199,930 research outputs found
How to use Rosen's normalised equilibrium to enforce a socially desirable Pareto efficient solution
No full textWe consider a situation, in which a regulator believes that constraining a complex good created jointly by competitive agents, is socially desirable. Individual levels of outputs that generate the constrained amount of the externality can be computed as a Pareto efficient solution of the agents' joint utility maximisation problem. However, generically, a Pareto efficient solution is not an equilibrium. We suggest the regulator calculates a Nash-Rosen coupled-constraint equilibrium (or a “generalised” Nash equilibrium) and uses the coupled-constraint Lagrange multiplier to formulate a threat, under which the agents will play a decoupled Nash game. An equilibrium of this game will possibly coincide with the Pareto efficient solution. We focus on situations when the constraints are saturated and examine, under which conditions a match between an equilibrium and a Pareto solution is possible. We illustrate our findings using a model for a coordination problem, in which firms' outputs depend on each other and where the output levels are important for the regulator.
Maria Krawczyk : friend and physicist
No full textWe remember here our friend and colleague Maria Krawczyk, Professor of Physics at Warsaw University, who passed away suddenly on May 24th 2017. Her contribution to physics and her great personal qualities are described
krawczyk
No full textRecently the common adiponutrin (PNPLA3) polymorphism p.I148M has been identified as a genetic determinant of severe forms of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and alcoholic liver disease. Additionally, insulin resistance -linked to the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis -increases the risk of developing gallstones. Here we assessed whether the PNPLA3 p.I148M (c.444 C>G) polymorphism affects glucose and lipid levels and increases gallstone risk. We analysed 229 individuals with gallstones from 108 families (age 24-80 years, BMI 17-55 kg/m 2 ) and 258 gallstone-free controls (age 20-70 years, BMI 14-43 kg/m 2 ). Fasting glucose, triglyceride and cholesterol serum levels were determined. The p.I148M polymorphism was genotyped using a PCR-based assay with 5'-nuclease and fluorescence detection. Case-control association tests and nonparametric linkage (NPL) analysis in sib-pairs were performed. Individuals carrying the [GG] genotype had significantly (P<0.0001) higher median fasting glucose levels as compared to [GC] and [CC] carriers. After adjustment for multiple testing, we detected a trend for an association between triglyceride levels and variant adiponutrin in gallstone patients (P=0.032), and gallstone cases carrying the genotype [CC] presented with significantly higher triglyceride levels than the corresponding controls (P<0.003). No significant effects on cholesterol metabolism were detected. Neither genotype distributions nor NPL scores provided evidence for association or linkage between the PNPLA3 variant and gallstones. In conclusion, homozygous carriers of the PNPLA3 risk allele display higher fasting glucose. Although this adiponutrin variant may affect triglyceride homeostasis, it does not increase the risk of cholelithiasis. K e y w o r d s : adiponutrin, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, PNPLA3, single nucleotide polymorphism, triglyceride 25) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection Taking into account the previously reported association between the adiponutrin variant and non-genetic risk factors for gallstones (e.g. hepatic fat accumulation, liver injury, distorted glucose metabolism), we now aimed to dissect the possible role of the PNPLA3 SNP in gallstone formation. In this respect we genotyped a cohort of sibs with gallstones and unrelated gallstone-free controls. To investigate the role of variant adiponutrin in other metabolic traits, we related PNPLA3 genotypes to serum lipid and glucose levels. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients Only individuals with documented Caucasian ethnicity were included in the study. As shown in In all study participants glucose, TG and cholesterol levels in serum (mg/dL) were determined by standard assays after an overnight fasting period. The study was conducted according to a study design approved by the local ethical committee, and all participants signed an informed consent form. Genotyping Genomic DNA was isolated from EDTA anticoagulated blood according to the membrane-based QIAamp DNA extraction protocol (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). The PNPLA3 coding SNP p.I148M (rs738409) was genotyped using solutionphase hybridization reactions with 5'-nuclease and fluorescence detection (TaqMan assays) in a 7300 real-time PCR system (Applera, Norwalk, CT). Primer and probe sequences were: forward primer 5'-AACTTCTCTCTCCTTTGCTTTCACA-3'; reverse primer 5'-TCTACAGTGGCCTTATCCCTCC-3'; VIC 5'-TTCCTGCTTCATGCC-3'; FAM 5'-CCTGCTTCATCCC-3'. To ensure genotyping quality, we included negative controls and DNA samples with known PNPLA3 genotypes as internal controls. PCR reactions contained 20 ng DNA, 900 nM of each primer, 1× TaqMan Universal Master Mix, and 200 nM of VIClabelled and FAM-labelled probes in 25 µL-reactions. Amplification conditions were 95°C for 10 min, 40 cycles of 92°C for 15 s, and 60°C for 1 min. Statistics Unless stated otherwise, statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 