Defense Budget Growth and Inflation: A Wavelet-Based Study of the U.S. and Britain

Despite the extensive theoretical connections between defense budget growth and inflation, empirical findings based on traditional time-domain methods have been inconclusive. This study reexamines the issue from a time–frequency perspective. Applying continuous wavelet analysis to the U.S. and Britain, it shows empirical evidence in support of positive bilateral effects in both cases. In the bivariate context, U.S. defense budget growth promoted inflation at 2- to 4-year cycles in the 1840s and at 8- to 24-year cycles between 1825 and 1940. Conversely, inflation accelerated defense spending growth at 5- to 7-year cycles in the 1830s and at 25- to 64-year cycles between 1825 and 1940. Similarly, British defense budget growth spurred inflation at 8- to 48-year cycles between 1890 and 1940 and at 50- to 65-year cycles between 1790 and 1860. Inflation fueled the growth of defense spending at 7- to 20-year cycles between 1840 and 1870, in the 1940s, and in the 1980s. Preliminary results from multivariate analyses are also supportive, though there is a need for further research that is contingent on advancements in the wavelet method in the direction of simulation-based significance tests.

Effect of Heat Input on LMHMW Joint of Carbon Steel

Laser-MIG hybrid multi-layer welding (LMHMW) technology has been employed in paraxial configuration with laser leading for the welding of 20 mm thick Q235 carbon steel plates to exploit the hybridization effect that addresses the shortcomings of the individual process as well as to compliment their merits. The bilateral effects of arc augmented laser welding have resulted in complete joint penetration, process efficiency, stability and gap bridge ability. Samples welded under varying heat inputs in multiple passes have been analyzed for their microstructure evaluation using an optical microscope followed by tensile and Vickers hardness testing in various regions of the weld zones. This process was conducted to characterize the effect of heat input on the mechanical properties of the welded joints. The experimental results illustrate that different heat inputs have significant effects on the microstructure, heat affected zone width and mechanical properties of welded joints. The microhardness near the fusion line decreases dramatically due to the influence of the phase transformation process, and the highest microhardness value is obtained in the center of the weld seam. By using reasonable process parameters, the strength of the welded joint can obtain 458.5 MPa.

Evidence for widespread alterations in cortical microstructure after 32 hours of sleep deprivation

Background: Cortical macrostructure is influenced by circadian rhythm and sleep deprivation, yet the microstructural underpinnings of previous human brain MRI findings have remained unclear. The ratio between T1-weighted and T2-weighted magnetic resonance images (T1w/T2w ratio) has been linked to myelin levels and dendrite density, and may offer novel insight into the intracortical microstructure of the sleep deprived brain. Methods: We examined intracortical T1w/T2w ratio in 41 healthy young adults (26 women) before and after 32 hours of either sleep deprivation (n = 18) or a normal sleep-wake cycle (n = 23). Results: Linear models revealed significant group differences in T1w/T2w ratio change after 32 hours in four clusters, including bilateral effects in the insular, cingulate and superior temporal cortex, comprising regions involved in attentional, auditory and pain processing. Across clusters, the sleep deprived group showed an increased T1w/T2w ratio, while the normal sleep-wake group exhibited a reduced ratio. These changes were not explained by in-scanner head movement, and 95% of the effects across clusters remained significant after adjusting for cortical thickness and hydration. Conclusions: Compared with a normal sleep-wake cycle, 32 hours of sleep deprivation yields intracortical T1w/T2w ratio increases. While the intracortical changes detected by this study could reflect alterations in myelin or dendritic density, or both, histological analyses are needed to clarify the precise underlying cortical processes.

Spatial attention and representation of time intervals in childhood

Spatial attention and spatial representation of time are strictly linked in the human brain. In young adults, a leftward shift of spatial attention by prismatic adaptation (PA), is associated with an underestimation whereas a rightward shift is associated with an overestimation of time both for visual and auditory stimuli. These results suggest a supra-modal representation of time left-to-right oriented that is modulated by a bilateral attentional shift. However, there is evidence of unilateral, instead of bilateral, effects of PA on time in elderly adults suggesting an influence of age on these effects. Here we studied the effects of spatial attention on time representation focusing on childhood. Fifty-four children aged from 5 to 11 years-old performed a temporal bisection task with visual and auditory stimuli before and after PA inducing a leftward or a rightward attentional shift. Results showed that children underestimated time after a leftward attentional shift either for visual or auditory stimuli, whereas a rightward attentional shift had null effect on time. Our results are discussed as a partial maturation of the link between spatial attention and time representation in childhood, due to immaturity of interhemispheric interactions or of executive functions necessary for the attentional complete influence on time representation.

The impact of the environment on economic growth: Evidence from China

Subject. China's industrial sectors are important vehicles that made China the global leader of GDP and economic growth. However, China managed to reach such results sacrificing its environment. The study discusses the coordination of actions spurring the economic growth and environmental protection in order to avoid such sacrifices for the sake of the national economic development. Objectives. We examine the mechanism of bilateral effects on the economic growth of China's industries and environmental protection to provide the empirical framework for the reasonable natural protection policy and environmental regulations. Methods. Theoretical projections stem from the analysis of economic literature and empirical research on resources, environment and sustainable economic development in the existing theories of economic growth. Results. Having analyzed how the environmental pollution and the industrial economic growth of China correlated, we found that a set of various environmental pollution indicators strongly differed from the empirical findings of the study. Therefore, it is still not found how the economic growth of China influenced the environmental pollution. Conclusions and Relevance. The improvement of the environmental quality is not an unavoidable endogenous result of the economic growth. If the Chinese industrial sectors continues growing extensively, the environment will grow even more polluted. It is necessary to determine a reasonable environmental protection policy to combine it with economic growth, and tighten the environmental regulations.

