Search results for "RATES"
showing 10 items of 1636 documents
Channels through Which Human Capital Inequality Influences Economic Growth
2011
This paper empirically investigates the theoretical predictions of some of the channels through which human capital inequality may discourage investment and growth. In a cross section of countries over the period 1960–2000, findings reveal that, all other things being equal, a greater degree of human capital inequality increases fertility rates and reduces life expectancy, which in turn hampers the accumulation rates of human capital. This effect is reinforced in the countries where individuals find it difficult to access credit. Extensive sensitivity analyses show that the results are robust across specifications and are not driven by atypical observations, endogenous regressors, or unobse…
Enantioselective Henry addition of methyl 4-nitrobutyrate to aldehydes. Chiral building blocks for 2-pyrrolidinones and other derivatives.
2010
A catalytic highly enantioselective Henry addition of methyl 4-nitrobutyrate to aldehydes using a Cu(II)-amino pyridine complex as catalyst is described. The products resulting from this reaction constitute a new, highly versatile family of chiral building blocks as a result of the presence of three different functional groups on the molecule. These products have been transformed into nonracemic chiral gamma-lactams, 5-hydroxy-5-substituted levulinic acid derivatives, and delta-lactones.
Comparison of α-acetolactate synthase and α-acetolactate decarboxylase in Lactococcus spp. and Leuconostoc spp.
1994
Cell-free extracts of Leuconostoc and Lactococcus species were tested for their alpha-acetolactate synthase and alpha-acetolactate decarboxylase activities. In Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides and Leuconostoc lactis, the Km of alpha-acetolactate synthase for pyruvate was close to 10 mM whereas it was 30 mM in Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis. The Km of alpha-acetolactate decarboxylase for alpha-acetolactic acid was very low (0.3 mM) in Leuconostoc species in comparison to Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis (60 mM). In the latter bacterium, alpha-acetolactate decarboxylase showed a sigmoidal de…
Yttrium and lanthanides in human lung fluids, probing the exposure to atmospheric fallout.
2011
International audience; Inhalation of airborne particles can produce crystallization of phosphatic microcrysts in intraaveolar areas of lungs, sometimes degenerating into pulmonary fibrosis. Results of this study indicate that these pathologies are induced by interactions between lung fluids and inhaled atmospheric dust in people exposed to volcanic dust ejected from Mount Etna in 2001. Here, the lung solid-liquid interaction is evaluated by the distribution of yttrium and lanthanides (YLn) in fluid bronchoalveolar lavages on selected individuals according the classical geochemical approaches. We found that shale-normalised patterns of yttrium and lanthanides have a 'V shaped' feature corre…
Comments on 'formation and characterization of nanotubes of La(OH) 3 obtained using porous alumina membranes'
2010
New experimental evidence concerning the formation of La(OH)3 nanowires on anodic alumina membranes by cathodic polarization in 0.05 M lanthanum nitrate solution is provided to further support the conclusions previously reached in our work (Bocchetta et al 2007 Electrochem. Commun. 9 683-8) and recently criticized by González-Rovira et al (Nanotechnology 2008 19 495305). Some unconvincing aspects of the paper of González-Rovira et al, according to which the same electrochemical process should lead to the formation of hydroxycarbonate nanotubes, are also discussed.
Introduction to Symposium: Poecilogony--A Window on Larval Evolutionary Transitions in Marine Invertebrates
2012
Poecilogony is the intraspecific variation in developmental mode that has been described in some marine invertebrates. Poecilogonous species produce different larval forms (e.g., free-swimming planktotrophic larvae as well as brooded lecithotrophic or adelphophagic larvae). Poecilogony can be a controversial topic, since it is difficult to identify and characterize the phenomenon with certainty. It has been challenging to determine whether poecilogony represents developmental polymorphism with a genetic basis or developmental polyphenism reflecting plastic responses to environmental cues. Other outstanding questions include whether common mechanisms underlie the developmental variation we o…
Cytotoxic Activity of Tunicate Hemocytes
1996
Tunicates (protochordates) are filter-feeding marine invertebrates with a worldwide distribution. In their larval form, they exhibit many of the features characteristic of the vertebrates. The larva, with a tail, notochord, and dorsal neural tube, upon settlement undergoes a remarkable metamorphosis in which it loses most of its chordate characteristics and becomes a sessile invertebrate adult. Thus, due to these characteristics, tunicates are considered to be the most primitive members of the phylum Chordata. Owing to their position in the phylogenetic line leading to the vertebrates, they have attained importance as experimental organisms and have been examined by researchers from a varie…
Monte Carlo simulation in phylogenies: an application to test the constancy of evolutionary rates.
1994
Monte Carlo simulation has commonly been used in phylogenetic studies to test different tree-reconstruction methods, and consequently, its application for testing evolutionary models can be considered as a natural extension of this usage. Repetitive simulation of a given evolutionary process, under the restrictions imposed by the model to be tested, along a determinate tree topology allow the estimate of probability distributions for the desired parameters. Next, the phylogenetic tree can be reconstructed again without the constraints of the model, and the parameter of interest, derived from this tree, can be compared to the corresponding probability distribution derived from the restricted…
Safety and efficacy of intensity-modulated radiotherapy in the management of spermatic cord sarcoma.
2017
International audience; Purpose. - Spermatic cord sarcoma is a rare disease, which management remains controversial due to the lack of guidelines. The standard therapeutic approach is surgical: wide soft-tissue resection with radical inguinal orchidectomy, The diagnosis is made during the analysis of the specimen. The high rate of local recurrence indicates adjuvant radiotherapy of the tumor bed. The aim of this series is to determine the efficacy and safety of postoperative intensity-modulated radiotherapy for spermatic cord sarcomas. Patients and methods. - Our series included five consecutive cases of spermatic cord sarcoma treated between 2011 and 2014. The indications for radiotherapy …
The Association between Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Gut Microbiota Composition in Premenopausal Women
2017
Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and gut microbiota composition in premenopausal women. The participants consisted of 71 premenopausal Finnish women (aged 19–49 years). Gut microbiota were analyzed using flow cytometry, 16S rRNA gene hybridization and DNA-staining. Maximum oxygen uptake (VO₂ₘₐₓ) was assessed by respiratory gas analyzer and body composition by Bioimpdance. We found that participants with low VO₂ₘₐₓ had lower Bacteroides, but higher Eubacterium rectale-Clostridium coccoides than the high VO₂ₘₐₓ group (p < 0.05 for all). VO₂ₘₐₓ was inversely associated with EreC (r = −0.309, p = 0.01) but not with other bact…