Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES SHADOW INSURANCE

Liabilities ceded by life insurers to shadow reinsurers (i.e., affiliated and less regulated off-balance-sheet entities) grew from $11 billion in 2002 to $364 billion in 2012. Life insurers using shadow insurance, which capture half of the market share, ceded 25 cents of every dollar insured to shadow reinsurers in 2012, up from 2 cents in 2002. Our adjustment for shadow insurance reduces risk-based capital by 53 percentage points (or 3 rating notches) and raises default probabilities by a factor of 3.5. We develop a structural model of the life insurance industry and estimate the impact of current policy proposals to contain or eliminate shadow insurance. In the counterfactual without shadow insurance, the average company currently using shadow insurance would raise its price by 12 percent, and annual life insurance underwritten would fall by 11 percent for the industry.
Analytical Modeling of Optical Cross Add and Drop Multiplexing Switch

The optical cross add and drop multiplexing (OXADM) device described in this paper increases the capacity, flexibility and reliability of the trunk-line optical network used for data communication. It features two different bandwidths which operate in working and protection line in a ring configuration. The OXADM has the same features of the conventional OADM node but with more efficiency and reliability. The OXADM prototype system focuses on providing survivability through restoration against failures, such as cable/fiber cut in optical layer with ring topology. Two types of restoration scheme have been proposed to ensure data flow continuously by means of linear/multiplex protection and ring protection. This paper describes the analytical modeling of OXADM and studies their limitation as compared with conventional OXC device.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a heterogeneous disease: evidence for differences in the activation of the STAT-1 pathway between rheumatoid tissues.

OBJECTIVE To generate a molecular description of synovial tissue from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients that would allow us to unravel novel aspects of pathogenesis and to identify different forms of disease. METHODS We applied complementary DNA microarray analysis to profile gene expression, with a focus on immune-related genes, in affected joint tissues from RA patients and in tissues from osteoarthritis (OA) patients as a control. To validate microarray data, real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed on genes of interest. RESULTS The gene expression signatures of synovial tissues from RA patients showed considerable variability, resulting in the identification of at least two molecularly distinct forms of RA tissues. One class of tissues revealed abundant expression of clusters of genes indicative of an involvement of the adaptive immune response. Detailed analysis of the expression profile provided evidence for a prominent role of an activated signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 pathway in these tissues. The expression profiles of another group of RA tissues revealed an increased tissue remodeling activity and a low inflammatory gene expression signature. The gene expression pattern in the latter tissues was reminiscent of that observed in the majority of OA tissues. CONCLUSION The differences in the gene expression profiles provide a unique perspective for distinguishing different pathogenetic RA subsets based on molecular criteria. These data reflect important aspects of molecular variation that are relevant for understanding the biologic dysregulation underlying these subsets of RA. This approach may also help to define homogeneous groups for clinical studies and evaluation of targeted therapies.
Toward “homolactic” fermentation of glucose and xylose by engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae harboring a kinetically efficient l‐lactate dehydrogenase within pdc1‐pdc5 deletion background

