Returns to Low Risk Investment Strategy

The paper studies the low risk anomaly in the Indian market using entire National Stock Exchange (NSE) as sample from January 2001 to June 2016. It provides evidence that low risk portfolio sorted for total risk, systematic risk as well as unsystematic risk individually for the large cap, mid cap, small cap and the entire NSE universe give higher returns to the investor as compared to high risk portfolio. The difference of returns from low risk portfolio versus high risk portfolio is positive as well as economically and statistically significant for all the risk measures. The results also prove that low risk portfolio investing strategy returns outperform the benchmark portfolio. Using either total volatility, idiosyncratic volatility or beta as a risk measure in stocks, the low risk portfolio gives higher returns even after controlling for the well-known size, value and momentum factors. The excess returns are the highest for low risk portfolio sorted for volatility of large cap stocks. Most of the low risk portfolios consists of growth and winner stocks. In conclusion, the low risk portfolio investment strategy is independent of size and gives positive excess returns as compared to high risk portfolio in the Indian stock market

Evaluation of the Sensitivity of the MEPDG to Bottom‑Up Fatigue Cracking in South Carolina

The objective of the study was to evaluate the sensitivity of different input variables on the flexible pavement design thickness of high-speed, high-traffic routes in South Carolina using the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) by means of the AASHTOware Pavement ME design software. A combination of MEPDG input levels (Levels 1, 2, and 3) were used for pavement analysis based on the availability of data. The variables considered in this investigation included two-way average annual daily truck traffic (AADTT), asphalt mix type, climate station, subgrade type and resilient modulus, and aggregate base thickness. This study mainly focused on the bottom-up fatigue cracking, and individual pavement designs were evaluated to determine the asphalt concrete (AC) thickness for which the total bottom-up cracking was equal to 2% lane area after a 20-year design period. The results indicated that the asphalt mix type did not have significant impact on the pavement thickness. One of the five climate stations evaluated resulted in significantly thicker pavements than the others. Subgrade type, as well as resilient modulus, had a significant effect on the pavement thickness. Finally, pavements were more sensitive to total truck traffic changes at lower AADTT values and then became somewhat less sensitive when exposed to the highest levels of traffic. The results of this study could potentially be used to develop a preliminary asphalt thickness design catalog for interstate routes in South Carolina

Assessment of an International Virtual Exchange Project with Civil Engineering Students from the US and Palestine: Global Competencies, Perceived Value, and Teamwork

This paper presents the results of a study conducted to assess the value of two iterations of an international virtual exchange (IVE) experience between universities in the US (Clemson University and Bucknell University) and Palestine (An-Najah National University) in 2021 and 2022. The focus of this study was a five-week collaborative project where civil engineering students enrolled in pavement design or environmental engineering courses at three universities were tasked to develop innovative solutions to a pavement related problem in one of five general areas. Based on the course enrollments at each institution (i.e., 50 US and 19 Palestinian students in 2021 and 35 US and 51 Palestinian students in 2022), there were two treatment groups: IVE and non-IVE. In 2021 there were nine bi-national IVE teams and eight non-IVE teams composed only of students from Clemson University (US). In 2022, there were nine bi-national IVE teams, five US non-IVE teams from Clemson, and seven Palestinian non-IVE teams from An-Najah. The evaluation in this study focused on (1) global competencies, (2) value of the experience, and (3) team dynamics. The influence of the experience on the global competencies of the students in IVE and non-IVE teams was assessed quantitatively and qualitatively using pre- and post-program surveys based on the Stevens Initiative and RTI International’s Common Survey Items as well as survey items developed for this IVE to measure whether the program promotes gender equity. The value of the project experience for all students (i.e., IVE and non-IVE) was evaluated using a mixed methods assessment based on the “value-creation framework” of Wenger-Trayner et al. Four cycles of the value-creation framework were included in this assessment: (1) immediate value, (2) potential value, (3) applied value, and (4) realized value. Finally, teamwork was evaluated using the Individual and Team Performance (ITP) Metrics Peer Feedback and Team Dynamics survey. Results showed that modifications made between the first and second project iterations, specifically cross-cultural dialogue modules, had positive impacts on the overall outcomes. The IVE teams exhibited greater improvement in team dynamics measures over the project duration compared to the non-IVE teams. The students on IVE teams also showed greater gains in all aspects of the global competencies assessment than their non-IVE peers. Finally, all students expressed that they found value in the experience. However, there were no differences in perceived value between the IVE and non-IVE teams. The differences came from students from different countries as the Palestinian students perceived greater value in the experience than their US peers regardless of whether they were on an IVE team or not

Target genes, variants, tissues and transcriptional pathways influencing human serum urate levels.

Elevated serum urate levels cause gout and correlate with cardiometabolic diseases via poorly understood mechanisms. We performed a trans-ancestry genome-wide association study of serum urate in 457,690 individuals, identifying 183 loci (147 previously unknown) that improve the prediction of gout in an independent cohort of 334,880 individuals. Serum urate showed significant genetic correlations with many cardiometabolic traits, with genetic causality analyses supporting a substantial role for pleiotropy. Enrichment analysis, fine-mapping of urate-associated loci and colocalization with gene expression in 47 tissues implicated the kidney and liver as the main target organs and prioritized potentially causal genes and variants, including the transcriptional master regulators in the liver and kidney, HNF1A and HNF4A. Experimental validation showed that HNF4A transactivated the promoter of ABCG2, encoding a major urate transporter, in kidney cells, and that HNF4A p.Thr139Ile is a functional variant. Transcriptional coregulation within and across organs may be a general mechanism underlying the observed pleiotropy between urate and cardiometabolic traits.The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) Project was supported by the Common Fund of the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health, and by NCI, NHGRI, NHLBI, NIDA, NIMH, and NINDS. Variant annotation was supported by software resources provided via the Caché Campus program of the InterSystems GmbH to Alexander Teumer

