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PurposeExistence of working poverty reduces the effectiveness of the strategy of “increasing employment to reduce poverty”. Developed countries are already concerned about it but insufficient attention has been made by developing countries. Focusing on developing countries this study identifies (1) the effects of trade openness (TO) on working poverty and (2) whether the working poverty trap exists or not in developing countries. Both objectives are also analyzed for three subsamples of low income, lower-middle income and upper-middle income developing countries.Design/methodology/approachPanel data for 98 developing countries over the period of 2000–2016 have been collected for the study. Fixed effect and GMM methods are applied for static and dynamic analysis, respectively.FindingsThe study finds that TO significantly reduces working poverty rate (WPR) (mainly driven up by upper-middle income developing countries). The positive association between WPR with its previous year's rate proves the existence of working poverty trap.Research limitations/implicationsThe study's outcome is subject to selected time, countries and methods. Future research should use more improve methods and should identify the channels through which TO could affect working poverty.Practical implicationsMiddle income and upper-middle income developing countries should increase TO to reduce the working poverty. Low income developing countries that have the highest working poverty should search the way to derive beneficial effects of trade on working poverty.Social implicationsWorking poverty is not only a developed country issue rather it is a global phenomenon. Hence, it is expected that the study will raise the social consciousness about this phenomenon in developing countries too.Originality/valueThe study fulfills the gaps of identifying the effects of TO on working poverty and existence of in-work poverty trap in developing countries.

We test the “efficient-but-poor” hypothesis” by estimating the determinants of smallholders’ choice over cash or food crops and whether their crop choice affects technical efficiency and poverty using the national household panel data in Nigeria. We employ the stochastic frontier analyses correcting for sample selection about farmers’ crop choice. Our results indicate that smallholders are generally efficient in their resource allocations. A treatment effects model is employed to estimate farmers’ crop choice in the first stage and the impact of their choices on technical efficiency and poverty outcomes in the second stage. The results show that farmers’ access to free inputs, non-farm income and the use of seeds from the previous growing season are important determinants of crop choice. The adoption of cash crops by food-crop producing households will not generally reduce poverty, although it will improve technical efficiency marginally. However, if cash crops are commercialised, poverty tends to decline.

Placing a transanal endoscopic rectal purse-string suture (taEPS) is the crucial first component of transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME). However, no structured training is available to improve the procedure-specific skills for taEPS. The aim of this study was to create a performance rubric to improve taEPS skills and provide preliminary evidence for its validity. A performance rubric was created based on technical considerations for taEPS, identified by consulting with taTME surgical and performance assessment experts. Ten independent, blinded raters assessed 10 videotaped taEPS procedures of consecutive taTME cases, at National Cancer Center Hospital East (NCCHE), Chiba, Japan, in January 2018–March 2019 using the rubric and the Global Operative Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills (GOALS). Internal consistency and inter-rater reliabilities were calculated. Videotaped taEPS procedures were timed and assessed by the rubric. Correlation between rubric scores and suturing times were analyzed. The rubric consists of four items: loading the needle (LN), atraumatic needle passage (AP), planned suture path (PS), and overall performance (OA). Videotaped performances were graded on a 3-point Likert scale; scores were calculated as sums of the points. Cronbach’s α for internal consistency was 0.713. Inter-rater reliabilities were LN: 0.73, AP: 0.76, PS: 0.71, and OA: 0.70. Rubric and GOALS scores were strongly correlated (r = 0.964, p

Precise control of lineage segregation is critical for the development of multicellular organisms, but our quantitative understanding of how variable signaling inputs are integrated to activate lineage-specific gene programs remains limited. Here, we show how precisely two out of eight ectoderm cells adopt neural fates in response to ephrin and FGF signals during ascidian neural induction. In each ectoderm cell, FGF signals activate ERK to a level that mirrors its cell contact surface with FGF-expressing mesendoderm cells. This gradual interpretation of FGF inputs is followed by a bimodal transcriptional response of the immediate early gene, Otx, resulting in its activation specifically in the neural precursors. At low levels of ERK, Otx is repressed by an ETS family transcriptional repressor, ERF2. Ephrin signals are critical for dampening ERK activation levels across ectoderm cells so that only neural precursors exhibit above-threshold levels, evade ERF repression, and "switch on" Otx transcription.