l‐Lactic acid is an important platform chemical and its production from the lignocellulosic sugars glucose and xylose is, therefore, of high interest. Tolerance to low pH and a generally high robustness make Saccharomyces cerevisiae a promising host for l‐lactic acid fermentation but strain development for effective utilization of both sugars is an unsolved problem. The herein used S. cerevisiae strain IBB10B05 incorporates a NADH‐dependent pathway for oxidoreductive xylose assimilation within CEN.PK113‐7D background and was additionally evolved for accelerated xylose‐to‐ethanol fermentation. Selecting the Plasmodium falciparum l‐lactate dehydrogenase (pfLDH) for its high kinetic efficiency, strain IBB14LA1 was derived from IBB10B05 by placing the pfldh gene at the pdc1 locus under control of the pdc1 promotor. Strain IBB14LA1_5 additionally had the pdc5 gene disrupted. With both strains, continued l‐lactic acid formation from glucose or xylose, each at 50 g/L, necessitated stabilization of pH. Using calcium carbonate (11 g/L), anaerobic shaken bottle fermentations at pH ≥ 5 resulted in l‐lactic acid yields (YLA) of 0.67 g/g glucose and 0.80 g/g xylose for strain IBB14LA1_5. Only little xylitol was formed (≤0.08 g/g) and no ethanol. In pH stabilized aerobic conversions of glucose, strain IBB14LA1_5 further showed excellent l‐lactic acid productivities (1.8 g/L/h) without losses in YLA (0.69 g/g glucose). In strain IBB14LA1, the YLA was lower (≤0.18 g/g glucose; ≤0.27 g/g xylose) due to ethanol as well as xylitol formation. Therefore, this study shows that a S. cerevisiae strain originally optimized for xylose‐to‐ethanol fermentation was useful to implement l‐lactic acid production from glucose and xylose; and with the metabolic engineering strategy applied, advance toward homolactic fermentation of both sugars was made. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 163–171. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Demonstration that menthofuran synthase of mint (Mentha) is a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase: cloning, functional expression, and characterization of the responsible gene.

(+)-Menthofuran is an undesirable monoterpenoid component of peppermint (Mentha x piperita) essential oil that is derived from the alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone (+)-pulegone. Microsomal preparations, from the oil gland secretory cells of a high (+)-menthofuran-producing chemotype of Mentha pulegium, transform (+)-pulegone to (+)-menthofuran in the presence of NADPH and molecular oxygen, implying that menthofuran is synthesized by a mechanism analogous to that of mammalian liver cytochrome P450s involving the hydroxylation of the syn-methyl group of (+)-pulegone, spontaneous intramolecular cyclization to the hemiketal, and dehydration to the furan. An abundant cytochrome P450 clone from a peppermint oil gland cell cDNA library was functionally expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli and shown to encode the (+)-menthofuran synthase (i.e., (+)-pulegone-9-hydroxylase). The full-length cDNA contains 1479 nucleotides, and encodes a protein of 493 amino acid residues of molecular weight 55,360, which bears all of the anticipated primary structural elements of a cytochrome P450 and most closely resembles (35% identity) a cytochrome P450 monoterpene hydroxylase, (+)-limonene-3-hydroxylase, from the same source. The availability of this gene permits transgenic manipulation of peppermint to improve the quality of the derived essential oil.
A novel wide band FSS structure based on the double-layered hexagonal unit

In this paper, a novel wide-band frequency selective surface (FSS) based on double-layered hexagonal units is described. The proposed FSS has better wideband performance of 23.6% compared with previous designs. The operating frequency at 12.5 GHz for the application of radome in X-band is obtained by optimizing the coupling of the two layers respectively. In order to improve the broadband performance, an approach is presented and analyzed by controlling the magnetic field inside the structure and the bandwidth is expanded by introducing straight metal strips near the hexagonal loops. To validate the proposed concept, the final design is fabricated, and measured results are also presented and discussed.
Diversity at Eight Polymorphic Alu Insertion Loci in Chinese Populations Shows Evidence for European Admixture in an Ethnic Minority Population from Northwest China

We have analyzed eight human-specific Alu insertion polymorphisms in four Chinese populations belonging to three ethnic groups (98 Hans from Shanghai, 80 Hans from Guangzhou, 85 Uyghurs, and 60 Sibos). All populations exhibited high levels of average heterozygosity, and those in Uyghur and Sibo were higher than predicted by the island model of population structure. The degree of genetic differentiation among these populations is statistically significant, and lower than those observed in most parts of the world except for Europe and Sahul (Australia and New Guinea). Phylogenetic analysis of these data with published data from 29 worldwide populations shows that there is a close genetic affinity among all the East Asian populations except for the Uyghur, and that the Uyghur population was found to lie between the East Asian and the West Asian populations on the population tree. The greater heterozygosity and the significant genotype associations between unlinked loci observed for the Uyghurs support the scenario that the Uyghurs might have originated from an admixture between Europeans and East Asians. This study also provides further support for the "out-of-Africa" hypothesis of modern human evolution in East Asia.
Identification of a calcium binding site in the protease domain of human blood coagulation factor VII: evidence for its role in factor VII-tissue factor interaction.

