Financial Stability Governance and Communication

Resumen de la comunicación[EN] We investigate how differences in governance frameworks across central banks explain their financial stability communication strategies and the effect of these strategies on the evolution of each country’s financial cycle. To do so, we propose a simple conceptual framework that explains how central banks conduct their communication strategy, which eventually affects the evolution of financial conditions. To empirically validate our framework, we use a database with the financial stability governance characteristics of 24 central banks and the sentiment conveyed in the financial stability reports published by these central banks. We find that, after observing a deterioration of financial conditions, central banks participating in interagency financial stability committees or with an oversight role transmit a calmer message than banks without these characteristics. We also find that the effect of communication on the evolution of the financial cycle depends on each central bank's governance framework. In particular, communication by central banks participating in an interagency financial stability committee or with a financial supervisory role has an alleviating effect on the deterioration of financial conditions.Londono, JM.; Claessens, S.; Correa, R.; Mislang, N. (2018). Financial Stability Governance and Communication. En 2nd International Conference on Advanced Reserach Methods and Analytics (CARMA 2018). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 262-262. https://doi.org/10.4995/CARMA2018.2018.8577OCS26226

An Applied Electromagnetics Course with a Conceiving-Designing-Implementing-Operating Approach in Engineering Education

This paper describes and discusses the implementation of a project-based undergraduate course on applied electromagnetics in electronics engineering with a conceiving-designing-implementing-operating (CDIO) approach involving active project-based learning (PBL). The course, which requires a combination of mathematical and physics concepts for its completion, allows students to understand the principles of electromagnetic transmission theory in wireless communication systems. This paper presents the course proposal, its project description, and results hinting at the relationship with the CDIO process. The proposed projects allow students to engage in core concepts such as complex vectors, Maxwell’s equations, boundary conditions, Poynting\u27s theorem, uniform plane waves, reflection and transmission of waves, waveguides, cavity resonators, and computer-assisted design. The proposed methodology results suggest that students lowered their perception of the difficulty of the course, and most students recognized a better learning process of the core concepts for this course. In addition, students’ final course grades showed an average improvement of approximately 6% compared with the final grades of other groups with different methodologies

Intestinal parasitic infection alters bacterial gut microbiota in children

The study of the burden that parasites can exert upon the bacterial gut microbiota was restricted by the available technologies and their costs. Currently, next-generation sequencing coupled with traditional methodologies allows the study of eukaryotic parasites (protozoa and helminths) and its effects on the human bacterial gut microbiota diversity. This diversity can be altered by a variety of factors such as age, diet, genetics and parasitic infections among others. The disturbances of the gut microbiota have been associated with a variety of illnesses. Children population in developing countries, are especially susceptible to parasitic infections because of the lack of proper sanitation and undernutrition, allowing both, the thriving of intestinal parasites and profound alteration of the gut microbiota. In this work, we have sampled the stool of 23 children from four different children’s care-centers in Medellin, Colombia, and we have identified the eukaryotic parasites by traditional and molecular methodologies coupled with microbial profiling using 16S rDNA sequencing. This mixed methodology approach has allowed us to establish an interesting relationship between Giardia intestinalis and helminth infection, having both effects upon the bacterial gut microbiota enterotypes, causing a switch from a type I to a type II enterotype upon infection

Efficacy of high-intensity, low-volume interval training compared to continuous aerobic training on insulin resistance, skeletal muscle structure and function in adults with metabolic syndrome: study protocol for a randomized controlled clinical trial (Intraining-MET)

