We describe lens defects in heterozygous small eye mice, and autonomous deficiencies of Pax6 ؉/؊ cells in the developing lens of Pax6 ؉/؉ 7 Pax6 ؉/؊ chimeras. Two separate defects of the lens were identified by analyzing the distribution of heterozygous cells in chimeras: Pax6 ؉/؊ cells are less readily incorporated into the lens placode than wild type, and those that are incorporated into the lens are not maintained efficiently in the proliferating lens epithelium. The lens of chimeric eyes is, therefore, predominantly wild type from embryonic day 16.5 onwards, whereas heterozygous cells contribute normally to all other eye tissues. Eye size and defects of the iris and cornea are corrected in fetal and adult chimeras with up to 80% mutant cells. Therefore, these aspects of the phenotype may be secondary consequences of primary defects in the lens, which has clinical relevance for the human aniridia (PAX6 ؉/؊ ) phenotype.

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Globalization leads to cross-border business transactions between societies with very different norms and regulations regarding bribery. Bribery in international business transactions can be seen as a function of not only the demand for such bribes in different countries, but the supply, or willingness to provide bribes by multinational firms and their representatives. This study addresses the propensity of firms from 30 different countries to engage in international bribery. The study incorporates both domestic (economic development, culture, and domestic corruption in the supplying country) and international factors (those countries\u27 patterns of trade and involvement in international accords) in explaining the willingness to bribe abroad. The propensity to provide bribes was the lowest when corruption was not tolerated in the multinational firms\u27 home countries, when the firms\u27 countries were signatories of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) anti-bribery convention, and when those countries traded heavily with wealthier nations. Further, these findings are maintained when controlling for levels of economic development and cultural values in the supplying country. In terms of culture, firms from high power distance countries showed a somewhat greater propensity for providing bribes in transactions with less-developed nations

Our developing scientific understanding of complex networks is being usefully applied in a wide set of financial systems. What we've learned from the 2008 crisis could be the basis of better management of the economy -and a means to avert future disaster.