Centralized trading, transparency and interest rate swap market liquidity: evidence from the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act

We use proprietary transaction data on interest rate swaps to assess the impact of centralized trading, as mandated by Dodd-Frank, on market quality. We show that it has led to activity increasing and liquidity improving, with the largest improvements for contracts most affected by the mandate. Associated reductions in execution costs are economically significant eg daily end-user costs of trading USD relative to EUR mandated contracts drop by $3 million–$4 million. We show that requiring centralized trading in the United States caused swap markets to fragment geographically and give evidence which suggests that fragmentation is due to dealers trying to maintain market power

Classification of Event-Related Potentials Associated with Response Errors in Actors and Observers Based on Autoregressive Modeling

Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) provide non-invasive measurements of the electrical activity on the scalp related to the processing of stimuli and preparation of responses by the brain. In this paper an ERP-signal classification method is proposed for discriminating between ERPs of correct and incorrect responses of actors and of observers seeing an actor making such responses. The classification method targeted signals containing error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe) components, which are typically associated with error processing in the human brain. Feature extraction consisted of Multivariate Autoregressive modeling combined with the Simulated Annealing technique. The resulting information was subsequently classified by means of an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) using back-propagation algorithm under the “leave-one-out cross-validation” scenario and the Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) algorithm. The ANN consisted of a multi-layer perceptron (MLP). The approach yielded classification rates of up to 85%, both for the actors’ correct and incorrect responses and the corresponding ERPs of the observers. The electrodes needed for such classifications were situated mainly at central and frontal areas. Results provide indications that the classification of the ERN is achievable. Furthermore, the availability of the Pe signals, in addition to the ERN, improves the classification, and this is more pronounced for observers’ signals. The proposed ERP-signal classification method provides a promising tool to study error detection and observational-learning mechanisms in performance monitoring and joint-action research, in both healthy and patient populations

Cranberry: A promising natural source of potential nutraceuticals with anticancer activity

Studies have shown that cranberry and its components may exert anticancer properties. The present study aims to critically summarise the existing experimental studies evaluating the potential effects of cranberry on cancer prevention and treatment. PubMed database was searched to identify relevant studies. Current in vitro studies have indicated that cranberry and/or its components may act as chemopreventive agents, diminishing the risk for cancer by inhibiting cells oxidation and inflammatory-related processes, while they may also exert chemotherapeutic effects by inhibiting cell proliferation and angiogenesis, inducing cell apoptosis and attenuating the ability of tumour cells to invade and metastasis. Limited in vivo studies have further documented potential anticancer activity. Cranberry could be considered as a conglomeration of potential effective anticancer drug-like compounds. © 2019 Bentham Science Publishers

Adherence to Mediterranean Diet and Nutritional Status in Women with Breast Cancer: What Is Their Impact on Disease Progression and Recurrence-Free Patients’ Survival?

Introduction: Nutritional status impacts the survival of patients with cancer. There are few studies that investigate the role of nutritional status on breast cancer survival in women with breast cancer, and even fewer regarding the impact of adhering to the Mediterranean diet (MD). The present study aims to assess the nutritional status, MD adherence, physical activity levels and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in women diagnosed with breast cancer and evaluate these parameters regarding recurrence-free survival. Methods: A total of 114 women, aged 35–87 years old, diagnosed with breast cancer in Larissa, Greece, participated in the study. Tumor histopathology was reported, and anthropometric indices were measured by a trained nurse, while questionnaires regarding nutritional status (via mini nutritional assessment), HRQOL via EORTC QLQ-C30, physical activity levels via IPAQ and Mediterranean diet adherence via MedDietScore were administered. The participants were followed-up for a maximum time interval of 42 months or until recurrence occurred. Results: A total of 74% of patients were overweight or obese, while 4% of women were undernourished, and 28% were at risk of malnutrition. After 42 months of follow-up, 22 patients (19.3%) had relapsed. The median time to recurrence was 38 months (IQR: 33–40 months) and ranged between 23 to 42 months. Higher levels of MD adherence were significantly associated with lower body mass index (BMI) values, earlier disease stage, smaller tumor size, absence of lymph node metastases and better physical activity levels (p < 0.05). Normal nutritional status was significantly associated with higher BMI values and better health-related quality of life (p ≤ 0.05). In univariate analysis, patients with higher levels of MD adherence and well-nourished patients had significantly longer recurrence-free survival (p < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, MD adherence and nutritional status were independently associated with recurrence-free patients’ survival after adjustment for several confounding factors (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The impact of MD on time to recurrence is still under investigation, and future interventional studies need to focus on the role of adhering to the MD before and after therapy in survival and breast cancer progression. Furthermore, the present study also highlights the importance of an adequate nutritional status on disease progression, and the need for nutritional assessment, education and intervention in women with breast cancer. © 2022 by the authors

Childhood overweight and obesity and abnormal birth anthropometric measures are associated with a higher prevalence of childhood asthma in preschool age

Objectives: Childhood asthma is one of the most common non-communicable diseases in the world. Several perinatal and postnatal factors have been associated with increased risk of developing childhood asthma. The present study aims to assess whether childhood overweight and obesity and abnormal birth anthropometric measures affect the risk of developing childhood asthma in preschool age. Methods: In this study, 5215 preschool children at the age of 2–5 years were enrolled after applying several inclusion and exclusion criteria and they examined whether they present asthma symptoms. Non-adjusted and adjusted statistical analysis was performed to assess whether perinatal and postnatal factors increase the risk of developing childhood asthma. Results: A prevalence of 4.5% of childhood asthma was recorded. Among children diagnosed with asthma, 19.4% were affected by overweight and 13.9% were obese. Childhood overweight/obesity was indepedently associated with a 76% higher risk of childhood asthma than normal weight. Abnormal birth anthropometric measures, i.e. birth weight, length, and head circumference, were independently associated with higher odds (87%, 29%, and 23%, respectively) of childhood asthma than normal ranges. Conclusions: This is a cross-sectional, nationally representative study which supported evidence that childhood overweight/obesity and abnormal birth anthropometric measures may independently increase the risk of childhood asthma in preschool age. Emergent health policies and strategies are recommended to promote a healthy lifestyle, preventing childhood obesity at the early stages of life. © 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC