The political economy of shallow lakes

Shallow lakes display hysteresis in their response to phosphorous loading. Gradual increases in the nutrient content of the lake can appear to have little effect on the oligotrophic state of the lake until a point at which the lake suddenly flips to a eutrophic state. Ecotaxes on phosphorous loading have been suggested as means to maintain the lake in the socially desirable state - oligotrophic or not - when society can agree on a common welfare function. In this paper, we consider the case where society is divided into two interest groups and is thus unable to agree. In particular, the communities that share the use of the lake disagree on the relative importance of the shallow lake acting as a waste sink for phosphorous run-off as opposed to other ecosystem service. A dynamic game in which communities maximize their use of the lake results in a Nash equilibrium where the lake is in a eutrophic state when in fact the Pareto-optimum would be for the lake to be in an oligotrophic state. The tax that would induce, in a non-cooperative context, all of society's members to behave in such a way as to achieve a Pareto-optimal outcome is derived. Further, both types of communities lobby to have their preferred level of tax applied based on their relative preferences for a clean lake and phosphorous loading. The effects of the lobbying on the application of the optimal tax are investigated for particular values of relative preferences and the relative size of each group.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Rent Seeking Behavior and Optimal Taxation of Pollution in Shallow Lakes

In this paper we extend earlier work on the economics of shallow lakes by M\"aler, Xepapadeas and de Zeeuw (2003) to the case where two communities have incommensurable preferences about lake eutrophication. In the case of incommensurable preferences interest group behavior arises, we therefore consider the case where society is divided into two interest groups and is thus unable to agree on a single management objective. In particular, the communities that share the use of the lake disagree on the relative importance of the shallow lake acting as a waste sink for phosphorus run-off as opposed to other ecosystem services. A dynamic game in which communities maximize their use of the lake results in a Nash equilibrium where the lake is in a eutrophic state when in fact the Pareto optimum would be for the lake to be in an oligotrophic state. Our paper differs from previous work by considering two communities or interest groups with different preferences for environmental services. The tax that would induce, in a noncooperative context, all of society's members to behave in such a way as to achieve a Pareto optimal outcome is derived under the assumption that a social planner does not favor one community or another. We then ask whether or not such a tax rate would in fact be implemented if each community were able to bear political pressure on the social planner and the social planner were a public representative seeking re-election. In this case both types of communities lobby to have their preferred level of tax applied based on their relative preferences for a clean lake and phosphorus loading. The effects of the lobbying on the application of the optimal tax are investigated numerically for particular values of relative preferences and the relative size of each group. The representative seeking election proposes a different tax rate in order to maximize their probability of electoral success. This problem is solved numerically assuming that the lake is in a eutrophic equilibrium. It is shown that political representatives have an incentive to propose tax rates that are insufficient to achieve a return to an oligotrophic steady-statePollution of shallow lakes; optimal eco-taxation; dynamic rent seeking

HESPIDS: A Hierarchical and Extensible System for Process Injection Detection using Sysmon

Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actors are increasingly utilizing Living-off-the-Land (LotL) cyber attack techniques to avoid detection. LotL are techniques that abuse legitimate functionality to perform malicious cyber activities. A common LotL attack technique, that is currently very difficult to detect and prevent, is malicious process injection, MITRE ATT\&CK Process Injection ID: T1055. We report on the initial results for HESPIDS: A Hierarchical and Extensible System for Process Injection Detection using Sysmon. We developed a hierarchical graph-based detection approach for accurate and automated detection for five process injection techniques in Windows clients. These techniques include four of 11 T1055 sub-techniques: DLL Injection, PE Injection, APC Injection, Process Hollowing, and a T1056 sub-technique: API Hooking (T1056.004). Our novel detection approach exhibits, within the limitations of our small testing environment, very high sensitivity and specificity. HESPIDS demonstrates a promising avenue for development of automated detection of advanced cybersecurity threats

The Role of Modifier Genes in Lynch Syndrome

There are a number of inherited predispositions to colorectal cancer (CRC) which can be broadly categorized into two groups; those with associated polyposis, such as familial adenomatous polyposis and the hamartomatous polyposis syndromes; and those that are linked to the non-polyposis syndromes, such as hereditary non polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). The genetic basis of both the polyposis and non-polyposis syndromes are reflected in the CRC population who have no apparent family history of disease. Approximately 80% of all cases of CRC are associated with chromosomal instability [1] and are likely to have mutations in the Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) gene whereas the remaining 20% with microsatellite instability appears to be due primarily to epigenetic inactivation of the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) gene MLH1 [2]

