The Relationship between Risk and Capital in Swiss commercial Banks: A Panel Study

In this paper we investigate the relationship between changes in risk and changes in leverage for a panel of Swiss banks. Using market data for risk and both accounting and market data for capital over the period between 1990 and 2002, we find a positive correlation between changes in capital and changes in risk, i.e. higher levels of capital are associated with higher levels of risk. Despite this positive correlation, however, we do not find significant relationship between the default probability and the capital ratio.

The Ionizing Stars of the Galactic Ultra-Compact HII Region G45.45+0.06

Using the NIFS near-infrared integral-field spectrograph behind the facility adaptive optics module, ALTAIR, on Gemini North, we have identified several massive O-type stars that are responsible for the ionization of the Galactic Ultra-Compact HII region G45.45+0.06. The sources ``m'' and ``n'' from the imaging study of Feldt et a. 1998 are classified as hot, massive O-type stars based on their K-band spectra. Other bright point sources show red and/or nebular spectra and one appears to have cool star features that we suggest are due to a young, low-mass pre-main sequence component. Still two other embedded sources (``k'' and ``o'' from Feldt et al.) exhibit CO bandhead emission that may arise in circumstellar disks which are possibly still accreting. Finally, nebular lines previously identified only in higher excitation planetary nebulae and associated with KrIII and SeIV ions are detected in G45.45+0.06.Comment: Latex, 28 pages, 10 figure

Candidate selection for the FLAMINGOS-2 galactic center survey

We present a JHK_s catalog of a 20'×20' region around the Galactic Center observed with the ISPI camera on the 4 m CTIO telescope. The data is being used to select targets for the FLAMINGOS-2 Galactic Center Survey, which will take near-infrared spectra of thousands of GC sources in an effort to identify and characterize the unique X-ray binary source population in this region

Drug resistant HIV: Behaviors and characteristics among Los Angeles men who have sex with men with new HIV diagnosis.

Epidemiology of drug resistant HIV has focused on trends and less attention has been given to identification of factors, especially behaviors including substance use, in acquisition of drug-resistant HIV. From 2009 to 2012 The Metromates Study enrolled and followed for one year men who have sex with men (MSM) seeking testing for HIV in a community clinic in Los Angeles assessing those testing positive for acute and recent HIV infection. Behavioral data were collected via Computer-Assisted Self-Interview from 125 classified as newly HIV infected and 91 as chronically infected (newly HIV-diagnosed); specimens were available and viable for resistance testing for 154 of the 216 HIV positives with new diagnoses. In this community clinic we found prevalence of resistance among MSM with new HIV-diagnosis was 19.5% (n = 30/154) with no difference by recency of HIV infection. Sexual partnership characteristics were associated with resistance; those who reported transgendered sex partners had a higher prevalence of resistance as compared to those who did not report transgendered sex partners (40% vs. 17%; p value = 0.04), while those who reported having a main partner had a lower prevalence of drug resistance (12% vs. 24%; p value = 0.07). In multivariable analyses adjusting for HIV recency and antiviral use, reporting a main partner decreased odds [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.34; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.13-0.87], reporting a transgendered partnered increased odds (AOR = 3.37; 95% CI 0.95-12.43); and being African American increased odds of drug resistance (AOR = 5.63, 95%CI 1.41-22.38). This suggests African American MSM and TG individuals in Los Angeles represent pockets of exceptional risk that will require special approaches to prevention and care to enhance their own health and reduce their likelihood to support transmission of drug resistance in the US