Weak Growth Research Articles

The Heston stochastic volatility model has a boundary trace at zero volatility

We establish boundary regularity results in Hölder spaces for the degenerate parabolic problem obtained from the Heston stochastic volatility model in Mathematical Finance set up in the spatial domain (upper half-plane) mathbb {H} = mathbb {R}times (0,infty )subset mathbb {R}^2. Starting with nonsmooth initial data u_0in H, we take advantage of smoothing properties of the parabolic semigroup textrm{e}^{-t{mathcal {A}}}:,Hrightarrow H, tin mathbb {R}_+, generated by the Heston model, to derive the smoothness of the solution u(t) = textrm{e}^{-t{mathcal {A}}} u_0 for all t>0. The existence and uniqueness of a weak solution is obtained in a Hilbert space H = L^2(mathbb {H};mathfrak {w}) with very weak growth restrictions at infinity and on the boundary partial mathbb {H}= mathbb {R}times { 0}subset mathbb {R}^2 of the half-plane mathbb {H}. We investigate the influence of the boundary behavior of the initial data u_0in H on the boundary behavior of u(t) for t>0.

The legislative agenda in Ireland, 1922–2021

ABSTRACT This article analyses the legislative agenda in Ireland since 1922 using new data coded within the Comparative Agendas Project framework. The data, generated using the codebook of the Irish Policy Agendas Project (http://irishpolicyagendas.eu/), show clear evidence of long-term changes in the complexity, issue focus, and Europeanisation of the legislative agenda in Ireland. The study uses the Irish case to test some existing arguments concerning the influence on the policy agenda of governments’ political capacity and pressures generated by policy problems. Its findings suggest that government capacity influences the agenda, but not in the way theorised: greater capacity leads, on average, to higher stability; more specifically, this effect is evident in the absence of government turnover, as governments maintain a focus on ‘their own’ issues as they continue in office. There is no evidence that the pressure to solve policy problems, in the form of weak or negative economic growth, influences the stability of the legislative agenda. The article contributes to the study of agenda stability, the analysis of Irish politics and public policy, and it provides a basis for coding comparable data across other policy agendas in Ireland.

Crystalline organic thin films for crystalline OLEDs (II): weak epitaxy growth of phenanthroimidazole derivatives.

The ordered molecular arrangement of crystalline organic semiconductors facilitates high carrier mobility and light emission in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices. It has been demonstrated that the weak epitaxy growth (WEG) process is a valuable crystallization route for fabricating crystalline thin-film OLEDs (C-OLEDs). Recently, C-OLEDs based on crystalline thin films of phenanthroimidazole derivatives have exhibited excellent luminescent properties such as high photon output at low driving voltage and high power efficiency. Achieving effective control of organic crystalline thin film growth is crucial for the development of new C-OLEDs. Herein, we report the studies on morphology structure and growth behavior of the phenanthroimidazole derivative WEG thin films. The oriented growth of WEG crystalline thin films is determined by channeling and lattice matching between the inducing layer and active layer. Large-size and continuous WEG crystalline thin films can be obtained by controlling the growth conditions.

Host response of Nicotiana benthamiana to the parasitism of five populations of root-lesion nematode, Pratylenchus coffeae, from China.

In a recent survey of nematodes associated with tobacco in Shandong, China, the root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus coffeae was identified using a combination of morphology and molecular techniques. This nematode species is a serious parasite that damages a variety of plant species. The model plant benthi, Nicotiana benthamiana, is frequently used to study plant-disease interactions. However, it is not known whether this plant species is a host of P. coffeae. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the parasitism and pathogenicity of five populations of the root-lesion nematode P. coffeae on N. benthamiana.N. benthamiana seedlings with the same growth status were chosen and inoculated with 1,000 nematodes per pot. At 60 days after inoculation, the reproductive factors (Rf = final population densities (Pf)/initial population densities (Pi)) for P. coffeae in the rhizosphere of N. benthamiana were all more than 1, suggesting that N. benthamiana was a good host plant for P. coffeae.Nicotiana. benthamiana infected by P. coffeae showed weak growth, decreased tillering, high root reduction, and noticeable brown spots on the roots. Thus, we determined that the model plant N. benthamiana can be used to study plant-P. coffeae interactions.

Antimicrobial Activity of Ardisia serrata (Cavs.) Pers. Ethanolic and Aqueous Leaf Extract on the Growth and Biofilm Formation of Selected Bacterial Isolates.