In ascidian embryos, the earliest transcription from the zygotic genome begins between the 8-cell and 16-cell stages. Gata.a, a maternally expressed Gata transcription factor, activates target genes specifically in the animal hemisphere, whereas the complex of β-catenin and Tcf7 antagonizes the activity of Gata.a and activates target genes specifically in the vegetal hemisphere. Here, we show that genes zygotically expressed at the 16-cell stage have significantly more Gata motifs in their upstream regions. These genes included not only genes with animal hemisphere-specific expression but also genes with vegetal hemisphere-specific expression. On the basis of this finding, we performed knockdown experiments for Gata.a and reporter assays, and found that Gata.a is required for the expression of not only genes with animal hemisphere-specific expression, but also genes with vegetal hemisphere-specific expression. Our data indicated that weak Gata.a activity that cannot induce animal hemisphere-specific expression can allow β-catenin/Tcf7 targets to be expressed in the vegetal cells. Because genes zygotically expressed at the 32-cell stage also had significantly more Gata motifs in their upstream regions, Gata.a function may not be limited to the genes expressed specifically in the animal or vegetal hemispheres at the 16-cell stage, and Gata.a may play an important role in the earliest transcription of the zygotic genome.

The evolutionarily ancient Aquificales bacterium Sulfurihydrogenibium spp. dominates filamentous microbial mat communities in shallow, fast-flowing, and dysoxic hot-spring drainage systems around the world. In the present study, field observations of these fettuccini-like microbial mats at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park are integrated with geology, geochemistry, hydrology, microscopy, and multi-omic molecular biology analyses. Strategic sampling of living filamentous mats along with the hot-spring CaCO3 (travertine) in which they are actively being entombed and fossilized has permitted the first direct linkage of Sulfurihydrogenibium spp. physiology and metabolism with the formation of distinct travertine streamer microbial biomarkers. Results indicate that, during chemoautotrophy and CO2 carbon fixation, the 87–98% Sulfurihydrogenibium-dominated mats utilize chaperons to facilitate enzyme stability and function. High-abundance transcripts and proteins for type IV pili and extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) are consistent with their strong mucus-rich filaments tens of centimeters long that withstand hydrodynamic shear as they become encrusted by more than 5 mm of travertine per day. Their primary energy source is the oxidation of reduced sulfur (e.g., sulfide, sulfur, or thiosulfate) and the simultaneous uptake of extremely low concentrations of dissolved O2 facilitated by bd-type cytochromes. The formation of elevated travertine ridges permits the Sulfurihydrogenibium-dominated mats to create a shallow platform from which to access low levels of dissolved oxygen at the virtual exclusion of other microorganisms. These ridged travertine streamer microbial biomarkers are well preserved and create a robust fossil record of microbial physiological and metabolic activities in modern and ancient hot-spring ecosystems.

Improvement of the critical current density (Jc) of superconducting wires/tapes is one of the key issues in the field of superconductivity applications. Here we report the fabrication of a silver-sheathed Ba1−xNaxFe2As2 (BaNa-122) superconducting tape by using a powder-in-tube technique and its superconducting properties, in particular transport Jc, as well as the tape-core texture. The optimally-doped BaNa-122 tape with Na concentration x = 0.4 exhibits the superconducting critical temperature (Tc) of 33.7 K and high transport Jc of 4 × 104 A/cm2 at 4.2 K in a magnetic field of 4 T. Patterns of x-ray diffraction for the superconducting core show that the degree of c-axis orientation is significantly enhanced through the tape fabrication process. The tendency of c-axis orientation is advantageous for achieving higher Jc, suggesting the high potential of BaNa-122 for superconducting wire/tape applications.

