New stochastic comparisons based on tail value at risk measures

In this article we provide a new criterion for the comparison of claims, when we have conditional claims arising in stop loss contracts or contracts with franchise deductible. These stochastic comparisons are made on the basis of the Tail Value at Risk (also known as conditional tail expectation), just for a fixed level and beyond. In particular, we explain the interest of comparing these quantities, study some preservation properties and, in addition, we provide sufficient conditions for its study. Finally we illustrate its usefulness with some examples.The research of Félix Belzunce is funded by the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Spain) under grant MTM2016-79943-P (AEI/FEDER, UE). Alba M. Franco-Pereira acknowledges support received from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Spain) under grant MTM2017-89422-P and has received financial support from the Xunta de Galicia (Centro Singular de Investigación de Galicia accreditation 2016-2019) and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund - ERDF). She also acknowledges funding from Banco Santander and Complutense University of Madrid (project PR26/16-5B-1). Julio Mulero wants to acknowledge the support received from the Conselleria d’Educació, Investigació, Cultura i Esport (Generalitat de la Comunitat Valenciana) under grant GV/2017/015 and the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Spain) under grant MTM2016-79943-P (AEI/FEDER, UE)

Liposome destabilization induced by the HIV-1 fusion peptide Effect of a single amino acid substitution

AbstractThe 23-residue synthetic peptide representing the N-terminus of HIV-1 gp41 is known to induce either leakage or fusion of lipid vesicles depending on the experimental conditions. In this paper we report that a polar amino acid substitution V → E at position 2, known to block gp41 activity in vivo, makes the peptide unable to destabilize and/or fuse membranes. Moreover this variant, unlike the parent peptide, is never found in the membrane-associated β conformation

Kinetic Modeling of 1‐G Ethanol Fermentations

The most recent rise in demand for bioethanol, due mainly to economic and environmental issues, has required highly productive and efficient processes. In this sense, mathematical models play an important role in the design, optimization, and control of bioreactors for ethanol production. Such bioreactors are generally modeled by a set of first‐order ordinary differential equations, which are derived from mass and energy balances over bioreactors. Complementary equations have also been included to describe fermentation kinetics, based on Monod equation with additional terms accounting for inhibition effects linked to the substrate, products, and biomass. In this chapter, a reasonable number of unstructured kinetic models of 1‐G ethanol fermentations have been compiled and reviewed. Segregated models, as regards the physiological state of the biomass (cell viability), have also been reviewed, and it was found that some of the analyzed kinetic models are also applied to the modeling of second‐generation ethanol production processes

Performance indicators for clinical practice management in primary care in Portugal : consensus from a Delphi study

Early OnlineBackground: Performance indicators assessing the quality of medical care and linked to pay for performance may cause disagreement. Portuguese indicators included in recent health care reform are controversial. Objectives: To obtain consensus from opinion leaders in family medicine regarding the performance indicators for practice management used in the evaluation of Family Health Units in Portugal. Methods: Eighty-nine specialists in primary care were invited to answer the following question in an online Delphi study: 'Which performance indicators should be assessed regarding the organization and management of clinical practice in primary care in Portugal?' A Likert scale was used to evaluate validity, reliability, feasibility and sensitivity to change. Twenty-seven experts participated in the second round and achieved a high degree of consensus. Eight categories were created for analysis. Results: The experts suggested the use of existing indicators as well as new indicators. Thirty-nine indicators suggested by the experts are currently in use in Portugal. The assessment of the number of clinical acts performed, the number of administrative acts, and evaluation of the clinical demographic profile achieved a high degree of consensus. The expert panel suggested fifty new indicators. Five categories of these new indicators had a high degree of consensus, and three categories had a low degree of consensus. Conclusion: The expert panel recommended that performance indicators of practice management should first assess the quantity of clinical and administrative activities undertaken. These indicators must take into account the human and financial resources available to the clinic and its demographic context

Comparative highly efficient production of β-glucan by Lasiodiplodia theobromae CCT 3966 and its multiscale characterization

Lasiodiplodan, a (1→6)-β-d-glucan, is an exopolysaccharide with high commercial value and many applications in food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Current industrial production of β-glucans from crops is mostly by chemical routes generating hazardous and toxic waste. Therefore, alternative sustainable and eco-friendly pathways are highly desirable. Here, we have studied the lasiodiplodan production from sugarcane bagasse (SCB), a major lignocellulosic agricultural residue, by Lasiodiplodia theobromae CCT 3966. Lasiodiplodan accumulated on SCB hydrolysate (carbon source) supplemented with soybean bran or rice bran (nitrogen source) was 16.2 [6.8 × 103 Da] and 22.0 [7.6 × 103 Da] g/L, respectively. Lasiodiplodan showed high purity, low solubility, pseudoplastic behavior and was composed of glucose units. Moreover, the exopolysaccharides were substantially amorphous with moderate thermal stability and similar degradation temperatures. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the highest production of SCB-based lasiodiplodan to date. L. theobromae, as a microbial cell factory, demonstrated the commercial potential for the sustainable production of lasiodiplodan from renewable biomass feedstock

