The proliferation of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) and the wave of democratization are among the most significant developments in international relations during the past three decades. The ...correlation between these is well noted. The causal link between these phenomena, however, remains unclear. On one hand, democracies have been found to be more likely to join PTAs. On the other hand, trade agreements should foster democratization because they undermine the ability of governments to distribute rents to maintain an autocratic regime. If PTAs and democracy coevolve through a selection and a contagion effect, then conventional statistical techniques can produce wholly misleading results. This article presents a new approach based on recent advancements in longitudinal network analysis. Our findings confirm that historically, democratization indeed made states more likely to sign PTAs, but that trade agreements also encourage the democratization of a country, in particular if the PTA partners are themselves democracies.
Recent vocal fold vibration studies have used models defined using idealized geometry. Although these models exhibit important similarities with human vocal fold vibration, some aspects of their ...motion are less than realistic. In this report it is demonstrated that more realistic motion may be obtained when using geometry derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. The dynamic response of both idealized and MRI-based synthetic vocal fold models are presented. MRI-based model improvements include evidence of mucosal wave-like motion and less vertical movement. Limitations of the MRI-based model are discussed and suggestions for further synthetic model development are offered.
The UKIRT wide-field camera Casali, M.; Adamson, A.; Alves de Oliveira, C. ...
Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin),
05/2007, Letnik:
467, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Context.The infrared wide-field camera (WFCAM) is now in operation on the 3.8 m UK Infrared Telescope on Mauna Kea. WFCAM currently has the fastest survey speed of any infrared camera in the world, ...and combined with generous allocations of telescope time, will produce deep maps of the sky from Z to K band. The data from a set of public surveys, known as UKIDSS, will be initially available to astronomers in ESO member states, and later to the world. Aims.In order to maximise survey speed, the WFCAM field of view was required to be as large as possible while incorporating conventional infrared-instrument design features such as a cold re-imaged pupil stop and cryogenic optics and mechanisms. Methods.The solution adopted was to build a cryogenic Schmidt-type camera, mounted forward of the primary mirror, which illuminates a very large 0.9° diameter focal plane, containing four 2k $\times$ 2k HgCdTe Rockwell detectors. Results.Following several commissioning periods during which the camera, focal plane and telescope optical axes were successfully co-aligned, WFCAM now operates close to specifications, regularly achieving 0.7´´ FWHM images over the full field. Projects which already report excellent results include the detection of variability in young stellar clusters, as well as preliminary deep IR imaging of the Subaru and XMM-Newton deep field.
Simplified models have been used to simulate and study the flow-induced vibrations of the human vocal folds. While it is clear that the models' responses are sensitive to geometry, it is not clear ...how and to what extent specific geometric features influence model motion. In this study geometric features that played significant roles in governing the motion of a two-layer (body-cover), two-dimensional, finite element vocal fold model were identified. The model was defined using a flow solver based on the viscous, unsteady, Navier-Stokes equations and a solid solver that allowed for large strain and deformation. A screening-type design-of-experiments approach was used to identify the relative importance of 13 geometric parameters. Five output measures were analyzed to assess the magnitude of each geometric parameter's effect on the model's motion. The measures related to frequency, glottal width, flow rate, intraglottal angle, and intraglottal phase delay. The most significant geometric parameters were those associated with the cover--primarily the pre-phonatory intraglottal angle--as well as the body inferior angle. Some models exhibited evidence of improved model motion, including mucosal wave-like motion and alternating convergent-divergent glottal profiles, although further improvements are still needed to more closely mimic human vocal fold motion.
Here we report two antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), HG2 and HG4 identified from a rumen microbiome metagenomic dataset, with activity against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, especially ...methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains, a major hospital and community-acquired pathogen. We employed the classifier model design to analyse, visualise, and interpret AMP activities. This approach allowed in silico discrimination of promising lead AMP candidates for experimental evaluation. The lead AMPs, HG2 and HG4, are fast-acting and show anti-biofilm and anti-inflammatory activities in vitro and demonstrated little toxicity to human primary cell lines. The peptides were effective in vivo within a Galleria mellonella model of MRSA USA300 infection. In terms of mechanism of action, HG2 and HG4 appear to interact with the cytoplasmic membrane of target cells and may inhibit other cellular processes, whilst preferentially binding to bacterial lipids over human cell lipids. Therefore, these AMPs may offer additional therapeutic templates for MDR bacterial infections.