Placing a transanal endoscopic rectal purse-string suture (taEPS) is the crucial first component of transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME). However, no structured training is available to improve the procedure-specific skills for taEPS. The aim of this study was to create a performance rubric to improve taEPS skills and provide preliminary evidence for its validity.A performance rubric was created based on technical considerations for taEPS, identified by consulting with taTME surgical and performance assessment experts. Ten independent, blinded raters assessed 10 videotaped taEPS procedures of consecutive taTME cases, at National Cancer Center Hospital East (NCCHE), Chiba, Japan, in January 2018-March 2019 using the rubric and the Global Operative Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills (GOALS). Internal consistency and inter-rater reliabilities were calculated. Videotaped taEPS procedures were timed and assessed by the rubric. Correlation between rubric scores and suturing times were analyzed.The rubric consists of four items: loading the needle (LN), atraumatic needle passage (AP), planned suture path (PS), and overall performance (OA). Videotaped performances were graded on a 3-point Likert scale; scores were calculated as sums of the points. Cronbach's α for internal consistency was 0.713. Inter-rater reliabilities were LN: 0.73, AP: 0.76, PS: 0.71, and OA: 0.70. Rubric and GOALS scores were strongly correlated (r = 0.964, p 0.001). In 112 consecutive taEPS performances, rubric scores were strongly correlated with suturing time (r = - 0.69, p 0.001). Surgeons' experience with taTME was associated with rubric scores and suturing time.This study provides preliminary validation for the taEPS skill performance rubric. The rubric's structured training may facilitate skill acquisition by providing trainees with critical clinical considerations.

An integrated modeling workflow capable of finding the steady-state plasma solution with self-consistent core transport, pedestal structure, current profile, and plasma equilibrium physics has been developed and tested against a DIII-D discharge. Key features of the achieved core-pedestal coupled workflow are its ability to account for the transport of impurities in the plasma self-consistently, as well as its use of machine learning accelerated models for the pedestal structure and for the turbulent transport physics. Notably, the coupled workflow is implemented within the One Modeling Framework for Integrated Tasks (OMFIT) framework, and makes use of the ITER integrated modeling and analysis suite data structure for exchanging data among the physics codes that are involved in the simulations. Such technical advance has been facilitated by the development of a new numerical library named ordered multidimensional arrays structure.

This study analyses behaviour of women's community-based organisations in rural Nepal in reducing prevalence of child malnutrition in member households drawing upon the survey data collected in 2000. The induced institutional innovation hypothesis is tested: are capabilities of women organisations reflecting ‘structured social capital’ positively associated with improved child nutritional status? The effectiveness of outside interventions is also tested. Econometric results based on 2SLS show that higher capabilities of the autonomous group are associated with lower underweight. We also demonstrate that enhanced knowledge diffusion, combined with growth promotion, represents an effective instrument for empowering rural women in acting to reduce the prevalence of chronic malnutrition.

The main objective of this study is to identify the socioeconomic, meteorological, and geographical factors associated with the severity of COVID‐19 pandemic in India. The severity is measured by the cumulative severity ratio (CSR)—the ratio of the cumulative COVID‐related deaths to the deaths in a pre‐pandemic year—its first difference and COVID infection cases. We have found significant interstate heterogeneity in the pandemic development and have contrasted the trends of the COVID‐19 severities between Maharashtra, which had the largest number of COVID deaths and cases, and the other states. Drawing upon random‐effects models and Tobit models for the weekly and monthly panel data sets of 32 states/union territories, we have found that the factors associated with the COVID severity include income, gender, multi‐morbidity, urbanization, lockdown and unlock phases, weather including temperature and rainfall, and the retail price of wheat. Brief observations from a policy perspective are made toward the end.

The objective of this paper is to examine how agricultural and nonagricultural labor productivities have grown over time and whether the growth pattern affected poverty in low- and middle-income economies in Asia. We first examine whether labor productivities in the agricultural and nonagricultural sectors have converged, finding evidence that they did not as the latter have grown faster. We then confirm that both agricultural and nonagricultural labor productivities have converged across economies and that the convergence effect is stronger for the nonagricultural sector. We have also observed that, despite the relatively slower growth in agricultural labor productivity, the agricultural sector played an important role in promoting nonagricultural labor productivity and thus in nonagricultural growth. Finally, we have found some evidence that the labor productivity gap reduces rural and urban poverty, as well as national-level inequality.

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the short-term impact and long-term sustainability of Kenya’s Hunger Safety Net Programme (HSNP). Difference-in-difference and propensity score matching estimations are used to determine the impact of programme participation on the household multidimensional poverty index (MPI). We found that programme participation reduced the MPI significantly, which is mainly driven by the food insecurity dimension, and that the reduction in poverty is due to the reduction in the incidence and intensity, the latter in particular, of poverty among the ultra-poor households. Our analysis of the political economy of Kenya suggests that, while the government is making progress in the institutionalisation of social protection, weaknesses in the implementation and financing of the programme, as well as the short-term focus of impact evaluation, may undermine the programme’s potential to help build a strong state that is accountable for the eradication of poverty.

The transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) approach for rectal cancer has been gaining popularity. Although TaTME requires specific training, the opportunity to obtain this training is limited. We developed the first dry simulator that includes some important structural landmarks to provide training that includes all the procedural steps of TaTME.The model was structured based on a computed tomography scan data. The simulator mimics the rectum and surrounding key anatomical structures. All material components were made of polyvinyl alcohol and stained with various colors to easily identify these anatomical structures while undergoing the training.Our simulator is compact in its size and can be easily packed, stacked, and stored. The materials mimic the real one and the model allows us to perform the entire step-by-step TaTME procedures with genuine clinical devices from the attachment of operative platform to the anastomosis. We have held the course 24 times to date, with more than 200 surgeons participating not only from domestic hospitals but also from other countries. The result of the satisfaction survey from 65 participants, which was rated from 0 to 10 points, was an average score of 8.6 (± 1.4) points.We present the world's first TaTME simulator and believe that it will play an important role for the safe spread of TaTME surgery.

This study examines determinants of the rural-urban gap of household welfare in Vietnam during 2008-2012 using national household data. We have used unconditional quantile regressions (UQR) to carry out quantile decomposition analyses to identify underlying causes for the rural-urban disparity across the entire distribution. Our analyses have overcome the limitations of Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition, namely, (i) decomposition is made only at mean and (ii) a dependent variable has a linear and parametric relationship with covariates. For these purposes, we have carried out detailed decomposition analyses and the UQR decomposition (Fortin et al, 2011) combined with the reweighting technique. Our results show that basic education is beneficial to the rural poor and ethnic minorities in improving their living standards. Remittances generally improve rural welfare, but do not reduce within- or between-inequality. Public policy should ensure easier access to education for the rural poor and support the self-employed to raise and stabilise income.

We investigated local magnetism at the interface between Co2FeGe Heusler alloy and Ag by 57Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy. Interface-sensitive samples, where the 57Fe isotope was used only for several interfacial atomic layers of the Co2FeGe layer on the Ag layer, were prepared using atomically controlled alternate deposition at various deposition temperatures. The 57Fe Mossbauer spectra measured at room temperature indicated that the interface region of the Co2FeGe layers for the samples deposited below 500 ° C retains the ferromagnetic B2 structure. On the other hand, interdiffusion between the Co2FeGe and Ag layers occurs and a nonmagnetic phase grows for the samples deposited at the substrate temperature higher than 550 ° C. We observed magnetoresistance (MR) ratio of 3.6% at room temperature for Co2FeGe/Ag/Fe current-perpendicular-to-plane giant-magnetoresistive (CPP-GMR) structures grown at 300 ° C, whereas we could not observe distinct MR effect for samples grown at 600 ° C. These results support that the existence of interfacial nonmagnetic phase due to the interdiffusion between Heusler alloy and nonmagnetic-metal layers severely reduces the performance of CPP-GMR devices.

This is the first econometric analysis of the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic measured using two related but distinct measures of mortality up to 21 June 2020 One is the Cumulative Severity Ratio (CSR) and the other is the Daily Severity Ratio (DSR) The CSR measures the additional pressure on India's fragile and ill-equipped healthcare system, the DSR helps monitor the progression of fatalities Another important contribution of this analysis is the use of rigorous econometric methodology: random-effects models and Hausman-Taylor models Although the rationales vary, they yield a large core of robust results The specifications are rich and comprehensive, despite heavy data constraints The factors associated with the CSR and DSR include(lagged) Covid-19 cases, income, age, gender, multi-morbidity, urban population density, lockdown phases within three states, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Meghalaya, and weather, including temperature and rainfall and their interactions with the two state dummies Given the paucity of rigorous econometric analyses, our study yields policy insights of considerable significance

