Banking Crisis Dates and Output Losses Following Crises

The purpose of this study is to determine banking crisis dates in four different groups of countries and also to calculate four alternative measures of real output losses in the year of the banking crisis and three years later, over the period 1980-2019. In the first step, we used the money market pressure index approach to determine the date of the banking crisis. In the second step, we used the Hodrick-Prescott filter to extract different trends from countries' GDPs to calculate four alternative measures of real output losses, three of which are based on the loss in GDP with respect to its trend and the fourth measure is the loss in the trend itself. We also graphically analyzed the number of banking crises in different groups of countries and output losses following crises. In this study, 122 banking crises were identified in four groups of countries. The results of graph analysis of the crises showed that the highest number of banking crises (14 crises) occurred in 2008. Also, about 22 Percentage of the total banking crises (28 crises) occurred in the period 2008-2012, in which the share of high-income countries was higher than other country groups. Then, four alternative measures of real output losses following the banking crisis, the statistics related to the maximum and minimum losses, and graphical analysis were presented

Anti-Disgust Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Contamination-Based Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: Disgust is a strong and persistent emotion that frequently occurs during exposure-based treatments for contamination-based obsessive compulsive disorder (C-OCD). This study aimed to examine the efficacy of augmenting cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with a novel type of anti-disgust cognitive intervention in reducing the severity of OCD, disgust propensity/sensitivity, and refusal rate of exposure and response prevention, while simultaneously increasing acceptance of disgust. Materials and Methods: Fifty-five individuals with C-OCD (mean age 28.1 years, SD = 3.52; 77% female) were randomly assigned to 15 weekly sessions of anti-disgust plus CBT (AD-CBT) or CBT alone. They were evaluated for outcomes four times (pretreatment, prior to exposure and response prevention (ERP) sessions, posttreatment, and three-month follow-up), and mixed-design ANOVAs were used to analyze the data. Results: The findings indicated that when compared to CBT alone, AD-CBT significantly reduced OCD severity, disgust propensity/sensitivity, and concurrently increased disgust acceptance (p < 0.001). Additionally, engaging in an anti-disgust cognitive intervention was associated with lower ERP refusal rate (4% vs. 16%). The superiority of AD-CBT over CBT persisted through the three-month follow-up period. Conclusions: The current study suggests that supplementing CBT for C-OCD with an anti-disgust cognitive intervention significantly increased acceptance of disgust and decreased the refusal rate of ERP, OCD severity, and disgust-related factors

Genetic Mechanisms Regulating the Spatiotemporal Modulation of Proliferation Rate and Mode in Neural Progenitors and Daughter Cells during Embryonic CNS Development

The central nervous system (CNS) is a hallmark feature of animals with a bilateral symmetry: bilateria and can be sub-divided into the brain and nerve cord. One of the prominent properties of the CNS across bilateria is the discernible expansion of its anterior part (brain) compared with the posterior one (nerve cord). This evolutionarily conserved feature could be attributed to four major developmental agencies: First, the existence of more anterior progenitors. Second, anterior progenitors are more proliferative. Third, anterior daughter cells, generated by the progenitors, are more proliferative. Forth, fewer cells are removed by programmed cell death (PCD) anteriorly. My thesis has addressed these issues, and uncovered both biological principles and genetic regulatory networks that promote these A-P differences. I have used the Drosophila and mouse embryonic CNSs as model systems. Regarding the 1st issue, while the brain indeed contains more progenitors, my studies demonstrate that this only partly explains the anterior expansion. Indeed, with regard to the 2nd issue, my studies, on both the Drosophila and mouse CNS, demonstrate that anterior progenitors divide more extensively. Concerning the 3rd issue, in Drosophila we identified a gradient of daughter proliferation along the AP axis of the developing CNS with brain daughter cells being more proliferative. Specifically, in the brain, progenitors divide to generate a series of daughter cells that divide once (Type I), to generate two neurons or glia. In contrast, in the nerve cord, progenitors switch during later stages, from first generating dividing daughters to subsequently generating daughters that directly differentiate (Type 0). Hence, nerve cord progenitors undergo a programmed Type I->0 proliferation switch. In the Drosophila posterior CNS, this switch occurs earlier and is more prevalent, contributing to the generation of smaller lineages in the posterior regions. Similar to Drosophila, in the mouse brain we also found that progenitor and daughter cell proliferation was elevated and extended into later developmental stages, when compared to the spinal cord. DNA-labeling experiments revealed faster cycling cells in the brain when compared to the nerve cord, in both Drosophila and mouse. In both Drosophila and mouse, we found that the suppression of progenitor and daughter proliferation in the nerve cord is controlled by the Hox homeotic gene family. Hence, the absence of Hox gene expression in the brain provides a logical explanation for the extended progenitor proliferation and lack of Type I->0 switch. The repression of Hox genes in the brain is mediated by the histonemodifying Polycomb Group complex (PcG), which thereby is responsible for the anterior expansion. With respect to the 4th issue, we found no effect of PCD on anterior expansion in Drosophila, while this cannot be asserted for the mouse embryonic neurodevelopment as there are no genetic tools to abolish PCD effectively in mammals. Taken together, the studies presented in this thesis identified global and evolutionarily-conserved genetic programs that promote anterior CNS expansion, and pave the way for understanding the evolution of size along the anterior-posterior CNS axis

