Achieving Greater Homeland Security: Who Should Pay, and How?

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States have broadened the public sector’s role in providing “protective goods and services” to include homeland security in addition to national security and public safety (e.g. police and fire protection). Although it is acknowledged that the federal government has a clear responsibility for taking the lead in shaping homeland security policies, the provision of greater homeland security involves significant participation by state and local governments, and the private sector, in addition to the national government.This paper briefly summarizes why private markets are likely to under-invest in homeland security, leading to a need for public action. It provides an overview of both the range of budgetary and non-budgetary tools used by the United States (U.S.) federal government to “finance” the provision of homeland security, and the budgetary and non-budgetary cost of these federal actions. The paper also identifies and discusses some of the principle challenges faced in ensuring federal homeland security dollars are “well-spent.” While the analysis focuses on the United States, the tools of government employed are applicable to all sovereign nations

The circadian clock regulates rhythmic erythropoietin expression in the murine kidney

Generation of circadian rhythms is cell-autonomous and relies on a transcription/translation feedback loop controlled by a family of circadian clock transcription factor activators including CLOCK, BMAL1 and repressors such as CRY1 and CRY2. The aim of the present study was to examine both the molecular mechanism and the hemopoietic implication of circadian erythropoietin expression. Mutant mice with homozygous deletion of the core circadian clock genes cryptochromes 1 and 2 (Cry-null) were used to elucidate circadian erythropoietin regulation. Wild-type control mice exhibited a significant difference in kidney erythropoietin mRNA expression between circadian times 06 and 18. In parallel, a significantly higher number of erythropoietin-producing cells in the kidney (by RNAscope®) and significantly higher levels of circulating erythropoietin protein (by ELISA) were detected at circadian time 18. Such changes were abolished in Cry-null mice and were independent from oxygen tension, oxygen saturation, or expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 2 alpha, indicating that circadian erythropoietin expression is transcriptionally regulated by CRY1 and CRY2. Reporter gene assays showed that the CLOCK/BMAL1 heterodimer activated an E-box element in the 5' erythropoietin promoter. RNAscope® in situ hybridization confirmed the presence of Bmal1 in erythropoietin-producing cells of the kidney. In Cry-null mice, a significantly reduced number of reticulocytes was found while erythrocyte numbers and hematocrit were unchanged. Thus, circadian erythropoietin regulation in the normoxic adult murine kidney is transcriptionally controlled by master circadian activators CLOCK/BMAL1, and repressors CRY1/CRY2. These findings may have implications for kidney physiology and disease, laboratory diagnostics, and anemia therapy

Clinical presentation and proteomic signature of patients with TANGO2 mutations

Transport And Golgi Organization protein 2 (TANGO2) deficiency has recently been identified as a rare metabolic disorder with a distinct clinical and biochemical phenotype of recurrent metabolic crises, hypoglycemia, lactic acidosis, rhabdomyolysis, arrhythmias, and encephalopathy with cognitive decline. We report nine subjects from seven independent families, and we studied muscle histology, respiratory chain enzyme activities in skeletal muscle and proteomic signature of fibroblasts. All nine subjects carried autosomal recessive TANGO2 mutations. Two carried the reported deletion of exons 3 to 9, one homozygous, one heterozygous with a 22q11.21 microdeletion inherited in trans. The other subjects carried three novel homozygous (c.262C&gt;T/p.Arg88*; c.220A&gt;C/p.Thr74Pro; c.380+1G&gt;A), and two further novel heterozygous (c.6_9del/p.Phe6del); c.11-13delTCT/p.Phe5del mutations. Immunoblot analysis detected a significant decrease of TANGO2 protein. Muscle histology showed mild variation of fiber diameter, no ragged-red/cytochrome c oxidase-negative fibers and a defect of multiple respiratory chain enzymes and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10 ) in two cases, suggesting a possible secondary defect of oxidative phosphorylation. Proteomic analysis in fibroblasts revealed significant changes in components of the mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation, plasma membrane, endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi network and secretory pathways. Clinical presentation of TANGO2 mutations is homogeneous and clinically recognizable. The hemizygous mutations in two patients suggest that some mutations leading to allele loss are difficult to detect. A combined defect of the respiratory chain enzymes and CoQ10 with altered levels of several membrane proteins provides molecular insights into the underlying pathophysiology and may guide rational new therapeutic interventions.</p

Estimating the Fiscal Impacts of the Homeland Security Grants on State and Local Public Safety Spending