BACKGROUND: We have recently shown that a novel signalling kinase, inositol hexakisphosphate kinase 1 (IP6K1), is implicated in whole-body insulin resistance via its inhibitory action on Akt. Insulin and insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) share many intracellular processes with both known to play a key role in glucose and protein metabolism in skeletal muscle. AIMS: We aimed to compare IGF/IP6K1/Akt signalling and the plasma proteomic signature in individuals with a range of BMIs after ingestion of lean meat. METHODS: Ten lean [Body mass index (BMI) (in kg/m(2)): 22.7 ± 0.4; Homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA(IR)): 1.36 ± 0.17], 10 overweight (BMI: 27.1 ± 0.5; HOMA(IR): 1.25 ± 0.11), and 10 obese (BMI: 35.9 ± 1.3; HOMA(IR): 5.82 ± 0.81) adults received primed continuous L-[ring-(13)C(6)]phenylalanine infusions. Blood and muscle biopsy samples were collected at 0 min (post-absorptive), 120 min and 300 min relative to the ingestion of 170 g pork loin (36 g protein and 5 g fat) to examine skeletal muscle protein signalling, plasma proteomic signatures, and whole-body phenylalanine disappearance rates (R(d)). RESULTS: Phenylalanine R(d) was not different in obese compared to lean individuals at all time points and was not responsive to a pork ingestion (basal, P = 0.056; 120 & 300min, P > 0.05). IP6K1 was elevated in obese individuals at 120 min post-prandial vs basal (P < 0.05). There were no acute differences plasma proteomic profiles between groups in the post-prandial state (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate, for the first time that muscle IP6K1 protein content is elevated after lean meat ingestion in obese adults, suggesting that IP6K1 may be contributing to the dysregulation of nutrient uptake in skeletal muscle. In addition, proteomic analysis showed no differences in proteomic signatures between obese, overweight or lean individuals.

This study estimates household vulnerability in the Philippines using a three-level and longitudinal linear random-coefficient model whereby vulnerability is decomposed into idiosyncratic and covariate components. Our three-wave panel data covering the period 2003-2009 allow us to analyse poverty situations in both vulnerability and poverty persistence dimensions. A majority of the poor and a third of the non-poor are found to be vulnerable to unobservable shocks, while more susceptible to unobservable idiosyncratic shocks than to covariate shocks. Adequate safety nets should be provided for vulnerable households with less-educated and agriculturally-engaged or jobless heads, rural dwellers, or with more members and/or dependents.

Drawing upon cross-country panel data for developing countries, the present study examines the role of agricultural growth in reducing inequality and poverty by modelling the dynamic linkage between agricultural and non-agricultural sectors. For this purpose, we have compared the role of agricultural growth and that of non-agricultural growth and have found that agricultural growth is more important in reducing poverty, while the negative effect of agricultural growth on inequality is found in a few models where specific definitions of inequality are adopted. Our analysis generally reinforces the case for revival of agriculture in the post-2015 discourse, contrary to the much emphasised roles of rural-urban migration and urbanisation as main drivers of growth and elimination of extreme poverty.

Summary Objective To assess the functional changes of Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) receptor and to clarify its mechanism in a rat mono-iodoacetate (MIA)-induced joint pain model (MIA rats), which has joint degeneration with cartilage loss similar to osteoarthritis. Methods Sensitization of TRPV1 in MIA rats was assessed by transient spontaneous pain behavior induced by capsaicin injection in knee joints and electrophysiological changes of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons innervating knee joints in response to capsaicin. Mechanisms of TRPV1 sensitization were analyzed by a newly developed sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that detects phosphorylated TRPV1, followed by functional and expression analyses of protein kinase C (PKC) in vivo and in vitro , which involves TRPV1 phosphorylation. Results Pain-related behavior induced by intra-articular injection of capsaicin was significantly increased in MIA rats compared with sham rats. In addition, capsaicin sensitivity, evaluated by capsaicin-induced inward currents, was significantly increased in DRG neurons of MIA rats. Protein levels of TRPV1 remained unchanged, but phosphorylated TRPV1 at Ser800 increased in DRG neurons of MIA rats. Phosphorylated-PKCɛ (p-PKCɛ) increased and co-localized with TRPV1 in DRG neurons of MIA rats. Capsaicin-induced pain-related behavior in MIA rats was inhibited by intra-articular pretreatment of the PKC inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide I. In addition, intra-articular injection of the PKC activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate increased capsaicin-induced pain-related behavior in normal rats. Conclusion TRPV1 was sensitized at the knee joint and at DRG neurons of MIA rats through PKC activation. Thus, TRPV1 sensitization might be involved in chronic pain caused by osteoarthritis.

