252 research outputs found
The Singer or the Song? Developments in Performers' Rights from the Perspective of a Cultural Economist
No full textOver the last century, performers gradually acquired statutory protection of their economic and moral
rights. These rights are not copyright in the legal sense but neighboring rights and until recently, they
were mainly remuneration rights that are collectively administered. With the WPPT (WIPO
Performers and Phonograms Treaty), performers now have individual exclusive rights for digital
performances; this leads to the question: what has motivated this change – is it a change in the
perception of the value of performer or a change brought about by the changing technology of copying or,
indeed, a change that reflects different economic costs and benefits? The paper discusses the role of
copyright law as an incentive to performers and asks if the economic role of the performer is so different
from that of the author. The conclusion is that a complex interaction of the legal regulations, economic
conditions and institutional arrangements for administering these new rights will determine the outcome
Quantification of food intake in Drosophila
No full textMeasurement of food intake in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is often necessary for studies of behaviour, nutrition and drug administration. There is no reliable and agreed method for measuring food intake of flies in undisturbed, steady state, and normal culture conditions. We report such a method, based on measurement of feeding frequency by proboscis-extension, validated by short-term measurements of food dye intake. We used the method to demonstrate that (a) female flies feed more frequently than males, (b) flies feed more often when housed in larger groups and (c) fly feeding varies at different times of the day. We also show that alterations in food intake are not induced by dietary restriction or by a null mutation of the fly insulin receptor substrate chico. In contrast, mutation of takeout increases food intake by increasing feeding frequency while mutation of ovoD increases food intake by increasing the volume of food consumed per proboscis-extension. This approach provides a practical and reliable method for quantification of food intake in Drosophila under normal, undisturbed culture conditions
Strategies for Recognizing and Managing Intraoperative Venous Congestion in Abdominally Based Autologous Breast Reconstruction
No full textImage Processing Based Leaf Rot Disease, Detection of Betel Vine (Piper BetleL.)
No full textAbstractThis paper deals with leaf rot disease detection for betel vine (Piper betel L.) based on image processing algorithm. The measurement of plant features is a fundamental element of plant science research and related applications. The information related to plant features is especially useful for its applications in plant growth modeling, agricultural research and on farm production. Few methods have been applied in leaf rot disease detection for betel vine leaf (Piper Betel L.). Traditional direct measurement methods are generally simple and reliable, but they are time consuming, laborious and cumbersome. In contrast, the proposed vision-based methods are efficient in detecting and observing the exterior disease features. In the present investigation, image processing algorithms are developed to detect leaf rot disease by identifying the color featureof the rotted leaf area. Subsequently, the rotted area was segmented and area of rotted leaf portion was deduced from the observed plant feature data. The results showed a promising performance of this automatic vision-based system in practice with easy validation. This paper describes the steps to achieve an efficient and inexpensive system acceptable to the farmers and agricultural researchers as well for studying leaf rot disease in betel vine leaf
The Biology and Immature Stages of Zygogramma Suturalis (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)
No full textAuthor Institution: Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State UniversityPIPER, GARY L. The Biology and Immature Stages of Zygogramma suturalis (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Ohio J. Sci. 75(1): 19, 1975
Estrogenic and serotonergic butenolides from the leaves of Piper hispidum Swingle (Piperaceae)
No full textPublisher copyright policies & self-archiving: Author's Pre-print: author can archive pre-print (ie pre-refereeing).
Author's Post-print: author can archive post-print (ie final draft post-refereeing).
Publisher's Version/PDF: author cannot archive publisher's version/PDF. Documento privadoEthnopharmacological relevance: Our previous work has demonstrated that several plants in the Piperaceae family are commonly used by the Q’eqchi Maya of Livingston, Guatemala to treat amenorrhea,
dysmenorrhea, and pain. Extracts of Piper hispidum Swingle (Piperaceae), bound to the estrogen (ER) and
serotonin (5-HT7) receptors.
Aim of the study: To investigate the estrogenic and serotonergic activities of Piper hispidum extracts in functionalized assays, identify the active chemical constituents in the leaf extract, and test these compounds
as agonists or antagonists of ER and 5-HT7.
Materials and methods: The effects of the Piper hispidum leaf extracts were investigated in estrogen
reporter gene and endogenous gene assays in MCF-7 cells to determine if the extracts acted as an estrogen agonist or antagonist. In addition, the active compounds were isolated using ER- and 5-HT7 receptor
bioassay-guided fractionation. The structures of the purified compounds were identified using highresolution LC–MS and NMR spectroscopic methods. The ER- and 5-HT7-agonist effects of the purified
chemical constituents were tested in a 2ERE-reporter gene assay in MCF-7 cells and in serotonin binding
and functionalized assays.
Results: Three butenolides including one new compound (1) were isolated from the leaves of Piper
hispidum, and their structures were determined. Compound 1 bound to the serotonin receptor 5-HT7
with IC50 values of 16.1 and 8.3 M, respectively, and using GTP shift assays, Compound 1 was found
to be a partial agonist of the 5-HT7 receptor. The Piper hispidum leaf extracts, as well as Compounds 2
and 3 enhanced the expression of estrogen responsive reporter and endogenous genes in MCF-7 cells,
demonstrating estrogen agonist effects.
Conclusions: Extracts of Piper hispidum act as agonists of the ER and 5-HT7 receptors. Compound 1, a new natural product, identified as 9,10-methylenedioxy-5,6-Z-fadyenolide, was isolated as the 5-HT7
agonist. Compounds 2 and 3 are reported for the first time in Piper hispidum, and identified as the estrogen
agonists. No inhibition of CYP450 was observed for any of these compounds in concentrations up to 1 M.
These activities are consistent with the Q’eqchi traditional use of the plant for the treatment of disorders
associated with the female reproductive cycle.Community Health Sciences Division, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
Department of Chemistry, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650092, People’s Republic of China.
Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
School of Biology, Faculty of Chemical Science and Pharmacy, Universidad de San Carlos, Guatemala City, Guatemala.
School of Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidad de San Carlos, Guatemala.
Centro de Investigaciones en Productos Naturales (CIPRONA), Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Básicas::Centro de Investigaciones en Productos Naturales (CIPRONA
Life History of Acropteroxys Gracilis (Coleoptera: Languriidae) on Common Ragweed in Northeastern Ohio
No full textAuthor Institution: Department of Entomology, Texas A&M UniversityThe life cycle of Acropteroxys gracilis (Newman), a languriid associate of common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., was studied. Adults began appearing in late May and were most abundant during mid-June. A single egg was deposited per stem, usually in the basal third of the stem and the larva tunneled and fed upon the pith. The fully-grown larva overwintered in a state of temperature-induced quiescence within the stem. Pupation usually occurred during early May in the excavated stem. The beetle is univoltine in northeastern Ohio. The egg, larvae, and pupa of A. gracilis are described and/or illustrated for the first time
Evaluation of Pre-Pectoral Direct-to-Implant Breast Reconstruction with Post-Mastectomy Radiation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
No full textBackground: Immediate direct-to-implant (DTI) breast reconstruction is associated with high patient satisfaction and faster recovery. However, concerns remain for patients requiring post-mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT). While PMRT improves overall survival for breast cancer patients, it has been associated with increased implant-specific complications such as capsular contracture, infection, and implant loss. As the impact of PMRT on pre-pectoral DTI specifically is not well understood, the goal of this systematic review was to evaluate the impact of PMRT on outcomes in this growing patient population. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science were systematically reviewed for articles published from 1 January 2000 to 23 December 2024 investigating outcomes after prepectoral DTI reconstruction with exposure to PMRT. Demographic, clinical, and post-operative variables were recorded for PMRT and non-PMRT cohorts, and primary outcomes included infection, capsular contracture, implant loss, and wound healing complications. Meta-analysis was performed for key outcomes using the Mantel-Haenszel method. Results: Of 472 initially identified records, seven studies met inclusion criteria with a combined total of 343 prepectoral DTI reconstructions exposed to PMRT and 1385 reconstructions not exposed to PMRT. PMRT significantly increased the odds of any complication (OR 2.11, p = 0.01), implant loss (OR 1.88, p = 0.02), infection (OR 2.76, p = 0.004), and capsular contracture (OR 8.88, p < 0.001). However, PMRT was not associated with significantly increased odds of wound healing complications (OR 1.5, p = 0.36). Conclusions: PMRT after pre-pectoral DTI reconstruction significantly increases odds of complications, including infection, capsular contracture, and reconstructive failure. Plastic surgeons should be mindful of the sequelae of PMRT with prepectoral DTI reconstruction to improve pre-operative counseling and shared decision-making
Distraction Osteogenesis of Multiple Ribs for the Treatment of Acquired Thoracic Dystrophy
No full textThe equity premium in 100 textbooks
No full textI review 100 finance and valuation textbooks published between 1979 and 2008 by authors such as Brealey and Myers, Copeland, Damodaran, Merton, Ross, Bruner, Bodie, Penman, Weston, Brigham and Arzac and find that their recommendations regarding the equity premium range from 3% to 10%. I also find that several books use different equity premia on different pages. Some of the confusion arises from not distinguishing among the four concepts that the term equity premium designates: historical equity premium, expected equity premium, required equity premium and implied equity premium. Finance textbooks should clarify the equity premium by providing distinguishing definitions of these four concepts and conveying a clearer message about their sensible magnitudes.equity premium; equity premium puzzle; required market risk premium; historical market risk premium; expected market risk premium; risk premium; market risk premium; market premium;
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