Notes on the frugivorous fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) fauna of western Africa, with description of a new Dacus species

The species richness of the frugivorous fruit fly fauna of western African (in particular of Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria) is discussed. The diversity is compared at a national level and between the ecoregions within the national boundaries of the study area. A new species, Dacus goergeni sp. nov. is described and additional taxonomic notes are presented

How Occupied France Financed Its Own Exploitation in World War II

The occupation payments made by France to Nazi Germany between 1940 and 1944 represent one of the largest recorded international transfers and contributed significantly to financing the overall German war effort. Using a neoclassical growth model that incorporates essential features of the occupied economy and the postwar stabilization, we assess the welfare costs of French policies that funded payments to Germany. Occupation payments required a 16 percent reduction of consumption for twenty years, with the draft of labor to Germany and wage and price controls adding substantially to this burden. Vichy%u2019s postwar debt overhang would have demanded large budget surpluses; but inflation, which erupted after Liberation, reduced the debt well below its steady state level and redistributed the adjustment costs. The Marshall Plan played only a minor direct role, and international credits helped to substantially lower the nation%u2019s burden.

VAR for VaR: measuring systemic risk using multivariate regression quantiles.

This paper proposes methods for estimation and inference in multivariate, multi-quantile models. The theory can simultaneously accommodate models with multiple random variables, multiple confidence levels, and multiple lags of the associated quantiles. The proposed framework can be conveniently thought of as a vector autoregressive (VAR) extension to quantile models. We estimate a simple version of the model using market returns data to analyse spillovers in the values at risk (VaR) of different financial institutions. We construct impulse-response functions for the quantile processes of a sample of 230 financial institutions around the world and study how financial institution-specific and system-wide shocks are absorbed by the system.Quantile impulse-responses; spillover; codependence; CAViaR

Modeling autoregressive conditional skewness and kurtosis with multi-quantile CAViaR

Engle and Manganelli (2004) propose CAViaR, a class of models suitable for estimating conditional quantiles in dynamic settings. Engle and Manganelli apply their approach to the estimation of Value at Risk, but this is only one of many possible applications. Here we extend CAViaR models to permit joint modeling of multiple quantiles, Multi-Quantile (MQ) CAViaR. We apply our new methods to estimate measures of conditional skewness and kurtosis defined in terms of conditional quantiles, analogous to the unconditional quantile-based measures of skewness and kurtosis studied by Kim and White (2004). We investigate the performance of our methods by simulation, and we apply MQ-CAViaR to study conditional skewness and kurtosis of S&P 500 daily returns. JEL Classification: C13, C32Asset returns, CAViaR, conditional quantiles, Dynamic quantiles, Kurtosis, Skewness

Women in Federal Prison: Pathways In, Programs Out

One of the fastest growing populations in most correctional systems is female offenders and the impact of these rising numbers is significant. The author speaks to the rising female population numbers, the types of crimes and behaviors that lead to their incarceration, the characteristics of female offenders, the impact their incarceration has on their families and children, and how gender responsive programming is pivotal to their effective and successful reentry into society

Some Inequalities in 2-inner Product Spaces

In this paper we extend some results on the refinement of Cauchy-Buniakowski-Schwarz's inequality and Aćzel's inequality in inner product spaces to 2-inner product spaces

On Some Grüss Type Inequality in 2-Inner Product Spaces and Applications

In this paper, we shall give a generalization of the Grüss type inequality and obtain some applications of the Grüss type inequality in terms of 2-inner product spaces