ABSTRACT: Evidence of the efficacy of high-intensity, low-volume interval training (HIIT-low volume) in treating insulin resistance (IR) in patients with metabolic disorders is contradictory. In addition, it is unknown whether this effect is mediated through muscle endocrine function, which in turn depends on muscle mass and fiber type composition. Our aims were to assess the efficacy of HIIT-low volume compared to continuous aerobic exercise (CAE) in treating IR in adults with metabolic syndrome (MS) and to establish whether musclin, apelin, muscle mass and muscle composition are mediators of the effect. Methods: This is a controlled, randomized, clinical trial using the minimization method, with blinding of those who will evaluate the outcomes and two parallel groups for the purpose of showing superiority. Sixty patients with MS and IR with ages between 40 and 60 years will be included. A clinical evaluation will be carried out, along with laboratory tests to evaluate IR (homeostatic model assessment (HOMA)), muscle endocrine function (serum levels of musclin and apelin), thigh muscle mass (by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and thigh muscle composition (by carnosine measurement with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H–MRS)), before and after 12 weeks of a treadmill exercise program three times a week. Participants assigned to the intervention (n = 30) will receive HIIT-low volume in 22-min sessions that will include six intervals at a load of 90% of maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max) for 1 min followed by 2 min at 50% of VO2 max. The control group (n = 30) will receive CAE at an intensity of 60% of VO2 max for 36 min. A theoretical model based on structural equations will be proposed to estimate the total, direct and indirect effects of training on IR and the proportion explained by the mediators. Discussion: Compared with CAE, HIIT-low volume can be effective and efficient at improving physical capacity and decreasing cardiovascular risk factors, such as IR, in patients with metabolic disorders. Studies that evaluate mediating variables of the effect of HIIT-low volume on IR, such as endocrine function and skeletal muscle structure, are necessary to understand the role of skeletal muscle in the pathophysiology of MS and their regulation by exercise. Trial registration: NCT03087721. High-intensity Interval, Low Volume Training in Metabolic Syndrome (Intraining-MET). Registered on 22 March 2017, retrospectively registered

Pathogenic Huntingtin Repeat Expansions in Patients with Frontotemporal Dementia and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

We examined the role of repeat expansions in the pathogenesis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by analyzing whole-genome sequence data from 2,442 FTD/ALS patients, 2,599 Lewy body dementia (LBD) patients, and 3,158 neurologically healthy subjects. Pathogenic expansions (range, 40-64 CAG repeats) in the huntingtin (HTT) gene were found in three (0.12%) patients diagnosed with pure FTD/ALS syndromes but were not present in the LBD or healthy cohorts. We replicated our findings in an independent collection of 3,674 FTD/ALS patients. Postmortem evaluations of two patients revealed the classical TDP-43 pathology of FTD/ALS, as well as huntingtin-positive, ubiquitin-positive aggregates in the frontal cortex. The neostriatal atrophy that pathologically defines Huntington's disease was absent in both cases. Our findings reveal an etiological relationship between HTT repeat expansions and FTD/ALS syndromes and indicate that genetic screening of FTD/ALS patients for HTT repeat expansions should be considered

Genome-wide Analyses Identify KIF5A as a Novel ALS Gene

To identify novel genes associated with ALS, we undertook two lines of investigation. We carried out a genome-wide association study comparing 20,806 ALS cases and 59,804 controls. Independently, we performed a rare variant burden analysis comparing 1,138 index familial ALS cases and 19,494 controls. Through both approaches, we identified kinesin family member 5A (KIF5A) as a novel gene associated with ALS. Interestingly, mutations predominantly in the N-terminal motor domain of KIF5A are causative for two neurodegenerative diseases: hereditary spastic paraplegia (SPG10) and Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2 (CMT2). In contrast, ALS-associated mutations are primarily located at the C-terminal cargo-binding tail domain and patients harboring loss-of-function mutations displayed an extended survival relative to typical ALS cases. Taken together, these results broaden the phenotype spectrum resulting from mutations in KIF5A and strengthen the role of cytoskeletal defects in the pathogenesis of ALS.Peer reviewe

Omecamtiv mecarbil in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, GALACTIC‐HF: baseline characteristics and comparison with contemporary clinical trials

