Bank Liquidity Creation: A New Global Dataset for Developing and Emerging Countries

The pre-Global Financial Crisis build-up, followed by the post-crisis collapse, in bank liquidity creation in developed countries is well-documented (Berger and Bowman, 2009). Comparable analyses on developing and emerging countries (DECs) have been severely hindered by the lack of detailed bank-by-bank balance sheet data. This paper proposes a new, high-frequency, Aggregate Bank Liquidity Creation (A-BLC) measure for 114 DECs on a comparable cross-country basis, which relies on macroeconomic, country-wide, banking systems’ balance sheet data. The A-BLC database allows us to assess the extent of bank fragility arising from illiquidity associated with intermediation at the banking system level for every DEC, at a monthly frequency over the period 2001-2016. Our measure captures more accurately than other measures proposed in the literature the evolution of bank liquidity creation in the DECs. Stylised facts and panel-regression analysis suggest a sharp pre-crisis build-up and post-crisis fall in liquidity creation in DECs, larger then that observed for developed countries. In addition, financial depth and stability appear as particularly important drivers of A-BLC in DECs

Nods, Nalps and Naip: intracellular regulators of bacterial-induced inflammation

The innate immune system is the most ancestral and ubiquitous system of defence against microbial infection. The microbial sensing proteins involved in innate immunity recognize conserved and often structural components of microorganisms. One class of these pattern-recognition molecules, the Toll-like receptors (TLRs), are involved in detection of microbes in the extracellular compartment whereas a newly discovered family of proteins, the NBS-LRR proteins (for nucleotide-binding site and leucine-rich repeat), are involved in intracellular recognition of microbes and their products. NBS-LRR proteins are characterized by three structural domains: a C-terminal leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain able to sense a microbial motif, an intermediary nucleotide binding site (NBS) essential for the oligomerization of the molecule that is necessary for the signal transduction induced by different N-terminal effector motifs, such as a pyrin domain (PYD), a caspase-activating and recruitment domain (CARD) or a baculovirus inhibitor of apoptosis protein repeat (BIR) domain. Two of these family members, Nod1 and Nod2, play a role in the regulation of pro-inflammatory pathways through NF-κB induced by bacterial ligands. Recently, it was shown that Nod2 recognizes a specific peptidoglycan motif from bacteria, muramyl dipeptide (MDP). A surprising number of human genetic disorders have been linked to NBS-LRR proteins. For example, mutations in Nod2, which render the molecule insensitive to MDP and unable to induce NF-κB activation when stimulated, are associated with susceptibility to a chronic intestinal inflammatory disorder, Crohn's disease. Conversely, mutations in the NBS region of Nod2 induce a constitutive activation of NF-κB and are responsible for Blau syndrome, another auto-inflammatory disease. Nalp3, which is an NBS-LRR protein with an N-terminal Pyrin domain, is also implicated in rare auto-inflammatory disorders. In conclusion, NBS-LRR molecules appear as a new family of intracellular receptors of innate immunity able to detect specific bacterial compounds and induce inflammatory response; the dysregulation of these processes due to mutations in the genes encoding these proteins is involved in numerous auto-inflammatory disorders.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75732/1/j.1462-5822.2003.00304.x.pd

Integrating Data on Ethnicity, Geography, and Conflict: The Ethnic Power Relations Dataset Family.

ArticleThis article introduces the new Family of Ethnic Power Relations (EPR) data sets, version 2014, which is the latest in a series of data sets on ethnicity that have stimulated civil war research in the past decade. The EPR Family provides data on ethnic groups’ access to state power, their settlement patterns, links to rebel organizations, transborder ethnic kin relations, and intraethnic cleavages. The new 2014 version does not only extend the data set’s temporal coverage from 2009 to 2013, but it also offers several new features, such as a new measure of regional autonomy that is independent of national-level executive power and a new data set component coding intraethnic identities and cleavages. Moreover, for the first time, detailed documentation of the EPR data is provided through the EPR Atlas. This article presents these novelties in detail and compares the EPR Family 2014 to the most relevant alternative data sets on ethnicity.Swiss National Science FoundationSwiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC

Translation inhibition and metabolic stress pathways in the host response to bacterial pathogens

