REITs as Captive-Financing Affiliates: Impact on Financial Performance

Some real estate investment trusts are created as "captive-financing" affiliates by their sponsors. This creates conflicts of interest between the sponsor/manager and shareholders. Such conflicts could affect the financial performance of the firm. Using data on a sample of REITs, results show that captive-financing REITs' financial performance is on average inferior to that of non-captive REITs.

Two distinct types of neuronal asymmetries are controlled by the Caenorhabditis elegans zinc finger transcription factor die-1

Left/right asymmetric features of animals are either randomly distributed on either the left or right side within a population ("antisymmetries") or found stereotypically on one particular side of an animal ("directional asymmetries"). Both types of asymmetries can be found in nervous systems, but whether the regulatory programs that establish these asymmetries share any mechanistic features is not known. We describe here an unprecedented molecular link between these two types of asymmetries in Caenorhabditis elegans. The zinc finger transcription factor die-1 is expressed in a directionally asymmetric manner in the gustatory neuron pair ASE left (ASEL) and ASE right (ASER), while it is expressed in an antisymmetric manner in the olfactory neuron pair AWC left (AWCL) and AWC right (AWCR). Asymmetric die-1 expression is controlled in a fundamentally distinct manner in these two neuron pairs. Importantly, asymmetric die-1 expression controls the directionally asymmetric expression of gustatory receptor proteins in the ASE neurons and the antisymmetric expression of olfactory receptor proteins in the AWC neurons. These asymmetries serve to increase the ability of the animal to discriminate distinct chemosensory inputs

Cosmic ray knee and new physics at the TeV scale

We analyze the possibility that the cosmic ray knee appears at an energy threshold where the proton-dark matter cross section becomes large due to new TeV physics. It has been shown that such interactions could break the proton and produce a diffuse gamma ray flux consistent with MILAGRO observations. We argue that this hypothesis implies knees that scale with the atomic mass for the different nuclei, as KASKADE data seem to indicate. We find that to explain the change in the spectral index in the flux from E^{-2.7} to E^{-3.1} the cross section must grow like E^{0.4+\beta} above the knee, where \beta=0.3-0.6 parametrizes the energy dependence of the age (\tau \propto E^{-\beta}) of the cosmic rays reaching the Earth. The hypothesis also requires mbarn cross sections (that could be modelled with TeV gravity) and large densities of dark matter (that could be clumped around the sources of cosmic rays). We argue that neutrinos would also exhibit a threshold at E=(m_\chi/m_p)E_{knee}\approx 10^8 GeV where their interaction with a nucleon becomes strong. Therefore, the observation at ICECUBE or ANITA of standard neutrino events above this threshold would disprove the scenario.Comment: 10 pages, version to appear in JCA

The relative efficacy of different strain combinations of lactic acid bacteria in the reduction of populations of Salmonella enterica Typhimurium in the livers and spleens of mice

Multispecies probiotics have been reported to be more effective than monostrain probiotics in health promoting for the host. In this study, 12 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains were selected based on the level of induction of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Their adherence to Caco-2 cells and inhibitory effects on Salmonella invasion of Caco-2 cells were compared. Strains with different probiotic properties were then combined and BALB/c mice were fed with LAB strains for 63 days; then the mice were challenged with Salmonella on day 64. For Salmonella-unchallenged mice that received a multistrain combination of LAB strains that have greater TNF-alpha production in macrophages, greater adherence and inhibit Salmonella invasion of Caco-2 cells to a greater extent, their peritoneal macrophages had greater phagocytic activity. For Salmonella-challenged mice, a significant reduction of Salmonella cells in the livers and spleens of the mice was observed 8 days post challenge. The addition of 12% skim milk powder together with LAB strain combinations significantly enhanced the reduction of Salmonella cells in the mice livers and spleens. In conclusion, we have shown that LAB strain combinations with particular probiotic properties when fed to mice can inhibit Salmonella invasion of the liver and spleen

Patterns of plant invasions in China: Taxonomic, biogeographic, climatic approaches and anthropogenic effects

This study was aimed to determine the patterns as well as the effects of biological, anthropogenic, and climatic factors on plant invasions in China. About 270 volumes of national and regional floras were employed to compile a naturalized flora of China. Habit, life form, origin, distribution, and uses of naturalized plants were also analyzed to determine patterns on invasion. Correlations between biological, anthropogenic and climatic parameters were estimated at province and regional scales. Naturalized species represent 1% of the flora of China. Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Poaceae are the dominant families, but Euphorbiaceae and Cactaceae have the largest ratios of naturalized species to their global numbers. Oenothera, Euphorbia, and Crotalaria were the dominant genera. Around 50% of exotic species were introduced intentionally for medicinal purposes. Most of the naturalized species originated in tropical America, followed by Asia and Europe. Number of naturalized species was significantly correlated to the number of native species/log area. The intensity of plant invasion showed a pattern along climate zones from mesic to xeric, declining with decreasing temperature and precipitation across the nation. Anthropogenic factor, such as distance of transportation, was significantly correlated to plant invasions at a regional scale. Although anthropogenic factors were largely responsible for creating opportunities for exotic species to spread and establish, the local biodiversity and climate factors were the major factors shaping the pattern of plant invasions in China. The warm regions, which are the hot spots of local biodiversity, and relatively developed areas of China, furthermore, require immediate attentions

