Genome-wide association study identifies common and low-frequency variants at the AMHgene locus that strongly predict serum AMH levels in males

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is an essential messenger of sexual differentiation in the foetus and is an emerging biomarker of postnatal reproductive function in females. Due to a paucity of adequately sized studies, the genetic determinants of circulating AMH levels are poorly characterized. In samples from 2815 adolescents aged 15 from the ALSPAC study, we performed the first genome-wide association study of serum AMH levels across a set of ∼9 M ‘1000 Genomes Reference Panel’ imputed genetic variants. Genetic variants at the AMH protein-coding gene showed considerable allelic heterogeneity, with both common variants [rs4807216 (PMale = 2 × 10−49, Beta: ∼0.9 SDs per allele), rs8112524 (PMale = 3 × 10−8, Beta: ∼0.25)] and low-frequency variants [rs2385821 (PMale = 6 × 10−31, Beta: ∼1.2, frequency 3.6%)] independently associated with apparently large effect sizes in males, but not females. For all three SNPs, we highlight mechanistic links to AMH gene function and demonstrate highly significant sex interactions (PHet 0.0003–6.3 × 10−12), culminating in contrasting estimates of trait variance explained (24.5% in males versus 0.8% in females). Using these SNPs as a genetic proxy for AMH levels, we found no evidence in additional datasets to support a biological role for AMH in complex traits and diseases in men

Effects of Pseudostreamer Boundary Dynamics on Heliospheric Field and Wind

Interchange reconnection has been proposed as a mechanism for the generation of the slow solar wind, and a key contributor to determining its characteristic qualities. In this paper we study the implications of interchange reconnection for the structure of the plasma and field in the heliosphere. We use the Adaptively Refined Magnetohydrodynamic Solver to simulate the coronal magnetic evolution in a coronal topology containing both a pseudostreamer and helmet streamer. We begin with a geometry containing a low-latitude coronal hole that is separated from the main polar coronal hole by a pseudostreamer. We drive the system by imposing rotating flows at the solar surface within and around the low-latitude coronal hole, which leads to a corrugation (at low altitudes) of the separatrix surfaces that separate open from closed magnetic flux. Interchange reconnection is induced both at the null points and separators of the pseudostreamer, and at the global helmet streamer. We demonstrate that a preferential occurrence of interchange reconnection in the "lanes" between our driving cells leads to a filamentary pattern of newly opened flux in the heliosphere. These flux bundles connect to but extend far from the separatrix-web (S-Web) arcs at the source surface. We propose that the pattern of granular and supergranular flows on the photosphere should leave an observable imprint in the heliosphere

Constraining the period of the ringed secondary companion to the young star J1407 with photographic plates

Context. The 16 Myr old star 1SWASP J140747.93-394542.6 (V1400 Cen) underwent a series of complex eclipses in May 2007, interpreted as the transit of a giant Hill sphere filling debris ring system around a secondary companion, J1407b. No other eclipses have since been detected, although other measurements have constrained but not uniquely determined the orbital period of J1407b. Finding another eclipse towards J1407 will help determine the orbital period of the system, the geometry of the proposed ring system and enable planning of further observations to characterize the material within these putative rings. Aims. We carry out a search for other eclipses in photometric data of J1407 with the aim of constraining the orbital period of J1407b. Methods. We present photometry from archival photographic plates from the Harvard DASCH survey, and Bamberg and Sonneberg Observatories, in order to place additional constraints on the orbital period of J1407b by searching for other dimming and eclipse events. Using a visual inspection of all 387 plates and a period-folding algorithm we performed a search for other eclipses in these data sets. Results. We find no other deep eclipses in the data spanning from 1890 to 1990, nor in recent time-series photometry from 2012-2018. Conclusions. We rule out a large fraction of putative orbital periods for J1407b from 5 to 20 years. These limits are still marginally consistent with a large Hill sphere filling ring system surrounding a brown dwarf companion in a bound elliptical orbit about J1407. Issues with the stability of any rings combined with the lack of detection of another eclipse, suggests that J1407b may not be bound to J1407.Comment: 8 pages, 3 tables, 4 figures, accepted for publication in A&A. LaTeX files of the paper, scripts for the figures, and a minimal working FPA can be found under https://github.com/robinmentel/Constraining-Period

