Exchange market pressure and the credibility of Macau's currency Board

In this study, we assess the credibility of the currency board arrangement (CBA) of the Macau Special Administrative Region by studying the relationship between exchange market pressure (EMP) and the anchors of a rule-based CBA, namely, interest rate arbitrage, exchange rate arbitrage and economic discipline. A pure CBA signals its credibility by allowing the first two anchors to function automatically and by pursuing sound fiscal policies. The analysis’ results suggest that Macau’s CBA has been characterised by a state of low volatility since late 1992, with the brief exception of the East Asian financial crisis period. The paper’s main finding is that fiscal fundamentals seem to have a more pronounced role in reducing EMP’s variability during periods of low volatility whilst interest rate arbitrage is more important in periods of high volatility. We conclude that Macau’s CBA is credible at present as reflected in the low frequency of observed EMP, in the narrowing of Macau’s interest rate differential vis-à-vis U.S. interest rates and in Macau’s substantial fiscal reserves.

An enigmatic kilometer-scale concentration of small mytilids (Late Miocene, Guadalquivir Basin, S Spain).

Upper Miocene heterozoan carbonates crop out extensively in a NE-SW-trending belt (42 km long and 1.5-8 km wide) along the so-called El Alcor topographic high, from Carmona to Dos Hermanas (Seville, S Spain). These carbonates formed at the southern active margin of the Guadalquivir Basin, the foreland basin of the Betic Cordillera. They change to marls basinward (NE) and to sands landward (SE and SW). Therefore, carbonate production was constrained to a limited area in an otherwise siliciclastic shelf. The carbonates (up to 40 m thick) overlie a gradually coarsening-upward succession of marls followed by silts and sandstones. The carbonate sequence can be divided into three subunits corresponding, frombottom to top, to lowstand, transgressive, and highstand system tract deposits. The lower subunit, exhibiting extensive trough cross-bedding, is interpreted as a shallow-water bar deposit. The intermediate subunit onlaps underlying sediments and was deposited in deeper, lowturbulence conditions. The upper subunit deposits accumulated in a well-oxygenated outer platform based on benthic foraminiferal assemblages. The presence of hummocky and swaley cross-stratification in these latter deposits suggests that theywere affected by storms. Pervasive fluid-escape structures are also observed throughout the carbonates. The three subunits consist of bioclastic packstones to rudstonesmade up of abundant fragments of smallmytilids. Isotopic data from serpulid polychaete Ditrupa tubes show 13C-depleted values (up to −16.1¿), whereas δ18O yields normal marine values. Additional isotopic data on shells of scallops, oysters, and small mussels, as well as bulk sediment, show diagenetic alterations. Based on actualistic examples of massive concentrations of mussels, the nearly monospecific composition of the El Alcor deposits, together with negative δ13C values of Ditrupa tubes, indicates that cold seeps presumably promoted carbonate formation. However, the absence of typical features of cold-seep deposits, such as authigenic carbonatesmediated by anaerobic bacterial activity and the typical chemosynthetic shelly organisms, makes the large carbonate body of El Alcor an unusual cold-seep deposit