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina reinforced the need for public safety organizations to reach a state of readiness, before disaster strikes. Between FY 2001 and FY 2008, the federal government allocated over $30 billion in federal grants to enhance the capabilities of state, local, and private organizations to prepare for and respond to the next terrorist attack or natural disaster. This research takes an important first step at estimating the fiscal impacts of the homeland security grants. Two panel datasets were created from existing government data to answer two research questions. First, nationally what effects have the homeland security grants had on state and local public safety spending? This analysis examines trends of state and local governments in all fifty states across nine years and is used to compare spending on public safety before and after the September 11th attacks. Results demonstrate that public safety spending increased slightly, but the increase is statistically indistinguishable from zero. The analysis then shifts to answer the second question: what effects have the homeland security grants had on local jurisdiction's spending on public safety? The local analysis examines grant spending from 35 California counties across six years, to establish whether the homeland security grants were treated as fungible resources. These results indicate that the homeland security grants are associated with a significant decrease in public safety spending within a county over time. Although the grants clearly supplanted local spending on public safety; it is still unknown how the grants impacted homeland security outcomes. Future research should focus on investigating how state and local governments have used these funds and whether the country is better prepared now than it was before the infusion of federal funds

Budgeting for disasters: Focusing on the good times

Some ways of budgeting for disasters have the potential to increase welfare by increasing national savings, reducing exposure to risk and promoting mitigation prior to a loss. Those ways can also contribute to aggregate fiscal stability over the long term. The power of budgeting, however, can be misdirected to increase losses and lead to fiscal instability. This paper describes the potential for gain from alternative budgetary treatments of policies aimed at reducing the effects on consumption of random shocks to income and wealth. It identifies a critical difference between alternatives: budgetary recognition of expected costs of relief and recovery before the loss event. We classify those different methods as ex ante and ex post budgeting. We also consider some budgetary mechanisms that can promote effective recognition and constrain opportunistic behavior by elected officials. Finally, this paper describes related budgetary practices in some OECD countries. Many have instituted policies consistent with ex ante budgeting, but we have insufficient information to determine their effectiveness.

Cw holmium for medical applications: a preliminary study

The CW holmium laser is installed at the Laser Research Laboratory at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Preliminary studies have been conducted to evaluate its biologic properties. A lapine model is employed, and electron microscopy is used to correlate the subjective findings of the operator. Incisions are made in the anterior abdominal wall with the holmium laser. The effects of the laser on cutaneous tissue, subcutaneous fat, muscle, and vascular tissue are observed. A minimal amount of carbonization is noted during the operative procedure. The laser cuts in a fashion similar to that of the carbon dioxide laser, with conspicuously less char on the sides of the incision. The laser has greater hemostatic properties than had been predicted

<i>Carnosinase-1</i> Knock-Out Reduces Kidney Fibrosis in Type-1 Diabetic Mice on High Fat Diet

Carnosine and anserine supplementation markedLy reduce diabetic nephropathy in rodents. The mode of nephroprotective action of both dipeptides in diabetes, via local protection or improved systemic glucose homeostasis, is uncertain. Global carnosinase-1 knockout mice (Cndp1-KO) and wild-type littermates (WT) on a normal diet (ND) and high fat diet (HFD) (n = 10/group), with streptozocin (STZ)-induced type-1 diabetes (n = 21–23/group), were studied for 32 weeks. Independent of diet, Cndp1-KO mice had 2- to 10-fold higher kidney anserine and carnosine concentrations than WT mice, but otherwise a similar kidney metabolome; heart, liver, muscle and serum anserine and carnosine concentrations were not different. Diabetic Cndp1-KO mice did not differ from diabetic WT mice in energy intake, body weight gain, blood glucose, HbA1c, insulin and glucose tolerance with both diets, whereas the diabetes-related increase in kidney advanced glycation end-product and 4-hydroxynonenal concentrations was prevented in the KO mice. Tubular protein accumulation was lower in diabetic ND and HFD Cndp1-KO mice, interstitial inflammation and fibrosis were lower in diabetic HFD Cndp1-KO mice compared to diabetic WT mice. Fatalities occurred later in diabetic ND Cndp1-KO mice versus WT littermates. Independent of systemic glucose homeostasis, increased kidney anserine and carnosine concentrations reduce local glycation and oxidative stress in type-1 diabetic mice, and mitigate interstitial nephropathy in type-1 diabetic mice on HFD