The impact of external pressure and sustainable management practices on manufacturing performance and environmental outcomes

Purpose: The study investigates the direct effect of external pressure on environmental outcomes and manufacturing performance and examines the mediating effect of sustainable management practice. Design/methodology/approach: This study draws upon Institutional Theory and Resource Based View to understand how factors such as external pressure and sustainable management relate with environmental outcomes and manufacturing performance. The model specifies previously unexplored direct and mediating relationships between external pressure, sustainable management, environmental outcomes and manufacturing performance. The empirical analysis is based on data collected from the sixth edition of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS). The research hypotheses were tested using Structural Equation Modelling. Findings: Results show that while there is a significant direct and mediating relationship between external pressure, adoption of formal sustainability programs and environmental outcomes, such significant relationships do not exist with manufacturing performance. Practical implications: The study shows that external pressure can influence the adoption of sustainable practices but the adoption of formal sustainable practices does not necessarily lead to an improvement in manufacturing performance. The implication therefore is that managers need to clearly understand what the actual benefits of sustainability are and where financial advantage, other than manufacturing cost, may be gained. Originality/value: The relationship between the adoption of sustainable practices and organisational performance is a complex one. In contrast to previous studies, this study found that while external pressure and sustainable management relate positively with environmental outcomes, no such relationship exists with manufacturing performance. This raises a number of questions over naively following such strategies

Economic crisis and the construction of a neo-liberal regulatory regime in Korea

A consistent theme of the literature on the ontology of the 1997 South Korean crisis is the key role played by regulatory failures and the growing weakness of the state. This paper seeks to briefly highlight both the insights and the limitations of this approach to understanding the crisis. Having done so, we shall set out the argument that the crisis created an opportunity for reformist Korean élites to advance their longstanding, but previously frustrated, project to create a comprehensive unambiguously neo-liberal regulatory regime. This paper will also seek to highlight the implications of our reading of the development of the Korean political economy for broader debates on economic liberalisation, crisis and the future of the developmental state

Branch-and-lift algorithm for deterministic global optimization in nonlinear optimal control

This paper presents a branch-and-lift algorithm for solving optimal control problems with smooth nonlinear dynamics and potentially nonconvex objective and constraint functionals to guaranteed global optimality. This algorithm features a direct sequential method and builds upon a generic, spatial branch-and-bound algorithm. A new operation, called lifting, is introduced, which refines the control parameterization via a Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization process, while simultaneously eliminating control subregions that are either infeasible or that provably cannot contain any global optima. Conditions are given under which the image of the control parameterization error in the state space contracts exponentially as the parameterization order is increased, thereby making the lifting operation efficient. A computational technique based on ellipsoidal calculus is also developed that satisfies these conditions. The practical applicability of branch-and-lift is illustrated in a numerical example. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

Enhancing spaceflight safety with UOS3 cubesat

Earth orbits are becoming increasingly congested. This will not only impact future space operations but also become a concern for the population on the ground; with more spacecraft being flown, more objects will re-enter the atmosphere in an uncontrolled fashion. Parts of these satellites can reach Earth surface and endanger the ground population (e.g. ROSAT or UARS satellites). A student-run project from the University of Southampton aims to build a 1U cubesat (approx. 10 by 10 by 10 cm satellite), which will gather data that will improve the accuracy of re-entry predictions. The cubesat will record and deliver its position and attitude during the orbital decay, thus providing validation data for re-entry prediction tools. This will reduce the risk to the ground population because more accurate prognoses will allow mitigation measures to be implemented in the areas at risk. The mission could also allow the risk of collision between spacecraft to be estimated more accurately thanks to improvement of the atmospheric models. This would give the decision makers more complete information to use, for instance, in collision avoidance manoeuvre plannin