Global surveillance of cancer survival 1995-2009: analysis of individual data for 25,676,887 patients from 279 population-based registries in 67 countries (CONCORD-2)

BACKGROUND: Worldwide data for cancer survival are scarce. We aimed to initiate worldwide surveillance of cancer survival by central analysis of population-based registry data, as a metric of the effectiveness of health systems, and to inform global policy on cancer control. METHODS: Individual tumour records were submitted by 279 population-based cancer registries in 67 countries for 25·7 million adults (age 15-99 years) and 75,000 children (age 0-14 years) diagnosed with cancer during 1995-2009 and followed up to Dec 31, 2009, or later. We looked at cancers of the stomach, colon, rectum, liver, lung, breast (women), cervix, ovary, and prostate in adults, and adult and childhood leukaemia. Standardised quality control procedures were applied; errors were corrected by the registry concerned. We estimated 5-year net survival, adjusted for background mortality in every country or region by age (single year), sex, and calendar year, and by race or ethnic origin in some countries. Estimates were age-standardised with the International Cancer Survival Standard weights. FINDINGS: 5-year survival from colon, rectal, and breast cancers has increased steadily in most developed countries. For patients diagnosed during 2005-09, survival for colon and rectal cancer reached 60% or more in 22 countries around the world; for breast cancer, 5-year survival rose to 85% or higher in 17 countries worldwide. Liver and lung cancer remain lethal in all nations: for both cancers, 5-year survival is below 20% everywhere in Europe, in the range 15-19% in North America, and as low as 7-9% in Mongolia and Thailand. Striking rises in 5-year survival from prostate cancer have occurred in many countries: survival rose by 10-20% between 1995-99 and 2005-09 in 22 countries in South America, Asia, and Europe, but survival still varies widely around the world, from less than 60% in Bulgaria and Thailand to 95% or more in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the USA. For cervical cancer, national estimates of 5-year survival range from less than 50% to more than 70%; regional variations are much wider, and improvements between 1995-99 and 2005-09 have generally been slight. For women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005-09, 5-year survival was 40% or higher only in Ecuador, the USA, and 17 countries in Asia and Europe. 5-year survival for stomach cancer in 2005-09 was high (54-58%) in Japan and South Korea, compared with less than 40% in other countries. By contrast, 5-year survival from adult leukaemia in Japan and South Korea (18-23%) is lower than in most other countries. 5-year survival from childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is less than 60% in several countries, but as high as 90% in Canada and four European countries, which suggests major deficiencies in the management of a largely curable disease. INTERPRETATION: International comparison of survival trends reveals very wide differences that are likely to be attributable to differences in access to early diagnosis and optimum treatment. Continuous worldwide surveillance of cancer survival should become an indispensable source of information for cancer patients and researchers and a stimulus for politicians to improve health policy and health-care systems

A Fuzzy System Constructed by Rule Generation and Iterative Linear SVR for Antecedent and Consequent Parameter Optimization

This paper proposes a new fuzzy regression model, i.e., the fuzzy system constructed by rule generation and iterative linear support vector regression (FS-RGLSVR) for structural risk minimization. The FS-RGLSVR is composed of Takagi-Sugeno (TS)-type fuzzy IF-THEN rules. These rules are automatically constructed by a self-splitting rule generation algorithm that introduces the self-splitting technique to the k-means clustering algorithm. This new algorithm regards a cluster as a fuzzy rule, where no preassignment of the cluster (rule) number is necessary. The cost function for parameter learning is defined based on structural risk instead of empirical risk minimization in order to achieve generalizability. Tuning all of the free parameters in the FS-RGLSVR using linear support vector regression (SVR) is proposed to minimize the cost function. Each of the consequent and antecedent part parameters is expressed as a linear combination coefficient in a transformed input space so that the linear SVR is applicable. This paper introduces iterative linear SVR to tune antecedent and consequent parameters. This paper demonstrates the capabilities of FS-RGLSVR by two simulated and four practical regression examples. Comparisons with fuzzy systems with different types of learning algorithms verify the performance of the FS-RGLSVR

(7(3):7-25)THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT DEPTHS OF SOIL AND RATES AND METHODS OF FERTILIZER APPLICATION ON THE YIELD OF RICE

