A Demoeconomic Model of Interregional Growth Rate Differences

This paper sets forth a demoeconomic approach to interregional development along non-neoclassical lines. This objective is carried out by elaborating on a recently published model of interregional growth rate differences (Dixon and Thirlwall, 1975). First, a critical review of this model suggests the implausibility of its main result, i.e., the possibility of steady growth by a pair of regions over the long run. It is shown that (a) the omission of migration which would eventually dampen the implied income divergence; and (b) the linear structure of the model cause such a result. Thus, an extension of this model is proposed which includes migration as well as other demographic aspects of development (labor force participation and unemployment), endogenously and simultaneously determined. Interestingly enough, the nature of these variables provides an impetus for reconsidering linearity| the proper modeling of demoeconomic effects necessarily introduces non- linearities. Non-static long-term rates of change are shown to emerge from the simulation of this extended model| as a consequence of population shifts due to migration, there appear regional cycles accompanied by cycles of divergence and convergence of income

A Demoeconomic Model of Interregional Growth Rate Differences

Declining rates of national population growth, continuing differential rates of regional economic activity, and shifts in the migration patterns of people and jobs are characteristic empirical aspects of many developed countries. In several instances, they have combined to bring about a relative (and in some cases absolute) population decline of highly urbanized areas, e.g., New York, Tokyo, and Stockholm. In other cases, they have brought about rapid metropolitan growth, e.g., Houston, Miami, and Moscow. This paper argues for a demoeconomic modeling of multiregional systems. It proposes a model that accounts for interregional growth rate differences by means of an endogenous and simultaneous determination of labor force participation, migration, and unemployment

Modeling the Dynamics of a System of Metropolitan Areas: A Demoeconomic Approach

This paper proposes a complete dynamic model of a system of metropolitan areas interacting through economic and demographic links, namely trade and migration respectively. It not only considers interregional effects (through an interregional input-output submodel) but also intraregional effects (through a set of Garin-Lowry submodels). In addition it allows the simultaneous determination of migration rates, labor-force-participation rates, and unemployment rates. Suggestive of the demoeconomic approach, this model also reveals the methodological difficulties that such an approach implies

<i>atonal-</i> and <i>achaete-scute</i>-related genes in the annelid <i>Platynereis dumerilii</i>: insights into the evolution of neural basic-Helix-Loop-Helix genes

Background: Functional studies in model organisms, such as vertebrates and Drosophila, have shown that basic Helix-loop-Helix ( bHLH) proteins have important roles in different steps of neurogenesis, from the acquisition of neural fate to the differentiation into specific neural cell types. However, these studies highlighted many differences in the expression and function of orthologous bHLH proteins during neural development between vertebrates and Drosophila. To understand how the functions of neural bHLH genes have evolved among bilaterians, we have performed a detailed study of bHLH genes during nervous system development in the polychaete annelid, Platynereis dumerilii, an organism which is evolutionary distant from both Drosophila and vertebrates. Results: We have studied Platynereis orthologs of the most important vertebrate neural bHLH genes, i.e. achaete-scute, neurogenin, atonal, olig, and NeuroD genes, the latter two being genes absent of the Drosophila genome. We observed that all these genes have specific expression patterns during nervous system formation in Platynereis. Our data suggest that in Platynereis, like in vertebrates but unlike Drosophila, ( i) neurogenin is the main proneural gene for the formation of the trunk central nervous system, (ii) achaetescute and olig genes are involved in neural subtype specification in the central nervous system, in particular in the specification of the serotonergic phenotype. In addition, we found that the Platynereis NeuroD gene has a broad and early neuroectodermal expression, which is completely different from the neuronal expression of vertebrate NeuroD genes. Conclusion: Our analysis suggests that the Platynereis bHLH genes have both proneural and neuronal specification functions, in a way more akin to the vertebrate situation than to that of Drosophila. We conclude that these features are ancestral to bilaterians and have been conserved in the vertebrates and annelids lineages, but have diverged in the evolutionary lineage leading to Drosophila

Maintenance of genetic and morphological identity in two sibling Syrrhopodon species (Calymperaceae, Bryopsida) despite extensive introgression.