Genetic mechanisms controlling anterior expansion of the central nervous system

In bilaterally-symmetric animals (Bilateria), condensation of neurons and ganglia into a centralized nervous system (CNS) constitutes a salient feature. In most, if not all, Bilateria another prominent aspect is that the anterior regions of the CNS are typically larger than the posterior ones. Detailed studies in Drosophila melanogaster (Drosophila) have revealed that anterior expansion in this species stems from three major developmental features: the generation of more progenitors anteriorly, an extended phase of proliferation of anterior progenitors, and more proliferative daughter cells in anterior regions. These brain-specific features combine to generate a larger average lineage size and higher cell numbers in the brain, when compared to more posterior regions. Genetic studies reveal that these anterior-posterior (A-P) differences are controlled by the modulation of temporal programs, common to all progenitors, as well as by Hox homeotic genes, expressed in the nerve cord, and brain-specific factors. All of these regulatory features are gated by the action of the PRC2 epigenetic complex. Studies in mammals indicate that most, if not all of these anterior expansion principles and the underlying genetic programs are evolutionarily conserved. These findings further lend support for the recently proposed idea that the brain and nerve cord may have originated from different parts of the nervous system present in the Bilaterian ancestor. This brain-nerve cord “fusion” concept may help explain a number of the well-known fundamental differences in the biology of the brain, when compared to the nerve cord

Anterior-posterior gradient in neural stem and daughter cell proliferation governed by spatial and temporal Hox control

A readily evident feature of animal central nervous systems (CNSs), apparent in all vertebrates and many invertebrates alike, is its "wedge-like'' appearance, with more cells generated in anterior than posterior regions. This wedge could conceivably be established by an antero-posterior (A-P) gradient in the number of neural progenitor cells, their proliferation behaviors, and/or programmed cell death (PCD). However, the contribution of each of these mechanisms, and the underlying genetic programs, are not well understood. Building upon recent progress in the Drosophila melanogaster (Drosophila) ventral nerve cord (VNC), we address these issues in a comprehensive manner. We find that, although PCD plays a role in controlling cell numbers along the A-P axis, the main driver of the wedge is a gradient of daughter proliferation, with divisions directly generating neurons (type 0) being more prevalent posteriorly and dividing daughters (type I) more prevalent anteriorly. In addition, neural progenitor (NB) cell-cycle exit occurs earlier posteriorly. The gradient of type I > 0 daughter proliferation switch and NB exit combine to generate radically different average lineage sizes along the A-P axis, differing by more than 3-fold in cell number. We find that the Hox homeotic genes, expressed in overlapping A-P gradients and with a late temporal onset in NBs, trigger the type I > 0 daughter proliferation switch and NB exit. Given the highly evolutionarily conserved expression of overlapping Hox homeotic genes in the CNS, our results point to a common mechanism for generating the CNS wedge