Ardisia serrata (Aunasin) is an endemic Philippine plant of the family Primulaceae, with several studies showing the genus Ardisia as having potential antibacterial, antiangiogenic, cytotoxic, and antipyretic properties. This study aims to determine the antibacterial and antibiofilm-forming activity of Ardisia serrata ethanolic and aqueous extracts on Escherichia coli, Methicillin-Sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This is an experimental study testing the activity against bacterial strains of E. coli, MSSA, and MRSA using ethanolic and aqueous extracts of A. serrata leaves. Microtiter susceptibility and biofilm inhibition assays were done with two-fold dilutions of the extract against the selected strains using spectrophotometry with optical density (OD) at 600 nm and 595 nm, respectively, to quantify bacterial growth and biofilm inhibition. The bacterial susceptibility and biofilm inhibition activity was reported as percent inhibition (PI). Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum biofilm inhibition concentration (MBIC) values were obtained using logarithmic regression of the PI values. A. serrata ethanolic extracts showed weak growth inhibitory activity against MSSA and MRSA with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 2.6192 and 3.2988 mg/mL, respectively, but no biofilm inhibition activity was noted, while the aqueous extracts exhibited negligible biofilm inhibition activity against MSSA and MRSA with minimum biofilm inhibition concentration (MBIC) values of 13.5972 and 8964.82 mg/mL, respectively, and with no growth inhibition activity. Both ethanolic and aqueous extracts showed no growth inhibition and biofilm inhibition activities against E. coli. Staphylococcus aureus is susceptible to the bioactivity of the leaf extracts of A. serrata and has potential to be used as an antibacterial in the treatment of infectious diseases.

Analysis of fractional stochastic evolution equations by using Hilfer derivative of finite approximate controllability

<abstract><p>The approximate controllability of a class of fractional stochastic evolution equations (FSEEs) are discussed in this study utilizes the Hilbert space by using Hilfer derivative. For different approaches, we remove the Lipschitz or compactness conditions and merely have to assume a weak growth requirement. The fixed point theorem, the diagonal argument, and approximation methods serve as the foundation for the study. The abstract theory is demonstrated using an example. A conclusion is given at the end.</p></abstract>

Effect of orchard site and climatic conditions on plant nematode density levels

Phytoparasitic nematodes are commonly found in the soil and their presence can lead to plant diseases, weaker growth, reduced yields and lower fruit quality. A study conducted in 2006–2009, involving the monitoring of climatic conditions, identified the influence of precipitation and temperature on the number of nematodes, in 7 sites within a cherry orchard. Soil samples to assess nematode populations were taken from 7 sites that differed in terms of cultivation and age: 5 cherry orchards established in different years. Not all nematode taxa responded in the same way to temperature increase. Members of the families Belonolaimidae, Trichodoridae and the genus Aphelenchus increased in number with rising temperatures. The negative water balance limited the number of nematodes in the soil in the layer up to 30 cm, whereas the increase in soil moisture had a positive effect on the development of Paratylenchus spp., and mebers of the family Hoplolaimidae and Heterodera. The largest total number of nematodes was found on the strip cultivated with agricultural crops after orchard liquidation. However, parasitic nematodes accounted for were at low levels (17%). The size of fruits from trees growing on sites with a large number of nematodes decreased with a simultaneous increase in total soluble solids and fruit firmness.

Pro-poor Growth and Policies: The Asian Experience (The Quaid-i-Azam Memorial Lecture)

The objective of this paper is to assemble on a systematic basis the available data on Asian countries and then analyse the relationship between growth and poverty reduction in a long-term perspective, as well as the impact of different macroeconomic variables on the intensity of this relationship. The results indicate that there is not only a strong positive relationship between growth and poverty reduction, but also that this relationship is highly variable across countries and time periods. The key macroeconomic determinants of the degree of pro-poor growth appear to be the rates of employment and agricultural growth. Inflation, at least up to a certain rate, does not impact poverty negatively, while the role of exports is essentially indirect through the contribution to the overall rate of economic growth. Examination of the change in policy stance of the Asian countries during the 1990s in relation to the 1980s demonstrates that on balance the mix of policies has not been pro-poor. The apparent sacrifice of growth in pursuit of macroeconomic stability has diminished the impact on poverty reduction. Given the relatively weak trade-off between inflation and growth with regard to the impact on poverty and the fact that inflation rates are currently low in the region, it is argued that countries can be more flexible in their policy stance with regard to the adoption of more growth-oriented as opposed to stabilisation policies. In particular, a case is made for resorting to a more expansionary counter-cyclical fiscal policy, led by higher levels of public investment, supported by appropriate monetary and exchange rate policies. The paper concludes with a detailed description of the policies designed to achieve faster agricultural development and greater employment generation.

