Risk-sharing Alternatives for Pension Plan Design: An Overview and Case Studies

Pension plan designs range from those that place virtually all of the risk on the plan (and plan sponsor) to those that place all of the risk on the individual covered by the plan. Traditional plans include designs that are at both ends of this spectrum, but there is increasing attention to plans that share risk. This chapter identifies different risks and discusses methods of sharing risk, both traditionally and in recent plan designs. Two case studies illustrate recent developments. We include a discussion of future directions

Alive inside

This article provides an ethical analysis of the U.S. practice guideline update on disorders of consciousness. Our analysis focuses on the guideline’s recommendations regarding the use of investigational neuroimaging methods to assess brain-injured patients. Complex and multifaceted ethical issues have emerged because these methods alter the clinical understanding of consciousness. We address issues of false hope, patient suffering, and cost. We argue that, in spite of these concerns, there is significant benefit to using neuroimaging to assess brain-injured patients in most cases

Genome-Wide Association Study and Subsequent Exclusion of ATCAY as a Candidate Gene Involved in Equine Neuroaxonal Dystrophy Using Two Animal Models.

Equine neuroaxonal dystrophy/equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (eNAD/EDM) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder of unknown etiology. Clinical signs of neurological deficits develop within the first year of life in vitamin E (vitE) deficient horses. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was carried out using 670,000 SNP markers in 27 case and 42 control Quarter Horses. Two markers, encompassing a 2.5 Mb region on ECA7, were associated with the phenotype (p = 2.05 × 10-7 and 4.72 × 10-6). Within this region, caytaxin (ATCAY) was identified as a candidate gene due to its known role in Cayman Ataxia and ataxic/dystonic phenotypes in mouse models. Whole-genome sequence data in four eNAD/EDM and five unaffected horses identified 199 associated variants within the ECA7 region. MassARRAY® genotyping was performed on these variants within the GWAS population. The three variants within ATCAY were not concordant with the disease phenotype. No difference in expression or alternative splicing was identified using qRT-PCR in brainstem across the ATCAY transcript. Atcayji-hes mice were then used to conduct functional analysis in a second animal model. Histologic lesions were not identified in the central nervous system of Atcayji-hes mice. Additionally, supplementation of homozygous Atcayji-hes mice with 600 IU/day of dl-α-tocopheryl acetate (vitE) during gestation, lactation, and adulthood did not improve the phenotype. ATCAY has therefore been excluded as a candidate gene for eNAD/EDM

Stress, coping, resilience, and sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic: A representative survey study of US adults

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health emergency resulting in widespread death and substantial disruption to daily life. Previous research has shown that novel disease outbreaks are associated with high stress levels and sleep impairments that lead to neuropsychiatric consequences. Therefore, it is vital to study both stress and protective factors such as coping and resilience that may hinder or help sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, as gender disparities exist in sleep quality, it is important to understand the relationship between pandemic-related stress, coping strategies, resilience, and sleep in bothgenders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Our study examined how gender, stress, coping, and resilience were associated with sleep cross-sectionally during the COVID-19 pandemic in a representative sample of US adults (N = 393). Results: Consistent with many recent studies, we found that worsened sleep quality in women compared to men persisted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, pandemic-related stress was not significantly associated with sleep quality, but pandemic-related coping was associated with sleep independent of robust controls and trait resilience. Conclusions: Greater primary control engagement coping was associated with better sleep quality, while involuntary engagement coping was associated with poor sleep quality. Future research should extend the findings with actigraphy and explore ways to enhance beneficial coping and sleep health during pandemics

Attitudes, Beliefs, and Perceptions on Cannabis Among Older Adults Aged 65 and Older: A cross-sectional Survey.

OBJECTIVE: With the rise of medical and recreational cannabis use among older adults, concerns about the potential risks and benefits of cannabis use are increasing. This pilot study aimed to determine the attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of older adults toward cannabis as a medicinal product, to establish a foundation for future research on how healthcare providers communicate with this population regarding cannabis. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on adults aged 65 and older living in Philadelphia. The survey included questions related to participants\u27 demographics, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of cannabis. Participants were recruited via flyer distributions, publications in newsletters, and a local newspaper. Surveys were conducted from December 2019 through May 2020. Quantitative data were presented using counts, mean, median, and percentages, and qualitative data were analyzed by categorizing common responses. RESULTS: The study aimed to recruit 50 participants, of whom 47 met the requirements, and had their data analyzed, resulting in an average age of 71 years. The majority of participants were male (53%) and Black (64%). Seventy-six percent of participants considered cannabis a highly important treatment for older adults, and 42% considered themselves highly knowledgeable about cannabis. Over half of the participants reported being asked about tobacco (55%) or alcohol (57%) use by their PCP compared to 23% being asked about cannabis. Participants indicated that they most commonly turned to the internet and social media for information about cannabis, while only a small number mentioned relying on their primary care physician (PCP) for such information. DISCUSSION: The results of this pilot study highlight the need for accurate and reliable information about cannabis for older adults and their healthcare providers. As the use of cannabis as a therapy continues to rise, it is crucial for healthcare providers to address misconceptions and encourage older adults to seek out evidence-based research. Further research is needed to explore healthcare providers\u27 perceptions of cannabis therapy and how they can better educate older adults

Geology and Aquifer Sensitivity of Quaternary Glacial Deposits Overlying a Portion of the Mahomet Buried Bedrock Valley Aquifer System

