A1A_1 theory of weights for rough homogeneous singular integrals and commutators

Quantitative $A_1-A_\infty$ estimates for rough homogeneous singular integrals $T_{\Omega}$ and commutators of $BMO$ symbols and $T_{\Omega}$ are obtained. In particular the following estimates are proved: % $$\|T_\Omega \|_{L^p(w)}\le c_{n,p}\|\Omega\|_{L^\infty} [w]_{A_1}^{\frac{1}{p}}\,[w]_{A_{\infty}}^{1+\frac{1}{p'}}\|f\|_{L^p(w)}$$ % and % $$\| [b,T_{\Omega}]f\|_{L^{p}(w)}\leq c_{n,p}\|b\|_{BMO}\|\Omega\|_{L^{\infty}} [w]_{A_1}^{\frac{1}{p}}[w]_{A_{\infty}}^{2+\frac{1}{p'}}\|f\|_{L^{p}\left(w\right)},$$ % for $1<p<\infty$ and $1/p+1/p'=1$.Comment: 19 page

Economic perspectives for Central America after CAFTA; a GTAP-based analysis

Using a GTAP CGE application, we assess the main economic results of CAFTA for Central America (CA). Currently, Central America enjoys preferential access to the US market through the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI). CAFTA will consolidate and augment these concessions. Meanwhile, the agreement requires widespread opening of CA markets to US imports over time. The implementation of the ATC protocol in 2005 implies increased Chinese competition for the region in the textile and apparel sectors. CAFTA will balance for this new source of competition by allowing better access for CA textiles and apparel products, while creating large opportunities for labour market improvements and FDI inflows to Central America. If these opportunities are exploited, the region has much to gain from CAFTA. However, we also find a strong sectoral readjustment from agricultural sectors to maquila-based industries, which could create important adjustment strains.

Risk premium: insights over the threshold

The aim of this paper is twofold: First to test the adequacy of Pareto distributions to describe the tail of financial returns in emerging and developed markets, and second to study the possible correlation between stock market indices observed returns and return's extreme distributional characteristics measured by Value at Risk and Expected Shortfall. We test the empirical model using daily data from 41 countries, in the period from 1995 to 2005. The findings support the adequacy of Pareto distributions and the use of a log linear regression estimation of their parameters, as an alternative for the usually employed Hill's estimator. We also report a significant relationship between extreme distributional characteristics and observed returns, especially for developed countries

Stable, covalent attachment of laminin to microposts improves the contractility of mouse neonatal cardiomyocytes.

The mechanical output of contracting cardiomyocytes, the muscle cells of the heart, relates to healthy and disease states of the heart. Culturing cardiomyocytes on arrays of elastomeric microposts can enable inexpensive and high-throughput studies of heart disease at the single-cell level. However, cardiomyocytes weakly adhere to these microposts, which limits the possibility of using biomechanical assays of single cardiomyocytes to study heart disease. We hypothesized that a stable covalent attachment of laminin to the surface of microposts improves cardiomyocyte contractility. We cultured cells on polydimethylsiloxane microposts with laminin covalently bonded with the organosilanes 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane with glutaraldehyde. We measured displacement of microposts induced by the contractility of mouse neonatal cardiomyocytes, which attach better than mature cardiomyocytes to substrates. We observed time-dependent changes in contractile parameters such as micropost deformation, contractility rates, contraction and relaxation speeds, and the times of contractions. These parameters were affected by the density of laminin on microposts and by the stability of laminin binding to micropost surfaces. Organosilane-mediated binding resulted in higher laminin surface density and laminin binding stability. 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane provided the highest laminin density but did not provide stable protein binding with time. Higher surface protein binding stability and strength were observed with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane with glutaraldehyde. In cultured cardiomyocytes, contractility rate, contraction speeds, and contraction time increased with higher laminin stability. Given these variations in contractile function, we conclude that binding of laminin to microposts via 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane with glutaraldehyde improves contractility observed by an increase in beating rate and contraction speed as it occurs during the postnatal maturation of cardiomyocytes. This approach is promising for future studies to mimic in vivo tissue environments

Intentional Discipleship: Implementing a Theology of Discipleship for Spiritual Growth

One of the greatest needs for the church today is to equip believers to become biblically informed, fully developed disciples so that they are prepared to carry out the mission of Christ. Without fully understanding mature discipleship practices, believers cannot fulfill the Great Commission to “go, teach and baptize” to make other disciples. The failure to understand and teach these practices has led to complacency, lack of interest, and the inability to become disciples among long-term church laity. This dissertation implemented biblical discipleship teachings and practices in a local church through a Sunday School curriculum and was evaluated through participant surveys and observations. The intervention comprised teaching three-two part biblically based Sunday school lessons for six weeks, one hour each, that covered biblical, spiritual, and missional foundations for discipleship. Quantitative data was collected from pre–, and post–study focus group interviews. The study showed how teaching a theology of discipleship as a biblical mandate supported by both the Old and New Testaments that emphasizes spiritual growth as a priority for a Christian lead to an increase in knowledge and desire to participate in missional practices. It affirms the need for local churches to develop a similar theology of discipleship to be integrated into their Christian education curriculum based on biblical, spiritual, and missional principles for congregants to be equipped with disciples making disciples

Trypanosoma Brucei Mitochondrial DNA POLIB Cell Cycle Localization and Effect on POLIC when POLIB is Depleted

Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as African sleeping sickness. T. brucei is unique in several ways that distinguish this organism from other eukaryotes. One of the unique features of T. brucei is the organism’s mitochondrial DNA, which is organized in a complex structure called kinetoplast DNA (kDNA). Since kDNA is unique to the kinetoplastids, kDNA may serve as a good drug target against T. brucei. Previews studies have shown that kDNA has 4 different family A mitochondrial DNA polymerases. Three of these mitochondrial DNA polymerases (POLIB, POLIC, and POLID) are essential components of kDNA synthesis and replication. POLID and POLIC dynamically localize throughout the cell cycle. POLID is found dispersed in the matrix before the kDNA has undergone replication and is re-localized at the antipodal sites when the kDNA is dividing. POLIC is found in the kinetoflagellar zone (KFZ) at low concentrations when the kDNA is not replicating and relocalizes to the antipodal sites when dividing. Based on the dynamic localization of these two DNA polymerases, we hypothesize that POLIB undergoes dynamic localization at some point during the cell cycle stage. Here, a POLIB/PTP single expressor cell line was analyzed by immunofluorescence microscopy in an unsynchronized population. We characterized the localization pattern of POLIB-PTP at different cell cycle stages and found different localization patterns throughout cell cycle. Cells at 1N1K (the majority of cell in an unsynchronized population) have single foci, but at 1N1Kdiv two different patterns are mainly observed, diffuse and segregated. When the kDNAs are separated POLIB-PTP is again seen as a distinct foci in each kDNA. By doing TdT labeling and a quantitative analysis, we found that at early stages of minicircles replication POLIB-PTP start relocalizing to the kDNA disk with a diffuse pattern being the main. By the time the minicircles are being reattached in the disk (late TdT), POLIB is seen in the disk as a bilobe shape