On the Negative Relationship between Labour Income Uncertainty and Homeownership:Risk aversion vs Credit Constraints.

In this paper we test for the first time whether the driving force behind the negative effect of income uncertainty on owner-occupancy propensities is risk aversion or credit constraints. To desentangle this puzzle we estimate reduced form equations using Italian data. Consistent with the previous empirical evidence in the US. our results cofirm that in Italy both labor income uncertainty and credit constraints exert a significant negative effect on the probability of homeownership. However, our main findings indicate that the negative relationship between labor income uncertainty and homeownership is driven by households' risk aversion

Multidimensional Charts

This work presents a new visual representation of multidimensional data and compares its usefulness in terms of effectiveness and efficiency with tabular representations. This idea makes two important contributions. First, it shows the feasibility of representing multidimensional data in 2D and 3D charts that are understandable by humans. Second, it builds on the theory of cognitive fit by testing the appropriateness of graphical representations to convey information of complex problems. In particular, it shows multidimensional data representation that has not been tested, perhaps due to the lack of a suitable graphical representation. The charts proposed are better representations of information stored in data warehouses than those provided by data cubes. The proposed format can be used to represent fuzzy variables, and are suitable for implementation in dashboards

The Heat Kernel on AdSAdS

We explicitly evaluate the heat kernel for the Laplacian of arbitrary spin tensor fields on the thermal quotient of (Euclidean) $AdS_N$ for $N\geq 3$ using the group theoretic techniques employed for $AdS_3$ in arXiv:0911.5085. Our approach is general and can be used, in principle, for other quotients as well as other symmetric spaces.Comment: Added references, added appendix on heat kernel in even dimensio

Why are feasibility studies accessing routinely collected health data? A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Feasibility trials are often undertaken to determine whether a larger randomised controlled trial (RCT) is achievable. In a recent review, 15 feasibility trials accessed routinely collected health data (RCHD) from UK national databases and registries. This paper looks at attributes of these trials and the reasons why they accessed RCHD. METHODS: We extracted data from all publicly available sources for the 15 feasibility studies found in a previous review of trials successfully accessing RCHD in the UK between 2013–2018 for the purpose of informing or supplementing participant data. We extracted trial characteristics, the registry accessed, and the way the RCHD was used. RESULTS: The 15 feasibility RCTs were conducted in a variety of disease areas, and were generally small (median sample size 100, range 41–4061) and individually randomised (60%, 9/15). The primary trial outcome was predominantly administrative (non-clinical) (80%, 12/15) such as feasibility of patient recruitment. They were more likely to recruit from secondary care (67%, 10/15) settings than primary (33%, 5/15). NHS Digital was the most commonly accessed registry (33% (5/15)) with SAIL databank (20% (3/15)), electronic Data Research and Innovation Service (eDRIS) and Paediatric Intensive Care Audit Network (PICANET) (each 13% 2/15) also being accessed. Where the information was clear, the trials used RCHD for data collection during the trial (47%, 7/15), follow-up after the trial (27%, 4/15) and recruitment (13%, 2/15). CONCLUSIONS: Between 2013 and 2018, 15 feasibility trials successfully accessed UK RCHD. Feasibility trials would benefit, as with other trials, from guidance on reporting the use of RCHD in protocols and publications

Case Report: A Case of Wood-Smoke–Related Pulmonary Disease

CONTEXT: Biomass serves as a major fuel source for > 50% of the world’s population. The global burden of disease attributed to indoor air pollution from biomass combustion accounts for approximately 3% of worldwide disability-adjusted life-years lost. This is due to pneumonia in children and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer in women. CASE PRESENTATION: A 53-year-old man from Mexico was referred to the pulmonary clinic for evaluation of chronic productive cough and pulmonary nodules. In his youth, he worked at a charcoal plant in Mexico, where he burned wood and was exposed to massive amounts of smoke. His evaluation revealed thickened bronchovascular bundles with nodules on thoracic computed tomography, dark black plaques in large airways on bronchoscopy, and carbon-laden macrophages and fibrotic scars on lung biopsy. DISCUSSION: The patient was diagnosed with “hut lung,” a term that refers to the noninfectious, nonmalignant respiratory manifestations of chronic, high-level exposures to biomass smoke. This is the first reported case of hut lung associated with charcoal production. This case highlights that histopathologic abnormalities of the lung parenchyma may be present in patients with only mild symptoms and that clinical progression is likely a function of both the duration and intensity of exposure. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: As residents of lesser developed countries continue to be exposed to high levels of biomass smoke at work or at home and continue to immigrate to developed countries, it is important that health care providers in developed countries be aware of biomass-smoke–related pulmonary disease

