895[EN]Short stories with a Lancashire setting and dialect.[ES]Relatos cortos que se desarrollan en Lancashire y que contienen dialecto de Lancashire

Magneto-Acoustic Waves in the Stratified Solar Atmosphere: Single to Multi-Fluid Approach

Mechanical waves are ubiquitous within solar plasmas, coming in the form of Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves. The Sun and its atmosphere are not a single homogeneous medium and, rather, have complex structures stratified by gravity, temperature gradients, complex magnetic field structures, subject to bulk flows and even partial ionisation, with all of these affecting how oscillations propagate within the plasma. Magneto-acoustic gravity (MAG) waves have been investigated extensively within solar physics, with three popular choices of analytical modelling for a Cartesian coordinate system: a magnetic field parallel, perpendicular, or at an angle to the gravitational field. Firstly we study the eigen-modes of bounded solar plasmas embedded in a magnetic field perpendicular to the gravitational field and their energy distribution in both single and two-layer models. We show that, indeed, modes can still be split into fast and slow MAG with stratification decreasing the magnetic energy with height and, thus, only waves with predominantly internal energy are more evenly distributed in the atmosphere. A discontinuity in temperature between layers also reflects waves but we show there is an inherent coupling between waves in both layers. Secondly we investigate the effect of a bulk flow on MAG surface waves, with the magnetic field parallel to the surface and a gravitational field perpendicular to this. We find that waves along the penumbra, where Evershed flows are present can change their direction of propagation and even the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability can occur. Waves within solar plasmas have generally been studied in fully ionised or completely neutral media extensively and, as such, partial ionisation has not been covered much until fairly recently, meaning there is great scope for exciting studies in this sub-set of solar physics. Using single and multi-fluid methods we investigate the stability of partially ionised plasma slabs with bulk flows. We find that in the single fluid approximation that dissipative instabilities can occur for flow speeds of the internal tube speed, with a neutrals providing stability. In the two-fluid approximation our analysis confirms the existence of a mode that arises due to the shear in flow in the neutral fluid and that, in a highly collisional plasma, has a semi-resonant interaction between itself and the classical modes of incompressible or compressible magnetic slabs

Validity of resting heart rate derived from contact-based smartphone photoplethysmography compared with electrocardiography:a scoping review and checklist for optimal acquisition and reporting

Background: With the rise of smartphone ownership and increasing evidence to support the suitability of smartphone usage in healthcare, the light source and smartphone camera could be utilized to perform photoplethysmography (PPG) for the assessment of vital signs, such as heart rate (HR). However, until rigorous validity assessment has been conducted, PPG will have limited use in clinical settings.Objective: We aimed to conduct a scoping review assessing the validity of resting heart rate (RHR) acquisition from PPG utilizing contact-based smartphone devices. Our four specific objectives of this scoping review were to (1) conduct a systematic search of the published literature concerning contact-based smartphone device-derived PPG, (2) map study characteristics and methodologies, (3) identify if methodological and technological advancements have been made, and (4) provide recommendations for the advancement of the investigative area.Methods: ScienceDirect, PubMed and SPORTDiscus were searched for relevant studies between January 1st, 2007, and November 6th, 2022. Filters were applied to ensure only literature written in English were included. Reference lists of included studies were manually searched for additional eligible studies.Results: In total 10 articles were included. Articles varied in terms of methodology including study characteristics, index measurement characteristics, criterion measurement characteristics, and experimental procedure. Additionally, there were variations in reporting details including primary outcome measure and measure of validity. However, all studies reached the same conclusion, with agreement ranging between good to very strong and correlations ranging from r = .98 to 1.Conclusions: Smartphone applications measuring RHR derived from contact-based smartphone PPG appear to agree with gold standard electrocardiography (ECG) in healthy subjects. However, agreement was established under highly controlled conditions. Future research could investigate their validity and consider effective approaches that transfer these methods from laboratory conditions into the “real-world”, in both healthy and clinical populations

Reference to the index of papers of Robert Mather (1782-1855) and the Mather Family

Robert Mather (1782-1855) settled in V.D.L. in 1822 with his family. He had married in 1811 Ann Benson (1786-1831), daughter of Rev. Joseph Benson, and their children were: Sarah Benson, who married George Washington Walker in 1840, Joseph Benson, Robert Andrew, John, Samuel. See also M.l0 and R.7 for other papers of the Mather family. Papers include letters of various Mather family members to other family members and friends; marriage and birth certificates and obituaries; notes on the history of Quakers; other miscellaneous Quaker correspondence; Andrew Mather Drapery business and the Friends School