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

Genetic loci and prioritization of genes for kidney function decline derived from a meta-analysis of 62 longitudinal genome-wide association studies

Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) reflects kidney function. Progressive eGFR-decline can lead to kidney failure, necessitating dialysis or transplantation. Hundreds of loci from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for eGFR help explain population cross section variability. Since the contribution of these or other loci to eGFR-decline remains largely unknown, we derived GWAS for annual eGFR-decline and meta-analyzed 62 longitudinal studies with eGFR assessed twice over time in all 343,339 individuals and in high-risk groups. We also explored different covariate adjustment. Twelve genome-wide significant independent variants for eGFR-decline unadjusted or adjusted for eGFR-baseline (11 novel, one known for this phenotype), including nine variants robustly associated across models were identified. All loci for eGFR-decline were known for cross-sectional eGFR and thus distinguished a subgroup of eGFR loci. Seven of the nine variants showed variant-by-age interaction on eGFR cross section (further about 350,000 individuals), which linked genetic associations for eGFR-decline with age-dependency of genetic cross-section associations. Clinically important were two to four-fold greater genetic effects on eGFR-decline in high-risk subgroups. Five variants associated also with chronic kidney disease progression mapped to genes with functional in-silico evidence (UMOD, SPATA7, GALNTL5, TPPP). An unfavorable versus favorable nine-variant genetic profile showed increased risk odds ratios of 1.35 for kidney failure (95% confidence intervals 1.03-1.77) and 1.27 for acute kidney injury (95% confidence intervals 1.08-1.50) in over 2000 cases each, with matched controls). Thus, we provide a large data resource, genetic loci, and prioritized genes for kidney function decline, which help inform drug development pipelines revealing important insights into the age-dependency of kidney function genetics

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

AN OUTBREAK OF AVIAN PASTEURELLOSIS IN A TURKEY FARM

Avian Pasteurellosis is a contagious disease of domestic and wild birds caused by Pasteurella mutocida. A turkey farm with a flock size of 500 recorded an acute death of about 102 turkeys with the history of clinical symptoms such as respiratory distress, anorexia, mucoid discharge from mouth and the nostrils, diarrhea were presented to the Department of Veterinary Pathology, Veterinary College. On thorough postmortem examination, a salient finding of petechial haemorrhages with pinpoint necrotic spots though out the liver parenchyma was observed along with pneumonic changes in lungs and vascular changes in trachea, spleen and intestines. On histopathological examination, liver revealed multifocal areas of coagulative necrosis and haemorrhages. Heart showed separation, fragmentation and degeneration of fibers with extensive inter-muscular haemorrhages. Lungs were congested with haemorrhages and pneumonic changes. Based on history, gross & histopathological lesions and impression smear examination after staining with geimsa and methylene blue, the case was diagnosed as Avian Pasteurellosis

Identifying psychological distress in elderly seeking health care

Background: Psychological distress in the elderly with various illness conditions often goes unrecognized. Since psychological distress is treatable, it is important to recognize it at the earliest to enhance recovery. This is an interim analysis of screening data of the elderly seeking health care in a hospital in India, with a focus on the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), a screening instrument for psychological distress and a rationale for a higher cutoff score in help seeking elderly. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of screening data of psychological distress using GHQ-12 in the elderly seeking care for neuropsychiatric conditions was carried out. Traditionally, ≥2 is considered positive for distress by GHQ-12. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was used to define new cutoff points for psychological distress. Results: At ≥2, 2443 (50%) of the elderly screened were recognized to be psychologically distressed. Using an ROC and optimum sensitivity and specificity measures, a cutoff score of ≥4 was observed to detect 30% of the elderly who had diagnosable mental health disorders. Female sex, illiteracy, and multiple co-morbidities were the factors that were associated with higher cutoff scores on GHQ-12 proposed here and psychiatric morbidity thereof. Conclusion: There is greater psychological distress among the elderly seeking health care. Hence, it is important to screen them and identify those at higher risk. Using a higher cutoff score with a standardized instrument like GHQ-12 indicated that it was statistically valid to identify those elderly with higher distress in a busy out-patient setting

Not Available

Not AvailableA study was conducted as an attempt to generate farm level data on soil nutrient status of lands under floricultural crops in Pune and Satara districts of Maharashtra. The chemical analysis of fifty soil samples collected from Shindawane, Waghapur, Sortapwadi, Talegaon, Pandegaon, Sasurve and Chiroli villages indicated that soil reaction and salt concentration were not in harmful range in these soils to support the plant growth except in few soil samples [highly acidic and highly alkaline pH were observed in Talegaon (one sample) and Sasurve (one sample) respectively and EC was in harmful range in Talegaon (one sample), Sortapwadi (two samples) and Waghapur (four samples)]. Soil organic carbon and available nitrogen status were at alarming status as out of fifty samples none of the soil samples had sufficient amount of available nitrogen and only 18 % of soil samples were high in organic carbon content. Soil samples analyzed had medium to excess available phosphorous except for one sample from the village Sasurve which had low available phosphorous. Available potassium content of the soil samples studied was in sufficient range in most of the samples. Out of fifty soil samples analyzed 42 %, 22 %, 62% and 54 % of samples were found deficient in DTPA-extractable Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu contents respectively and about 14 % of samples were deficient in hot water soluble boron content.Not Availabl