Income inequality and inflation in the EU

The main aim of this research is to analyze the relationship between income inequality and inflation in 13 European countries for the period 2000 to 2009 using panel data methodology. The GINI coefficient has been used to measure the income inequality while the inflation rate, the growth rate, the employment level and the openness of the economies have been used as independent variables. The results support the hypothesis that inflation has a positive significant effect on income inequality.peer-reviewe

Modeling volatility in the stock markets using GARCH models : European emerging economies and Turkey

This paper examines the use of GARCH-type models for modeling volatility of stock markets returns for four European emerging countries and Turkey. We use daily data from Bulgaria (SOFIX), Czech Republic (PX), Poland (WIG), Hungary (BUX) and Turkey (XU100) which are considered as emerging markets in finance. We find that GARCH, GJR-GARCH and EGARCH effects are apparent for returns of PX and BUX, WIG and XU whereas for SOFIX there is no significant GARCH effect. For both markets, we conclude that volatility shocks are quite persistent and the impact of old news on volatility is significant. Future research should examine the performance of multivariate time series models while using daily returns of international emerging markets.peer-reviewe

Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene and its reinforcement with Carbon Nanotubes in Medical Devices

This chapter discusses the advantages and complexities of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene(UHMWPE) when used as a bearing material for total joint arthroplasty (TJA) and total knee arthroplasty(TKA). The UHMWPE internal structure and its mechanical response depend strongly on a diversity offactors that include radiation crosslinking, fiber reinforcement, and the addition of antioxidants such asVitamin E or Vitamin C. All these manufacturing procedures induce morphological changes andsimultaneously alter the mechanical properties of UHMWPE. The importance of UHMWPE on arthroplasty,including the advantages, the limitations and the strategies devised to overcome the knowndrawbacks are discussed in the first section. The following sections revise and discuss thebiocompatibility, the manufacturing processes, the tribological behaviour, the aging by oxidation andirradiation of UHMWPE and UHMWPE-CNT nanocomposites. The last section analyses the viscoelasticbehavior of UHMWPE and its implications on the long-term survival of total joint arthroplasty

High insecticidal activity of Leclercia adecarboxylata isolated from Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Col.: Chrysomelidae)

Colorado potato beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), is an important pest on solanaceous crops worldwide. CPB has developed resistance to insecticides used for its control. In this study, in order to find a more effective and safer biological control agent against L. decemlineata, we studied the bacterial flora of CPB, and tested them for insecticidal effects on it. The highest insecticidal effect determined on L. decemlineata within 5 days was 100% and this effect was exhibited by Ld1 isolate. According to the morphological, physiological and biochemical tests, and 16S rRNA sequencehomologies, Ld1 was identified as Leclercia adecarboxylata. This is the first time that this bacterium has been isolated from any insect pests. Our results indicate that Lecl. adecarboxylata may be valuable as a biological control agent for L. decemlineata

Detecting mechanical loosening of total hip replacement implant from plain radiograph using deep convolutional neural network

Plain radiography is widely used to detect mechanical loosening of total hip replacement (THR) implants. Currently, radiographs are assessed manually by medical professionals, which may be prone to poor inter and intra observer reliability and low accuracy. Furthermore, manual detection of mechanical loosening of THR implants requires experienced clinicians who might not always be readily available, potentially resulting in delayed diagnosis. In this study, we present a novel, fully automatic and interpretable approach to detect mechanical loosening of THR implants from plain radiographs using deep convolutional neural network (CNN). We trained a CNN on 40 patients anteroposterior hip x rays using five fold cross validation and compared its performance with a high volume board certified orthopaedic surgeon (AFC). To increase the confidence in the machine outcome, we also implemented saliency maps to visualize where the CNN looked at to make a diagnosis. CNN outperformed the orthopaedic surgeon in diagnosing mechanical loosening of THR implants achieving significantly higher sensitively (0.94) than the orthopaedic surgeon (0.53) with the same specificity (0.96). The saliency maps showed that the CNN looked at clinically relevant features to make a diagnosis. Such CNNs can be used for automatic radiologic assessment of mechanical loosening of THR implants to supplement the practitioners decision making process, increasing their diagnostic accuracy, and freeing them to engage in more patient centric care

Lack of Matrilin-2 Favors Liver Tumor Development via Erk1/2 and GSK-3 beta Pathways In Vivo

Matrilin-2 (Matn2) is a multidomain adaptor protein which plays a role in the assembly of extracellular matrix (ECM). It is produced by oval cells during stem cell-driven liver regeneration. In our study, the impact of Matn2 on hepatocarcinogenesis was investigated in Matn2(-/-) mice comparing them with wild-type (WT) mice in a diethylnitrosamine (DEN) model. The liver tissue was analyzed macroscopically, histologically and immunohistochemically, at protein level by Proteome Profiler Arrays and Western blot analysis. Matn2(-/-) mice exhibited higher susceptibility to hepatocarcinogenesis compared to wild-type mice. In the liver of Matn2(-/-) mice, spontaneous microscopic tumor foci were detected without DEN treatment. After 15 mu g/g body weight DEN treatment, the liver of Matn2(-/-) mice contained macroscopic tumors of both larger number and size than the WT liver. In contrast with the WT liver, spontaneous phosphorylation of EGFR, Erk1/2 GSK-3 alpha/beta and retinoblastoma protein (p-Rb), decrease in p21/CIP1 level, and increase in beta-Catenin protein expression were detected in Matn2(-/-) livers. Focal Ki-67 positivity of these samples provided additional support to our presumption that the lack of Matn2 drives the liver into a pro-proliferatory state, making it prone to tumor development. This enhanced proliferative capacity was further increased in the tumor nodules of DEN-treated Matn2(-/-) livers. Our study suggests that Matn2 functions as a tumor suppressor in hepatocarcinogenesis, and in this process activation of EGFR together with that of Erk1/2, as well as inactivation of GSK-3 beta, play strategic roles