Bayesian space-time analysis of health insurance data

Generalized linear models (GLMs) and semiparametric extensions provide a flexible framework for analyzing the claims process in non-life insurance. Currently, most applications are still based on traditional GLMs, where covariate effects are modelled in form of a linear predictor. However, these models may already be too restrictive if nonlinear effects of metrical covariates are present. Moreover, although data are often collected within longer time periods and come from different geographical regions, effects of space and time are usually totally neglected. We provide a Bayesian semiparametric approach, which allows to simultaneously incorporate effects of space, time and further covariates within a joint model. The method is applied to analyze costs of hospital treatment and accommodation for a large data set from a German health insurance company

Plasmodesmal receptor-like kinases identified through analysis of rice cell wall extracted proteins

In plants, plasmodesmata (PD) are intercellular channels that function in both metabolite exchange and the transport of proteins and RNAs. Currently, many of the PD structural and regulatory components remain to be elucidated. Receptor-like kinases (RLKs) belonging to a notably expanded protein family in plants compared to the animal kingdom have been shown to play important roles in plant growth, development, pathogen resistance, and cell death. In this study, cell biological approaches were used to identify potential PD-associated RLK proteins among proteins contained within cell walls isolated from rice callus cultured cells. A total of 15 rice RLKs were investigated to determine their subcellular localization, using an Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression system. Of these six PD-associated RLKs were identified based on their co-localization with a viral movement protein that served as a PD marker, plasmolysis experiments, and subcellular localization at points of wall contact between spongy mesophyll cells. These findings suggest potential PD functions in apoplasmic signaling in response to environmental stimuli and developmental inputs

Spatially resolved investigations of lifetime enhancement in vertically grown silicon ribbons

The influence of gettering or defect passivation steps on recombination activity in the vertically grown, multicrystalline ribbon materials edge-defined film-fed growth and string ribbon silicon has been investigated with the help of photoconductance decay. In contrast to well-known results of integral measurements, spatially resolved lifetime mappings have been obtained by applying microwave detection technique.This aspect of spatial resolution has been found to be indispensable for investigating the impact of different processing steps on material quality in an accurate way. Apart from strong variations in as-grown lifetimes that have been found throughout vertically grown silicon wafers, this is due to areas of comparable starting lifetimes which have been revealed to react very differently to applied processing steps. After processing, some of them reach minority charge carrier lifetimes of more than 300 μsμs whereas others just show values of a few microseconds. As a consequence, the results of integral measurements strongly depend on the nature of areas incorporated in the specific sample. An impression of the corresponding uncertainties inherent to integral measurements has been obtained by statistical evaluation of spatially resolved lifetime data

Lifetime enhancement in String Ribbon Silicon : a study based on spatially resolved measurements

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Spatially resolved lifetimes in EFG and String Ribbon silicon after gettering and hydrogenation steps

Lifetime improvement in EFG and string ribbon silicon by gettering or defect passivation has been investigated by photoconductance decay. But in contrast to former studies measurements have been carried out in a spatially resolved way. In this way the mapping techniques have been found to be indespensable for an accurate study of processing steps' impact on material quality. This is due to very strong lifetime variations that have been measured throughout the wafer (between 300μs), and because areas of the same starting quality have turned out to react very differently on applied processing steps. Consequently the results of integral measurements strongly depend on the nature of the areas incorporated in the specific sample. A statistical evaluation of the mapped lifetimes gives an impression of the uncertainties inherent to integral measurements

tRNA-Related Sequences Trigger Systemic mRNA Transport in Plants

In plants, protein-coding mRNAs can move via the phloem vasculature to distant tissues, where they may act as non-cell-autonomous signals. Emerging work has identified many phloem-mobile mRNAs, but little is known regarding RNA motifs triggering mobility, the extent of mRNA transport, and the potential of transported mRNAs to be translated into functional proteins after transport. To address these aspects, we produced reporter transcripts harboring tRNA-like structures (TLSs) that were found to be enriched in the phloem stream and in mRNAs moving over chimeric graft junctions. Phenotypic and enzymatic assays on grafted plants indicated that mRNAs harboring a distinctive TLS can move from transgenic roots into wild-type leaves and from transgenic leaves into wild-type flowers or roots; these mRNAs can also be translated into proteins after transport. In addition, we provide evidence that dicistronic mRNA:tRNA transcripts are frequently produced in Arabidopsis thaliana and are enriched in the population of graft-mobile mRNAs. Our results suggest that tRNA-derived sequences with predicted stem-bulge-stem-loop structures are sufficient to mediate mRNA transport and seem to be necessary for the mobility of a large number of endogenous transcripts that can move through graft junctions