Panic behavior and the performance of circuit breakers: Empirical evidence

Stock Markets;Financial Crisis

Die Staats- und Kommunal-Besteuerung in Deutschland, England, den Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika und den Englischen Kolonien.

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Construction and use of Plasmodium falciparum phage display libraries to identify host parasite interactions

BACKGROUND: The development of Plasmodium falciparum within human erythrocytes induces a wide array of changes in the ultrastructure, function and antigenic properties of the host cell. Numerous proteins encoded by the parasite have been shown to interact with the erythrocyte membrane. The identification of new interactions between human erythrocyte and P. falciparum proteins has formed a key area of malaria research. To circumvent the difficulties provided by conventional protein techniques, a novel application of the phage display technology was utilised. METHODS: P. falciparum phage display libraries were created and biopanned against purified erythrocyte membrane proteins. The identification of interacting and in-frame amino acid sequences was achieved by sequencing parasite cDNA inserts and performing bioinformatic analyses in the PlasmoDB database. RESULTS: Following four rounds of biopanning, sequencing and bioinformatic investigations, seven P. falciparum proteins with significant binding specificity toward human erythrocyte spectrin and protein 4.1 were identified. The specificity of these P. falciparum proteins were demonstrated by the marked enrichment of the respective in-frame binding sequences from a fourth round phage display library. CONCLUSION: The construction and biopanning of P. falciparum phage display expression libraries provide a novel approach for the identification of new interactions between the parasite and the erythrocyte membrane

A Note on Price Noises and Their Correction Process: Evidence from Two Equal-Payoff Government Bonds

Abstract The study oers the most direct evidence to date on price noises in call auctions and their correction. We examine a unique sample of two identical securities (two equalpayo Israeli government bonds) that were traded on separate yet almost simultaneous auctions on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE). The prices of the bonds were equal on average. However, on most of the sample days there were price dierences between the bonds. Various estimates suggest that the price noise in one bond is practically uncorrelated with that of the other, and both disappear by the end of the next-day auction.

Stable oxygen and carbon isotopes of carbonates in lake sediments as a paleoflood proxy

Lake sediments are increasingly explored as reliable paleoflood archives. In addition to established flood proxies including detrital layer thickness, chemical composition, and grain size, we explore stable oxygen and carbon isotope data as paleoflood proxies for lakes in catchments with carbonate bedrock geology. In a case study from Lake Mondsee (Austria), we integrate high-resolution sediment trapping at a proximal and a distal location and stable isotope analyses of varved lake sediments to investigate flood-triggered detrital sediment flux. First, we demonstrate a relation between runoff, detrital sediment flux, and isotope values in the sediment trap record covering the period 2011–2013 CE including 22 events with daily (hourly) peak runoff ranging from 10 (24) m3 s−1 to 79 (110) m3 s−1. The three- to ten-fold lower flood-triggered detrital sediment deposition in the distal trap is well reflected by attenuated peaks in the stable isotope values of trapped sediments. Next, we show that all nine flood-triggered detrital layers deposited in a sediment record from 1988 to 2013 have elevated isotope values compared with endogenic calcite. In addition, even two runoff events that did not cause the deposition of visible detrital layers are distinguished by higher isotope values. Empirical thresholds in the isotope data allow estimation of magnitudes of the majority of floods, although in some cases flood magnitudes are overestimated because local effects can result in too-high isotope values. Hence we present a proof of concept for stable isotopes as reliable tool for reconstructing flood frequency and, although with some limitations, even for flood magnitudes

Adoptive immunotherapy induces CNS dendritic cell recruitment and antigen presentation during clearance of a persistent viral infection

Given the global impact of persistent infections on the human population, it is of the utmost importance to devise strategies to noncytopathically purge tissues of infectious agents. The central nervous system (CNS) poses a unique challenge when considering such strategies, as it is an immunologically specialized compartment that contains a nonreplicative cell population. Administration of exogenously derived pathogen-specific memory T cells (referred to as adoptive immunotherapy) to mice burdened with a persistent lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection from birth results in eradication of the pathogen from all tissues, including the CNS. In this study, we sought mechanistic insights into this highly successful therapeutic approach. By monitoring the migration of traceable LCMV-specific memory CD8+ T cells after immunotherapy, it was revealed that cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) distributed widely throughout the CNS compartment early after immunotherapy, which resulted in a dramatic elevation in the activity of CNS antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Immunotherapy induced microglia activation as well as the recruitment of macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) into the brain parenchyma. However, DCs emerged as the only CNS APC population capable of inducing memory CTLs to preferentially produce the antiviral cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α, a cytokine demonstrated to be required for successful immunotherapeutic clearance. DCs were also found to be an essential element of the immunotherapeutic process because in their absence, memory T cells failed to undergo secondary expansion, and viral clearance was not attained in the CNS. These experiments underscore the importance of DCs in the immunotherapeutic clearance of a persistent viral infection and suggest that strategies to elevate the activation/migration of DCs (especially within the CNS) may facilitate pathogen clearance

