TECHNICAL PROGRESS IN THE SETE TRAWL FISHERY, 1985-1999

Fisheries throughout the world have long been subject to overfishing and excess capacity, which has generated substantial and increasing concern about biological and economic performance ramifications. These problems in part stem from substantial investment in technical improvements to boats and equipment in fishing fleets. Such technical change exacerbates the extent of excess fishing capacity, as well as low returns to fishing effort and investment due to catch limitations from both regulatory constraints and overfished stocks. However, economists have not yet attempted to quantify the extent or effects of technical change in fisheries. In this paper we use detailed data on innovation patterns for 19 vessels in the Sete trawl fleet of Southern France to evaluate the contributions of embodied and disembodied technical change to catch rates. We find that embodied technical change enhanced productivity by approximately 1 percent per year between 1985-99, but that external (disembodied) events counteracted this by causing a net output decline of about 3 percent per year. Neither efficiency nor output composition changes appear to have had a substantive effect on observed performance levels.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Quaternion Singular Value Decomposition based on Bidiagonalization to a Real Matrix using Quaternion Householder Transformations

We present a practical and efficient means to compute the singular value decomposition (svd) of a quaternion matrix A based on bidiagonalization of A to a real bidiagonal matrix B using quaternionic Householder transformations. Computation of the svd of B using an existing subroutine library such as lapack provides the singular values of A. The singular vectors of A are obtained trivially from the product of the Householder transformations and the real singular vectors of B. We show in the paper that left and right quaternionic Householder transformations are different because of the noncommutative multiplication of quaternions and we present formulae for computing the Householder vector and matrix in each case

High-Sensitivity C Reactive Protein: Associations with Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Tracking in Female Adolescents and Young Adults

Objective. We assessed adolescent anthropometry, lipids, insulin, glucose, and blood pressures to identify factors associated with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and its tracking in young adults. Methods. Ten-year prospective study of 589 schoolgirls, 321 black, 268 white. Results. HsCRP did not differ (P > .08) by race or oral contraceptive use. HsCRP tracked from age 16 to 25 (r = 0.77), 16 to 26 (r = 0.50), 24 to 26 (r = 0.66), and 25 to 26 (r = 0.71), all P ≤ .02. By stepwise regression, at age 16, waist circumference accounted for 44.8% of hsCRP variance; BMI accounted for 33.1%, 34.4%, and 31.1% at ages 24, 25, and 26, P < .0001 for all. Changes in cholesterol and BMI were associated with change in hsCRP from age 24–26 (partial R2 = 12.3%  P < .0001, 6.6%  P = .0012). Changes in BMI and triglyceride (partial R2 = 8.5%  P = .0001, 3.3%, P = .0045) were associated with change in hsCRP from age 25 to 26. Conclusions. HsCRP tracks from age 16 to 26, with BMI, waist circumference, and cholesterol as major determinants

C–H Borylation Catalysis of Heteroaromatics by a Rhenium Boryl Polyhydride

Transition metal complexes bearing metal–boron bonds are of particular relevance to catalytic C–H borylation reactions, with iridium polyboryl and polyhydrido-boryl complexes the current benchmark catalysts for these transformations. Herein, we demonstrate that polyhydride boryl phosphine rhenium complexes are accessible and catalyze the C–H borylation of heteroaromatic substrates. Reaction of [K(DME)(18-c-6)][ReH4(Bpin)(η2-HBpin)(κ2-H2Bpin)] 1 with 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane (dppp) produced [K(18-c-6)][ReH4(η2-HBpin)(dppp)] 2 through substitution of two equivalents of HBpin, and protonation of 2 formed the neutral complex [ReH6(Bpin)(dppp)] 3. Combined X-ray crystallographic and DFT studies show that 2 is best described as a σ-borane complex, whereas 3 is a boryl complex. Significantly, the boryl complex 3 acted as a catalyst for the C(sp2)–H borylation of a variety of heteroarenes (14 examples including furan, thiophene, pyrrole and indole derivatives) and displayed similar reactivity to the iridium analogues

Mutations in CHMP2B in lower motor neuron predominant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a common late-onset neurodegenerative disease, is associated with fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) in 3-10% of patients. A mutation in CHMP2B was recently identified in a Danish pedigree with autosomal dominant FTD. Subsequently, two unrelated patients with familial ALS, one of whom also showed features of FTD, were shown to carry missense mutations in CHMP2B. The initial aim of this study was to determine whether mutations in CHMP2B contribute more broadly to ALS pathogenesis. Methodology/Principal Findings: Sequencing of CHMP2B in 433 ALS cases from the North of England identified 4 cases carrying 3 missense mutations, including one novel mutation, p. Thr104Asn, none of which were present in 500 neurologically normal controls. Analysis of clinical and neuropathological data of these 4 cases showed a phenotype consistent with the lower motor neuron predominant (progressive muscular atrophy (PMA)) variant of ALS. Only one had a recognised family history of ALS and none had clinically apparent dementia. Microarray analysis of motor neurons from CHMP2B cases, compared to controls, showed a distinct gene expression signature with significant differential expression predicting disassembly of cell structure; increased calcium concentration in the ER lumen; decrease in the availability of ATP; down-regulation of the classical and p38 MAPK signalling pathways, reduction in autophagy initiation and a global repression of translation. Transfection of mutant CHMP2B into HEK-293 and COS-7 cells resulted in the formation of large cytoplasmic vacuoles, aberrant lysosomal localisation demonstrated by CD63 staining and impairment of autophagy indicated by increased levels of LC3-II protein. These changes were absent in control cells transfected with wild-type CHMP2B. Conclusions/Significance: We conclude that in a population drawn from North of England pathogenic CHMP2B mutations are found in approximately 1% of cases of ALS and 10% of those with lower motor neuron predominant ALS. We provide a body of evidence indicating the likely pathogenicity of the reported gene alterations. However, absolute confirmation of pathogenicity requires further evidence, including documentation of familial transmission in ALS pedigrees which might be most fruitfully explored in cases with a LMN predominant phenotype

Targeting the Mechanisms of Resistance to Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy with the Cancer Stem Cell Hypothesis

Despite advances in treatment, cancer remains the 2nd most common cause of death in the United States. Poor cure rates may result from the ability of cancer to recur and spread after initial therapies have seemingly eliminated detectable signs of disease. A growing body of evidence supports a role for cancer stem cells (CSCs) in tumor regrowth and spread after initial treatment. Thus, targeting CSCs in combination with traditional induction therapies may improve treatment outcomes and survival rates. Unfortunately, CSCs tend to be resistant to chemo- and radiation therapy, and a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying CSC resistance to treatment is necessary. This paper provides an update on evidence that supports a fundamental role for CSCs in cancer progression, summarizes potential mechanisms of CSC resistance to treatment, and discusses classes of drugs currently in preclinical or clinical testing that show promise at targeting CSCs