18.0 (SPSS, Munich, Germany). All phenotypic quantitative data were expressed as medians and ranges, unless stated specifically. Because we performed multiple tests (n=17), the significance threshold was corrected for multiple testing and two-sided P values <0.003 were considered as significant. The effects of the adiponutrin SNP and of other potential lithogenic factors (age, BMI, gender, serum glucose and lipid levels) Exact tests were performed to check the consistency of genotyping results with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) (http://ihg2.helmholtz-muenchen.de/cgi-bin/hw/hwa1.pl). We performed power calculations using PS: Power and Sample Size Calculation v.3.0 (http://biostat. mc.vanderbilt.edu/wiki/ Main/PowerSampleSize) (35). Association case-control analysis and non-parametric linkage (NPL) tests were performed to investigate the role of the PNPLA3 p.I148M variant in the development of gallstones. For the association analysis, all gallstone-free controls and a single randomly selected member (these individuals are denoted cases throughout this report) of each sib-pair family were included. The association between the adiponutrin variant and cholelithiasis was tested in contingency tables (genotypes: Armitrage's trend test; alleles: chi 2 test). NPL scores were calculated using GENEHUNTER-MODSCORE v2.0.1 (www.staff.uni-marburg.de/_strauch/software.html) (36) both for the risk (minor) allele frequencies (MAF) in our ASP cohort and for alleles frequencies provided in the Entrez SNP database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/snp). In short, the NPL score allows estimation of the significance of a given allele shared among the family members in the development of the disease; for this the allele frequencies at the analysed genetic locus are compared with the null hypothesis of no linkage (4). Thus, if gallstone disease is linked to the PNPLA3 polymorphism, affected sibs are more likely to share the same allele. RESULTS Obesity enhances gallstone risk PNPLA3 p.I148M variant and gallstone risk: case-control association and sib-pairs analyses The adiponutrin p.I148M variant was successfully genotyped in all individuals with gallstones (n=229, Association between variant adiponutrin and metabolic traits For this analysis we included only unrelated cases (n=108) and all controls (n=258). DISCUSSION This study demonstrates that the adiponutrin p.I148M variant influences glucose and triglyceride levels in our study population. On the other hand, although it has been previously shown that fatty liver disease and enhanced liver fibrosis are both risk factors for cholelithiasis, the variant does not increase gallstone risk per se. Since our case-control study investigating the effect of the adiponutrin variant on gallstone formation is underpowered, we also performed a non-parametric linkage analysis. Indeed, the study cohort let us previously identify the ABCG8 p.D19H variant as the first genetic risk factor for gallstone formation in humans (4). In this study the analysis of sib-pairs showed that this variant was strongly associated with cholelithiasis (NPL score =7.1, P=4.6 x 10 -13 ), which was in line with results of a large GWAS in gallstone patients (3). Hence, the cohort of sib-pairs can be regarded as robust framework for identifying genes associated with gallstone formation. Additionally, sib-pair analysis omits the bias that is encountered in case-control analysis as controls could develop gallbladder stones later in life. Hence, the present analysis of sib-pairs, which did not reveal an association between gallstones and the PNPLA3 variant p.I148M, excludes this SNP as a major risk factor for cholelithiasis. BMI and serum glucose levels are known risk factors for gallstone formation (11). Our results show that each of these factors increases the disease risk, which is in line with the notion that cholelithiasis is a complex multifactorial disorder. Interestingly, we observed that increased serum cholesterol levels lowered the chance of developing gallstones. In contrast, previous studies have demonstrated that patients carrying the ABCG8 (35) and SLC10A2 (7) cholelithiasis risk variants present with lower total serum cholesterol concentrations. It can be hypothesised that the lower risk of developing gallstones in patients with increased serum cholesterol levels might be primarily due to decreased transport of cholesterol into bile. This might lead to increased serum cholesterol but lower biliary cholesterol concentrations. On the other hand, the use of cholesterol lowering drugs (e.g. statins) may significantly lower the risk of developing gallstones (37-39). Hence a functional link between cholesterol levels, hepatobiliary transporters and gallstone formation has not yet been thoroughly investigated and future studies are warranted. It has been previously shown that the PNPLA3 risk allele is associated with severe forms of hepatic fat accumulation In summary, our current study underscores the possible metabolic role of the adiponutrin p.I148M polymorphism. Nevertheless, given the negative results from the previous large studies this effect might be apparent only in selected individuals, for example in those who have gallstones as an additional phenotype. Although the variant does not increase the risk of developing gallstones per se, additional functional studies are warranted to define the molecular link between adiponutrin and metabolic traits