Numerical Simulation of the Term Structure of Interest Rates Using a Random Yield

In this paper, we simulate the term structure of interest rates, where the yield curve is based on forward rates which are modelled as a random field. Term structure models based on random fields offer an improvement on yield curve models based on stochastic differential equations, because they do not require recalibration. In the literature, results concerning random field models of interest rates have been entirely theoretical and have not discussed the implications for yield curve modelling. The simulation results presented in this paper, to the best of our knowledge, are the first numerical results for random field based interest rates and yield curve models

Carfilzomib promotes the unfolded protein response and apoptosis in cetuximab-resistant colorectal cancer

Cetuximab is a common treatment option for patients with wild-type K-Ras colorectal carcinoma. However, patients often display intrinsic resistance or acquire resistance to cetuximab following treatment. Here we generate two human CRC cells with acquired resistance to cetuximab that are derived from cetuximab-sensitive parental cell lines. These cetuximab-resistant cells display greater in vitro proliferation, colony formation and migration, and in vivo tumour growth compared with their parental counterparts. To evaluate potential alternative therapeutics to cetuximab-acquired-resistant cells, we tested the efficacy of 38 current FDA-approved agents against our cetuximab-acquired-resistant clones. We identified carfilzomib, a selective proteosome inhibitor to be most effective against our cell lines. Carfilzomib displayed potent antiproliferative effects, induced the unfolded protein response as determined by enhanced CHOP expression and ATF6 activity, and enhanced apoptosis as determined by enhanced caspase-3/7 activity. Overall, our results indicate a potentially novel indication for carfilzomib: that of a potential alternative agent to treat cetuximab-resistant colorectal cancer. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Rodney Luwor” is provided in this record*

Cholesterol Primer for Health Professionals

As research continues in the field of coronary artery disease, more information is revealed about various etiological factors. Emerging lipoprotein risk factors have been identified and are now starting to surface as instrumental in the cause and prevention of coronary artery disease. In order to conduct comprehensive cholesterol screening programs and counseling sessions a health professional must have a thorough understanding of lipid metabolism. Recent changes in cholesterol guidelines make it necessary to have a review that addresses the specifics of lipid management. A health professional needs an appropriate knowledge base to be able to understand a major coronary artery disease risk factor and thereby more effectively educate the public about lipid management and coronary artery disease risk reduction. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to review the role of cholesterol in both normal physiological functioning and disease causation and to examine the research concerning new emerging cholesterol risk factors

AC Loss Calculation on a 6.5 MVA/25 kV HTS Traction Transformer with Hybrid Winding Structure

HTS wire cost is a critical factor for successful commercialization of HTS traction transformer technology. Wire cost might be minimized without significantly increasing AC loss by introducing a hybrid winding structure: the end-part of the windings is wound with high-cost high-I c wires; the central-part of the windings is wound with low-cost low-I c wires. We report AC loss simulation results on HTS windings with both HV and LV windings wound with REBCO wires. The 2D axisymmetric FEM simulation was carried out using H-formulation. The HV windings are wound with 4 mm-wide wires and LV windings are wound with 8/5 (eight 5 mm - wide strands) Roebel cables. Both HV and LV windings have a hybrid structure in order to reduce the wire cost. Flux diverters are placed at the end of the windings to reduce AC loss. Significant HTS wire cost reduction could be achieved without compromising AC loss by using hybrid windings. This may help commercialize HTS traction transformer technology

How About Tomorrow? Optimal Procrastination and the Implications for Delay in Submitting to Conferences

In these times of academic stress in which one's time budget is a binding constraint, procrastination and delay may be an optimal response to deadlines imposed by conference organizers. We formulate a model of optimal procrastination using optimal stopping theory. Whilst the date of the conference is known and the "soft" deadline is also known by the authors of the paper, the "hard" deadline for the publication of the conference proceedings and program is only known by the organizers. Organizers possess a lower and upper limit on the numbers of participants determined by their budget and the capacity of the conference venue. The authors wold like to submit papers as late as possible subject to these constraints. The question this paper attempts to address is "What is the optimal period of procrastination for the authors?