Book Reviews

Book Review 1Book Title: Modern Coloproctology: Surgical Grand Rounds from St Mark's HospitalBook Authors: Robin Phillips & John Northover (Eds.)pp. 195. illustrated. London: Edward Arnold. 1993. ISBN 0-340-55258-1Book Review 2Book Title: Diagnostic Molecular Pathology: A Practical Approach. Vol. I & IIBook Authors: C.S. Herringron & J.O'D. McGee (Eds.)Pp. Vol. I xviii + 270; Vol. II xvi + 217. Cape Town: Oxford University Press. 1992. ISBN Vol. I 0-19-963236-7, Vol. II 0-19-963238-3.Book Review 3Book Title: Training Therapy: Prophylaxis and RehabilitationBook Authors: Rolf Gustavsen & Renate Streeck2nd revised ed. Pp. viii + 230. Illustrated. Stuttgart: George Thieme Verlag. 1993. ISBN 3-13-672502-6.Book Review 4Book Title: Handbook of Bereavement: Theory, Research and InterventionBook Authors: Margaret S. Stroebe, Wolfgang Stroebe & Robert O. Hansson (Eds.)Pp. xii + 546. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1993. ISBN 0-521-39315-9 hardback, ISBN 0-52144853-0 paperback.Book Review 5Book Title: Atlas of Gynecologic PathologyBook Authors: J. Donald Woodruff, Teresita L. Angruaco & Tim H. Pannley (Eds.)pp.321. New York: Raven Press. 1993. ISBN 0-7817-0056-6.Book Review 6Book Title: Our Planet, Our Health: Report of the WHO Commission on Health and EnvironmentBook Author: World Health OrganisationPp. 282. Geneva. 1992. ISBN 92-4-156148-3.Book Review 7Book Title: Neonatal Tetanus Elimination Field Guide. Technical Paper No 35Book Author: Pan American Health OrganisationPp. v +37. Washington: Pan American Health Organisation. 1993. ISBN 92-75-13035-3

Basal and inducible anti-inflammatory epoxygenase activity in endothelial cells

The roles of CYP lipid-metabolizing pathways in endothelial cells are poorly understood. Human endothelial cells expressed CYP2J2 and soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) mRNA and protein. The TLR-4 agonist LPS (1 μg/ml; 24 h) induced CYP2J2 but not sEH mRNA and protein. LC–MS/MS analysis of the stable commonly used human endothelial cell line EA.Hy926 showed active epoxygenase and epoxide hydrolase activity: with arachidonic acid (stable epoxide products 5,6-DHET, and 14,15-DHET), linoleic acid (9,10-EPOME and 12,13-EPOME and their stable epoxide hydrolase products 9,10-DHOME and 12,13-DHOME), docosahexaenoic acid (stable epoxide hydrolase product 19,20-DiHDPA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (stable epoxide hydrolase product 17,18-DHET) being formed. Inhibition of epoxygenases using either SKF525A or MS-PPOH induced TNFα release, but did not affect LPS, IL-1β, or phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA)-induced TNFα release. In contrast, inhibition of soluble epoxide hydrolase by AUDA or TPPU inhibited basal, LPS, IL-1β and PMA induced TNFα release, and LPS-induced NFκB p65 nuclear translocation. In conclusion, human endothelial cells contain a TLR-4 regulated epoxygenase CYP2J2 and metabolize linoleic acid > eicosapentaenoic acid > arachidonic acid > docosahexaenoic acid to products with anti-inflammatory activity

Clinical failures of endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: Incidence, causes, and management

AbstractObjective: Despite well-documented good early results and benefits of endoluminal stent graft repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (J Vasc Surg 2002;35:1137-44.)(AAA), the long-term outcome of this method of treatment remains uncertain. In particular, concern exists that late effectiveness and durability are inferior to that of open repair. To determine the incidence and causes of clinical failures of endovascular AAA repair, a 7-year experience with 362 primary AAA endografts was reviewed. Methods: Clinical failures were defined as deaths within 30 days of the procedure, conversions (early and late) to open AAA repair, AAA rupture after endoluminal treatment, or AAA sac growth of more than 5 mm in maximal diameter despite endograft repair. Endoleak status per se was not considered unless it resulted in an adverse event. If clinical problems arose but could be corrected with catheter-based therapies or limited surgical procedures, thereby maintaining the integrity of successful stent graft treatment of the AAA, such cases were considered as primary assisted success and not classified as clinical failures. Results: The average follow-up period was 1.5 years. Six deaths (1.6%) occurred after the procedure, all in elderly patients or patients at high risk. Five patients (1.4%) needed early conversion (immediate, 2 days) to open repair for access problems or technical difficulties with deployment, resulting in an implantation success rate of 98.6%. Eight patients (2.2%) underwent late conversion for a variety of problems, including AAA expansion (n = 4), endograft thrombosis (n = 1), secondary graft infection (n = 2), and rupture at 3 years (n = 1). Rupture occurred in an additional two patients for a total incidence rate of 0.8%. AAA sac growth of greater than 5 mm was observed in 20 patients (5.6%), four of whom have undergone successful catheter-based treatments to date. Overall, 39 patients (10.7%) needed catheter-based (n = 45) or limited surgical (n = 4) reinterventions for a variety of late problems that were successful in 92%. Conclusion: In our 7-year experience, one or more clinical failures of endovascular AAA repair were observed in 31 patients (8.3%). Reinterventions were necessitated in a total of 10.7% of patients but were usually successful in maintaining AAA exclusion and limiting AAA growth. These results emphasize that endovascular repair provides good results and many benefits for most properly selected patients but is not as durable as standard open repair. (J Vasc Surg 2002;35:1137-44.