In Vitro Fermentation of Oat Flours from Typical and High β-Glucan Oat Lines

Two publicly available oat (Avena sativa) lines, “Jim” and “Paul” (5.17 and 5.31% β-glucan, respectively), and one experimental oat line “N979” (7.70% β-glucan), were used to study the effect of β-glucan levels in oat flours during simulated in vitro digestion and fermentation with human fecal flora obtained from different individuals. The oat flours were digested by using human digestion enzymes and fermented by batch fermentation under anaerobic conditions for 24 h. The fermentation progress was monitored by measuring pH, total gas, and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. Significant effects of β-glucan on the formation of gas and total SCFA were observed compared to the blank without substrate (P \u3c 0.05); however, there were no differences in pH changes, total gas, and total SCFA production among oat lines (P \u3e 0.05). Acetate, propionate, and butyrate were the main SCFA produced from digested oat flours during fermentation. More propionate and less acetate were produced from digested oat flours compared to lactulose. Different human fecal floras obtained from three healthy individuals had similar patterns in the change of pH and the production of gas during fermentation. Total SCFA after 24 h of fermentation were not different, but the formation rates of total SCFA differed between individuals. In vitro fermentation of digested oat flours with β-glucan could provide favorable environmental conditions for the colon and these findings, thus, will help in developing oat-based food products with desirable health benefits

In Vitro Digestion Rate and Estimated Glycemic Index of Oat Flours from Typical and High β-Glucan Oat Lines

The in vitro starch digestion rate and estimated glycemic index (GI) of oat flours and oat starches from typical and high β-glucan oat lines were evaluated along with the impact of heating on starch digestion. Flour from oat lines (\u27Jim\u27, \u27Paul\u27, IA95, and N979 containing 4.0, 5.3, 7.4, and 7.7% β-glucan, respectively) was digested by pepsin and porcine pancreatin. To determine the impact of heating on starch digestion, oat slurries were prepared by mixing oat flour and water (1:8 ratio) and heating for 10 min prior to digestion. Viscosity, as measured on a Rapid Visco Analyzer, increased with increases in concentration and molecular weight of β-glucan. The in vitro starch digestion of oat flours and a control, white bread made from wheat flour, increased as the digestion time increased. Starch digestion of oat flour was slower than that of the control (p \u3c 0.05). Heat treatment of oat-flour slurries increased the starch digestion from a range of 31–39% to a range of 52–64% measured after 180 min of in vitro digestion. There were no differences in starch digestibility among oat starches extracted from the different oat lines. The GI, estimated by starch hydrolysis of oat flours, ranged from 61 to 67, which increased to a range of 77–86 after heating. Oat-flour slurries prepared from IA95 and N979 lines with high β-glucan concentrations had lower GI values than did slurries made from Jim and Paul lines. Starch digestion was negatively correlated with β-glucan concentrations in heated oat-flour slurries (R2 = 0.92). These results illustrate that the oat soluble fiber, β-glucan, slowed the rate of starch digestion. This finding will help to develop new food products with low GI by using oat β-glucan

Interactional Effects of β-Glucan, Starch, and Protein in Heated Oat Slurries on Viscosity and In Vitro Bile Acid Binding

Three major oat components, β-glucan, starch, and protein, and their interactions were evaluated for the impact on viscosity of heated oat slurries and in vitro bile acid binding. Oat flour from the experimental oat line “N979” (7.45% β-glucan) was mixed with water and heated to make oat slurry. Heated oat slurries were treated with α-amylase, lichenase, and/or proteinase to remove starch, β-glucan, and/or protein. Oat slurries treated with lichenase or lichenase combined with α-amylase and/or proteinase reduced the molecular weight of β-glucan. Heat and enzymatic treatment of oat slurries reduced the peak and final viscosities compared with the control. The control bound the least amount of bile acids (p \u3c 0.05); heating of oat flour improved the binding. Heated oat slurries treated with lichenase or lichenase combined with α-amylase and/or proteinase bound the least amount of bile acid, indicating the contribution of β-glucan to binding. Oat slurries treated with proteinase or proteinase and α-amylase together improved the bile acid binding, indicating the possible contribution of protein to binding. These results illustrate that β-glucan was the major contributor to viscosity and in vitro bile acid binding in heated oat slurries; however, interactions with other components, such as protein and starch, indicate the importance of evaluating oat components as whole system