Populist media diets de Rooij, Eline A.; Stecuła, Dominik A.; Pickup, Mark A.
Social science quarterly,
July 2022, 2022-07-00, 20220701, Letnik:
103, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Objective
The changing media landscape highlights the need to understand the dynamic nature of Americans’ news consumption patterns. Research to date has focused on understanding how media diets vary ...across partisanship, while other, cross‐cutting cleavages remain underexplored. We focus on the relationship between populism and where Americans get their news and how they assess news media credibility.
Methods
Using an original, national survey of Americans (N = 1009) fielded in March 2020, we explore the news media diets of populists, controlling for partisanship, ideology, and relevant covariates.
Results
Analyses demonstrate that two primary dimensions of populism—anti‐elitism and distrust of experts—relate to media diets in complex ways.
Conclusion
Those who distrust experts have a more ideologically extreme media diet and put trust in fringe outlets and social media, whereas those with anti‐elite attitudes do not shy away from mainstream outlets and hold positive views of journalists and mainstream media.
Abstract The influence of asymmetric vocal fold stiffness on voice production was evaluated using life-sized, self-oscillating vocal fold models with an idealized geometry based on the human vocal ...folds. The models were fabricated using flexible, materially-linear silicone compounds with Young's modulus values comparable to that of vocal fold tissue. The models included a two-layer design to simulate the vocal fold layered structure. The respective Young's moduli of elasticity of the “left” and “right” vocal fold models were varied to create asymmetric conditions. High-speed videokymography was used to measure maximum vocal fold excursion, vibration frequency, and left–right phase shift, all of which were significantly influenced by asymmetry. Onset pressure, a measure of vocal effort, increased with asymmetry. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) analysis showed significantly greater skewing of the glottal jet in the direction of the stiffer vocal fold model. Potential applications to various clinical conditions are mentioned, and suggestions for future related studies are presented.
When making political and economic decisions (e.g., voting, donating money to a cause), individuals consider the expectations of groups with which they identify. These expectations are injunctive ...norms, shared beliefs about appropriate behavior for identity group members, and individuals' choices reflect trade-offs between adherence to these norms and other preferences. We show that when those who identify moderately/strongly with the group pay a cost as a consequence of avoiding a norm violation, they subsequently view the norms as stronger than those that paid no cost. This is evident in their greater willingness to pay an additional cost to punish/reward other group members for violating/complying with the norm. They also view other norms associated with the identity as stronger. In this way, costly norm compliance may be self-reinforcing.
Bilateral trade agreements have proliferated rapidly within the last two decades, growing into a dense network of multiple ties between countries. The spread of preferential trade agreements (PTAs), ...however, is not uniform: some countries have signed a multitude of deals, while others remain much less involved. This article presents a longitudinal network analysis method to analyze the patterns of the formation of trade agreements, based on the mutual codetermination of network structure and agreement formation. The findings suggest that PTAs spread endogenously because of structural arbitrage effects in the network, and that they establish a hierarchy among countries. Rich countries form ties with each other and middle-income countries, who themselves create a horizontal layer of PTAs, but least-developed countries are left behind and do not form many ties. Supplanting the multilateral trade regime with preferential agreements therefore creates a system of highly asymmetrical relationships of weaker spokes around a few hubs.
Loss-of-function mutations in Star impart a dominant rough eye phenotype and, when homozygous, are embryonic lethal with ventrolateral cuticular defects. We have cloned the Star gene and show that it ...encodes a novel protein with a putative transmembrane domain. Star transcript is expressed in a dynamic pattern in the embryo including in cells of the ventral midline. In the larval eye disc, Star is expressed first at the morphogenetic furrow, then in the developing R2, R5, and R8 cells as well as in the posterior clusters of the disc in additional R cells. Star interacts with Drosophila EGF receptor in the eye and mosaic analysis of Star in the larval eye disc reveals that homozygous Star patches contain no developing R cells. Taken together with the expression pattern at the morphogenetic furrow, these results demonstrate an early role for Star in photoreceptor development. Additionally, loss-of-function mutations in Star act as suppressors of R7 development in a sensitized genetic background involving the Son of sevenless (Sos) locus, and overexpression of Star enhances R7 development in this genetic background. Based on the genetic interactions with Sos, we suggest that Star also has a later role in photoreceptor development including the recruitment of the R7 cell through the sevenless pathway.
PDF
