734 research outputs found
The Benefits of Being Economics Professor A (and not Z)
No full textAlphabetic name ordering on multi-authored academic papers, which is the convention in the economics discipline and various other disciplines, is to the advantage of people whose last name initials are placed early in the alphabet. As it turns out, Professor A, who has been a first author more often than Professor Z, will have published more articles and experienced afaster growth rate over the course of her career as a result of reputation and visibility. Moreover, authors know that name ordering matters and indeed take ordering seriously: Several characteristics of an author group composition determine the decision to deviate from the default alphabetic name order to a significant extent.performance measurement, incentives, economists, name ordering
Post ingestive systemic nutrient sensing for whole-body homeostasis
No full textSystemic nutrient sensing is a fundamental process that aligns nutrient availability with an organism's metabolic demands. This mini-review explores nutrient sensors in the intestine, pancreas, portal vein, and the brain-organs that detect and convey nutrient status to other tissues via neuronal and hormonal signaling. Unlike oral taste receptors that sense external nutrient inputs, these nutrient sensors monitor post ingestive levels of macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids) and micronutrients (vitamins and essential trace elements such as calcium, magnesium, and zinc) within the body. We describe the specific mechanisms by which each organ discerns fluctuations in nutrient concentration and discuss how these signals integrate into endocrine and neural circuits to maintain whole-body nutrient balance. Finally, by comparing mammalian and invertebrate models such as Drosophila, we offer a comprehensive perspective on how organ-level nutrient sensing upholds metabolic homeostasis across diverse species. (c) 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Issues in the Issuance of Enhanced Annuities
No full textTwo forces are about to create a growing market for Individual Annuities in the U. S. and Canada. First, the Post War Baby Boom (born 1946 to 1964) is inexorably moving into retirement. Second, there is a strong move away from Employer-sponsored Defined Benefit pension plans to Defined Contribution pension plans. This trend could even extend (in the U.S.) into the provision of Social Security benefits. Under these arrangements, participants must find a way to mitigate their “longevity” risk (and the investment risk, although this is not the topic of this paper). The most obvious answer is to buy a life annuity. However, at this time in the U. S. and Canada, persons who voluntarily apply to buy a life annuity are generally assumed to be in extremely good health and annuity rates are determined using very low mortality assumptions (high life expectancy assumptions). While there is a growing market in “Enhanced/Impaired Annuities”, especially in the U.K., the present pricing structure for annuities in the U. S. and Canada means that a large proportion of the population cannot get a “fair value” annuity given their less-than-preferred health profile. This paper looks at reasons for this market reality in the U. S. and Canada. It also reviews the underwriting and marketing of life annuities in the United Kingdom where “enhanced” life annuities are available for a broader cross-section of the marketplace.Individual Annuities, Defined Benefit Pension Plan, Defined Contribution Pension Plan, Retirement Income Security, Life Expectancy, Impaired Mortality
Author Correction: Markerless tracking of an entire honey bee colony (Nature Communications, (2021), 12, 1, (1733), 10.1038/s41467-021-21769-1)
No full textThe original version of this Article omitted from the author list the fourth author Alexander S. Mikheyev, who is from the Ecology and Evolution Unit, OIST Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan, and the Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. The third author Yoann Portugal has the following additional affiliation: Ecology and Evolution Unit, OIST Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan. The fourth author Alexander S. Mikheyev and the fifth author Greg J. Stephens declare equal contributions. Consequently, the Acknowledgements, which formerly read “We thank Michael Iuzzolino, Dieu My thanh Nguyen, Orit Peleg, and Michael Smith for comments on the manuscript and code testing. This work was supported by the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University”, have been corrected to “We are grateful to Takahashi Ikemiya for maintaining the experimental bee colonies. We thank Michael Iuzzolino, Dieu My Thanh Nguyen, Orit Peleg, and Michael Smith for comments on the manuscript and code testing. This work was supported by the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University. Additional funding was provided by KAKENHI grants 16H06209 and 16KK0175 from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science to AM”. Additionally, the Author Contributions, which formerly read “Y.P. performed the bee work and devised the imaging setup, L. H. devised the labeling tool, K.B. performed method development and data analysis, K.B. and G.S. designed the study and wrote the manuscript”, has been corrected to “Y.P. performed the bee work, Y.P. and A.M. devised the imaging setup, L.H. devised the labeling tool, K.B. performed method development and data analysis, K.B., A.M., and G.S. designed the study, K.B. and G.S. wrote the manuscript”. This has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article. The original version of the Supplementary information associated with this Article contained an error in the description of Supplementary Table 2, which incorrectly read “All imaging data in this study were collected in 2019”. The correct version states “2018” in place of “2019”. The HTML has been updated to include a corrected version of the Supplementary information