(1) 本試驗在臺北市臺灣省農業試驗所，舉行以客土法設置試驗區，檢討水稻增產與耕土深淺及施肥法，施肥量之關係。 (2) 耕土深度對水稱株高生長之影響，普通施肥量組，初期生育以淺耕為優，深耕為劣，而隨耕土深度增肥組各區則因耕土愈深而愈優。然至生育後期或柚穗後之稈長，不論普通施肥量組或隨耕土深度增肥組各區，均以深耕為優。其耕土深度相同之區，則以施肥量多者，水稻全期間之生育情形較為優良。 (3) 耕土深度對水稻有效分蘗率隨耕土深度增加而提高，在不同施肥量或不同施肥法之情形下其表現相同。 (4) 水稻生育日數隨耕土深度增加，而其抽穗偏差亦隨之增加。 (5) 深耕能增進穗長及一穗粒數，在不同施肥量及不同施肥法情形亦相同。 (6) 精谷牧量因穗數及一穗粒數而消長，然與不稔率有重大之關係。本試驗中之收量構成因素概隨耕土深度增進，然因病害以致稔實不佳，不免對收量有影響。 (7) 本試驗中之第一期作在耕土25公分區及第二期作在30公分區各獲得最高產量。 (8) 隨耕土深度增施肥料時，對水稱生育過于繁茂，易誘發稱熱病或倒伏，致影響其結實故其產量未能如預期增加。 (9) 耕土深度與施肥法，在第一期作均以全層施肥法較優，而在第二期作該法與半全層施肥法則難分上下。 (10) 耕土深度至35公分之場合稻熱病罹病率甚高，一二期均有同樣趨勢。 (1) The present paper descirbes the effect of different depths of soil, rates and methods of fertilizer on the yield of rice. Experimental plots were prepared by the soil tansportation method. (2) In the standard fertilizer rate plot, shallow plowing gave better plant height at early stage than deep plowing, when fertilizer rate was increased succeedingly with soil depth, deep plowing, on the contrary, gave slightly better plant height. But in all cases, plant height at later stage or after heading was greater in deep plowing plot than in shallow plowing plot. For the same depth of soil, higher rate of fertilizer gave better growth during the whole period. (3) The percentage of functional tillering increased with soil depth. The similar phenomena could be seen when different rates and methods of fertilizers were applied. (4) The days of growth increased with the depth of soil. The heading deviation showed the same tendency. (5) Deep plowing helped to increase the length of ears and number of grains per ear. The same phenomena were seen when different rates and methods of fertilizers were applied. (6) The yield of grains was affected by the number of grains per ear and the number of ears per plant. It was, however, also greatly influenced by the percentage of fertility. In the present study, the yield components generally increased with soil depth, yet this was not true in the case of low fertility. (7) In the present experiment, the highest yield was obtained from the 25 cm deep plot in the first crop and from the 30 cm deep plot in the second crop. (8) When the rate of fertilizer was increased with soil depth, plants tended to grow too vigorously, became liable to rice blast and the yield could not be increased as expected. (9) Deep dressing of fertilizer resulted in better yield in the first crop, but in the second crop it was hard to distinguish from half-deep dressing in their effects. (10) Rice blast infection rate was high in 35 cm deep plot in both first and second crops

A Locally Recurrent Fuzzy Neural Network With Support Vector Regression for Dynamic-System Modeling

This paper proposes a new recurrent model, known as the locally recurrent fuzzy neural network with support vector regression (LRFNN-SVR), that handles problems with temporal properties. Structurally, an LRFNN-SVR is a five-layered recurrent network. The recurrent structure in an LRFNN-SVR comes from locally feeding the firing strength of each fuzzy rule back to itself. The consequent layer in an LRFNN-SVR is a Takagi-Sugeno-Kang (T-S-K)-type consequent, which is a linear function of current states, regardless of system input and output delays. For the structure learning, a one-pass clustering algorithm clusters the input-training data and determines the number of network nodes in hidden layers. For the parameter learning, an iterative linear SVR algorithm is proposed to tune free parameters in the rule consequent part and feedback loops. The motivation for using SVR for parameter learning is to improve the LRFNN-SVR generalization ability. This paper demonstrates LRFNN-SVR capabilities by conducting simulations in dynamic system prediction and identification problems with noiseless and noisy data. In addition, this paper compares simulation results from the LRFNN-SVR with other recurrent fuzzy models

Fuzzy C-means based support vector machine for channel equalisation

This paper proposes a new classification network, the fuzzy C-means based support vector machine (FCM-SVM) and applies it to channel equalisation. In contrast to a kernel-based SVM, the FCM-SVM has a smaller number of parameters while retaining the SVM's good generalisation ability. In FCM-SVM, input training data is clustered by FCM. The output of FCM-SVM is a weighted sum of the degrees where each input data belongs to the clusters. To achieve high generalisation ability, FCM-SVM weights are learned through linear kernel based SVM. Computer simulations illustrate the performance of the suggested network, where the FCM-SVM is used as a channel equaliser. Simulations with white Gaussian and coloured Gaussian noise are performed. This paper also compares simulation results from the FCM-SVM, the Gaussian kernel based SVM and the optimal equaliser