Anti-Disgust Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Contamination-Based Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: Disgust is a strong and persistent emotion that frequently occurs during exposure-based treatments for contamination-based obsessive compulsive disorder (C-OCD). This study aimed to examine the efficacy of augmenting cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with a novel type of anti-disgust cognitive intervention in reducing the severity of OCD, disgust propensity/sensitivity, and refusal rate of exposure and response prevention, while simultaneously increasing acceptance of disgust. Materials and Methods: Fifty-five individuals with C-OCD (mean age 28.1 years, SD = 3.52; 77% female) were randomly assigned to 15 weekly sessions of anti-disgust plus CBT (AD-CBT) or CBT alone. They were evaluated for outcomes four times (pretreatment, prior to exposure and response prevention (ERP) sessions, posttreatment, and three-month follow-up), and mixed-design ANOVAs were used to analyze the data. Results: The findings indicated that when compared to CBT alone, AD-CBT significantly reduced OCD severity, disgust propensity/sensitivity, and concurrently increased disgust acceptance (p < 0.001). Additionally, engaging in an anti-disgust cognitive intervention was associated with lower ERP refusal rate (4% vs. 16%). The superiority of AD-CBT over CBT persisted through the three-month follow-up period. Conclusions: The current study suggests that supplementing CBT for C-OCD with an anti-disgust cognitive intervention significantly increased acceptance of disgust and decreased the refusal rate of ERP, OCD severity, and disgust-related factors

Anterior CNS expansion driven by brain transcription factors

During CNS development there is prominent expansion of the anterior region, the brain. In , anterior CNS expansion emerges from three rostral features: 1) increased progenitor cell generation, 2) extended progenitor cell proliferation, 3) more proliferative daughters. We find that (mouse ), () and () are important for brain progenitor generation. These genes, and (), are also important for subsequent progenitor and/or daughter cell proliferation in the brain. Brain TF co-misexpression can drive brain-profile proliferation in the nerve cord, and can reprogram developing wing discs into brain neural progenitors. Brain TF expression is promoted by the PRC2 complex, acting to keep the brain free of anti-proliferative and repressive action of Hox homeotic genes. Hence, anterior expansion of the CNS is mediated by brain TF driven 'super-generation' of progenitors, as well as 'hyper-proliferation' of progenitor and daughter cells, promoted by PRC2-mediated repression of Hox activity

Banking Crisis Prediction: A Dynamic Early Warning System

The purpose of this study is to Prediction the possibility of a banking crisis in a dynamic early warning system framework. We using data compiled from 10 middle-income countries for the period 1996-2017 and estimate static and dynamic logit model. The estimation results show that the dynamic logit model is better than the static model. We find that broad liquidity ratio, domestic credit to GDP ratio and stock market index are early warning signs of banking crisis. Also, the dynamic variable (lagged banking crisis) shows that if a banking crisis occurs in a year ago, there is a possibility of crisis in this year. Our result shows the possibility of continuation and persistence of banking crises for consecutive years. Then, the evaluation results of warning system show dynamic early warning system turns out to exhibit significantly better predictive abilities than the existing static one, both in- and out-of-sample

Ramsey pricing of aircraft landing fees: A case study of Iranian airports

The aim of this paper is to calculate landing fees for five uncongested airports in Iran. To this end, a Ramsey pricing model is used, with focus on domestic flights. Marginal costs for different aircraft types, namely Fokker 100, Boeing MD83, and Airbus A320 are estimated. Next, these marginal costs are used to calculate the Ramsey fees for each aircraft type in Iran. The findings of this study indicate that an increase in the length of flight increases the Ramsey landing fees. Moreover, the calculated Ramsey landing fees for the flights with length of 800 km or less are lower than the current weight-based fees; while for the flights with length of 1200 km and more the Ramsey fees are higher than the current fees. The other finding is that the Ramsey fees for A320 is always lower than that of MD83 despite the fact that A320 has a higher maximum takeoff weight than the MD83

Global Programmed Switch in Neural Daughter Cell Proliferation Mode Triggered by a Temporal Gene Cascade

During central nervous system (CNS) development, progenitors typically divide asymmetrically, renewing themselves while budding off daughter cells with more limited proliferative potential. Variation in daughter cell proliferation has a profound impact on CNS development and evolution, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We find that Drosophila embryonic neural progenitors (neuroblasts) undergo a programmed daughter proliferation mode switch, from generating daughters that divide once (type I) to generating neurons directly (type 0). This typelgreater than0 switch is triggered by activation of Dacapo (mammalian p21(CIP1)/p27(KIP1)/p57(Kip2)) expression in neuroblasts. In the thoracic region, Dacapo expression is activated by the temporal cascade (castor) and the Hox gene Antennapedia. In addition, castor, Antennapedia, and the late temporal gene grainyhead act combinatorially to control the precise timing of neuroblast cell-cycle exit by repressing Cyclin E and E2f. This reveals a logical principle underlying progenitor and daughter cell proliferation control in the Drosophila CNS