The Eye in the Sky - Freight Rate Effects of Tanker Supply

We show how the evolution of crude oil tanker freight rates depends on the employment status and geographical position of the fleet of very large crude oil carriers (VLCCs). We provide a novel measure of short-term capacity in the voyage charter market which is a proxy for the percentage of vessels available for orders. We find that our capacity measure explains parts of the freight rate evolution at weekly horizons, where traditional supply measures are uninformative. The fact that freight rates directly influence shipowners’ profitability and charterers’ expenditures makes our measure particularly relevant for these groups of market participants

Neutrophils as Key Players in the Outcome of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease with a prevalence of roughly 12 million people worldwide. It is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania and transmitted by the bite of female sandflies of the subfamily Phelbotominae. Its clinical presentation is characterized by the development of an ulcerative lesion but can be highly variable. Neutrophils play an important role in the immunity against leishmaniasis. Upon infection they are massively recruited and infected. Furthermore, they can act as “Trojan Horses”, when apoptotic neutrophils that are phagocytized by macrophages silently transmit parasites into the latter. Here, we focused on specific roles of neutrophils in leishmaniasis. We show that an effective neutrophil response against Leishmania major (L. major) depends on Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) signaling. The absence of this receptor in neutrophils leads to chronic leishmaniasis despite the development of a strong Th1 response in Tlr7-deficient mice. In contrast, activation of TLR7 at the time of infection leads to better disease control. In addition, we were able to show that the absence of TLR7 leads to a differentially regulated gene expression in L. major infected neutrophils. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the drug susceptibility phenotype of another Leishmania sp, Lesihamania (Viannia) panamensis (L. (V.) p.), modulates neutrophils main effector functions including neutrophil extracellular trap formation, reactive oxygen species production and the expression of extravasation and degranulation markers. In addition, drug resistant L. (V.) p. lines are more able to resist neutrophil mediated parasite killing. Taken together our data demonstrate the utmost importance of neutrophil response in the control of leishmaniasis and indicates the significance of continued investigation in this field to further improve patient care. -- La leishmanisose cutanée est une maladie tropicale négligée qui a une prévalence mondiale d’environ 12 millions de personnes. Elle est occasionnée par des parasites protozoaires du genre Leishmania et transmise par la piqûre de phlébotomes femelles. La manifestation clinique de la maladie est très variée. Souvent, elle est caractérisée par l’apparition d’une lésion cutanée ulcéreuse. Les neutrophiles jouent un rôle important dans la réponse immunitaire contre la leishmaniose. Ils sont massivement recrutés et infectés lors de la transmission du parasite. De plus, la phagocytose des neutrophiles infectés par des macrophages est une façon pour le parasite d’entrer les macrophages sans activer la réponse anti-inflammatoire connue comme mécanisme du «cheval de Troie». Dans la thèse présente, l’intérêt est mis sur certains rôles spécifiques des neutrophiles dans la leishmaniose. Premièrement, l’importance du signalement du récepteur de type Toll 7 (TLR7) dans la réponse des neutrophiles contre Leishmania major (L. major) a été démontrée. L’absence du TLR7 dans les neutrophiles cause une chronicisation de la leishmaniose. La stimulation du récepteur, au moment de l’infection avec L. major, résulte en un meilleur contrôle de la maladie. Ceci se produit chez les souris déficientes en TLR7 en dépit du développement d’une réponse de type 1 des cellules T auxiliaires, normalement protective. De plus, les neutrophiles infectés avec L. major ont montré des différences importantes dans l’expression génétique globale en l’absence de TLR7. Dans une deuxième partie, nous avons démontré l’implication du phénotype de la susceptibilité médicamenteuse de Leishmania (Viannia) panamensis dans la régulation des fonctions principales des neutrophiles. De plus, les parasites résistant aux médicaments ont été démontrés plus résistants à l’élimination par les neutrophiles. Ensemble, nos données démontrent l’importance d’une réponse immunitaire adéquate des neutrophiles pour le contrôle de la leishmaniose et indiquent l’importance de la poursuite des investigations dans ce domaine pour améliorer les soins aux patients

Primer on Bookkeeping for Cooperative

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_guides/2622/thumbnail.jp

Piecewise parameterised Markov random fields for semi-local Hurst estimation

Semi-local Hurst estimation is considered by incorporating a Markov random field model to constrain a wavelet-based pointwise Hurst estimator. This results in an estimator which is able to exploit the spatial regularities of a piecewise parametric varying Hurst parameter. The pointwise estimates are jointly inferred along with the parametric form of the underlying Hurst function which characterises how the Hurst parameter varies deterministically over the spatial support of the data. Unlike recent Hurst regularistion methods, the proposed approach is flexible in that arbitrary parametric forms can be considered and is extensible in as much as the associated gradient descent algorithm can accommodate a broad class of distributional assumptions without any significant modifications. The potential benefits of the approach are illustrated with simulations of various first-order polynomial forms

3D Printing of the Cerebral Vasculature Exceptionally using Freeware: A Quick and Easy Guide Technical Note

High-resolution 3D reconstructions of the cerebral vasculature are essential for preoperative planning of complex interventions in vascular neurosurgery. Quick-segmentation algorithms provided by expensive radiology applications often result in unsatisfactory 3D reconstructions. Here we show how to quickly segment and print a detailed 3D model of the cerebral vasculature without extensive knowledge in 3D modeling. Exceptionally using freeware, the total costs for the generation of a real size model of the circle of Willis are less than $10. The 3D models will be particularly valuable during preoperative planning and for patient information

Outsourcing labour to the cloud

Various forms of open sourcing to the online population are establishing themselves as cheap, effective methods of getting work done. These have revolutionised the traditional methods for innovation and have contributed to the enrichment of the concept of 'open innovation'. To date, the literature concerning this emerging topic has been spread across a diverse number of media, disciplines and academic journals. This paper attempts for the first time to survey the emerging phenomenon of open outsourcing of work to the internet using 'cloud computing'. The paper describes the volunteer origins and recent commercialisation of this business service. It then surveys the current platforms, applications and academic literature. Based on this, a generic classification for crowdsourcing tasks and a number of performance metrics are proposed. After discussing strengths and limitations, the paper concludes with an agenda for academic research in this new area