Modulating the Gut Microbiota with Alginate Oligosaccharides In Vitro

Alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) are non-digestible carbohydrates from brown kelp. As such, they are dietary fibers and may have prebiotic potential. Therefore, we investigated the capacity of gut bacteria to utilize AOS with single-strain cultures and as a complex bacterial community. Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Lacticaseibacillus casei and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei showed weak growth (relative to unsupplemented medium; p < 0.05) in the presence of AOS and alginate, while strong growth (p < 0.01) was observed for Bacteroides ovatus when grown with alginate as carbohydrate source. Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus hirae were for the first time reported to be able to grow on AOS. Further, AOS as substrate was investigated in a complex bacterial community with colonic fermentations in an in vitro gut model. The in vitro gut model indicated that AOS increased short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels in donors with a low endogenous SCFA production, but not to the same level as inulin. Bacteroides was found to dominate the bacteria community after in vitro gut simulation with alginate as substrate. Further, stimulation of Bacteroides was observed with AOS in the gut model for two out of three donors with the third donor being more resistant to change. Our results allowed the identification of AOS utilizers among common gut species. The results also demonstrated the capacity of AOS to elevate SCFA levels and positively modulate the gut microbiota during in vitro simulated colon fermentations, although some subjects appear to be resilient to perturbation via substrate changes.

The Case Study of Marketing Strategies by Fan Economy

The purpose of this paper is to examine how marketing methods under the fan economy can influence beauty brands, as well as to determine whether they can benefit beauty brands. There are three main brands chosen in this study, and they are Perfect Diary, Florasis, and Fenty Beauty. The three brands mentioned above are representative of the beauty brands that have successfully harnessed the power of star power and the fan economy to their advantage. According to the comparative analysis, Perfect Diary has had weak growth under the marketing concept of fan economy, whereas the other two brands have correctly grasped the psychology of fan economy. In order to increase the added value of a brand and obtain recognition and support from fans, the brand culture as well as product research and development should always be recognized and utilized by the brand. In this regard, the analysis of the three brands also shows the effectiveness and limitations of marketing methods as a result of the fan economy and culture.

Inflationary Effects, Exchange Rate and Economic Growth Rate in Kenya

Human civilization has always been centred on economic growth. Economic growth difficulties are the main focus of government policy and study in the modern, globalized world. Kenya's overarching goal is to become a middle-income nation that is both globally competitive and wealthy and provides its residents with a high quality of life. The Kenya Vision 2030 is the country's development strategy. Different perspectives on the relationship between inflation, exchange rate and economic growth have shown diverging results. This study's particular goals were to determine the effect of inflation and exchange rate on Kenya's economic growth using Keynesian theory. This study used explanatory research design and adopted positivism philosophy. Annual data from 1980 to 2019 giving 40 observations was used. Vector Error Correction (VECM) Model was customized in analyzing the long run and short-run contribution of macroeconomic variables and gross domestic product in Kenya. From the VECM model, R-square value was 58.62, Chi-square of 26.913 (p > Chi2 = 0.0494) showing VECM was fit for parameter estimation. The coefficient of exchange rate was -0.828 with a p-value of 0.001 while the coefficient of inflation was 0.055,p value=0.020.The findings of this study will provide good fiscal and monetary policy recommendations to the government as well as guidance on how to solve the issue of weak economic growth. Because economic growth is predicted to slow down when inflation exceeds a particular threshold, the nation must control inflation. The government should support macroeconomic policies that strengthen the stability of Kenya's exchange rate versus the major world trading currencies while aiming for an ideal level of inflation because foreign currency rates have a detrimental impact on economic growth in Kenya.

Reversing Years for Global Food Security: A Review of the Food Security Situation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

All around the world, inequalities persist in the complex web of social, economic, and ecological factors that mediate food security outcomes at different human and institutional scales. There have been rapid and continuous improvements in agricultural productivity and better food security in many regions of the world during the past 50 years due to an expansion in crop area, irrigation, and supportive policy and institutional initiatives. However, in Sub-Saharan Africa, the situation is inverted. Statistics show that food insecurity has risen since 2015 in Sub-Saharan African countries, and the situation has worsened owing to the Ukraine conflict and the ongoing implications of the COVID-19 threat. This review looks into multidimensional challenges to achieving the SDG2 goal of "End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture" in Sub-Saharan Africa and the prosper policy recommendations for action. Findings indicate that weak economic growth, gender inequality, high inflation, low crop productivity, low investment in irrigated agriculture and research, climate change, high population growth, poor policy frameworks, weak infrastructural development, and corruption are the major hurdles in the sustaining food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. Promoting investments in agricultural infrastructure and extension services together with implementing policies targeted at enhancing the households' purchasing power, especially those in rural regions, appear to be essential drivers for improving both food availability and food access.

