Support Vector Machines (SVM) as a Technique for Solvency Analysis

This paper introduces a statistical technique, Support Vector Machines (SVM), which is considered by the Deutsche Bundesbank as an alternative for company rating. A special attention is paid to the features of the SVM which provide a higher accuracy of company classification into solvent and insolvent. The advantages and disadvantages of the method are discussed. The comparison of the SVM with more traditional approaches such as logistic regression (Logit) and discriminant analysis (DA) is made on the Deutsche Bundesbank data of annual income statements and balance sheets of German companies. The out-of-sample accuracy tests confirm that the SVM outperforms both DA and Logit on bootstrapped samples.Company rating, bankruptcy analysis, support vector machines

Rapid Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION Sequencing Workflow for Campylobacter jejuni Identification in Broilers on Site-A Proof-of-Concept Study

[EN] Campylobacter is recognised as one of the most important foodborne bacteria, with a worldwide health and socioeconomic impact. This bacterium is one of the most important zoonotic players in poultry, where efficient and fast detection methods are required. Current official culture methods for Campylobacter enumeration in poultry usually include >44 h of culture and >72 h for identification, thus requiring at least five working shifts (ISO/TS 10272-2:2017). Here, we have assembled a portable sequencing kit composed of the Bento Lab and the MinION and developed a workflow for on-site farm use that is able to detect and report the presence of Campylobacter from caecal samples in less than five hours from sampling time, as well as the relationship of Campylobacter with other caecal microbes. Beyond that, our workflow may offer a cost-effective and practical method of microbiologically monitoring poultry at the farm. These results would demonstrate the possibility of carrying out rapid on-site screening to monitor the health status of the poultry farm/flock during the production chain.Laura Lorenzo-Rebenaque was supported by a research grant from the Generalitat Valenciana-Fondo Social Europeo (ACIF/2020/376).Marin, C.; Marco-Jiménez, F.; Martínez-Priego, L.; De Marco-Romero, G.; Soriano-Chirona, V.; Lorenzo-Rebenaque, L.; D Auria, G. (2022). Rapid Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION Sequencing Workflow for Campylobacter jejuni Identification in Broilers on Site-A Proof-of-Concept Study. Animals. 12(16):1-13. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12162065113121

La recepción de las imágenes violentas por parte de los niños y niñas. Una aproximación cualitativa. Análisis de las entrevistas

En esta comunicación nos centraremos en la justificación metodológica de las entrevistas exploratorias que para nosotros constituyen una herramienta básica en la fase actual de la investigación que estamos desarrollando sobre la percepción de los niños de los informativos de la televisión. Al mismo tiempo se exponen los criterios utilizados para el análisis de las entrevistas, y presentaremos algunas impresiones y valoraciones de las entrevistas realizadas en el trabajo de campo. Dado que todavía estamos en una fase inicial de nuestro proyecto de investigación, esta comunicación la hemos enfocado y la entendemos como una oportunidad para someter a debate, en el marco del congreso, la metodología, las pautas y los primeros resultados de las entrevistas realizadas

Overview of central banks’ in-house credit assessment systems in the euro area

Los sistemas de evaluación del crédito desarrollados internamente por los bancos centrales nacionales (ICAS) son una fuente importante de valoración del riesgo de crédito dentro del marco de los activos de garantía de política monetaria del Eurosistema. En particular, los ICAS permiten que las entidades financieras aporten los préstamos concedidos a sociedades no financieras como garantía en las operaciones crediticias en las que se instrumenta la política monetaria del Eurosistema. En este sentido, los ICAS contribuyen a que los préstamos puedan ser utilizados como colateral, dado que generalmente no son aceptados como tal en la operativa privada de repos, y benefician potencialmente en mayor medida a los bancos de tamaño mediano o pequeño que financian a las pymes. Esto último conduce no solo a una ampliación del conjunto de activos de garantía disponibles en las entidades financieras y a una mejora del mecanismo de transmisión de la política monetaria, sino también a una menor dependencia de fuentes externas de valoración del riesgo de crédito, como las agencias externas de calificación. La importancia de los ICAS se ha puesto de manifiesto en las medidas aprobadas por el Eurosistema en abril de 2020 en respuesta a la crisis del COVID-19. Dichas medidas apoyaron un mayor uso de los préstamos como activos de garantía e, indirectamente, incrementaron la importancia de los ICAS como fuente de valoración del colateral. Este documento analiza en detalle el papel de los ICAS en el contexto de las operaciones crediticias de política monetaria del Eurosistema, describiendo las guías y los requerimientos más relevantes exigidos a los ICAS en términos, entre otros factores, de la estimación de las probabilidades de impago, el papel de los modelos estadísticos frente al análisis experto, la información utilizada en el proceso de evaluación y la validación periódica de su funcionamiento. Adicionalmente, describe los principales aspectos de cada uno de los ICAS actualmente aceptados como sistema de calificación por el Eurosistema, destacando tanto sus elementos comunes como los diferenciales.The in-house credit assessment systems (ICASs) developed by euro area national central banks (NCBs) are an important source of credit risk assessment within the Eurosystem collateral framework. They allow counterparties to mobilise as collateral the loans (credit claims) granted to non-financial corporations (NFCs). In this way, ICASs increase the usability of non-marketable credit claims that are normally not accepted as collateral in private market repo transactions, especially for small and medium-sized banks that lend primarily to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This ultimately leads not only to a widened collateral base and an improved transmission mechanism of monetary policy, but also to a lower reliance on external sources of credit risk assessment such as rating agencies. The importance of ICASs is exemplified by the collateral easing measures adopted in April 2020 in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. The measures supported the greater use of credit claim collateral and, indirectly, increased the prevalence of ICASs as a source of collateral assessment. This paper analyses in detail the role of ICASs in the context of the Eurosystem’s credit operations, describing the relevant Eurosystem guidelines and requirements in terms of, among other factors, the estimation of default probabilities, the role of statistical models versus expert analysis, input data, validation analysis and performance monitoring. It then presents the main features of each of the ICASs currently accepted by the Eurosystem as credit assessment systems, highlighting similarities and differences

SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody combination therapy in patients with COVID-19 and primary antibody deficiency

: Previous reports highlighted the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against COVID-19. Here we conducted a prospective study on clinical outcome and antiviral effect of mAbs added to standard of care therapy in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients with Primary Antibody Defects. Median time of SARS-CoV-2 qPCR positivity was shorter in eight patients treated with mAbs (22 days) than in ten patients treated with standard of care therapy only (37 days, p=0.026). Median time of SARS-CoV-2 qPCR positivity from mAbs administration was 10 days. SARS-CoV-2 mAbs treatment was effective and well-tolerated in patients with Primary Antibody Defects

Infancia, violencia y televisión. Los espacios informativos y los imaginarios de la violencia en los niños y niñas. Avance de resultados

Desde hace tiempo se escuchan voces que manifiestan una grave preocupación por la calidad y el escaso valor educativo de algunos programas audiovisuales que aunque estén pensados para la población adulta en muchas ocasiones también son consumidos por los más pequeños. En este contexto nace el proyecto de investigación del que ahora presentamos las conclusiones. El proyecto Infancia, Violencia y Televisión. Los espacios informativos y los imaginarios de la violencia en los niños y adolescentes, financiado por el Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Plan Nacional I+D+I, 2004-2007) ha pretendido, desde sus inicios, conocer mejor los usos televisivos y ahondar en la percepción de los niños y niñas acerca de las diferentes formas de violencia y de su presencia en los espacios informativos audiovisuales.It has long been heard voices expressing serious concern about the low quality and educational value of audio-visual programs. This programs are designed for adults, are often consumed by the youngest. In this context arises and grows, the research project we are now presenting: Children and Television Violence. Information spaces and imaginaries of violence on children and adolescents, funded by the Ministry of Education and Science (Plan Nacional I + D + I, 2004-2007). It deals with an approximation to children’s uses of television and their perception about the different ways of violence and its presence in the audio-visual information spaces

SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Induced Atypical Immune Responses in Antibody Defects: Everybody Does their Best

Background: Data on immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in patients with Primary Antibody Deficiencies (PAD) are limited to infected patients and to heterogeneous cohorts after immunization. Methods: Forty-one patients with Common Variable Immune Deficiencies (CVID), six patients with X-linked Agammaglobulinemia (XLA), and 28 healthy age-matched controls (HD) were analyzed for anti-Spike and anti-receptor binding domain (RBD) antibody production, generation of Spike-specific memory B-cells, and Spike-specific T-cells before vaccination and one week after the second dose of BNT162b2 vaccine. Results: The vaccine induced Spike-specific IgG and IgA antibody responses in all HD and in 20% of SARS-CoV-2 naive CVID patients. Anti-Spike IgG were detectable before vaccination in 4 out 7 CVID previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 and were boosted in six out of seven patients by the subsequent immunization raising higher levels than patients naïve to infection. While HD generated Spike-specific memory B-cells, and RBD-specific B-cells, CVID generated Spike-specific atypical B-cells, while RBD-specific B-cells were undetectable in all patients, indicating the incapability to generate this new specificity. Specific T-cell responses were evident in all HD and defective in 30% of CVID. All but one patient with XLA responded by specific T-cell only. Conclusion: In PAD patients, early atypical immune responses after BNT162b2 immunization occurred, possibly by extra-follicular or incomplete germinal center reactions. If these responses to vaccination might result in a partial protection from infection or reinfection is now unknown. Our data suggests that SARS-CoV-2 infection more effectively primes the immune response than the immunization alone, possibly suggesting the need for a third vaccine dose for patients not previously infected

