Rare booms and disasters in a multisector endowment economy

Why do value stocks have higher average returns than growth stocks, despite having lower risk? Why do these stocks exhibit positive abnormal performance, while growth stocks exhibit negative abnormal performance? This paper offers a rare-event-based explanation that can also account for the high equity premium and volatility of the aggregate market. The model explains other puzzling aspects of the data, such as joint patterns in time-series predictablity of aggregate market and value and growth returns, long periods in which growth outperforms value, and the association between positive skewness and low realized returns

Disaster Risk and Its Implications for Asset Pricing

After lying dormant for more than two decades, the rare disaster framework has emerged as a leading contender to explain facts about the aggregate market, interest rates, and financial derivatives. In this article, we survey recent models of disaster risk that provide explanations for the equity premium puzzle, the volatility puzzle, return predictability, and other features of the aggregate stock market. We show how these models can also explain violations of the expectations hypothesis in bond pricing as well as the implied volatility skew in option pricing. We review both modeling techniques and results and consider both endowment and production economies. We show that these models provide a parsimonious and unifying framework for understanding puzzles in asset pricing

Processo de autoavaliação nacional das práticas de segurança do paciente em serviço de saúde, de 2016 a 2019: uma análise sob a óptica da vigilância sanitária

Introduction: The completion of the Self-Assessment Form for Patient Safety Practices is carried out annually by health services with ICU beds and involves the assessment of  structure and process indicators, based on the Resolution of the Collegiate Board of Anvisa No. 36, July 25 2013. Objective: To analyze the national self-assessment process carried out by Anvisa from the perspective of surveillance, in the period from 2016 to 2019.  Method: The information that was common to four reports was analyzed and compared. Results: Increase in the participation of self-rated hospitals over the years; the goal foreseen in the Integrated Plan was not reached and the process indicators showed less conformity than the structure. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to implement strategies of the National Health Surveillance System, both to sensitize managers about the importance of self-assessment of patient safety practices, and to implement improvements in services, as well as consistent public policies. aimed at ensuring quality health care for the Brazilian population.Introdução: O preenchimento do Formulário da Autoavaliação das Práticas de Segurança do Paciente elaborado pela Anvisa é realizado de forma voluntária e anual serviços de saúde com leitos de UTI e envolve a avaliação de indicadores de estrutura e processo, baseada na Resolução da Diretoria Colegiada da Anvisa nº 36, de 25 de julho de 2013. Objetivo: Analisar o processo de autoavaliação nacional realizado pela Anvisa sob a óptica da vigilância, no período de 2016 a 2019. Método: Realizou-se um estudo retrospectivo, de análise documental no qual foram analisadas e comparadas as informações que eram comuns em quatro Relatórios da Autoavaliação das Práticas de Segurança do Paciente em Serviços de Saúde. Resultados: Observou-se que houve aumento da participação dos hospitais da autoavaliação ao longo dos anos; que a meta prevista no Plano Integrado não foi alcançada; e que os indicadores de processo apresentaram menor conformidade que os de estrutura. Conclusões: Urge a necessidade de implementação de estratégias do Sistema Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária tanto para sensibilizar os gestores sobre a importância da autoavaliação das práticas de segurança do paciente, quanto para a  implementação de melhorias nos serviços, bem como de políticas públicas consistentes  que visem garantir assistência à saúde de qualidade para a população brasileira

Adapting to Challenges Presented in Training New Students in Laboratory Techniques During COVID-19

Introduction: In early 2020, COVID-19 entered the United States, and by the end of March 2020, the city had mandated schools shut down to slow the spread and flatten the curve. Beginning in the fall, PCOM started slowly opening up research labs again to students with restrictions in capacity and returning onto campus. The new standards affected the normal timeline of introducing new students into the lab. The Bravo research laboratory takes an average of 20 students in each year, with a limited number of students allowed to be trained at the time, the lab management personnel had to adapt to be able to train them all. To counteract this, a plan to create virtual methods in preparing incoming students was started. The goal is to have students prepared to enter the lab in a safe manner while following all guidelines instructed by PCOM. Methods: Video footage was recorded following proper safety procedures set in place by PCOM. The filming process involved a two person team wearing N95 masks with one handling the experimental protocol while the second filmed using a digital video camera (model: HDV-604S). All video footage was transferred to a Macbook Pro and loaded into the software iMovie for video editing. The finished file was converted into a playable mp4 file and shared with the students using a GoogleDrive folder. Other softwares used for virtual communication included FaceTime and GoogleMeet to carry out virtual training and orientation. Results: The following procedures were created from the study: 1). Five minute video showing the Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) experimental procedure. 2). Four minute video demonstrating the Electroretinography (ERT) procedure. 3). Three minute video documenting the process of obtaining eyes for histology. 4). Facetime is used to train students in changing oxygen tanks in the LAR for hyperoxia experiments. 5). GoogleMeet was used to present a powerpoint to provide the LAR orientation for incoming students. 6). Immunohistochemistry and Microscope training were conducted using GoogleMeet to present a powerpoint prior to a short in person demonstration to shorten exposure. Conclusions: The three videos served as a way for the incoming new students to become familiar with the various experimental protocols required in their project and allowed them to smooth transition onto campus. Students taking required courses prior to getting clearance will be able to start familiarizing themselves with required lab techniques. Returning students coming back into the lab will also be able to use these videos to refresh their techniques themselves prior to their day back in the lab. The powerpoints will provide students with proper lab safety/protocols as reference in the future. The plan is to use the media files as a reference for future students entering the lab when in-person training resumes as a standard in training. These virtual tools will provide flexibility for all future incoming students after restrictions are lifted

