Mixed Quotation

The central challenge posed by mixed quotation is that it exhibits both regular semantic use and metalinguistic reference, simultaneously. Semanticists disagree considerably on how to capture the interplay between these two meaning aspects. In this case study I present the various semantic approaches to mixed quotation and compare their predictions with respect to empirical phenomena like indexical shifting, projection, and non‐constituent mixed quotation

Education and Optimal Dynamic Taxation

We study optimal tax and educational policies in a dynamic private information economy, in which ex-ante heterogeneous individuals make an educational investment early in their life and face a stochastic wage distribution. We characterize labor and education wedges in this setting analytically and numerically, using a calibrated example. We present ways to implement the optimum. In one implementation there is a common labor income tax schedule, and a repayment schedule for government loans given out to agents during education. These repayment plans are contingent on loan size and income and capture the history dependence of the labor wedges. Applying the model to US-data and a binary education decision (graduating from college or not) we characterize optimal labor wedges for individuals without college degree and with college degree. The labor wedge of college graduates as a function of income lies first strictly above their counterparts from high-school, but this reverses at higher incomes. The loan repayment schedule is hump-shaped in income for college graduates

Using vital statistics to estimate the population-level impact of osteoporotic fractures on mortality based on death certificates, with an application to France (2000-2004)

Abstract Background We developed a methodology using vital statistics to estimate the impact of osteoporotic fractures on the mortality of an entire population, and applied it to France for the period 2000-2004. Methods Current definitions of osteoporotic fractures were reviewed and their components identified. We used the International Classification of Diseases with national vital statistics data for the French adult population and performed cross-classifications between various components: age, sex, I-code (site) and E-code (mechanism of fracture). This methodology allowed identification of appropriate thresholds and categorization for each pertinent component. Results 2,625,743 death certificates were analyzed, 2.2% of which carried a mention of fracture. Hip fractures represented 55% of all deaths from fracture. Both sexes showed a similar pattern of mortality rates for all fracture sites, the rate increased with age from the age of 70 years. The E-high-energy code (present in 12% of death certificates with fractures) was found to be useful to rule-out non-osteoporotic fractures, and to correct the overestimation of mortality rates. Using this methodology, the crude number of deaths associated with fractures was estimated to be 57,753 and the number associated with osteoporotic fractures 46,849 (1.85% and 1.78% of all deaths, respectively). Conclusion Osteoporotic fractures have a significant impact on overall population mortality.</p

Quantitative Easing in Joseph's Egypt with Keynesian Producers

This paper considers monetary and fiscal policy when tangible assets can be accumulated after shocks that increase desired savings, like Joseph's biblical prophecy of seven fat years followed by seven lean years. The model's flexible-price allocation mimics Joseph's saving to smooth consumption. With nominal rigidities, monetary policy that eliminates liquidity traps leaves the economy vulnerable to confidence recessions with low consumption and investment. Josephean Quantitative Easing, a fiscal policy that purchases either obligations collateralized by tangible assets or the assets themselves, eliminates both liquidity traps and confidence recessions by putting a floor under future consumption. This requires no commitment to a time-inconsistent plan

N-substituted benzamides inhibit NFκB activation and induce apoptosis by separate mechanisms

Benzamides have been in clinical use for many years in treatment against various disorders. A recent application is that as a sensitizer for radio- or chemotherapies. We have here analysed the mechanism of action of N-substituted benzamides using an in vitro system. We found that while procainamide was biologically inert in our system, the addition of a chloride in the 3′ position of the benzamide ring created a compound (declopramide) that induced rapid apoptosis. Furthermore, declopramide also inhibited NFκB activation by inhibition of IκBβ breakdown. An acetylated variant of declopramide, N-acetyl declopramide, showed no effect with regard to rapid apoptosis induction but was a potent inhibitor of NFκB activation. In fact, the addition of an acetyl group to procainamide in the 4′ position was sufficient to convert this biologically inactive substance to a potent inhibitor of NFκB activation. These findings suggest two potential mechanisms, induction of early apoptosis and inhibition of NFκB mediated salvage from apoptosis, for the biological effect of N-substituted benzamides as radio- and chemo-sensitizers. In addition it suggests that N-substituted benzamides are potential candidates for the development of anti-inflammatory compounds using NFκB as a drug target. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig

The Ontogenetic Osteohistology of Tenontosaurus tilletti

Tenontosaurus tilletti is an ornithopod dinosaur known from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) Cloverly and Antlers formations of the Western United States. It is represented by a large number of specimens spanning a number of ontogenetic stages, and these specimens have been collected across a wide geographic range (from central Montana to southern Oklahoma). Here I describe the long bone histology of T. tilletti and discuss histological variation at the individual, ontogenetic and geographic levels. The ontogenetic pattern of bone histology in T. tilletti is similar to that of other dinosaurs, reflecting extremely rapid growth early in life, and sustained rapid growth through sub-adult ontogeny. But unlike other iguanodontians, this dinosaur shows an extended multi-year period of slow growth as skeletal maturity approached. Evidence of termination of growth (e.g., an external fundamental system) is observed in only the largest individuals, although other histological signals in only slightly smaller specimens suggest a substantial slowing of growth later in life. Histological differences in the amount of remodeling and the number of lines of arrested growth varied among elements within individuals, but bone histology was conservative across sampled individuals of the species, despite known paleoenvironmental differences between the Antlers and Cloverly formations. The bone histology of T. tilletti indicates a much slower growth trajectory than observed for other iguanodontians (e.g., hadrosaurids), suggesting that those taxa reached much larger sizes than Tenontosaurus in a shorter time

Contemporary management of cancer of the oral cavity

Oral cancer represents a common entity comprising a third of all head and neck malignant tumors. The options for curative treatment of oral cavity cancer have not changed significantly in the last three decades; however, the work up, the approach to surveillance, and the options for reconstruction have evolved significantly. Because of the profound functional and cosmetic importance of the oral cavity, management of oral cavity cancers requires a thorough understanding of disease progression, approaches to management and options for reconstruction. The purpose of this review is to discuss the most current management options for oral cavity cancers

Bone histology sheds new light on the ecology of the dodo (Raphus cucullatus, Aves, Columbiformes)

Abstract The dodo, Raphus cucullatus, a flightless pigeon endemic to Mauritius, became extinct during the 17th century due to anthropogenic activities. Although it was contemporaneous with humans for almost a century, little was recorded about its ecology. Here we present new aspects of the life history of the dodo based on our analysis of its bone histology. We propose that the dodo bred around August and that the rapid growth of the chicks enabled them to reach a robust size before the austral summer or cyclone season. Histological evidence of molting suggests that after summer had passed, molt began in the adults that had just bred; the timing of molt derived from bone histology is also corroborated by historical descriptions of the dodo by mariners. This research represents the only bone histology analysis of the dodo and provides an unprecedented insight into the life history of this iconic bird