Conceitos atuais no tratamento das ataxias hereditárias

Hereditary ataxias (HA) represents an extensive group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by progressive ataxia combined with extra-cerebellar and multi-systemic involvements, including peripheral neuropathy, pyramidal signs, movement disorders, seizures, and cognitive dysfunction. There is no effective treatment for HA, and management remains supportive and symptomatic. In this review, we will focus on the symptomatic treatment of the main autosomal recessive ataxias, autosomal dominant ataxias, X-linked cerebellar ataxias and mitochondrial ataxias. We describe management for different clinical symptoms, mechanism-based approaches, rehabilitation therapy, disease modifying therapy, future clinical trials and perspectives, genetic counseling and preimplantation genetic diagnosis.As ataxias hereditárias representam um grupo complexo de doenças neurodegenerativas, e se caracterizam por ataxia cerebelar progressiva, associada a sinais e sintomas extra-cerebelares e sistêmicos, os quais incluem: neuropatia periférica, sinais piramidais, distúrbios do movimento, convulsões e disfunção cognitiva. Não existe um tratamento efetivo para a cura das ataxias hereditárias. Até o momento os tratamentos disponíveis são apenas sintomáticos. Nesta revisão vamos abordar tratamento sintomático das principais ataxias autossômicas recessivas, ataxias autossômicas dominantes, ataxias ligadas ao X e ataxias mitocondriais. Descrevemos os diferentes sintomas, abordagens terapêuticas baseadas no mecanismo fisiopatológico, terapia de reabilitação, terapia modificadora da doença, futuros ensaios clínicos, perspectivas, níveis de evidência, aconselhamento genético e diagnóstico genético pré-implantacional.74324425

Real-Time models to predict the use of vasopressors in monitored patients

The needs of reducing human error has been growing in every field of study, and medicine is one of those. Through the implementation of technologies is possible to help in the decision making process of clinics, therefore to reduce the difficulties that are typically faced. This study focuses on easing some of those difficulties by presenting real-time data mining models capable of predicting if a monitored patient, typically admitted in intensive care, will need to take vasopressors. Data Mining models were induced using clinical variables such as vital signs, laboratory analysis, among others. The best model presented a sensitivity of 94.94%. With this model it is possible reducing the misuse of vasopressors acting as prevention. At same time it is offered a better care to patients by anticipating their treatment with vasopressors

Study of prevalence, severity and risk factors of periodontal disease in a Portuguese population

Periodontal disease is a common worldwide oral inflammation/infection affecting tissues that surround and support teeth. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence, extent and severity of periodontal diseases and its risk factors, according to the most recent periodontal classification, in an adult population of Northern Portugal. This observational study collected data from clinical records of patients who attended the University Clinic of Gandra between April 2021 and April 2022. Of a total of 941 patients included, 457 (48.6%) had periodontitis, 253 (26.9%) had gingivitis and the remaining 231 (24.5%) were healthy patients. The prevalence of stage III severe periodontitis was 51.2%, more prevalent in males, and in the age group of 61–70 years. Gingivitis was more prevalent in females, and in the age group of 31–40 years; in both diseases, the most prevalent extension was the generalized one. Using a binary logistic regression, we observe a significant relation of the risk of periodontitis with age (p = 0.019; OR 1.033; 95% CI 1.005–1.062), tooth brushing (p = 0.002; OR 0.25; 95% CI 0.105–0.599) and dental flossing (p = 0.015; OR 0.63; 95% CI 0.09–0.768). This study revealed a high prevalence of periodontitis. Increased age, lack of tooth brushing and flossing were identified as potential risk factors for periodontitis in the investigated Portuguese population.This research was funded by Instituto Universitário de Ciencias da Saúde (CESPU) and by CESPU Diagnóstico. The participation of Marta Relvas was funded by the project grant AMDNCPD_PI2RL_IINFACTS_2021 and Luis Monteiro by the project grant IPO2021_PI2RL_IINFACTS_2021 from CESPU University

Yield of soybean genotypes under infestation of the velvetbean caterpillar and stink bugs

Three soybean experiments, one for each maturation group (early, semi-early, and medium), were installed in the field in Assis, State of São Paulo, during the 2003/2004 growing season to evaluate damage caused by Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hubn.) and by the soybean stink bug complex, Euschistus heros (F.), Piezodorus guildinii (West.), and Nezara viridula (L.). The experiments were installed again in 2004/2005, with the exception of the early cycle group. Defoliation caused by A. gemmatalis was evaluated by the percentage estimate of leaf area cut in the first year only, due to low caterpillar infestations in 2004/2005. All three stink bug species were present in both growing seasons. In 2003/2004, E. heros was predominant over the other two; in the following year, all three species occurred in similar numbers. The productivity criterion was adopted to evaluate stink bug damage. Based on both growing seasons and mainly considering productivity, a few lines could be selected within each maturation group for new field studies or for hybridizations in breeding programs. Among the early germplasm varieties, lines IAC 98-4540, IAC 98-4576, and IAC 98-3123 can be highlighted as promising; the latter also showed little defoliation by A. gemmatalis; in the semi-early group, IAC 98-4017, IAC 98-2663, and IAC 98-4250 were prominent, with steady productivity in both years; in the medium group, IAC 98-4136, the most productive, as well as IAC 98-4140 and IAC 98-4133, all with little defoliation, can be pointed out as promising.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