Aims: The safety and efficacy of the novel selective cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil, in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is tested in the Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure (GALACTIC‐HF) trial. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of participants in GALACTIC‐HF and how these compare with other contemporary trials. Methods and Results: Adults with established HFrEF, New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA) ≥ II, EF ≤35%, elevated natriuretic peptides and either current hospitalization for HF or history of hospitalization/ emergency department visit for HF within a year were randomized to either placebo or omecamtiv mecarbil (pharmacokinetic‐guided dosing: 25, 37.5 or 50 mg bid). 8256 patients [male (79%), non‐white (22%), mean age 65 years] were enrolled with a mean EF 27%, ischemic etiology in 54%, NYHA II 53% and III/IV 47%, and median NT‐proBNP 1971 pg/mL. HF therapies at baseline were among the most effectively employed in contemporary HF trials. GALACTIC‐HF randomized patients representative of recent HF registries and trials with substantial numbers of patients also having characteristics understudied in previous trials including more from North America (n = 1386), enrolled as inpatients (n = 2084), systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg (n = 1127), estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 528), and treated with sacubitril‐valsartan at baseline (n = 1594). Conclusions: GALACTIC‐HF enrolled a well‐treated, high‐risk population from both inpatient and outpatient settings, which will provide a definitive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy, as well as informing its potential future implementation

Lithospheric flexure and related base-level stratigraphic cycles in continental foreland basins: An example from the putumayo basin, Northern andes

First-order lithospheric flexure, in response to discrete tectonic and sedimentary loads, controls basin-scale, base-level cycles in upstream deposits of retroarc continental foreland basins, in the absence of dynamic topography. A depositional sequence in this type of basin may be defined as a sedimentary succession formed during the adjustment of the fluvial systems to the equilibrium stage at or near base level. This sequence spans two accommodation episodes. The initial episode with high rates of subsidence corresponds to a thrust-loading period near the hinterland end of the elastic plate and may be identified by regional seismic-reflector onlap shifts from the foreland toward the hinterland. The second episode deepens and enhances the foreland flexure under the weight of the new sediment and may be identified seismically by a continuous onlap migration toward the foreland. A depositional cycle ends either when a period of nondeposition dominates the basin because the fluvial system attains the graded stage at or near-base level or with the reactivation of thrusting activity, initiating a new cycle. Base level appears to control the top of the sedimentation boundary, but can adjust passively, during vertical movements caused by the regional isostatic compensation of the elastic plate. Regional paraconformities appear to represent periods of equilibrium of the depositional profile when the fluvial systems reach a graded stage and total tectonic quiescence. Seismic and well data from the northern-Andes, continental retroarc Putumayo foreland basin, in Colombia, are used to test the model for flexure-induced, base-level cycles. Results suggest that onlap seismic facies migrating toward the foreland predominate during sedimentcontrolled flexural periods (on average, ̃77% of the total deflection), whereas onlap shifts from the foreland toward the hinterland mark those periods when thrust belt loads dominate flexure (on average, ̃23% of the total deflection). The seismostratigraphic record exhibits as much as eight flexure-controlled Cenozoic sequences in the basin, in correspondence with an equal number of tectonic reactivation episodes. Geodynamically, the Putumayo foreland basin has been modeled to encompass a total added lithospheric deflection of as much as 450 km (279 mi) wide. During the Oligocene, the maximum subsidence rates reached approximately 150 m/m.y. (̃492 ft/m.y.) and the maximum width of the effective tectonic load (a discrete part of the thrust belt) affecting the plate reached a value of approximately 30 km (̃20 mi). The geometry of the effective thrust belt and the wavelength of the lithospheric deflection modeled in this article preclude the need to invoke dynamic topography as a downward force acting on the plate and creating extra accommodation in the basin. The effective elastic thickness of the plate is 30 ± 10 km (19 ± 6 mi; and has not changed apparently since the early Paleocene). Each loading event, for instance, tectonic and sediment loads, produces a corresponding forebulge whose location and dimensions change concomitant with the evolution of the basin. ©2012 by The American Association of Petroleum Geologists