Application of High-field NMR Spectroscopy for Differentiating Cathinones for Forensic Identification

Synthetic cathinone family compounds or designer drugs are the major naturally-occurring psychostimulant and hallucinogenic designer drugs that are used illegally in the United States and several other countries for their cocaine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and amphetamine-like effects. Since 2009, forensic labs have identified synthetic cathinones in an increasing percentage of cases. One of the problems crime labs face when analyzing submitted drug evidence is that the samples are often mixtures and can contain one or more of several cutting agents. In this work, we demonstrate the utility of high-field 1H-NMR as a screening tool to detect cathinones in the presence adulterants or “cutting agents”. We collected 1H- and 13C-NMR spectra of three structurally distinct cathinones: alpha-piperidinobutiophenone, alpha-pyrrolidinopentiothiophenone, and pentylone. The spectra were collected with the pure cathinones and in the presence of a cutting agent, commercial powdered sugar (sucrose), and in two solvents. Without knowing the mixture components, it is impossible to select a solvent that will (ideally) only dissolve the drug of interest for interpretation. High-field NMR can be used to provide a spectral assignment and structure determination of a sample of an unknown cathinone and spectral signatures for screening, even when the cutting agent is also very soluble as observed when the solvent was D2O. The NMR spectra provide evidence that rapidly acquired 1H spectra can be used to strongly indicate the identity of cathinones in a sample if they are present in a library

Targeted optogenetic stimulation and recording of neurons in vivo using cell-type-specific expression of Channelrhodopsin-2

A major long-term goal of systems neuroscience is to identify the different roles of neural subtypes in brain circuit function. The ability to causally manipulate selective cell types is critical to meeting this goal. This protocol describes techniques for optically stimulating specific populations of excitatory neurons and inhibitory interneurons in vivo in combination with electrophysiology. Cell type selectivity is obtained using Cre-dependent expression of the light-activated channel Channelrhodopsin-2. We also describe approaches for minimizing optical interference with simultaneous extracellular and intracellular recording. These optogenetic techniques provide a spatially and temporally precise means of studying neural activity in the intact brain and allow a detailed examination of the effect of evoked activity on the surrounding local neural network. Injection of viral vectors requires 30–45 min, and in vivo electrophysiology with optogenetic stimulation requires 1–4 h.National Institutes of Health (U.S.)National Science Foundation (U.S.)Simons FoundationNational Institutes of Health (U.S.). Pioneer AwardNational Eye Institue (K99 Award)Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (Postdoctoral Fellowship)Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. Young Investigator AwardThomas F. Peterse

Adapting to Latent Subgroup Shifts via Concepts and Proxies

We address the problem of unsupervised domain adaptation when the source domain differs from the target domain because of a shift in the distribution of a latent subgroup. When this subgroup confounds all observed data, neither covariate shift nor label shift assumptions apply. We show that the optimal target predictor can be non-parametrically identified with the help of concept and proxy variables available only in the source domain, and unlabeled data from the target. The identification results are constructive, immediately suggesting an algorithm for estimating the optimal predictor in the target. For continuous observations, when this algorithm becomes impractical, we propose a latent variable model specific to the data generation process at hand. We show how the approach degrades as the size of the shift changes, and verify that it outperforms both covariate and label shift adjustment

The Dynamic Relationship Between Social Support and HIV-Related Stigma in Rural Uganda

Background—Cross-sectional studies show that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) stigma is negatively correlated with social support. Purpose—The purpose of this study is to examine the bidirectional relationship between social support and HIV stigma. Methods—We collected quarterly data from a cohort of 422 people living with HIV in Uganda, followed for a median of 2.1 years. We used multilevel regression to model the contemporaneous and 3-month-lagged associations between social support and both enacted and internalized stigma. Results—Lagged enacted stigma was negatively correlated with emotional and instrumental social support, and lagged instrumental social support was negatively correlated with enacted stigma. Internalized stigma and emotional social support had reciprocal lagged associations. Conclusions—Interventions to reduce enacted stigma may strengthen social support for people living with HIV. Improved social support may in turn have a protective influence against future enacted and internalized stigma

2023: Assessment Mini-Grant Lightning Talks 1

During this learning session, recipients of Assessment Mini Grants will share their projects and findings. Christopher McMahan & Jun Park Evaluating the Effectiveness of Teaching Modalities on Student Academic Performance across Ethnicities Tina Farrell Advancing Clinical Skills in Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Students with Underserved Populations Chia-Lin Tsai, Gabriel Owusu, & Sidney Bonser Students\u27 Perceptions of Teaching and Learning in the STAT150 Course: Preliminary Findings from Online and Face-to-Face Sessions Jenni Harding & Michelle Holmes Ensuring Validity, Reliability, and Effectiveness of Teacher Candidate Field Observations Emily Holt & Jessica Duke Biology Students See Local Climate Change: A Classroom Intervention Melissa Hoffner & Claire Landrieu Measuring the Effectiveness of Supplemental Instruction Services at Tutorial Services: A Correlation Study Between Student Use of Supplemental Instruction and End-of-Semester Grade