Fish can change their skin and eye colour for background matching and signalling. Males of Gasterosteus aculeatus develop ornamental blue eyes and a red jaw during the reproductive season, colours ...that are further enhanced during courtship. Here, the effects of different hormones on physiological colour changes in the eyes and jaws of male and female G. aculeatus were investigated in vitro. In an in vivo experiment, G. aculeatus were injected with a receptor blocker of a pivotal hormone (noradrenaline) that controls colour change. In males, noradrenaline had aggregating effects on melanophore and erythrophore pigments resulting in blue eyes and a pale jaw, whereas melanocyte‐concentrating hormone (MCH) and melatonin resulted in a pale jaw only. When noradrenalin was combined with melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) or prolactin, the jaw became red, while the eyes remained blue. In vivo injection of yohimbine, an alpha‐2 adrenoreceptor blocker, resulted in dispersion of melanophore pigment in the eyes and inhibited the blue colouration. Altogether, the data suggest that noradrenalin has a pivotal role in the short‐term enhancement of the ornamental colouration of male G. aculeatus, potentially together with MSH or prolactin. This study also found a sex difference in the response to MCH, prolactin and melatonin, which may result from different appearance strategies in males, versus the more cryptic females.
The soil liquefaction is a major cause of damage in structures during earthquakes. This damage varies from small settlements to complete failure due to the loss of bearing capacity. To deal with ...these problems, piled foundations have been utilized in the presence of liquefiable soils in seismic zones. More recently, rigid inclusion foundations have been also considered. A fundamental approach to study the soil-foundation-structure interaction requires the determination of the influence of the kinematic and inertial effects in the system. In order to investigate the effects of this interaction, numerical models with a 3-storey reinforced concrete building founded on pile systems (soil-pile-structure) and rigid inclusion systems (soil-inclusion-platform-structure) were analyzed. Finite difference numerical models were developed using Flac 3D. The SANISAND constitutive model was utilized to represent the behavior of the liquefiable soil layer. This model predicts with accuracy the soil response for various soil densities, stress levels and loading conditions. The linear elastic perfectly plastic constitutive model with a Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion was used to represent the behavior of the non-liquefiable soil layers. Different relative density values of the sand layer were considered. Two earthquake signals were used to study the influence of the frequency of the systems excitation. For each case, the spectrum response, shear forces and rocking of foundations were obtained. Maximum shear strains and excess pore pressures were presented at different depths. The efforts and displacements in the rigid elements (piles or rigid inclusions) were also compared for the different systems. The results show that the relative density, the pile length and the frequency of the input motion greatly influence the response of the reinforced systems.
•SANISAND model to represent the liquefiable soil behavior.•Excess pore pressure ratio higher in the rigid inclusion than in pile cases.•Maximum bending moments located at the intersection with the liquefiable soil.•Input motion frequency and relative density decrease the excess pore pressure ratio.
The increasing inventory of tall buildings in the United States and elsewhere may be subjected to motions generated by near and far seismic sources that cause long-period effects. Multiple sets of ...records that exhibited such effects were retrieved from tall buildings in Tokyo and Osaka ∼350 km and 770 km, respectively, from the epicenter of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. In California, very few tall buildings have been instrumented. An instrumented 52-story building in downtown Los Angeles recorded seven local and distant earthquakes. Spectral and system identification methods exhibit significant low frequencies of interest (∼0.17 Hz, 0.56 Hz, and 1.05 Hz). These frequencies compare well with those computed by transfer functions; however, small variations are observed between the significant low frequencies for each of the seven earthquakes. The torsional and translational frequencies are very close and are coupled. Beating effect is observed in at least two of the seven earthquake data.
Measures restricting data flows outside one's borders, including mandatory data/server localization measures, are not only a barrier to trade, but also largely ineffective in achieving better ...internet security or trust. Nevertheless, governments deploy such measures, primarily on grounds of cybersecurity and privacy, potentially violating their obligations under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). In this article, I investigate whether GATS-inconsistent measures may be justified under GATS Art. XIV when aimed at ensuring privacy or cybersecurity, and, if so, whether GATS Art. XIV effectively balances trade and internet policy. As the internet governance framework is complex and somewhat ambiguous, applying GATS Art. XIV to cybersecurity/privacy measures necessitates balancing of trade liberalization principles and domestic internet policy. This exercise can be effective in weeding out data localization measures disguised as privacy/cybersecurity measures, particularly by employing relevant technical and factual evidence. However, given the lack of binding international law/norms on these issues, GATS Art. XIV has a limited role, particularly in cases involving direct conflict between multistakeholder/transnational internet norms and domestic internet policies, or where the measures are founded on contentious standards/benchmarks on privacy/cybersecurity. Ultimately, ensuring free and secure data flows requires a multidimensional policy response, including strengthening linkages between trade law and internet governance.
This unique study breaks new ground in engaging the study of Northern Ireland politics directly with broader debates about European integration and European governance. The text offers the most ...comprehensive coverage to date of the institutional development of Northern Ireland following the UK government's devolution programme and Northern Ireland's development as an autonomous policy actor in Europe. This study marshals evidence from Northern Ireland's relationship with the European Union (EU) during the contemporary era of devolved power. The text argues that in Northern Ireland a series of national and regional constraints, complexities and divisions limit regional autonomy. These original insights question the synergy between devolution and the EU and query the existence of new forms of 'governance'. This is a contribution of both immense substance and considerable importance and should be essential reading for those with an interest in Northern Ireland and EU politics.
Neural mechanisms underlying nociception and pain perception are considered to serve the ultimate goal of limiting tissue damage. However, since pain usually occurs in complex environments and ...situations that call for elaborate control over behavior, simple avoidance is insufficient to explain a range of mammalian pain responses, especially in the presence of competing goals. In this integrative review we propose a Predictive Regulation and Action (PRA) model of acute pain processing. It emphasizes evidence that the nervous system is organized to anticipate potential pain and to adjust behavior before the risk of tissue damage becomes critical. Regulatory processes occur on many levels, and can be dynamically influenced by local interactions or by modulation from other brain areas in the network. The PRA model centers on neural substrates supporting the predictive nature of pain processing, as well as on finely-calibrated yet versatile regulatory processes that ultimately affect behavior. We outline several operational categories of pain behavior, from spinally-mediated reflexes to adaptive voluntary action, situated at various neural levels. An implication is that neural processes that track potential tissue damage in terms of behavioral consequences are an integral part of pain perception.
This study investigated the implementation of the National Health Plan (NHP) in Papua New Guinea. The study was conducted in Madang Province with the aim of providing an understanding of the ...implementation of the NHP in a decentralised health system. The design of the study was based on qualitative research methodology. Data were collected using in-depth interviews and written documents. Face-to-face individual interviews were conducted with the managers of the health programs and facilities. Program activity implementation plans were obtained from the health facilities where interviews were conducted. Data were analysed using content analysis method to allocate codes and identify themes. Themes were further analysed to explain their relationship. Findings of the study provide insights to the challenges experienced by the health care providers on implementing the national health plan in a decentralised health system.
In July 1994, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) set out to stabilise and secure Rwanda, a country decimated by genocide. This mandate was later extended to include the herculean task of promoting ...unity and reconciliation to a population torn apart by violence. More than two decades later, these goals appear to have been achieved. Beneath the veneer of reconciliation lies myriad programmes and legislation that do more than seek to unite the population - they keep the RPF in power. In Reconciling Rwanda: Unity, Nationality and State Control, Jennifer Melvin analyses the highly controversial RPF and its vision of reconciliation to determine who truly benefits from the construction of the new post-genocide Rwanda.
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