Previous studies have identified a putative calcium binding site involving two glutamic acid residues located in the protease domain of coagulation factor IX. Amino acid sequence homology considerations suggest that factor VII (FVII) possesses a similar site involving glutamic acid residues 210 and 220. In the present study, we have constructed site-specific mutants of human factor VII in which Glu-220 has been replaced with either a lysine (E220K FVII) or an alanine (E220A FVII). These mutants were indistinguishable from wild-type factor VII by SDS-PAGE but only possessed 0.1% the coagulant activity of factor VII. Incubation of E220K/E220A FVII with factor Xa resulted in a slower than normal activation rate which eventually yielded a two-chain factor VIIa molecule possessing a coagulant activity of approximately 10% that of wild-type rFVIIa. Amidolytic activity measurements indicated that E220K/E220A FVIIa, unlike wild-type factor VIIa, possessed no measurable amidolytic activity toward the chromogenic substrate S-2288, even at high CaCl2 concentrations. Addition of tissue factor apoprotein, however, induced the amidolytic activity of the mutant molecule to a level 30% of that observed for wild-type factor VIIa. This tissue factor dependent enhancement of E220K/E220A FVIIa amidolytic activity was calcium dependent and required a CaCl2 concentration in excess of 5 mM for maximal rate enhancement. This was in sharp contrast to wild-type factor VIIa which required CaCl2 levels of 0.5 mM for maximal enhancement of tissue factor dependent amidolytic activity. Competition binding experiments suggest that the decrease in amidolytic and coagulant activity observed in the factor VII mutants is a direct result of impaired tissue factor binding. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Compounding in synthetic aperture imaging

A method for obtaining compound images using synthetic aperture data is investigated using a convex array transducer. The new approach allows spatial compounding to be performed for any number of angles without reducing the frame rate or temporal resolution. This important feature is an intrinsic property of how the compound images are constructed using synthetic aperture data and an improvement compared with how spatial compounding is obtained using conventional methods. The synthetic aperture compound images are created by exploiting the linearity of delay-and-sum beamformation for data collected from multiple spherical emissions to synthesize multiple transmit and receive apertures, corresponding to imaging the tissue from multiple directions. The many images are added incoherently, to produce a single compound image. Using a 192-element, 3.5-MHz, λ-pitch transducer, it is demonstrated from tissue-phantom measurements that the speckle is reduced and the contrast resolution improved when applying synthetic aperture compound imaging. At a depth of 4 cm, the size of the synthesized apertures is optimized for lesion detection based on the speckle information density. This is a performance measure for tissue contrast resolution which quantifies the tradeoff between resolution loss and speckle reduction. The speckle information density is improved by 25% when comparing synthetic aperture compounding to a similar setup for compounding using dynamic receive focusing. The cystic resolution and clutter levels are measured using a wire phantom setup and compared with conventional application of the array, as well as to synthetic aperture imaging without compounding. If the full aperture is used for synthetic aperture compounding, the cystic resolution is improved by 41% compared with conventional imaging, and is at least as good as what can be obtained using synthetic aperture imaging without compounding.
A state-feedback approach for controlling ventilation systems in energy efficient buildings

