3,672 research outputs found
Exchange-Rate Risk Mitigation with Price-Level-Adjusting Mortgages: The Case of the Mexican UDI
In 1995, Mexico introduced a credit system based on a price-level-adjusting unit of account called the Unidad de Inversion (UDI, pronounced “oo-dee”), which is Spanish for “unit of investment.” The Bank of Mexico maintains an UDI Index, which sets the peso value of an UDI on any given day. Loans denominated in UDIs maintain their purchasing power and provide a real rate of return in the local currency, pesos. The focus of this study is the real rate of return earned by dollar investors in UDI mortgages. Most dollar investors fear exposure to exchange rate losses in unstable currencies. In this paper, we examine the real-dollar rate of return and the extent to which the inflation adjusting aspect of the UDI mitigates the losses from currency devaluations. We also examine exchange-rate patterns relative to purchasing-power-parity to find investment strategies that increase the real-dollar rate of return on investments in Mexico’s UDI mortgages.
Data on the distribution of stable isotopes and amino acids in Indian Ocean sediments
Originally issued as Reference No. 68-4, series later renamed WHOI-.In February-March 1965, a series of piston cores were taken aboard ATLANTIS II
off the coast of Arabia, Pakistan, and India (Figure 1) in water depths of about 3,000
meters. The principal objectives of this program were (a ) to obtain information on the
change in petrology of the sediments as a function of geography and depth (b) to study
the microfauna in the sediment profiles, and (c) to apply geochemical tools for the
elucidation of the diagenetic fate of the organic matter and the history of the sediments.
This article presents data on the geochemical part of the project. Principally, we are
concerned with the oxygen and carbon isotope distribution in carbonates, the carbon isotope
composition of sedimentary organic matter, and the amino acid composition of the sediment
material. These studies represent a part of a larger program at our Institute which is
concerned with the distribution of (a) stable isotopes and (b) organic compounds such as
amino acids, carbohydrates, or hydrocarbons in recent and ancient sediments, natural
waters, and marine organisms.National Science Foundation
under Grant GP-490
Effect of exercise before and/or during taxane-containing chemotherapy treatment on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy symptoms in women with breast cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis
Purpose To systematically review and meta-analyse the efficacy of exercise interventions delivered before and/or during taxane-containing chemotherapy regimens on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), fatigue, and health-related quality of life (HR-QoL), in women with breast cancer.Methods Seven electronic databases were systematically searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) reporting on the effects of exercise interventions in women with breast cancer receiving taxane-containing chemotherapeutic treatment. Meta-analyses evaluated the effects of exercise on CIPN symptoms, fatigue, and HR-QoL.Results Ten trials involving exercise interventions ranging between 2 and 12 months were included. The combined results of four RCTs consisting of 171 participants showed a reduction in CIPN symptoms following exercise compared with usual care (standardised mean difference − 0.71, 95% CI − 1.24 to − 0.17, p = 0.012; moderate-quality evidence, I2 = 76.9%). Pooled results from six RCTs with 609 participants showed that exercise interventions before and/or during taxane-containing chemotherapy regimens improved HR-QoL (SMD 0.42, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.76, p = 0.03; moderate-quality evidence, I2 = 49.6%). There was no evidence of an effect of exercise on fatigue (− 0.39, 95% CI − 0.95 to 0.18, p = 0.15; very low-quality evidence, I2 = 90.1%).Conclusions This systematic review found reduced levels of CIPN symptoms and an improvement in HR-QoL in women with breast cancer who exercised before and/or during taxane-based chemotherapy versus usual care controls.Implications for Cancer Survivors This evidence supports the role of exercise as an adjunctive treatment for attenuating the adverse effects of taxane-containing chemotherapy on CIPN symptoms and HR-QoL
Diffusion stop-layers for superconducting integrated circuits and qubits with Nb-based Josephson junctions
New technology for superconductor integrated circuits has been developed and
is presented. It employs diffusion stoplayers (DSLs) to protect Josephson
junctions (JJs) from interlayer migration of impurities, improve JJ critical
current (Ic) targeting and reproducibility, eliminate aging, and eliminate
pattern-dependent effects in Ic and tunneling characteristics of Nb/Al/AlOx/Nb
junctions in integrated circuits. The latter effects were recently found in
Nb-based JJs integrated into multilayered digital circuits. E.g., it was found
that Josephson critical current density (Jc) may depend on the JJ's