As India’s population has been ageing due to declines in fertility and mortality rates, more policy emphasis has been placed on reducing poverty among the elderly. The present study aims to examine the effect of Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) on household welfare indicators, such as consumption expenditure, income, assets, and poverty. Using the household longitudinal data based on the India Human Development Survey in 2004–5 and 2011–12, we have applied the Propensity Score Matching to build a counterfactual group and have used the propensity-score weighted fixed effects model to eliminate time-invariant unobservable household characteristics. The results show that the IGNOAPS participation increased consumption expenditure, food and non-food expenditure and assets, while reducing the household labour supply. The sub-sample estimations show that these effects are observed only when recipients are women. However, the results of Difference-in-Difference model imply that the poverty-reducing effect deteriorated in 2011–12 after the government made several changes to programme specifications in 2007. This was likely because some households which accessed IGNOAPS after 2007 reduced the labour supply significantly while keeping the level of consumption.

This paper investigates whether and how Fair Trade certification improves the wellbeing of small-scale producers by drawing upon a field study carried out by the authors in 2009 in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. A point of departure from earlier studies is to use a mixed methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative data to assess the impact of Fair Trade on a broader set of development indicators to capture both the monetary and non-monetary progress of farmers. Methodologically, to overcome the limitation of small sample sizes of non-experimental survey data, we propose the use of propensity-score weighted linear and non-linear regression models with and without instrumenting the farmers’ participation in Fair Trade. Here we have made treatment and control groups observationally comparable by applying propensity score matching (PSM) to match and weight the data, following Hirano and Imbens. We have found that Fair Trade certification increased farmers’ actual income from tea production significantly, with fewer hours of work per day and accelerated perceived improvement in overall household income, as well as empowering women in decision making. Our mixed methods approach led us to conclude that Fair Trade certification benefits Fair Trade tea farmers through increased tea income and risk reduction.

Nepal has made impressive gains in poverty reduction in the last one and half decades. Based on the national poverty line, the incidence of poverty declined considerably from 41.8% in 1996 to 30.9% in 2004 and to 25.2% in 2011 (ADB 2013). During the same period, based on the international poverty line of US$1.25 per capita per day (extreme poverty), poverty incidence declined from 68% in 1996 to 53.1% in 2004 and further to 24.8% in 2011. Based on the threshold for moderate poverty (US$2 per capita per day), poverty incidence declined from 89% in 1996 to 77.3% in 2004 and 57.3% in 2011.

Aims Our aim was to evaluate the acute effect of eating sweet snacks at different times of day on glycaemic parameters in young women without diabetes. Methods In this randomized controlled three-treatment crossover study, 17 women [(means ± SD) age: 21.2 ± 0.8 years, BMI: 20.7 ± 2.5 kg/m2, HbA1c: 36 ± 2 mmol/mol (5.1 ± 0.2%)] wore flash (continuous) glucose monitoring systems for 7 days. Each participant consumed identical test meals on days 4, 5 and 6, but consumed sweet snacks (baked cake: 498 kcal; 53.6 g of carbohydrate, 8.0 g of protein, 28.0 g of fat) at 12:30 (post-lunch), 15:30 (mid-afternoon) and 19:30 (post-dinner), respectively, on each of those days. Daily glycaemic parameters on those 3 days of snacking at different times of day were compared within-participant. Results The mean amplitude of glycaemic excursions (3.54 ± 0.32 vs. 2.73 ± 0.20 mmol/L; P Conclusion Eating sweet snacks post-dinner should be avoided because it worsens glucose excursions as well as postprandial glucose levels after both dinner and the following day's breakfast in young healthy (non-diabetic) women.

Summary This paper uses Chinese household data for 1989–2009 to explain why mean nutrient intake has declined despite economic growth. We focus on household heterogeneity in nutrient intake response to increases in household income allowing for its endogeneity. A quantile instrumental-variable fixed-effects panel estimation shows that rising income tends to reduce inequality in macronutrient intake in both urban and rural areas in 2004–09. This is driven by increases in nutrient intake for the urban nutrient poor and falls in nutrient intake for the rural nutrient non-poor. On the other hand, fluctuations in prices of meat, eggs, and oil increase nutrition poverty.