The intranuclear mobility of messenger RNA binding proteins is ATP dependent and temperature sensitive

fAter being released from transcription sites, messenger ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNPs) must reach the nuclear pore complexes in order to be translocated to the cytoplasm. Whether the intranuclear movement of mRNPs results largely from Brownian motion or involves molecular motors remains unknown. Here we have used quantitative photobleaching techniques to monitor the intranuclear mobility of protein components of mRNPs tagged with GFP. The results show that the diffusion coefficients of the poly(A)-binding protein II (PABP2) and the export factor TAP are significantly reduced when these proteins are bound to mRNP complexes, as compared with nonbound proteins. The data further show that the mobility of wild-type PABP2 and TAP, but not of a point mutant variant of PABP2 that fails to bind to RNA, is significantly reduced when cells are ATP depleted or incubated at 22°C. Energy depletion has only minor effects on the intranuclear mobility of a 2,000-kD dextran (which corresponds approximately in size to 40S mRNP particles), suggesting that the reduced mobility of PABP2 and TAP is not caused by a general alteration of the nuclear environment. Taken together, the data suggest that the mobility of mRNPs in the living cell nucleus involves a combination of passive diffusion and ATP-dependent processes

Mechanistic Studies on Gold-Catalyzed Direct Arene C–H Bond Functionalization by Carbene Insertion: The Coinage-Metal Effect

The catalytic functionalization of the Csp 2-H bond of benzene by means of the insertion of the CHCO2Et group from ethyl diazoacetate (N2=CHCO2Et) has been studied with the series of coinage metal complexes IPrMCl (IPr = IPr = 1,3-bis(diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene) and NaBArF 4 (BArF 4 = tetrakis(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)borate). For Cu and Ag, these examples constitute the first of such metals toward this transformation, that also provides ethyl cyclohepta-2,4,6-trienecarboxylate as by-product from the so-called Buchner reaction. In the case of methyl-substituted benzenes, the reaction exclusively proceeds onto the aromatic ring, the Csp 3-H bond remaining unreacted. A significant coinage metal effect has been observed, since the gold catalyst favors the formation of the insertion product into Csp 2-H bond whereas copper and silver preferentially induce the formation of the cycloheptatriene derivative. Experimental studies and theoretical calculations have explained the observed selectivity in terms of the formation of a common Wheland intermediate, resembling an electrophilic aromatic substitution, from which the reaction pathway evolves into two separate routes to each product.We thank the Spanish MINECO for CTQ2014-52769-C3-1-R, CTQ2014-57761-R, RED INTECAT CTQ2014-52974-REDC and Severo Ochoa Excellence Accreditation 2014-2018 SEV-2013-0319 and the ICIQ Foundation for financial support

Biotransformation of digitoxigenin by Cochliobolus lunatus

The biotransformation of digitoxigenin (1) by Cochliobolus lunatus was investigated. The biotransformation reaction was carried out in a 4-day process, resulting in the isolation of four products, whose structures were elucidated as 1beta-hydroxydigitoxigenin (2), 7beta-hydroxydigitoxigenin (3), 8beta-hydroxydigitoxigenin (4) and digitoxigenone (5). The production of these derivatives under the employed conditions has never been described so far. This is also the first report on the production of compound 4 by a biotransformation reaction