The Portuguese Dilemma of Unstable Pensions

Portugal’s high public debt, its weak economic growth and its great attractiveness for foreign tourists are legend. Less well known is its unstable system of public pensions. This article addresses the underlying economic and political reasons, such as poor labour productivity, low real wages, insufficient immigration of trained people and the failure to find alternative ways of financing retirement. NextGenerationEU will effectively soften Portugal’s macroeconomic budget constraints, but it carries the risk of further postponement of necessary policy changes and reforms.

Comparative polyphasic characterization of Weissella strains isolated from beaked whale and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): confirmation of Weissella ceti sp. nov. and description of the novel Weissella tructae sp. nov. isolated from farmed rainbow trout.

The weissellosis agent bacterium (WS08T = CBMAI 2730) was isolated from diseased rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Brazil. The whole genome sequence of this strain was compared with the Mexican W-1 strain, also isolated from diseased rainbow trout, and with the Weissella ceti type strain CECT 7719T (= 1119-1A-09T = CCUG 59653T), recovered from the beaked whale. Digital DNA-DNA hybridization pairwise analyses scored 98.7% between the Mexican W-1 and Brazilian WS08T but just 24.4% for both fish isolates compared to the W. ceti type strain CECT 7719T. The 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons with isolates of W. ceti, available at GenBank, were conducted. All rainbow trout-pathogenic isolates grouped close (97% bootstrap confirmation), but when this group was compared to the W. ceti type strain CECT 7719T the similarity varied from 78.9 to 79.1%. Phenotypic assays were also conducted, and the W. ceti type strain diverged from WS08T and W-1 in the hydrolysis of aesculin, D-mannose, and potassium gluconate and in the hydrolysis of hippurate. Moreover, WS08T and W-1 showed weak growth at 5°C whereas no growth was observed for W. ceti CECT 7719T. The major fatty acids (> 10% total fatty acids) presented by WS08T and W-1 were summed feature 8 (C18:1 ω7c/C18:1 ω6c), summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω6c/C16:1ω7c), and C16:0. The results of phylogenetic and phenotypic analyses clearly differentiated the W. ceti CECT 7719T type strain from the assessed pathogenic strains obtained from rainbow trout. Therefore, Weissella strains isolated from rainbow trout, here represented by strain WS08T (= CBMAI 2730), should be known as members of a novel species for which the name Weissella tructae sp. nov. is proposed.

Hopf bifurcation in a reaction-diffusion-advection model with nonlocal delay effect and Dirichlet boundary condition

In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of a reaction-diffusion-advection equation with nonlocal delay effect and Dirichlet boundary condition. The existence of spatially nonhomogeneous steady states and the associated Hopf bifurcation are obtained by using the Lyapunov-Schmidt reduction. We also give applications of the theoretical results to models with a logistic growth rate and a weak Allee growth rate.

Assessment and Decomposition of Regional Land Use Efficiency of the Service Sector in China

High land use efficiency is the key to improving total factor productivity, and also an important force behind achieving sustained economic growth. Existing studies have mainly focused on the land use efficiency of the industry sector. Yet, the issue of land use efficiency of the service sector (SLUE) has been largely overlooked. This study examines regional differences and efficiency decomposition by using a slack based model (SBM) of undesirable output, and the Malmquist productivity index (MPI) under a data envelopment analysis framework. The results reveal that: (1) In China, the land use efficiency of the service sector is unbalanced, showing an inverted growth law of “low in developed areas and high in backward areas”. (2) The land use efficiency of the service sector can be decomposed into technical progress, pure technical efficiency, and scale efficiency. From the decomposition results, the growth rate of pure technical efficiency presents a trend of “low in the east and high in the west”; the scale efficiency also falls into the situation of weak group growth. Technological progress has maintained steady improvement. (3) The coordinated improvement of land use efficiency of the service sector needs to focus on resolving the “beggar-thy-neighbor” issue caused by existing large regional differences. In this article, the puzzle of land use efficiency differences in the service industry is well solved, and thus provides valuable enlightenment for the benign growth of service industries in countries and regions around the world.