environment, on the type and size of metal layers making contact to niobium
base (BE) and counter electrodes (CE) of the junction, and also change with
time. Such Jc variations within a circuit reduce circuit performance and yield,
and restrict integration scale. This variability of JJs is explained as caused
by hydrogen contamination of Nb layers during wafer processing, which changes
the height and structural properties of AlOx tunnel barrier. Redistribution of
hydrogen impurities between JJ electrodes and other circuit layers by diffusion
along Nb wires and through contacts between layers causes long-term drift of
Jc. At least two DSLs are required to completely protect JJs from impurity
diffusion effects - right below the junction BE and right above the junction
CE. The simplest and the most technologically convenient DSLs we have found are
thin (from 3 nm to 10 nm) layers of Al. They were deposited in-situ under the
BE layer, thus forming an Al/Nb/Al/AlOx/Nb penta-layer, and under the first
wiring layer to junctions' CE, thus forming an Al/Nb wiring bi-layer. A
significant improvement of Jc uniformity on 150-mm wafer has also been obtained
along with large improvements in Jc targeting and run-to-run reproducibility.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figures; to be published in IEEE Transactions of Applied
Superconductivit
Synergy between chemotherapeutic agents and CTLA-4 blockade in preclinical tumor models
Ipilimumab, a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) binding agent, has proven to be an effective monotherapy for metastatic melanoma and has shown antitumor activity in trials when administered with other therapeutic agents. We hypothesized that the combination of ipilimumab with chemotherapeutic agents, such as ixabepilone, paclitaxel, etoposide, and gemcitabine, may produce therapeutic synergy based on distinct but complementary mechanisms of action for each drug and unique cellular targets. This concept was investigated using a mouse homolog of ipilimumab in preclinical murine tumor models, including SA1N fibrosarcoma, EMT-6 mammary carcinoma, M109 lung carcinoma, and CT-26 colon carcinoma. Results of CTLA-4 blockade in combination with one of various chemotherapeutic agents demonstrate that synergy occurs in settings where either agent alone was not effective in inducing tumor regression. Furthermore, when combined with CTLA-4 blockade, ixabepilone, etoposide, and gemcitabine elicited prolonged antitumor effects in some murine models with induction of a memory immune response. Future investigations are warranted to determine which specific chemo-immunotherapy combinations, if any, will produce synergistic antitumor effects in the clinical setting
Color Transformations for the 2MASS Second Incremental Data Release
Transformation equations are presented to convert colors and magnitudes
measured in the AAO, ARNICA, CIT, DENIS, ESO, LCO (Persson standards), MSSSO,
SAAO, and UKIRT photometric systems to the photometric system inherent to the
2MASS Second Incremental Data Release. The transformations have been derived by
comparing 2MASS photometry with published magnitudes and colors for stars
observed in these systems. Transformation equations have also been derived
indirectly for the Bessell & Brett (1988) and Koornneef (1983) homogenized
photometric systems.Comment: To appear in AJ, May 200
Typing Copyless Message Passing
We present a calculus that models a form of process interaction based on
copyless message passing, in the style of Singularity OS. The calculus is
equipped with a type system ensuring that well-typed processes are free from
memory faults, memory leaks, and communication errors. The type system is
essentially linear, but we show that linearity alone is inadequate, because it
leaves room for scenarios where well-typed processes leak significant amounts
of memory. We address these problems basing the type system upon an original
variant of session types.Comment: 50 page
Thermal degradation analysis and XRD characterisation of fibre-forming synthetic polypropylene containing nanoclay
Flammability of synthetic fibres is significantly worse than that of bulk polymers because of the high surface area to volume ratio and the low tolerance to high filler loadings in the fibre production process. Introducing nanocomposite structures has the potential to enhance the char formation at relatively low loadings of nanoparticulate fillers and hence can reduce the flammability of synthetic polymers and fibres.
This paper reports thermal degradation analysis results in conjunction with TG analysis under different atmospheres and further studies of X-ray diffraction characterisation of fibre-forming polypropylene containing selected dispersed nanoclays.
The concentrations of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide released during the TG analysis have been monitored and analysed by using a combined electrochemical infrared analyser. The intensity changes of the crystallinity peaks and nanoclay peaks in the polymer and composites are discussed
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