To characterize the distribution of Holocene and Late Quaternary deposits and to assess the contamination potential of the Mahomet Aquifer, surficial geologic and aquifer sensitivity maps of the Gibson City East 7.5-Minute Quadrangle were created. Geologic data, extent, and thickness of the geologic materials were coupled with LiDAR topographic data and analyzed using ESRI’s ArcGIS 10.6.1. Aquifer sensitivity to contamination was calculated based on the depth to the first aquifer unit, aquifer thickness, and the lithology of the aquifer materials. The surficial geologic mapping identified five lithostratigraphic units: the Cahokia Formation, the Equality Formation, the Henry Formation, and the Yorkville and Batestown Members of the Lemont Formation. The southeast to northwest trending Illiana Morainic System is the most prominent feature in the study area and delineates the maximum extent of the glaciers during the Livingston Phase of glaciation. Postglacial deposits of the Cahokia Formation, alluvium, interfinger, and overlie with glacial outwash of the Henry Formation along channels and drainage ways downslope of the moraine. The areas of least sensitivity are located over the Illiana Morainic System, whereas the greatest potential to contamination occurs where the thickest deposits of the Henry Formation and Cahokia Formation lie at or just below the land surface

Divergent Relationship of Circulating CTRP3 Levels between Obesity and Gender: a Cross-sectional Study

C1q TNF Related Protein 3 (CTRP3) is a novel adipose tissue derived secreted factor, or adipokine, which has been linked to a number of beneficial biological effects on metabolism, inflammation, and survival signaling in a variety of tissues. However, very little is known about CTRP3 in regards to human health. The purpose of this project was to examine circulating CTRP3 levels in a clinical population, patients with symptoms requiring heart catheterization in order to identify the presence of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). It was hypothesized that serum CTRP3 levels would be decreased in the presence of CAD. Methods Body mass index (BMI), diabetes status, and plasma samples were collected from 100 patients who were \u3e30 years of age and presented at the East Tennessee State University Heart Clinic with symptoms requiring heart catheterization in order to identify the presence of cardiovascular blockages (n = 52 male, n = 48 female). Circulating CTRP3 levels were quantified using commercially available ELISA. Results Circulating CTRP3 levels had no relationship to the presence of CAD regardless of gender. However, circulating concentrations of CTRP3 were significantly higher in normal weight (BMI \u3c 30) females (0.88 ± 0.12 µg/ml) compared with males (0.54 ± 0.06 µg/ml). Further, obesity (BMI \u3e 30) resulted in an increase in circulating CTRP3 levels in male subjects (0.74 ± 0.08 µg/ml) but showed a significant decrease in female subjects (0.58 ± 0.07 µg/ml). Additionally, there was a significant reduction in circulating CTRP3 levels in female subjects who were diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes compared with patients without (0.79 ± 0.08 vs. 0.42 ± 0.10 µg/ml). There was no relationship between diabetes status and circulating CTRP3 levels in male subjects. Conclusion Circulating CTRP3 levels had a different relationship with diabetes and obesity status between male and female patients. It is possible that circulating CTRP3 levels are controlled by hormonal status, however more research is needed to explore this relationship. Nevertheless, future studies examining the relationship between CTRP3 levels and disease status should treat gender as an independent variable

Recent Developments

Context. Tracing nuclear inflows and outflows in active galactic nuclei (AGNs), determining the mass of gas involved in them, and their impact on the host galaxy and nuclear black hole requires 3D imaging studies of both the ionized and molecular gas. Aims. We map the distribution and kinematics of molecular and ionized gas in a sample of active galaxies to quantify the nuclear inflows and outflows. Here, we analyze the nuclear kinematics of NGC 1566 via ALMA observations of the CO J:2-1 emission at 24 pc spatial and ∼2.6 km s−1 spectral resolution, and Gemini-GMOS/IFU observations of ionized gas emission lines and stellar absorption lines at similar spatial resolution, and 123 km s−1 of intrinsic spectral resolution. Methods. The morphology and kinematics of stellar, molecular (CO), and ionized ([N II]) emission lines are compared to the expectations from rotation, outflows, and streaming inflows. Results. While both ionized and molecular gas show rotation signatures, there are significant non-circular motions in the innermost 200 pc and along spiral arms in the central kpc (CO). The nucleus shows a double-peaked CO profile (full width at zero intensity of 200 km s−1), and prominent (∼80 km s−1) blue- and redshifted lobes are found along the minor axis in the inner arcseconds. Perturbations by the large-scale bar can qualitatively explain all features in the observed velocity field. We thus favor the presence of a molecular outflow in the disk with true velocities of ∼180 km s−1 in the nucleus and decelerating to 0 by ∼72 pc. The implied molecular outflow rate is 5.6 M⊙ yr−1, with this gas accumulating in the nuclear 2″ arms. The ionized gas kinematics support an interpretation of a similar but more spherical outflow in the inner 100 pc, with no signs of deceleration. There is some evidence of streaming inflows of ∼50 km s−1 along specific spiral arms, and the estimated molecular mass inflow rate, ∼0.1 M⊙ yr−1, is significantly higher than the SMBH accretion rate (ṁ = 4.8 × 10−5 M⊙ yr−1)

Exploring a string-like landscape

We explore inflationary trajectories within randomly-generated two-dimensional potentials, considered as a toy model of the string landscape. Both the background and perturbation equations are solved numerically, the latter using the two-field formalism of Peterson and Tegmark which fully incorporates the effect of isocurvature perturbations. Sufficient inflation is a rare event, occurring for only roughly one in $10^5$ potentials. For models generating sufficient inflation, we find that the majority of runs satisfy current constraints from WMAP. The scalar spectral index is less than 1 in all runs. The tensor-to-scalar ratio is below the current limit, while typically large enough to be detected by next-generation CMB experiments and perhaps also by Planck. In many cases the inflationary consistency equation is broken by the effect of isocurvature modes.Comment: 24 pages with 8 figures incorporated, matches version accepted by JCA