Drawing upon cross-country panel data for developing countries, the present study shows that agricultural growth is the most important factor in reducing inequality and poverty, and growth acceleration. This is in striking contrast to the dominant view that urbanization is key to growth and elimination of extreme poverty. There is thus a case for a drastic shift away from rural-urban migration and urbanization as main drivers of growth and elimination of extreme poverty, and towards revival of agriculture in the policy discourse that should drive the advancement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

Ascidians are tunicates, which constitute the sister group of vertebrates. The ascidian genome contains two Zic genes, called Zic-r.a (also called Macho-1) and Zic-r.b (ZicL). The latter is a multi-copy gene, and the precise copy number has not yet been determined. Zic-r.a is maternally expressed, and soon after fertilization Zic-r.a mRNA is localized in the posterior pole of the zygote. Zic-r.a protein is translated there and is involved in specification of posterior fate; in particular it is important for specification of muscle fate. Zic-r.a is also expressed zygotically in neural cells of the tailbud stage. On the other hand, Zic-r.b is first expressed in marginal cells of the vegetal hemisphere of 32-cell embryos and then in neural cells that contribute to the central nervous system during gastrulation. Zic-r.b is required first for specification of mesodermal tissues and then for specification of the central nervous system. Their upstream and downstream genetic pathways have been studied extensively by functional assays, which include gene knockdown and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Thus, ascidian Zic genes play central roles in specification of mesodermal and neural fates.

Recent literature points towards the role of speculators in exaggerating the rally in food prices, over and above that explained by the fundamentals of demand and supply. Some studies argue that futures market speculation can only be blamed for the increasing food prices if it is accompanied by hoarding. With this background, the issues that the present chapter deals with are: (i) assessing the impact of indices such as S&P500, and MSCI on commodity prices; and (ii) tracing the volatility patterns in commodity prices, and linking volatility in commodity markets to these variables.Our results show a negative relationship between the commodity market returns and the Dollex, and a positive relationship between commodity market returns and crude oil price returns. The impact of equity markets, inflation and emerging market performance on commodity markets is weak. We also find some evidence of reverse causality or mutual endogeneity, for instance, causality from GSCI, S&P500 and WTI to MSCI, CPI to WTI, and MSCI, S&P500 to Dollex. We also study the causal relationships between the volatility of returns on macroeconomic variables and commodity markets, using the cross-correlation function, and Granger causality tests. Our results confirm unidirectional relationship from (volatilities of) GSCI to S&P500, from GSCI to MSCI, and from Dollex to GSCI. But there is also evidence of atwo-way causality between Inflation and GSCI (volatilities). Thus, the case for financialisation of commodity/food markets driving commodity/food returns and their volatility rests on weak foundations, leaving the door open for the pivotal role of supply-demand fundamentals.

Transcriptional control of gene expression is one of the most important regulatory systems in animal development. Specific gene expression is basically determined by combinatorial regulation mediated by multiple sequence-specific transcription factors. The decoding of animal genomes has provided an opportunity for us to systematically examine gene regulatory networks consisting of successive layers of control of gene expression. It remains to be determined to what extent combinatorial regulation encoded in gene regulatory networks can explain spatial and temporal gene-expression patterns. The ascidian Ciona intestinalis is one of the animals in which the gene regulatory network has been most extensively studied. In this species, most specific gene expression patterns in the embryo can be explained by combinations of upstream regulatory genes encoding transcription factors and signaling molecules. Systematic scrutiny of gene expression patterns and regulatory interactions at the cellular resolution have revealed incomplete parts of the network elucidated so far, and have identified novel regulatory genes and novel regulatory mechanisms.

In this paper, we focused on the motivation of mice and aimed to extract neural activity features of D2 medium spiny neurons (D2-MSNs) in the ventrolateral striatum of mice under different motivational states. Motivated behavior is defined as the activation of goal-directed behavior, and this enables actions such as ingestion, sleeping and reproduction, which are essential for living. In human society, motivation allows us to participate in society, improving our quality of life. Loss of motivation has been causing problems such as withdrawal from society. If the symptom is heavy, it can even threaten our lives, and treatment is necessary. The mechanisms which lead to loss of motivation are yet to be understood, and an effective treatment does not exist. To solve these problems, we decided to find features in the neural activity which affect motivation, because understanding the mechanism may contribute to the establishment of treatment. In the experiment, the neural activity was recorded using gene-encoded ratio metric calcium ion (Ca2+) indicator and by constructing a fiber photometric system, which enabled recording of neural activity at specific brain region for specific type of neurons. While the recording took place, mice performed food-incentive leverpressing tasks, which were used to define motivational states. The experimental results show that both the amplitude and frequency components of Ca2+ fluctuation have features which are good predictors of motivational states.

