5,159 research outputs found
Calcitonin receptor-like receptor is expressed on gastrointestinal immune cells
Background/Aims: Pharmacological and morphological studies suggest that the gut mucosal immune system and local neuropeptide-containing neurones interact. We aimed to determine whether gut immune cells are targets for calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), which has potent immune regulatory properties. Methods: Using density gradient centrifugation, rat lamina propria mononuclear cells (LP-MNCs) and intra-epithelial lymphocytes (IELs) were isolated. RT-PCR was employed for the detection of mRNA of rat calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CRLR), which is considered to represent the pharmacologically defined CGRP receptor-1 subtype, as well as mRNA of the receptor activity-modifying proteins, which are essential for CRLR function and determine ligand specificity. A radioreceptor assay was employed for the detection of specific CGRP binding sites. Results: RT-PCR and DNA sequencing showed that LP-MNCs and IELs express CRLR. Incubation of isolated LP-MNCs with radiolabelled alphaCGRP revealed the existence of specific binding sites for CGRP. Conclusion: These novel data indicate that mucosal immune cells of the rat gut are a target for CGRP and provide significant evidence that CGRP functions as an immune regulator in the gut mucosa. Copyright (C) 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel
Buyback Problem - Approximate matroid intersection with cancellation costs
In the buyback problem, an algorithm observes a sequence of bids and must
decide whether to accept each bid at the moment it arrives, subject to some
constraints on the set of accepted bids. Decisions to reject bids are
irrevocable, whereas decisions to accept bids may be canceled at a cost that is
a fixed fraction of the bid value. Previous to our work, deterministic and
randomized algorithms were known when the constraint is a matroid constraint.
We extend this and give a deterministic algorithm for the case when the
constraint is an intersection of matroid constraints. We further prove a
matching lower bound on the competitive ratio for this problem and extend our
results to arbitrary downward closed set systems. This problem has applications
to banner advertisement, semi-streaming, routing, load balancing and other
problems where preemption or cancellation of previous allocations is allowed
Farm Management - Bugger the roots, where is the future?
The Farm Management discipline has long been closely aligned with agricultural economics. The question we raise is not where either discipline came from but where is Farm Management going. The impact of globalisation, the rising tide of deregulation and chain reversal mean that farm management professionals who have traditionally focused on optimisation of activities at a farm level are now commonly expected to use sociology and management science to explain economic organisation and performance on farms. They also are required to look at relationships in the value chain(s) in which the farm sits. This paper will analyse the implications of such change for Farm Management professionals.Farm Management, value chains, Farm Management,
On Conceptually Simple Algorithms for Variants of Online Bipartite Matching
We present a series of results regarding conceptually simple algorithms for
bipartite matching in various online and related models. We first consider a
deterministic adversarial model. The best approximation ratio possible for a
one-pass deterministic online algorithm is , which is achieved by any
greedy algorithm. D\"urr et al. recently presented a -pass algorithm called
Category-Advice that achieves approximation ratio . We extend their
algorithm to multiple passes. We prove the exact approximation ratio for the
-pass Category-Advice algorithm for all , and show that the
approximation ratio converges to the inverse of the golden ratio
as goes to infinity. The convergence is
extremely fast --- the -pass Category-Advice algorithm is already within
of the inverse of the golden ratio.
We then consider a natural greedy algorithm in the online stochastic IID
model---MinDegree. This algorithm is an online version of a well-known and
extensively studied offline algorithm MinGreedy. We show that MinDegree cannot
achieve an approximation ratio better than , which is guaranteed by any
consistent greedy algorithm in the known IID model.
Finally, following the work in Besser and Poloczek, we depart from an
adversarial or stochastic ordering and investigate a natural randomized
algorithm (MinRanking) in the priority model. Although the priority model
allows the algorithm to choose the input ordering in a general but well defined
way, this natural algorithm cannot obtain the approximation of the Ranking
algorithm in the ROM model
Effect of spatial variation on salinity tolerance of macroinvertebrates in Eastern Australia and implications for ecosystem protection trigger values
Salinisation of freshwater has been identified as a serious environmental issue in Australia and around the world. Protective concentrations (trigger values) for salinity can be used to manage salinity impacts, though require locally relevant salinity tolerance information. 72-h acute salinity tolerance values were determined for 102 macroinvertebrates collected from 11 locations in four biologically distinct freshwater bio-regions in Northeast Australia and compared with sensitivities observed in Southeast Australia. The salinity tolerance of individual taxa was consistent across Northeast Australia and between Northeast and Southeast Australia. However, two distinct communities were identified in Northeast Australia using distributions of the acute tolerance values and a calculated index of salinity sensitivity. Salinity trigger values should therefore be representative of local or regionally relevant communities and may be adequately calculated using sensitivity values from throughout Eastern Australia. The results presented provide a basis for assessing salinity risk and determining trigger values for salinity in freshwater ecosystems at local and regional scales in Eastern Australia. Crown Copyrigh
The impact of constructive operating lease capitalisation on key accounting ratios
Current UK lease accounting regulation does not require operating leases to be capitalised in the accounts of lessees, although this is likely to change with the publication of FRS 5. This study conducts a prospective analysis of the effects of such a change. The potential magnitude of the impact of lease capitalisation upon individual users' decisions, market valuations, company cash flows, and managers' behaviour can be indicated by the effect on key accounting ratios, which are employed in decision-making and in financial contracts. The capitalised value of operating leases is estimated using a method similar to that suggested by Imhoff, Lipe and Wright (1991), adapted for the UK accounting and tax environment, and developed to incorporate company-specific assumptions. Results for 1994 for a random sample of 300 listed UK companies show that, on average, the unrecorded long-term liability represented 39% of reported long-term debt, while the unrecorded asset represented 6% of total assets. Capitalisation had a significant impact (at the 1% level) on six of the nine selected ratios (profit margin, return on assets, asset turnover, and three measures of gearing). Moreover, the Spearman rank correlation between each ratio before and after capitalisation revealed that the ranking of companies changed markedly for gearing measures in particular. There were significant inter-industry variations, with the services sector experiencing the greatest impact. An analysis of the impact of capitalisation over the five-year period from 1990 to 1994 showed that capitalisation had the greatest impact during the trough of the recession. Results were shown to be robust with respect to key assumptions of the capitalisation method. These findings contribute to the assessment of the economic consequences of a policy change requiring operating lease capitalisation. Significant changes in the magnitude of key accounting ratios and a major shift in company performance rankings suggest that interested parties' decisions and company cash flows are likely to be affected
Technique for producing highly planar Si/SiO0.64Ge0.36/Si metal–oxide–semiconductor field effect transistor channels
Si/Si0.64Ge0.36/Si heterostructures have been grown at low temperature (450 °C) to avoid the strain-induced roughening observed for growth temperatures of 550 °C and above. The electrical properties of these structures are poor, and thought to be associated with grown-in point defects as indicated in positron annihilation spectroscopy. However, after an in situ annealing procedure (800 °C for 30 min) the electrical properties dramatically improve, giving an optimum 4 K mobility of 2500 cm2 V – 1 s – 1 for a sheet density of 6.2 × 1011 cm – 2. The low temperature growth yields highly planar interfaces, which are maintained after anneal as evidenced from transmission electron microscopy. This and secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurements demonstrate that the metastably strained alloy layer can endure the in situ anneal procedure necessary for enhanced electrical properties. Further studies have shown that the layers can also withstand a 120 min thermal oxidation at 800 °C, commensurate with metal–oxide–semiconductor device fabrication
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