Aquatic gap analysis: tool for watershed scale assessment of fluvial habitat and biodiversity
No full textMethods for the conservation of stream habitat and biodiversity at the watershed scale have not been developed. Watersheds span large land areas, encompass a connected range of stream sizes, and integrate natural and altered properties of a drainage area. Methods are needed to identify the locations of high biodiversity in watersheds, compare aquatic biodiversity distributions among regions, and provide watershed-scale information useful for targeting conservation measures. The National Biological Service (USA) in cooperation with other Federal and State agencies developed geographic information system (GIS) methodology called Gap Analysis to identify the distribution of biodiversity over large spatial areas. To date, it has been used to address only terrestrial conservation needs. We are developing an aquatic version of the Gap Analysis in the Allegheny River drainage in western New York State to define the methodology and evaluate the feasibility of predicting biodiversity distribution at the watershed scale.
Our standardized stream reach accounting system is based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Reach File 3 System. Each stream reach is classified into one of 18 habitat types for fish faunal predictions and one of 8 habitat types for invertebrate faunal predictions. Habitat types were defined using the following sets of physicochemical attributes: stream size (headwaters, large streams/small rivers, large rivers), physical habitat (dominated by natural geomorphological processes, moderately altered, and dominated by human structures and controls), water quality (suitable for life support, biologically stressful), gradient (steep, low slope) and riparian forest cover (closed canopy over channel, open channel). Stream size was determined from drainage area using the GIS. Physical habitat, reach gradient, and riparian forest cover were classified from topographic and land use maps. Physicochemical data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency STORET database provides a means to classify water quality. Using our habitat typing system, we predict that the highest fish diversity will be found in medium size streams with natural fluvial channels and good water quality, whereas the most reduced fish faunas will be found in large rivers with highly modified channels and poor water quality. For invertebrates, we predict that the greatest diversity (in terms of ecological function groups) will be in small and medium size streams with primarily a closed canopy, steep gradient, and good water quality.
Our GIS modeling effort succeeded in predicting the expected distribution of fish and invertebrate diversity at the watershed scale. Adequate biological and physicochemical data appear available and compatible with watershed-scale GIS programs. We also have extensive biological survey data that provides an independent means to testing the validity of our biodiversity predictions
The Location and Status of Egret Colonies in Coastal New South Wales
No full textThirteen active egret colonies were located along 800 km of the NSW coastline from Sydney north to the New South Wales-Queensland border. These colonies contained up to four egret species: Great Ardea alba, Intermediate A. intermedia, Little Egretta garzetta, and Cattle Egrets A. ibis. Each colony site is described and its location given. All colonies were located in or near wetlands, and the factors that may be important in determining which wetland is selected for occupation are discussed. The long term future of breeding colonies is examined and a recommendation made about the reservation of potential colony sites
Title, Table of Contents, Preface, List of Authors
No full textTitle, Table of Contents, Preface, List of Author
Harry Potter and the search for a church : spiritual community and sacrificial love in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.
No full textExamining the Harry Potter series through the lens of late Baptist theologian Stanley Grenz and his theories on community as it reflects the triune God, the themes of love and sacrifice in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series are seen in new light. By placing Harry not as a member of an independently-acting community, but as one connected to a much higher calling—love, even over and above magic—I find that the author's emphasis on community and family are crucial for understanding fully the sacrifice that Harry makes, and the redemption extended to Lord Voldemort. Understanding Hogwarts and the wizarding world as a church body reflecting a higher power of love, the ostracizing of Voldemort and Harry's experience of sacrifice and protective love take on new meaning. The definition of community as found in the works of Stanley Grenz, Jürgen Moltmann and Stanley Hauerwas will be the theological lens
Sensor for measuring hydrogen partial pressure in parabolic trough power plant expansion tanks
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