Bryophytes are a group of land plants in which the role of hybridization has long been challenged. Using genotyping by sequencing to circumvent the lack of molecular variation at selected loci previously used for phylogeny and morphology, we determine the level of genetic and morphological divergence and reproductive isolation between the sibling Syrrhopodon annotinus and S. simmondsii (Calymperaceae, Bryopsida) that occur in sympatry but in different habitats in lowland Amazonian rainforests. A clear morphological differentiation and a low (0.06), but significant Fst derived from the analysis of 183 single nucleotide polymorphisms were observed between the two species. Conspecific pairs of individuals consistently exhibited higher average kinship coefficients along a gradient of geographic isolation than interspecific pairs. The weak, but significant genetic divergence observed is consistent with growing evidence that ecological specialization can lead to genetic differentiation among bryophyte species. Nevertheless, the spatial genetic structures of the two species were significantly correlated, as evidenced by the significant slope of the Mantel test based on kinship coefficients between pairs of interspecific individuals and the geographic distance separating them. Interspecific pairs of individuals are thus more closely related when they are geographically closer, suggesting that isolation‐by‐distance is stronger than the interspecific reproductive barrier and pointing to interspecific gene flow. We conclude that interspecific introgression, whose role has long been questioned in bryophytes, may take place even in species wherein sporophyte production is scarce due to dioicy, raising the question as to what mechanisms maintain differentiation despite weak reproductive isolation

In-depth mesocrystal formation analysis of microwave-assisted synthesis of LiMnPO4nanostructures in organic solution

In the present work, we report on the preparation of LiMnPO4 (lithiophilite) nanorods and mesocrystals composed of self-assembled rod subunits employing microwave-assisted precipitation with processing times on the time scale of minutes. Starting from metal salt precursors and H3PO4 as phosphate source, single-phase LiMnPO4 powders with grain sizes of approx. 35 and 65 nm with varying morphologies were obtained by tailoring the synthesis conditions using rac-1-phenylethanol as solvent. The mesocrystal formation, microstructure and phase composition were determined by electron microscopy, nitrogen physisorption, X-ray diffraction (including Rietveld refinement), dynamic light scattering, X-ray absorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and other techniques. In addition, we investigated the formed organic matter by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry in order to gain a deeper understanding of the dissolution\u2013precipitation process. Also, we demonstrate that the obtained LiMnPO4 nanocrystals can be redispersed in polar solvents such as ethanol and dimethylformamide and are suitable as building blocks for the fabrication of nanofibers via electrospinning

Transcriptomic effects of adenosine 2A receptor deletion in healthy and endotoxemic murine myocardium

Influences of adenosine 2A receptor (A2AR) activity on the cardiac transcriptome and genesis of endotoxemic myocarditis are unclear. We applied transcriptomic profiling (39 K Affymetrix arrays) to identify A2AR-sensitive molecules, revealed by receptor knockout (KO), in healthy and endotoxemic hearts. Baseline cardiac function was unaltered and only 37 A2AR-sensitive genes modified by A2AR KO (≥1.2-fold change, \u3c5 \u3e% FDR); the five most induced are Mtr, Ppbp, Chac1, Ctsk and Cnpy2 and the five most repressed are Hp, Yipf4, Acta1, Cidec and Map3k2. Few canonical paths were impacted, with altered Gnb1, Prkar2b, Pde3b and Map3k2 (among others) implicating modified G protein/cAMP/PKA and cGMP/NOS signalling. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 20 mg/kg) challenge for 24 h modified \u3e4100 transcripts in wild-type (WT) myocardium (≥1.5-fold change, FDR \u3c 1 %); the most induced are Lcn2 (+590); Saa3 (+516); Serpina3n (+122); Cxcl9 (+101) and Cxcl1 (+89) and the most repressed are Car3 (−38); Adipoq (−17); Atgrl1/Aplnr (−14); H19 (−11) and Itga8 (−8). Canonical responses centred on inflammation, immunity, cell death and remodelling, with pronounced amplification of toll-like receptor (TLR) and underlying JAK-STAT, NFκB and MAPK pathways, and a ‘cardio-depressant’ profile encompassing suppressed ß-adrenergic, PKA and Ca2+ signalling, electromechanical and mitochondrial function (and major shifts in transcripts impacting function/injury including Lcn2, S100a8/S100a9, Icam1/Vcam and Nox2 induction, and Adipoq, Igf1 and Aplnr repression). Endotoxemic responses were selectively modified by A2AR KO, supporting inflammatory suppression via A2AR sensitive shifts in regulators of NFκB and JAK-STAT signalling (IκBζ, IκBα, STAT1, CDKN1a and RRAS2) without impacting the cardio-depressant gene profile. Data indicate A2ARs exert minor effects in un-stressed myocardium and selectively suppress NFκB and JAK-STAT signalling and cardiac injury without influencing cardiac depression in endotoxemia

Intraoperative ketorolac in high-risk breast cancer patients : A prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial

Funding: This work is financed by grants received by PF, in the name of his institution: the Anticancer Fund (no grant number) (www.anticancerfund.org); the Belgian Society of Anaesthesia and Resuscitation (no grant number) (www.sarb.be); the Fondation Saint-Luc (no grant number) (www.uclouvain.be); the Commission du Patrimoine of the Université catholique de Louvain, St-Luc Hospital (exceptional grant, no number) (www.uclouvain.be). None of the funders had any role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript except the scientific advise of GB, scientific director of the Anticancer Fund.Peer reviewedPublisher PD