Activation of most major innate immune signalling cascades relies on the detection of microorganisms or their associated danger signals by host pattern recognition molecules. A flurry of recent studies has now uncovered a role for host translation inhibition in innate immune surveillance and the detection of bacterial pathogens. Here, we present the main findings from these studies and discuss whether translation inhibition is an alarm signal that directly drives innate immune responses to bacterial pathogens, or rather one component of a more general metabolic stress response to infection

A De Facto Asian-Currency Unit Bloc in East Asia: It has Been There but We did not Look for It

Pegging in a coordinated way to a regional basket currency is considered by many as optimal for east-Asian countries. By contrast, according to existing empirical studies, these countries have most often relied on noncooperative United States dollar or G3 pegs. We show for the first time that by the late 1990s, with some reversals, a majority of east-Asian countries had already moved, de facto, away from the dollar peg and started targeting a basket, including east-Asian currencies (an Asian Currency Unit). Common-shock or market-based interpretations of such moves are ruled out since we document that, with few exceptions, countries in the region have in reality stuck to fixed exchange rates. We obtain such results using a Markov-switching estimation benchmarked against Bai-Perron structural break tests for the synthesis model of Frankel and Wei (2007), which augments the inference about currency weights in a basket with the weight on exchange-market pressure. In order to measure the latter, the forward positions of central banks in the foreign exchange market are taken into account

Biomedical Co-Cr-Mo Components Produced by Direct Metal Laser Sintering

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) is an additive manufacturing technique based on a laser power source that sinters powdered materials using a 3D CAD model. The mechanical components produced by this procedure typically show higher residual porosity and poorer mechanical properties than those obtained by traditional manufacturing techniques. In this study, samples were produced by DMLS starting from a Co-Cr-Mo powder (in the \u3b3 phase) with a composition suitable for biomedical applications. Samples were submitted to hardness measurements and structural characterization. The samples showed a hardness value remarkably higher that those commonly obtained for the same cast or wrought alloys. In fact, the HRC value measured for the samples is 47 HRC, while the usual range for CAST Co-Cr-Mo is from 25 to 35 HRC. The samples microstructure was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) and energy dispersive microanalysis (EDX) in order to clarify the origin of this unexpected result. The laser treatment induced a melting of the metallic Co-Cr-Mo powder, generating a phase transformation from the \u3b3 (fcc) to the e (hcp) phase. The rapid cooling of the melted powder produced the formation of e (hcp) nano-lamellae inside the \u3b3 (fcc) phase. The nano-lamellae formed an intricate network responsible for the measured hardness increase. The results suggest possible innovative applications of the DMLS technique to the production of mechanical parts in the medical and dental fields, where a high degree of personalization is required

Effect of a legume cover crop on carbon storage and erosion in an ultisol under maize cultivation in southern Benin

Field experiment was conducted from 1988 to 1999 at an experimental farm at Agonkanmey, near Cotonou in southern Benin, to study the effect of relay-cropping maize through Mucuna pruriens (var. utilis). The relay-cropping system was compared with traditional maize cropping system without any input, and with a maize cropping system with mineral fertilizers (NPK). Special attention was given on the changes in soil C during the period of the experiment in relation to residue biomass C returned to the soil, runoff and soil erosion losses, and loss of C with erosion. The soils are classified as sandy loam Typic Kandiustult. The general properties of these soils are given. For this soil type, relay cropping of maize and mucuna was very effective in enhancing C sequestration: change in Ct (total C content) stock for 0 to 40 cm depth was 1.3 t C/ha per year over the 12-year period of the experiment, ranging among the highest rates recorded for the eco-region. This increase resulted first from the high amount of residue biomass provided by mucuna, which amounted to 10 t DM/ha per year (83% aboveground). Mucuna residues, supplying the soil with N, also favoured the production of maize biomass, and total mucuna plus maize residue biomass returned to the soil was approximately 20 t/ha per year. In contrast, non-fertilized and fertilized continuous maize cultivation resulted in -0.2 and 0.2 t C/ha per year change in Ct stock for 0 to 40 cm depth, respectively. Total residue biomass was 8 and 13 t/ha per year, including 77 and 29% by weeds, respectively. Thick mulch produced by mucuna decreased losses by runoff and erosion, which were 0.28, 0.12 and 0.08 mm/mm and 34.0, 9.0 and 3.0 t/ha per year in unfertilized, fertilized with NPK and mucuna treatments, respectively. Eroded C was estimated at 0.3, 0.1 and 1.0 t C/ha per year in unfertilized, fertilized with NPK and mucuna treatments, respectively. Through its benefits on soil organic matter management, weed suppression and erosion control, cropping systems including a legume crop may have an adverse impact from a global change standpoint

Development and validation of a multiplex HPLC-MS/MS assay for the monitoring of JAK inhibitors in patient plasma.

Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) are oral small molecules used in the treatment of a broad spectrum of autoimmune and myeloproliferative diseases. JAKi exhibit significant intra- and inter-individual pharmacokinetic variabilities, due to fluctuations in compliance with oral treatments and their metabolism essentially driven by cytochrome P450 enzymes. Intrinsically, JAKi have dose-response relationship and narrow therapeutic index: therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is expected to optimize and adapt their dosage regimen in order to resolve problems of efficacy and tolerance linked to dose and safety. A sensitive analytical method using multiplex high-performance liquid-chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification in plasma of the 6 major currently used JAKi, namely abrocitinib, baricitinib, fedratinib, ruxolitinib, tofacitinib, and upadacitinib. Plasma samples are subjected to protein precipitation with MeOH, using stable isotopically labelled internal standards. The separation of JAKi in supernatants diluted 1:1 with ultrapure H <sub>2</sub> O was performed using a C <sub>18</sub> column Xselect HSS T3 2.5 µm, 2.1x150 mm using a mobile phase composed of formic acid (FA) 0.2% and acetonitrile (+FA 0.1%) in gradient mode. The analytical run time for the multiplex assay was 7 min. JAKi drugs were monitored by electrospray ionization in the positive mode followed by triple-stage quadrupole MS/MS analysis. The method was validated according to SFSTP and ICH guidelines over the clinically relevant concentration ranges (0.5-200 ng/mL for abrocitinib, baricitinib and upadacitinib; 1-400 ng/mL for tofacitinib; 0.5-400 ng/mL for ruxolitinib, and 10-800 ng/mL for fedratinib). This multiplex HPLC-MS/MS assay achieved good performances in term of trueness (91.1-113.5%), repeatability (3.0-9.9%), and intermediate precision (4.5-11.3%). We developed and validated a highly sensitive method for the multiplex quantification of the JAKi abrocitinib, baricitinib, fedratinib, ruxolitinib, tofacitinib, and upadacitinib in human plasma. The method will be applied for prospective clinical pharmacokinetic studies to determine whether TDM programs for JAKi based on residual drug concentrations can be recommended using disease-specific therapeutic ranges

Interleukin-1 signaling induced by Streptococcus suis serotype 2 is strain-dependent and contributes to bacterial clearance and inflammation during systemic disease in a mouse model of infection

International audienceAbstractStreptococcus suis serotype 2 is an important porcine pathogen and zoonotic agent causing sudden death, septic shock and meningitis, with exacerbated inflammation being a hallmark of the infection. A rapid, effective and balanced innate immune response against S. suis is critical to control bacterial growth without causing excessive inflammation. Even though interleukin (IL)-1 is one of the most potent and earliest pro-inflammatory mediators produced, its role in the S. suis pathogenesis has not been studied. We demonstrated that a classical virulent European sequence type (ST) 1 strain and the highly virulent ST7 strain induce important levels of IL-1 in systemic organs. Moreover, bone marrow-derived dendritic cells and macrophages contribute to its production, with the ST7 strain inducing higher levels. To better understand the underlying mechanisms involved, different cellular pathways were studied. Independently of the strain, IL-1β production required MyD88 and involved recognition via TLR2 and possibly TLR7 and TLR9. This suggests that the recognized bacterial components are similar and conserved between strains. However, very high levels of the pore-forming toxin suilysin, produced only by the ST7 strain, are required for efficient maturation of pro-IL-1β via activation of different inflammasomes resulting from pore formation and ion efflux. Using IL-1R−/− mice, we demonstrated that IL-1 signaling plays a beneficial role during S. suis systemic infection by modulating the inflammation required to control and clear bacterial burden, thus promoting host survival. Beyond a certain threshold, however, S. suis-induced inflammation cannot be counterbalanced by this signaling, making it difficult to discriminate its role