On the fast actual demographic trend and increasing comfort level, consumers are becoming more and more demanding in the areas of heating, cooling, ventilation, air conditioning, and lighting. Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) is one of most studied systems in energy efficient buildings within the aim to keep occupants' comfort with desired temperature ranges, a suitable level of humidity, and good air quality. Recent studies showed that using information and communication technologies will have a significant impact on improving energy efficiency in real buildings. The main aim of these studies is to develop energy control approaches to improve energy performance and occupant comfort in buildings. In this paper, a CO2-based strategy using a state feedback technique for controlling mechanical ventilation systems in energy-efficient building is proposed. The principal objective of the developed controller is to improve optimal balance between energy efficiency and indoor air quality by maintaining the indoor CO2 concentration at the comfort set point with an efficient ventilation rate while reducing energy consumption. The ventilation system is analysed, modeled, and simulated. The simulation results are reported to show the efficiency of the proposed control approach compared to the traditional On/Off and the PI ventilation control.
Mobility Outcomes Following Five Training Sessions with a Powered Exoskeleton.

BACKGROUND Loss of legged mobility due to spinal cord injury (SCI) is associated with multiple physiological and psychological impacts. Powered exoskeletons offer the possibility of regained mobility and reversal or prevention of the secondary effects associated with immobility. OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to evaluate mobility outcomes for individuals with SCI after 5 gait-training sessions with a powered exoskeleton, with a primary goal of characterizing the ease of learning and usability of the system. METHODS Sixteen subjects with SCI were enrolled in a pilot clinical trial at Shepherd Center, Atlanta, Georgia, with injury levels ranging from C5 complete to L1 incomplete. An investigational Indego exoskeleton research kit was evaluated for ease of use and efficacy in providing legged mobility. Outcome measures of the study included the 10-meter walk test (10 MWT) and the 6-minute walk test (6 MWT) as well as measures of independence including donning and doffing times and the ability to walk on various surfaces. RESULTS At the end of 5 sessions (1.5 hours per session), average walking speed was 0.22 m/s for persons with C5-6 motor complete tetraplegia, 0.26 m/s for T1-8 motor complete paraplegia, and 0.45 m/s for T9-L1 paraplegia. Distances covered in 6 minutes averaged 64 meters for those with C5-6, 74 meters for T1-8, and 121 meters for T9-L1. Additionally, all participants were able to walk on both indoor and outdoor surfaces. CONCLUSIONS Results after only 5 sessions suggest that persons with tetraplegia and paraplegia learn to use the Indego exoskeleton quickly and can manage a variety of surfaces. Walking speeds and distances achieved also indicate that some individuals with paraplegia can quickly become limited community ambulators using this system.
Unreliability of blood pressure and heart rate to evaluate cardiac output in emergency resuscitation and critical illness

ObjectiveTo evaluate the reliability of the vital signs to evaluate circulatory stability as reflected by cardiac index. DesignDescriptive analysis based on data gathered prospectively, using a predetermined protocol. SettingUniversity-run county hospital, with a large trauma service. PatientsSixty-one high-risk trauma patients with accidental injury who were studied immediately after admission to the Emergency Department, and subsequently, 163 critically ill postoperative ICU patients. InterventionsStandard fluid therapy, usually crystalloids, but occasionally packed red cell transfusions and colloids, as indicated by clinical criteria. Measurements and ResultsArterial BP was measured by pressure transducer and arterial catheter; heart rate (HR) was measured by electrocardiograph signal, and cardiac output was measured by thermodilution. In sudden severe hypovolemic hypotension, the mean arterial pressure (MAP) nadir (lowest) roughly correlated (r2 = .25) with flow, but there was poor correlation (r2 s .0001) when all pressure and flow values were evaluated. The pressure and flow values were obtained throughout the course of the hypotensive episodes during the initial resuscitation in ICU patients and during terminal illnesses. ConclusionsObservations at the time of acute severe hypotensive crises that show rough correlation of MAP and cardiac index should not be extrapolated throughout the entire hypotensive period or to other less extreme clinical situations. The stress response to hypovolemia, with endogenous catecholamines and neural mechanisms, tends to maintain arterial pressure in the face of decreasing flow for a variable period of time. However, when these mechanisms are overwhelmed by prolonged hypovolemia, the pressure decreases precipitously, but not synchronously, with flow. We conclude that blood flow cannot reliably be inferred from arterial pressure and heart rate measurements until extreme hypotension occurs. (Crit Care Med 1993; 21:218–223)
An intervention to reduce playground equipment hazards