Tuning the magnetic properties of NiPS3through organic-ion intercalation

Atomically thin van der Waals magnetic crystals are characterized by tunable magnetic properties related to their low dimensionality. While electrostatic gating has been used to tailor their magnetic response, chemical approaches like intercalation remain largely unexplored. Here, we demonstrate the manipulation of the magnetism in the van der Waals antiferromagnet NiPS3 through the intercalation of different organic cations, inserted using an engineered two-step process. First, the electrochemical intercalation of tetrabutylammonium cations (TBA+) results in a ferrimagnetic hybrid compound displaying a transition temperature of 78 K, and characterized by a hysteretic behavior with finite remanence and coercivity. Then, TBA+ cations are replaced by cobaltocenium via an ion-exchange process, yielding a ferrimagnetic phase with higher transition temperature (98 K) and higher remanent magnetization. Importantly, we demonstrate that the intercalation and cation exchange processes can be carried out in bulk crystals and few-layer flakes, opening the way to the integration of intercalated magnetic materials in devices.The authors acknowledge R. Llopis and A. Eleta for technical support. This work is supported by “la Caixa” Foundation (ID 100010434), under the agreement LCF/BQ/PI19/11690017, by the Spanish MICINN under Project PID2019-108153GA-I00, RTI2018-094861-B-100 and under the María de Maeztu Units of Excellence Program (MDM-2016-0618). B. M.-G. thanks Gipuzkoa Council (Spain) in the frame of Gipuzkoa Fellows Program.Peer reviewe

Calcium-dependent conformational changes of membrane-bound Ebola fusion peptide drive vesicle fusion

The fusogenic subdomain of the Ebola virus envelope glycoprotein is an internal sequence located ca. 20 residues downstream the N‐terminus of the glycoprotein transmembrane subunit. Partitioning of the Ebola fusion peptide into membranes containing phosphatidylinositol in the absence of Ca2+ stabilizes an α‐helical conformation, and gives rise to vesicle efflux but not vesicle fusion. In the presence of millimolar Ca2+ the membrane‐bound peptide adopts an extended β‐structure, and induces inter‐vesicle mixing of lipids. The peptide conformational polymorphism may be related to the flexibility of the virus-cell intermembrane fusogenic complex

Loss of Genetic Redundancy in Reductive Genome Evolution

Biological systems evolved to be functionally robust in uncertain environments, but also highly adaptable. Such robustness is partly achieved by genetic redundancy, where the failure of a specific component through mutation or environmental challenge can be compensated by duplicate components capable of performing, to a limited extent, the same function. Highly variable environments require very robust systems. Conversely, predictable environments should not place a high selective value on robustness. Here we test this hypothesis by investigating the evolutionary dynamics of genetic redundancy in extremely reduced genomes, found mostly in intracellular parasites and endosymbionts. By combining data analysis with simulations of genome evolution we show that in the extensive gene loss suffered by reduced genomes there is a selective drive to keep the diversity of protein families while sacrificing paralogy. We show that this is not a by-product of the known drivers of genome reduction and that there is very limited convergence to a common core of families, indicating that the repertoire of protein families in reduced genomes is the result of historical contingency and niche-specific adaptations. We propose that our observations reflect a loss of genetic redundancy due to a decreased selection for robustness in a predictable environment

Chd8 mediates cortical neurogenesis via transcriptional regulation of cell cycle and Wnt signaling

De novo mutations in CHD8 are strongly associated with autism spectrum disorder, but the basic biology of CHD8 remains poorly understood. Here we report that Chd8 knockdown during cortical development results in defective neural progenitor proliferation and differentiation that ultimately manifests in abnormal neuronal morphology and behaviors in adult mice. Transcriptome analysis revealed that while Chd8 stimulates the transcription of cell cycle genes, it also precludes the induction of neural-specific genes by regulating the expression of PRC2 complex components. Furthermore, knockdown of Chd8 disrupts the expression of key transducers of Wnt signaling, and enhancing Wnt signaling rescues the transcriptional and behavioral deficits caused by Chd8 knockdown. We propose that these roles of Chd8 and the dynamics of Chd8 expression during development help negotiate the fine balance between neural progenitor proliferation and differentiation. Together, these observations provide new insights into the neurodevelopmental role of Chd8.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant UH1-MH106018-03