Spin wave localization and softening in rod-shaped magnonic crystals with different terminations
No full textThe spin dynamics of simple cubic arrays of magnetic dipoles with the shape of elongated prisms is investigated in dependence of their terminations (flat or cusp) and of the applied field. We used two different calculation approaches: in the first, we solve the Landau-Lisfshits equation of motion of planar arrangements of magnetic dipoles; the static magnetization of the array is supposed to be uniform along the direction of the applied field, and the calculated modes have nodal planes perpendicular to the magnetization. In the second approach, we use the dynamical matrix method, which is a micromagnetic method, considers the exact (non-uniform) magnetic equilibrium configuration, and returns the complete set of magnetic eigenvalues/eigenmodes. Calculations show the existence of modes with different localization: low frequency modes, localized at the prism ends, and high frequency bulk modes, including the fundamental or quasi-uniform mode. We studied the internal field profile as a function of the termination details, the localization of spin modes, in particular of the lowest frequency mode, and the space resolved density of states. Finally, we address the soft modes of these systems, showing their frequency vs. applied field behavior in relation to the discontinuity of the magnetization curve, and investigating the symmetry transfer from the soft mode profile to the static magnetization, with possible applications
Data for: What should be regarded as deception in experimental economics? \\ Evidence from a survey of researchers and subjects
No full textdat
Multibeam bathymetry processed data (Reson SeaBat 7160 entire dataset) of RV TARAJOQ during cruise TRJQ_2022-05, TRJQ_2023-05, 202310_MB_TRJQ & TRJQ_2024-05, West Greenland shelf
No full textHigh-resolution multibeam data were collected with RV Tarajoq (2022-2024) from the West Greenland shelf (Disko region to Melville Bay) as part of the seafloor mapping strategy at the Greenland Climate Research Centre. The goal of the strategy is to map and illustrate geomorphic features on the seafloor, including geohazards and ice-sculpted forms. The prominent giant pockmarks - altogether 42 features - are included in this dataset as shapefile (WGS 84) and labelled according to the pockmark ID (in Figures 3-7 and Table 2) and its corresponding figure (Krawczyk et al., 2025). Data were acquired with hull-mounted Teledyne system SeaBat 7160 operated at frequency 44 kHz. Positioning and movements of the vessel were obtained from the Applanix POS MV Ocean Master receiving data from an Inertial Motion Unit and two Trimble GNSS antennas. The accuracy of the observations is generally within 0.5 to 2 m horizontally and up to 0.03 degrees roll, pitch, and heading of the vessel. The bathymetry data were acquired with Qinsy software, SVP-corrected, and cleaned using Qimera software, and further gridded at 10 x 10 m resolution. Tide correction was not applied
The origins of compassion for animals: legal privileging of non-wild animals in late Georgian Britain
No full textPublished online: 07 Dec 2015Victor J. Krawczyk, Monica A. Hamilton-Bruc
The Lifecycle of a Digital Historical Document: Structure and Content
No full textThis paper describes the lifecycle of a digital historical document, from template-based structure definition through to content extraction from the scanned pages and its final reconstitution as an electronic document (combining content and semantic information) along with the tools that have been created to realise each stage in the lifecycle. The whole approach is described in the context of different types of typewritten documents relating to prisoners in World-War II concentration camps and is the result of a multinational collaboration under the MEMORIAL project funded (€1.5M) by the European Union (www.memorial-project.info). Extensive tests with historians/archivists and evaluation of the content extraction results indicate the superior performance of the whole semantics-driven approach both over manual transcription and over the semi-automated application of off-the-shelf OCR and the use of a conventional (text and layout) document format
Yuyos
No full textYuyos is an audio-visual ethnographic project lived together with the peasant family Franco Gauto, in Colonia Luz Bella, rural Paraguay.
Yuyos are plants. Trees, shrubs, herbs that can be medicinal. They are wild or cultivated. There are yuyos that can be toxic and other that are beneficial for health. The film documents the family’s ethnobotanical knowledge in relation to their daily life. By revealing the cultural importance attributed to medicinal plants, the protagonists enlighten their idea of agroecology as a way to face current ecological issues and crises. Colonia Luz Bella’s community is socio-environmentally at stake due to continuous deforestation to make room for industrial plantations and pastures. These not only threaten biodiversity—directly influencing the access to yuyos—, they also determine a notable cultural loss.
Born to recover and value the natural medicine’s heritage of one family dedicated to agroecology, the ethnographic film speaks for a whole community in cohabitation with deforestation. In a context of familiar sharing, eased by the social beverage of tereré, the yuyos become narrative agents of stories of commitment and eco-resistance. (Source: Giulia Lepori)No Full Tex
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