Discovery and Preliminary Structure-Activity Investigation of 3-Substituted-1H-imidazol-5-yl-1H-indoles with In Vitro Activity towards Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Antibiotics have been the cornerstone of modern medicine saving lives by virtue of being able to cure infectious diseases and to prevent infections in those who are immune compromised. Their intense use has led to a surging increase in the incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria resulting in a desperate need for antibiotics with new mechanisms of action. As part of our search for new antimicrobials we have screened an in-house library of compounds and identified two 3-substituted-1H-imidazol-5-yl-1H-indoles as weak growth inhibitors (MIC 16 µg/mL) against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). An extensive library of analogues was prepared using the Van Leusen three-component reaction, biological evaluation of which led to the identification of two analogues (26 and 32) with favorable anti-MRSA activity (MIC ≤ 0.25 µg/mL) which also lacked cytotoxic or hemolytic properties. The screening campaign also identified two derivatives, a phenethyl-indole-imidazole 57 and a 5-phenyl-1H-imidazole 111 that were non-toxic selective antifungals towards Cryptococcus neoformans. These results have identified 3-substituted-1H-imidazol-5-yl-1H-indoles and 5-phenyl-1H-imidazoles as new structural scaffolds for further investigation as anti-MRSA and anti-C. neoformans agents, respectively.

Scalarane Sesterterpenoids Isolated from the Marine Sponge Hyrtios erectus and their Cytotoxicity.

Eighteen scalarane sesterterpenoids (1–18), including eight new derivatives (1–8), were isolated from the sponge Hyrtios erectus (family Thorectidae), the extract of which showed cytotoxicity against the HeLa and MCF-7 cell lines. Of the new derivatives, six compounds (1–6) were found to contain a γ-hydroxybutenolide moiety capable of reversible stereoinversion at the hydroxylated carbon center. Under the influence of other adjacent functional groups, each derivative exhibited a different stereochemical behavior, which was fully deduced by ROESY experiments. All the isolated compounds were examined for their cytotoxicity by MTS assay using staurosporine as a positive control (IC50 0.18 and 0.13 μΜ against HeLa and MCF-7 cells, respectively), and they were found to show weak growth inhibitory activities against HeLa and MCF-7 cells, with a minimal IC50 value of 20.0 μΜ. The compounds containing a γ-hydroxybutenolide moiety (1–3, 10, 12) showed cytotoxicity, with IC50 values ranging from 24.3 to 29.9 μΜ, and the most potent derivative was heteronemin (16). Although the cytotoxicities of isolated compounds were insufficient to discuss the structure–activity relationship, this research could contribute to expanding the structural diversity of scalaranes and understanding the stereochemical behavior of γ-hydroxybutenolides.

The Impact of COVID on Productivity and Potential Output

The U.S. economy came into the pandemic, and looks likely to leave it, on a slow-growth path. The near- term level of potential output has fallen because of shortfalls in labor that should reverse over time. Labor productivity, to a surprising degree, has followed an accelerated version of its Great Recession path with initially strong growth followed by weak growth. But, as of mid-2022, it appears that the overall level of labor and total factor productivity are only modestly affected. The sign of the effect depends on whether we use the strong income-side measures of pandemic output growth or the much weaker expenditure-side measures. There is considerable heterogeneity across industries. We can explain some but not all of the heterogeneity through industry differences in cyclical utilization and off-the-clock hours worked. After accounting for these factors, industries where it is easy to work from home have grown somewhat faster than they did pre-pandemic. In contrast, industries where it is hard to work from home have performed extremely poorly.

Observing Indonesia's Agrarian Conflict During The Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 epidemic has caused problems, especially in the economic field, which has an impact on the increasing number of residents at the local, national, and even global levels. It is also a health catastrophe throughout 2020. Long-term social distancing laws and restrictions on human movement and activities have rendered economic centers inoperable. Unusual events such as pandemics and reported weak economic growth cannot slow or even limit the rate at which companies acquire community land. According to the community, PSBB means complying with the government's request for restraint and creating a conducive environment by severely limiting mobility and activities outside the home. Meanwhile, Large-Scale Social Restrictions have become a driving force for the widespread appropriation of agrarian resources for large groups of companies with agrarian roots. Obviously, when the pandemic crisis is most severe and Large-Scale Social Restrictions are applied intensively, agrarian conflicts increase. Therefore, during the COVID-19 outbreak, agrarian disputes in Indonesia are very important to watch out for.