The objective of the current study was to determine if Nerve Growth Factor-Beta (NGF), purified from bovine seminal plasma, would improve corpus luteum function and enhance conceptus development when administered to cows at artificial insemination. Angus cows (n = 60) were synchronized using a GnRH-prostaglandin and intravaginal progesterone protocol (7-day CO-Synch/CIDR) and randomly allocated to 1 of 2 treatment groups: (1) CONT- 12 mL PBS; or (2) NGF- 296 μg purified NGF in 12 mL PBS administered intramuscularly at insemination (day 0). Blood collections were performed to measure plasma concentrations of progesterone (days 0, 3, 7, 10, 14, 19) and pregnancy-specific protein B (day 24) using immunoassays. Expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISG15, MX1, MX2, RTP4) were assessed in peripheral blood leukocytes on day 19. Transrectal ultrasound was performed for measuring corpus luteum size (days 0, 3, 7, 10, 14, 19) and pregnancy diagnosis (days 28, 45, 66). Statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance with repeated measures (SAS 9.4, Cary NC). Corpus luteum volume and diameter increased over time (p 0.001), but did not differ between treatment groups (p = 0.46). Cows treated with NGF had increased plasma progesterone over CONT cows from days 10-19 (p = 0.04). Pregnancy rates at day 28 were 75% in NGF cows versus 59% in CONT cows (p = 0.13). In pregnant cows, pregnancy-specific protein B concentrations at day 24 were greater in NGF than CONT cows (p 0.05). Additionally, fold-change expression of ISG15 and MX2 at day 19 were greater in pregnant NGF cows than in pregnant CONT cows (p 0.05), but no differences for MX1 and RTP4 were present. Here we demonstrate that NGF administration to cows at insemination improved corpus luteum function, which translated to improved early conceptus development as determined by upregulation of interferon-stimulated genes and increased pregnancy-specific protein B concentrations. These results suggest that seminal plasma NGF could play a role in conceptus development and may be important to improve fertility in cattle.

This study examines whether household access to microfinance reduces poverty in Pakistan and, if so, how and to what extent. It draws on primary empirical data gathered by interviewing 1132 households, including both borrower and non-borrower households, in 2008–2009. Sample selection biases have been partially controlled for by using propensity score matching. The study reveals that microfinance programmes had a positive impact on the participating households. Poverty-reducing effects were observed on a number of indicators, including expenditure on healthcare, clothing and household income, and on certain dwelling characteristics, such as water supply and the quality of roofing and walls.

Summary This study investigates whether mother’s empowerment measured by her education attainment relative to father’s, domestic violence, and autonomy is related to children’s nutritional status using the three rounds of NFHS data in India. First, mother’s relative education is associated with better nutritional status of children in the short run. Second, the quantile regression results show strong associations between women’s empowerment and better nutritional status of children in the long run at the low end of its conditional distribution. Finally, the relation between access to health schemes and better nutritional measures of children.

The present study simulates the impacts of price surges in 2006-2008 on household poverty in the main Colombian cities. It is found that the price surges increased both extreme and moderate poverty in urban areas in short and medium terms. However, the magnitude of poverty rise is not homogeneous geographically or by household types – e.g., the poorest or less educated households were more badly affected than the wealthier or educated households. We suggest 'demographic targeting' or 'geographical targeting' as a policy option that selects and supports poor households by demographic characteristics or by geographical areas according to the degree of vulnerability. Protecting those households from food price shocks would be still important now given that rising and volatile food prices have continued due to erratic climate patterns and demand and supply conditions along with economic and financial crisis.

This paper investigates the determinants of fertility and their changes in recent years, empirically, drawing upon large household data-sets in India, namely National Family Health Survey data over the period 1992–2006. It is found that there is a negative and significant association between the number of children and levels of parental education when we apply OLS, ordered logit and pseudo panel models, while in the case of IV model only mother's literacy is negatively associated with the number of children. The results of OLS and ordered logit models imply that households belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs) tend to have more children than other social groups. Our results suggest that policies of national and state governments to support social infrastructure, such as the provision of education at various levels, and its promotion for both males and females, particularly for households belonging to SCs, would make a significant contribution to efforts to reduce fertility and decelerate population growth.