Forecasting house prices using dynamic model averaging approach: evidence from China

Forecasting house price has been of great interests for macroeconomists, policy makers and investors in recent years. To improve the forecasting accuracy, this paper introduces a dynamic model averaging (DMA) method to forecast the growth rate of house prices in 30 major Chinese cities. The advantage of DMA is that this method allows both the sets of predictors (forecasting models) as well as their coefficients to change over time. Both recursive and rolling forecasting modes are applied to compare the performance of DMA with other traditional forecasting models. Furthermore, a model confidence set (MCS) test is used to statistically evaluate the forecasting efficiency of different models. The empirical results reveal that DMA generally outperforms other models, such as Bayesian model averaging (BMA), information-theoretic model averaging (ITMA) and equal-weighted averaging (EW), in both recursive and rolling forecasting modes. In addition, in recent years it is found that the Google search index, instead of fundamental macroeconomic or monetary indicators, has developed greater predictive power for house price in China.</p

Bioactive zwitterionic polymer brushes grafted from silicon wafers via SI-ATRP for enhancement of antifouling properties and endothelial cell selectivity

<p>Zwitterionic copolymers keep good resistance to platelet adhesion and nonspecific protein adsorption. In this study, A block copolymer brushes consisting of carboxybetaine methacrylate (CBMA) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) were grafted from silicon wafers via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization, and then the Arg-Glu-Asp-Val (REDV) peptide was attached to the polymer brush via an reactive epoxy group of the P(GMA) unit to improve endothelial cells (ECs) selectivity. These modified surfaces were evaluated with scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and static water contact angle measurement. The results showed that REDV-modified zwitterionic brushes were successfully constructed on silicon wafers. The biocompatibility of the membrane was determined by plasma recalcification time assay and platelet adhesion test. The results showed that the modified substrate exhibited good blood compatibility. Moreover, the proliferation of ECs and smooth muscle cells onto the REDV-modified copolymer brushes were examined to demonstrate the synergistic effect of CBMA with antifouling property and REDV peptide with ECs selectivity. All assays showed that the silicon wafers displayed excellent EC selectivity after modification. In summary, REDV-modified zwitterionic brushes had great potential for cardiovascular stent implantation.</p

Highly Selective Hydrogenation of Aromatic Ketones and Phenols Enabled by Cyclic (Amino)(alkyl)carbene Rhodium Complexes

Air-stable Rh complexes ligated by strongly σ-donating cyclic (amino)­(alkyl)­carbenes (CAACs) show unique catalytic activity for the selective hydrogenation of aromatic ketones and phenols by reducing the aryl groups. The use of CAAC ligands is essential for achieving high selectivity and conversion. This method is characterized by its good compatibility with unsaturated ketones, esters, carboxylic acids, amides, and amino acids and is scalable without detriment to its efficiency

Highly Enantioselective Nitro-Mannich Reaction Catalyzed by <i>Cinchona</i> Alkaloids and <i>N</i>-Benzotriazole Derived Ammonium Salts

The catalytic enantio- and diastereoselective nitro-Mannich reaction of α-amido sulfones in the mixed solvent of toluene/H₂O has been realized using a phase-transfer catalyst (PTC) derived from <i>cinchona</i> alkaloids and <i>N</i>-benzotriazole. It performed well over a wide range of substrates to give the desired products in good yields (up to 94%) with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee) and diastereoselectivities (up to 99:1)

Pd(II)-Catalyzed Intermolecular Arylation of Unactivated C(sp³)–H Bonds with Aryl Bromides Enabled by 8‑Aminoquinoline Auxiliary

An example of using readily available, less reactive aryl bromides as arylating reagents in the Pd­(II)-catalyzed intermolecular arylation of unactivated C­(sp³)–H bonds is described. This reaction was promoted by a crucial 8-aminoquinolinyl directing group and a K₂CO₃ base, enabling regiospecific installation of an aryl scaffold at the β-position of carboxamides. A mechanistic study by DFT calculations reveals a C­(sp³)–H activation-led pathway featuring the oxidative addition as the highest energy transition state

Data_Sheet_1_Investigating the influence of an adjustable zoned air mattress on sleep: a multinight polysomnography study.docx

IntroductionA comfortable mattress should improve sleep quality. In this study, we sought to investigate the specific sleep parameters that could be affected by a mattress and explore any potential differences between the effects felt by each sex.MethodsA total of 20 healthy young adults (10 females and 20 males; 22.10 ± 1.25 years) participated in the experiments. A smart adjustable zoned air mattress was designed to maintain comfortable support, and an ordinary mattress was used for comparison. The participants individually spent four nights on these two mattresses in four orders for polysomnography (PSG) scoring. Sleep architecture, electroencephalogram (EEG) spectrum, and heart rate variability (HRV), which reflect the central and autonomic nervous activities, were used to compare the difference between the two mattresses.ResultsAn individual difference exited in sleep performance. The modes of influence of the mattresses were different between the sexes. The adjustable air mattress and the increase in experimental nights improved female participants' sleep efficiency, while male participants exhibited a smaller response to different mattresses. With an increasing number of experiment nights, both sexes showed increased REM and decreased N2 proportions; the N3 sleep proportion decreased in the male participants, and the heart rate decreased in both sexes. The performance of the EEG spectrum supports the above results. In addition, the adjustable air mattress weakened automatic nerve activity during N3 sleep in most participants. The female participants appeared to be more sensitive to mattresses. Experiment night was associated with psychological factors. There were differences in the results for this influence between the sexes.ConclusionThis study may shed some light on the differences between the ideal sleep environment of each sex.</p

