How has Economic Restructuring Affected China’s Urban Workers?*

Using data from the China Urban Labor Survey conducted in five large Chinese cities at year end 2001, we quantify the nature and magnitude of shocks to employment and worker benefits during the period of economic structuring from 1996 to 2001, and evaluate the extent to which adversely affected urban workers had access to public and private assistance. Employment shocks were large and widespread, and were particularly hard on older workers and women. Unemployment reached double digits in all sample cities and labor force participation declined by 8 percent. Urban residents faced modest levels of wage and pension arrears, and sharp declines in health benefits. Public assistance programs for dislocated workers had limited coverage, with most job-leavers relying upon private assistance to support consumption, mainly from other household members.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/40014/3/wp628.pd

How has Economic Restructuring Affected China’s Urban Workers?*

Using data from the China Urban Labor Survey conducted in five large Chinese cities at year end 2001, we quantify the nature and magnitude of shocks to employment and worker benefits during the period of economic structuring from 1996 to 2001, and evaluate the extent to which adversely affected urban workers had access to public and private assistance. Employment shocks were large and widespread, and were particularly hard on older workers and women. Unemployment reached double digits in all sample cities and labor force participation declined by 8 percent. Urban residents faced modest levels of wage and pension arrears, and sharp declines in health benefits. Public assistance programs for dislocated workers had limited coverage, with most job-leavers relying upon private assistance to support consumption, mainly from other household members.labor, unemployment, China, restructuring

Non-Commutativity, Teleology and GRB Time Delay

We propose a model in which an energy-dependent time delay of a photon originates from space-time non-commutativity, the time delay is due to a noncommutative coupling between dilaton and photon. We predict that in our model, high energy photons with different momenta can either be delayed or superluminal, this may be related to a possible time delay reported by the Fermi LAT and Fermi GBM Collaborations.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, typo revised, contents and reference adde

Effects of Six Common Dietary Nutrients on Murine Intestinal Organoid Growth

The intestinal epithelium of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract constantly renews itself to absorb nutrients and provide protection for the body from the outside world. Since the intestinal epithelium is constantly exposed to various chemicals and dietary components, it is critical to determine which constituents promote or inhibit intestinal epithelium health and growth rate. Intestinal organoids, three-dimensional miniature models of the intestines, represent an ex vivo tool to investigate intestinal physiology and growth patterns. In this study, we measured the growth rates of murine intestinal organoids exposed to various concentrations of different dietary constituents. Results indicate that caffeic acid inhibited organoid growth in a concentration-dependent manner, curcumin exhibited variable effectiveness, and vitamin C had no effect on organoid growth

Scaling behavior of an artificial traffic model on scale-free networks

In this article, we investigate an artificial traffic model on scale-free networks. Instead of using the routing strategy of the shortest path, a generalized routing algorithm is introduced to improve the transportation throughput, which is measured by the value of the critical point disjoining the free-flow phase and the congested phase. By using the detrended fluctuation analysis, we found that the traffic rate fluctuation near the critical point exhibits the $1/f$-type scaling in the power spectrum. The simulation results agree very well with the empirical data, thus the present model may contribute to the understanding of the underlying mechanism of network traffics.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Odor and Odorous Chemical Emissions from Animal Buildings: Part 2. Odor Emissions

This study was an add-on project to the National Air Emissions Monitoring Study (NAEMS) and focused on comprehensive measurement of odor emissions considering variations in seasons, animal types, and olfactometry laboratories. Odor emissions from four of 14 NAEMS sites with nine barns/rooms (two dairy barns at the WI5B and IN5B sites, two pig finishing rooms at IN3B, and two sow gestation barns and a farrowing room at the IA4B site) were measured during four 13-week cycles. Odor emissions were reported per barn area (OU h-1 m-2), head (OU h-1 head-1), and animal unit (OU h-1 AU-1). The highest overall odor emission rates were measured in summer (1.2 × 105 OU h-1 m-2, 3.5 × 105 OU h-1 head-1, and 6.2 × 105 OU h-1 AU-1), and the lowest rates were measured in winter (2.5 × 104 OU h-1 m-2, 9.1 × 104 OU h-1 head-1, and 1.5 × 105 OU h-1 AU-1). The highest ambient odor concentrations and barn odor emissions were measured from the sow gestation barns of the IA4B site, which had unusually high H2S concentrations. The most intense odor and the least pleasant odor were also measured at this site. The overall odor emission rates of the pig finishing rooms at IN3B were lower than the emission rates of the IA4B sow gestation barns. The lowest overall barn odor emission rates were measured at the IN5B dairy barns. However, the lowest ambient odor concentrations were measured at the ventilation inlets of the WI5B dairy barns