Combining MRI and clinical data to detect high relapse risk after the first episode of psychosis

Detecting patients at high relapse risk after the first episode of psychosis (HRR-FEP) could help the clinician adjust the preventive treatment. To develop a tool to detect patients at HRR using their baseline clinical and structural MRI, we followed 227 patients with FEP for 18–24 months and applied MRIPredict. We previously optimized the MRI-based machine-learning parameters (combining unmodulated and modulated gray and white matter and using voxel-based ensemble) in two independent datasets. Patients estimated to be at HRR-FEP showed a substantially increased risk of relapse (hazard ratio = 4.58, P < 0.05). Accuracy was poorer when we only used clinical or MRI data. We thus show the potential of combining clinical and MRI data to detect which individuals are more likely to relapse, who may benefit from increased frequency of visits, and which are unlikely, who may be currently receiving unnecessary prophylactic treatments. We also provide an updated version of the MRIPredict software

Apoyo psicosocial a afectada(o)s por terremoto del 5 de setiembre de 2012

Ponencia--Universidad de Costa Rica, Vicerrectoría de Acción Social, Extensión Docente. 2013. Para mayor información puede escribir a [email protected] Brigada de Intervención Psicosocial de la Universidad de Costa Rica, acompañada por la Red Sismológica Nacional (RSN: ICE-UCR), el Preventec y estudiantes de la Maestría en Gestión de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias, visitó varias comunidades del cantón de Santa Cruz de Guanacaste y del distrito de Cóbano de la provincia de Puntarenas. Las intervenciones incluyeron charlas técnicas sobre terremotos y tsunamis, planes de emergencia y atención a personas afectadas por el terremoto del 5 de setiembre. Se encontraron grandes temores en la población entre los que destacan el miedo a: un sismo futuro, a un tsunami, a las réplicas, a un desprendimiento de la península de Nicoya, a intoxicación masiva por gases y al surgimiento de un volcán submarino.Universidad de Costa RicaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Sociales::Facultad de Ciencias Sociales::Escuela de Psicologí

Unveiling microbiome signature in inner body fluids: comparison between wild and aquarium small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula)

[EN] The microbiome is a crucial influencer in animal development, immune function and health, and it has complex and dynamic interactions with the environment, but little is known about the microbial signatures of inner body fluids. Recent evidence suggests that inner body fluids could be an indicator of the environmental interactions that fish experience. In the present study, we provide a comparative analysis of the microbial profile found in small-spotted catsharks' blood plasma and seminal plasma and how microbial signatures vary between aquarium and wild animals. In the blood plasma microbiome, the habitat did not affect the & alpha;- and & beta;-diversity, while in seminal plasma, both & alpha;- and & beta;-diversity differed between both habitats. Proteobacteria are the main bacteria dominated independently the inner body fluid and habitats. No core microbiome was identified at the genus level, with only Pseudomonas and Cloacibacterium present in both inner body fluids and habitats. Of the 14 genera identified in blood plasma, only four were shared between habitats (making up 45.17% and 51.03% of relative abundance for wild and aquarium, respectively). Similarly, of the 100 genera identified in seminal plasma, only 41 were shared between habitats (84.79% and 64.83%, respectively). Moreover, in the seminal plasma, using ANCOM approaches, Serratia, Salinisphaera and Cutibacterium were found significantly enriched in aquarium animals. None potentially pathogenic bacteria were identified in the blood samples, while Coxiella, Prevotella, Coprococcus, Haemophilus and Phocoenobacter were potentially pathogenic bacteria identified in the seminal plasma samples. In summary, this study provides evidence of a circulating blood and seminal plasma microbiome in healthy small-spotted catsharks. Furthermore, dynamic changes were observed in the microbiome of these inner body fluids, which differed between the aquarium and wild habitats.Funding LL-R was supported by a research grant from the Generalitat Valenciana-Fondo Social Europeo (ACIF/2020/376).Muñoz-Baquero, M.; Lorenzo-Rebenaque, L.; García-Vázquez, FA.; García-Párraga, D.; Martínez-Priego, L.; De Marco-Romero, G.; Galán-Vendrel, I.... (2023). Unveiling microbiome signature in inner body fluids: comparison between wild and aquarium small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula). Frontiers in Marine Science. 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.11511191