Data_Sheet_1_Characterization of regulatory genes Plhffp and Plpif1 involved in conidiation regulation in Purpureocillium lavendulum.pdf

Purpureocillium lavendulum is an important biocontrol agent against plant-parasitic nematodes, primarily infecting them with conidia. However, research on the regulatory genes and pathways involved in its conidiation is still limited. In this study, we employed Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated genetic transformation to generate 4,870 random T-DNA insertion mutants of P. lavendulum. Among these mutants, 131 strains exhibited abnormal conidiation, and further in-depth investigations were conducted on two strains (designated as #5-197 and #5-119) that showed significantly reduced conidiation. Through whole-genome re-sequencing and genome walking, we identified the T-DNA insertion sites in these strains and determined the corresponding genes affected by the insertions, namely Plhffp and Plpif1. Both genes were knocked out through homologous recombination, and phenotypic analysis revealed a significant difference in conidiation between the knockout strains and the wild-type strain (ku80). Upon complementation of the ΔPlpif1 strain with the corresponding wildtype allele, conidiation was restored to a level comparable to ku80, providing further evidence of the involvement of this gene in conidiation regulation in P. lavendulum. The knockout of Plhffp or Plpif1 reduced the antioxidant capacity of P. lavendulum, and the absence of Plhffp also resulted in decreased resistance to SDS, suggesting that this gene may be involved in the integrity of the cell wall. RT-qPCR showed that knockout of Plhffp or Plpif1 altered expression levels of several known genes associated with conidiation. Additionally, the analysis of nematode infection assays with Caenorhabditis elegans indicated that the knockout of Plhffp and Plpif1 indirectly reduced the pathogenicity of P. lavendulum towards the nematodes. The results demonstrate that Agrobacterium tumefaciens - mediated T-DNA insertion mutagenesis, gene knockout, and complementation can be highly effective for identifying functionally important genes in P. lavendulum.</p

Controllable Fabrication of Noniridescent Microshaped Photonic Crystal Assemblies by Dynamic Three-Phase Contact Line Behaviors on Superhydrophobic Substrates

Enormous research efforts have been made to self-assemble monodisperse colloidal spheres into special microscopic shapes (e.g., superbeads, superballs, or doughnuts), due to their widespread applications in sensors, displays, separation processes, catalysis, etc. But realization of photonic crystal (PC) assemblies with both facile microshape control and a noniridescent property is still a tough task. Herein, we demonstrate the controllable fabrication of noniridescent microshaped PC assemblies by evaporation-induced self-assembly inside aqueous colloidal dispersion droplet templates on superhydrophobic substrates. The microshapes of the PC assemblies could be tuned from microbeads to microwells to microellipsoids by manipulating the dynamic behaviors of the three-phase contact line of the colloidal droplets during the evaporating process. Structure characterization shows that the PC assemblies are crack-free, consisting of an ordered periodic arrangement of colloidal spheres in the surface layers and amorphous inner layers. The incorporation of black Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles into the PC assembly lattice is demonstrated to endow the PC assemblies with enhanced noniridescent structural colors with wide-viewing angles and a superparamagnetic property. The crack-free noniridescent PC assemblies with controlled microshapes have promising applications in the fields of nontoxic, nonbleaching pigments and energy-efficient full-color display pixels, and their facile fabrication procedure may provide guidance for creating new types of substructured colloidal particles

Absence of foci formation in immortalized <i>FHL2^−/−</i> MEFs upon expression of H-RasV12.

<p>(A) Focus formation assay of MEFs transiently transfected with H-RasV12 or empty vector. Plates were stained with Giemsa at 3 weeks after transfection. Data are representative of at least 3 independent experiments using 3 spontaneously immortalized clones. To restore FHL2 expression, primary <i>FHL2^−/−</i> MEFs were infected with a retrovirus expressing FHL2 (pBabeFHL2puro) and cultured according to the 3T3 protocol. Two <i>FHL2</i>-restored <i>FHL2^−/−</i> cell pools were obtained and used in the study. pBabe vector was used as a control (Babe). (B) Chart depicting at least three independent experiments. Mean colony numbers±standard deviation are shown. Bottom: Immunoblot analysis of FHL2 expression in <i>FHL2</i>-restored cell line. (C) Analysis of H-RasV12 expression in MEFs transfected with either empty (V) or H-RasV12 (R) expression vector. Samples were processed for immunoblotting 48 h after transfection. Actin was used as loading control.</p

H-RasV12 induces cell cycle arrest in immortalized <i>FHL2^−/−</i> MEFs.

<p>(A) Immortalized wt, <i>FHL2^−/−</i> and <i>FHL2^−/−-</i>restored MEFs were infected with pBabe-RasV12 or control pBabe retrovirus and selected for drug resistance. (B) All <i>FHL2^−/−</i> cells were positive in β-galactosidase assay due to the insertion of <i>Lac Z</i> cDNA at the <i>FHL2</i> locus. (C) Ki-67 immunofluorescence analysis in vector- and H-RasV12-transduced <i>FHL2^−/−</i> MEFs. Nuclei were counterstained with DAPI. (D) Expression of Ras, p53, p21^CIP1, p16^INK4a and cyclin D1 in H-RasV12- (R) or vector- (V) transduced wt and <i>FHL2^−/−</i> cell lines. Equal amounts of protein extracts were analyzed by immunoblotting.</p