Non‑linear association of anthropometric measurements and pulmonary function

This study examined the association of anthropometric measurements [body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), percentage body fat (PBF), body roundness index (BRI) and A Body Shape Index (ABSI)] with pulmonary function using a United States national cohort. This cross-sectional study included 7346 participants. The association between anthropometric measurements and pulmonary function was assessed by multivariable linear regression. Where there was evidence of non-linearity, we applied a restricted cubic spline to explore the non-linear association. All analyses were weighted to represent the U.S. population and to account for the intricate survey design. After adjusting for age, race, education, smoking, and physical activity, both underweight and obesity were associated with reduced forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC). Furthermore, the associations between BMI and FEV1, as well as FVC, were reversed U-shape in both males and females. Similar non-linear association shape occurred in WC, PBF, BRI and ABSI. Conclusion: BMI, WC, PBF, BRI, ABSI are non-linearly associated with pulmonary function. Reduced pulmonary function is a risk factor for future all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events; thus, this nonlinearity may explain the U-shape or J-shape association of BMI with overall mortality and cardiovascular events.Tis work was supported by (i) the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82070851, 81870556, 81670738, 81930019), Beijing Municipal Administration of Hospital`s Youth Program (QML20170204), Excellent Talents in Dongcheng District of Beijing and (ii) the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria, PI 15/00260 and PI18/00640), European Union, European Regional Development Fund (Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, FEDER, “Una manera de hacer Europa”). CIBER de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM) are initiatives of the Instituto Carlos III. Te European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes (EFSD/Lilly-Mental Health and Diabetes Programme) and Laboratorios Menarini. Te funders played no role in the design or conduct of the study; in the collection, management, analysis, or interpretation of the data; or in the preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript

New bounds for Tsallis parameter in a noncommutative phase-space entropic gravity and nonextensive Friedmann equations

In this paper, we have analyzed the nonextensive Tsallis statistical mechanics in the light of Verlinde's formalism. We have obtained, with the aid of a noncommutative phase-space entropic gravity, a new bound for Tsallis nonextensive (NE) parameter (TNP) that is clearly different from the ones present in the current literature. We derived the Friedmann equations in a NE scenario. We also obtained here a relation between the gravitational constant and the TNP.Comment: 15 pages. Final version to appear in Physica

MASH Suite Pro: A Comprehensive Software Tool for Top-Down Proteomics

Top-down mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics is arguably a disruptive technology for the comprehensive analysis of all proteoforms arising from genetic variation, alternative splicing, and posttranslational modifications (PTMs). However, the complexity of top-down high-resolution mass spectra presents a significant challenge for data analysis. In contrast to the well-developed software packages available for data analysis in bottom-up proteomics, the data analysis tools in top-down proteomics remain underdeveloped. Moreover, despite recent efforts to develop algorithms and tools for the deconvolution of top-down high-resolution mass spectra and the identification of proteins from complex mixtures, a multifunctional software platform, which allows for the identification, quantitation, and characterization of proteoforms with visual validation, is still lacking. Herein, we have developed MASH Suite Pro, a comprehensive software tool for top-down proteomics with multifaceted functionality. MASH Suite Pro is capable of processing high-resolution MS and tandem MS (MS/MS) data using two deconvolution algorithms to optimize protein identification results. In addition, MASH Suite Pro allows for the characterization of PTMs and sequence variations, as well as the relative quantitation of multiple proteoforms in different experimental conditions. The program also provides visualization components for validation and correction of the computational outputs. Furthermore, MASH Suite Pro facilitates data reporting and presentation via direct output of the graphics. Thus, MASH Suite Pro significantly simplifies and speeds up the interpretation of high-resolution top-down proteomics data by integrating tools for protein identification, quantitation, characterization, and visual validation into a customizable and user-friendly interface. We envision that MASH Suite Pro will play an integral role in advancing the burgeoning field of top-down proteomics