tDCS Anodal tDCS increases bilateral corticospinal excitability irrespective of hemispheric dominance

Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that utilizes weak direct currents to induce polarity-dependent modulation of corticospinal excitability. Although tDCS exerts a modulatory effect over the stimulation region, several studies have also demonstrated that distal areas of the brain connected to the region of stimulation may also be affected, as well as the contralateral hemisphere. Objective: We examined the effect of a single session of anodal tDCS on corticospinal excitability and inhibition of both the stimulated and non-stimulated hemisphere and examined the influence of these responses by the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) polymorphism. Methods: In a randomized cross-over design, changes in corticospinal excitability and inhibition of the stimulated and non-stimulated hemispheres were analysed in 13 participants in both the dominant and non-dominant primary motor cortex (M1). Participants were exposed to 20 min of anodal and sham tDCS and also undertook a blood sample for BDNF genotyping. Results: TMS revealed a bilateral increase in corticospinal excitability irrespective of which hemisphere (dominant vs non-dominant) was stimulated (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, the induction of corticospinal excitability was influenced by the BDNF polymorphism. Conclusion: This finding shows that anodal tDCS induces bilateral effects in corticospinal excitability irrespective of hemispheric dominance. This finding provides scientists and medical practitioners with a greater understanding as to how this technique may be used as a therapeutic tool for clinical populations.

128 Additional dietary DL-methionine affects tissue redox and inflammation status of broiler chicks in response to high stocking density

We determined if 30% extra supplemental DL-methionine affected oxidative and inflammatory responses of broilers stocked at a high density. A total of 560 day-old male Cornish cockerel chicks were divided into 4 groups: 2 stocking densities (2.9 and 3.8 kg/ft2) and 2 methionine supplementations (grower: 2.90 or 3.77 g/kg and finisher: 2.60 or 3.38 g/kg). Chicks were fed the same corn-soy starter diet and then respective experimental diets (grower: 6.4 g SAA/kg, finisher: 5.9 g SAA/kg, n = 10 pens/treatment). Blood and tissues (3 chicks/pen) were sampled at the end of each period. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA. The high density elevated (P &lt; 0.05) glutathione concentration in the plasma, breast, and thigh of growers, but decreased (P &lt; 0.05) it in the liver of growers and thigh of finishers. The high methionine elevated (P &lt; 0.05) glutathione concentration in the thigh at both ages. There were interactions (P &lt; 0.05) between dietary methionine and stocking density on activities of antioxidant enzymes including GST in 2 or more tissues at both ages and GPX and SOD in the thigh of growers. Hepatic expression of inflammation-related gene IL-6 was decreased (P &lt; 0.05) by the high density, while heat shock protein genes HSP70 and HSP90 were decreased (P &lt; 0.05) by the high methionine. Expression of stress-related genes TNFα and JNK was decreased (P &lt; 0.05) by a combined high methionine and density treatment. The high methionine decreased (P &lt; 0.05) finisher thigh and breast malondialdehyde concentrations and grower plasma glucose concentrations. Neither the density nor the methionine supplementation affected concentrations of plasma ferric reducing ability, serum amyloid A, and corticosterone or hepatic protein carbonyl. In conclusion, the high stocking density showed bilateral effects on the redox and inflammatory responses of broilers. Supplemental extra methionine modulated some of those effects.

Bimodal modulation of background activity in an identified descending interneuron

In the absence of any obvious input, sensory neurons and interneurons can display resting or spontaneous activity. This is often regarded as noise and removed through trial averaging, although it may reflect history-dependent modulation of tuning or fidelity and, thus, be of functional relevance to downstream interneurons. We investigated the history dependence of spontaneous activity in a pair of identified, bimodal descending interneurons of the stick insect, called contralateral ON-type velocity-sensitive interneurons (cONv). The bilateral pair of cONv conveys antennal mechanosensory information to the thoracic ganglia, where it arborizes in regions containing locomotor networks. Each cONv encodes the movement velocity of the contralateral antenna, but also substrate vibration as induced by discrete tapping events. Moreover, cONv display highly fluctuating spontaneous activity that can reach rates similar to those during antennal movement at moderate velocities. Hence, cONv offer a unique opportunity to study history-dependent effects on spontaneous activity and, thus, encoding fidelity in two modalities. In this work, we studied unimodal and cross-modal effects as well as unilateral and bilateral effects, using bilateral recordings of both cONv neurons, while moving one antenna and/or delivering taps to induce substrate vibration. Tapping could reduce spontaneous activity of both neurons, whereas antennal movement reduced spontaneous activity of the contralateral cONv neuron only. Combination of both modalities showed a cooperative effect for some parameter constellations, suggesting bimodal enhancement. Since both stimulus modalities could cause a reduction of spontaneous activity at stimulus intensities occurring during natural locomotion, we conclude that this should enhance neuronal response fidelity during locomotion. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The spontaneous activity in a pair of identified, descending insect interneurons is reduced depending on stimulus history. At rest, spontaneous activity levels are correlated in both interneurons, indicating a common drive from background activity. Whereas taps on the substrate affect both interneurons, antennal movement affects the contralateral interneuron only. Cross-modal interaction occurs, too. Since spontaneous activity is reduced at stimulus intensities encountered during natural locomotion, the mechanism could enhance neuronal response fidelity during locomotion.