Objectives—A community intervention trial was carried out to evaluate the relative effectiveness of two methods of reducing playground hazards in schools. The study hypotheses were: (1) a health promotion programme addressing barriers to implementing the New Zealand Playground Safety Standard will reduce playground hazards and (2) the intervention programme will be more successful than providing information alone. Methods—Twenty four schools in Wellington, New Zealand were randomly allocated into two groups of 12 and their playgrounds audited for hazards. After the audit, the intervention group received a health promotion programme consisting of information about the hazards, an engineer's report, regular contact and encouragement to act on the report, and assistance in obtaining funding. The control group only received information about hazards in their playground. Results—After 19 months, there was a significant fall in hazards in the intervention schools compared with the control schools (Mann-Whitney U test, p=0.027). No intervention schools had increased hazards and eight out of 12 had reduced them by at least three. In contrast, only two of the control schools had reduced their hazards by this amount, with three others increasing their hazards in that time. Conclusions—It is concluded that working intensively with schools to overcome barriers to upgrading playground equipment can lead to a reduction in hazards, and that this form of intensive intervention is more effective than providing information alone.
Chemical composition and herbicidal activity of the essential oil from a Cistus ladanifer L. population from Spain

The essential oil composition of Cistus ladanifer grown in central Spain was analysed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, revealing it to be rich in oxygenated compounds, with trans-pinocarveol (20.00%), bornyl acetate (7.03%) and terpinen-4-ol (6.37%) as the main monoterpene compounds. Viridiflorol (13.59%) and ledol (4.36%) were the main constituents of the oxygenated sesquiterpene fraction. Large amounts of α-pinene (4.70%) were found in the hydrocarbonated fractions. To study its possible use as a natural herbicide, the oil was tested in vitro against Amaranthus hybridus, Portulaca oleracea, Chenopodium album, Conyza canadensis and Parietaria judaica, completely inhibiting A. hybridus germination, and nearly blocking C. canadensis and P. judaica germination at all concentrations assayed. In P. oleracea, the oil showed less effect, inhibiting its germination at the higher doses studied. It did not control C. album germination. Regarding seedling length, the oil had strong phytotoxic activity, being effective at all concentrations tested.
2009 Influenza Pandemic Impact on Sick Leave Use in the Veterans Health Administration: Framework for a Health Care Provider–Based National Syndromic Surveillance System

ABSTRACT Objective: To determine relations between sick leave use and the 2009 novel influenza A (H1N1) influenza pandemic among clinical and nonclinical staff in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Methods: Aggregate sick leave use for all VHA employees was monitored in near-real time during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic and compared with historical data from 2004 to 2008. The ratio of sick leave use between clinical and nonclinical staff was examined. An autoregressive integrated moving average model was used to assess whether the pandemic had a significant effect on sick leave use. Results: The H1N1 influenza pandemic was associated with a significant effect on sick leave use in the VHA during the second wave of the pandemic. During this wave, the ratio of clinical to nonclinical sick leave use changed; clinical staff began taking more leave than nonclinical staff for 3 successive 2-week pay periods, with ratio measures of 1.004, 1.018, and 1.011, respectively. Using an autoregressive integrated moving average model with a pulse variable representing the pandemic, there was a significant effect on sick leave use. The average hours of sick leave used per full-time equivalent staff member per month increased by 0.3904 hours (P = .003) for clinical staff and 0.3898 hours (P = .01) for nonclinical staff over previous months during the first month of the second pandemic wave. Conclusions: Work loss associated with a pandemic is an important indicator of disease activity and may be a more sensitive indicator of emerging strains than deaths. Monitoring sick leave use in near real time in a large national health care system may be an important early indicator of pandemic severity with practical implications that should be considered in addition to more traditional measures of influenza epidemic and pandemic severity. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2011;5:S235-S241)