Organic and inorganic fouling in heat exchangers – Industrial case study: Analysis of fouling state

Skolkovo Foundation; B

Gad65 is recognized by t-cells, but not by antibodies from nod-mice

Since the 64kDa-protein glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) is one of the major autoantigens in T-cell mediated Type 1 diabetes, its relevance as a T-cell antigen needs to be clarified. After isolation of splenic T-cells from non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice, a useful model for human Type 1 diabetes, we found that these T-cells proliferate spontaneously when incubated with human GAD65, but only marginally after incubation with GAD67, both recombinated in the baculovirus system. No effect was observed with non-diabetic NOD mice or with T-cells from H-2 identical NON-NOD-H-2g7 control mice. It has been published previously that NOD mice develop autoantibodies against a 64kDa protein detected with mouse beta cells. In immunoprecipitation experiments with sera from the same NOD mice and 33S-methionine-labelled GAD, no autoantibody binding could be detected. We conclude firstly that GAD65 is an important T-cell antigen which is relevant early in the development of Type 1 diabetes and secondly that there is an antigenic epitope in the human GAD65 molecule recognized by NOD T-cells, but not by NOD autoantibodies precipitating conformational epitopes. Our results therefore provide further evidence that GAD65 is a T-cell antigen in NOD mice, being possibly also involved in very early processes leading to the development of human Type 1 diabetes

Body composition and body fat distribution are related to cardiac autonomic control in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Heart rate recovery (HRR), a cardiac autonomic control marker, was shown to be related to body composition (BC), yet this was not tested in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients. The aim of this study was to determine if, and to what extent, markers of BC and body fat (BF) distribution are related to cardiac autonomic control in NAFLD patients. SUBJECTS/METHODS: BC was assessed with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 28 NAFLD patients (19 men, 51±13 years, and 9 women, 47±13 years). BF depots ratios were calculated to assess BF distribution. Subjects’ HRR was recorded 1 (HRR1) and 2 min (HRR2) immediately after a maximum graded exercise test. RESULTS: BC and BF distribution were related to HRR; particularly weight, trunk BF and trunk BF-to-appendicular BF ratio showed a negative relation with HRR1 (r 1⁄4 0.613, r 1⁄4 0.597 and r 1⁄4 0.547, respectively, Po0.01) and HRR2 (r 1⁄4 0.484, r 1⁄4 0.446, Po0.05, and r 1⁄4 0.590, Po0.01, respectively). Age seems to be related to both HRR1 and HRR2 except when controlled for BF distribution. The preferred model in multiple regression should include trunk BF-to-appendicular BF ratio and BF to predict HRR1 (r2 1⁄4 0.549; Po0.05), and trunk BF-to-appendicular BF ratio alone to predict HRR2 (r2 1⁄4 0.430; Po0.001). CONCLUSIONS: BC and BF distribution were related to HRR in NAFLD patients. Trunk BF-to-appendicular BF ratio was the best independent predictor of HRR and therefore may be best related to cardiovascular increased risk, and possibly act as a mediator in age-related cardiac autonomic control variation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cross Sectional Examination of a Fouled Tube Removed from a Crude Oil Preheat Exchanger

A first attempt to characterize intact foulant of a refinery preheater is presented. A tube was removed from an exchanger located postdesalter and preflash-drum at a 4-year shutdown, and dissected into undisturbed cut-out rings. Following visual inspection, elemental analysis (X-ray maps and line scans) was carried out and radial concentration profiles of the existing elements were established. A stratified colored foulant layer inside the tube appeared in sine waves fluctuating at both axial and angular directions, likely evidencing for the first time a shadow effect and erosion process. Results agreed with our studies on a comparable exchanger of the same refinery. They confirm the proposed deposition mechanism and simulation results, indicating formation of a stratified foulant consisting inorganics ranging 50 wt %, the presence of an acute inorganic deposition period along the chronic organic–inorganic fouling, and the identification of the foulant phases arrangement, among possible conductivity mixing models, as cocontinuous and effective medium theory structures