Efficiency Of Foreign Exchange Markets: A Developing Country Perspective

This study tests weak and semi-strong form efficiency of the foreign exchange market in Sri Lanka during the recent float using six bilateral exchange rates. Weak-form efficiency is examined using unit root tests while semi-strong form efficiency is tested using cointegration, Granger causality tests and variance decomposition analysis. Results indicate that the Sri Lankan foreign exchange market is consistent with the weak-form of the efficient market hypothesis (EMH). However, the results provide evidence against the semi-strong version of the EMH. These results have important implications for government policy makers and participants in the foreign exchange market of Sri Lank

p53-Dependent ICAM-1 overexpression in senescent human cells identified in atherosclerotic lesions

Most normal somatic cells enter a state called replicative senescence after a certain number of divisions, characterized by irreversible growth arrest. Moreover, they express a pronounced inflammatory phenotype that could contribute to the aging process and the development of age-related pathologies. Among the molecules involved in the inflammatory response that are overexpressed in senescent cells and aged tissues is intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). Furthermore, ICAM-1 is overexpressed in atherosclerosis, an age-related, chronic inflammatory disease. We have recently reported that the transcriptional activator p53 can trigger ICAM-1 expression in an nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B)-independent manner (Gorgoulis et al, EMBO J. 2003; 22: 1567 - 1578). As p53 exhibits an increased transcriptional activity in senescent cells, we investigated whether p53 activation is responsible for the senescence-associated ICAM-1 overexpression. To this end, we used two model systems of cellular senescence: ( a) human fibroblasts and (b) conditionally immortalized human vascular smooth muscle cells. Here, we present evidence from both cell systems to support a p53-mediated ICAM-1 overexpression in senescent cells that is independent of NF-kappa B. We also demonstrate in atherosclerotic lesions the presence of cells coexpressing activated p53, ICAM-1, and stained with the senescence-associated beta-galactosidase, a biomarker of replicative senescence. Collectively, our data suggest a direct functional link between p53 and ICAM-1 in senescence and age-related disorders

Abstract 1122‐000150: Novel Ischemic Stroke Treatment Protocol for Salvageable Penumbra in Acute Small Vessel Disease

Introduction: In small vessel disease (SVD)‐related acute ischemic stroke (AIS), no specific acute treatment exists. We propose an acute treatment protocol for patients with fluctuating exam secondary to salvageable micropenumbra in high risk SVD‐related AIS. Methods: Inclusion criteria included acute SVD‐related stroke with NIHSS fluctuation ≥ 2 previously described as a sensitive indicator of neurological deterioration in SVD ischemic stroke. Patients with large vessel atheroma secondarily causing stroke were excluded. Treatment protocol consisted of albumin IV, eptifibatide IV, magnesium sulfate IV, cilostazol PO, normoglycemia, normothermia, aggressive fluid resuscitation, and targeted blood pressure parameters in a neurocritical care setting. Protocol was prospectively initiated in August 2020 at onset of exam fluctuation and continued until plateau NIHSS was reached. Retrospective data for subjects from January 2017 to July 2020 was collected for historical controls. Primary outcomes measures included safety and early efficacy end points. Efficacy was measured by change from maximum NIHSS to plateau NIHSS (NIHSS‐diff). Wilcoxon rank‐sum test was used to evaluate significant difference of NIHSS‐diff in both groups. Social Science Statistics was used for data analysis. Results: From January 2017 ‐ May 2021, out of 7,146 AIS patients, 30 met selection criteria. From August 2020 to May 2021, consecutive subjects received treatment protocol (n = 15, baseline NIHSS 4.93, 95% CI [3.3572, 6.5028]). They were compared with historical controls (n = 15, baseline NIHSS 5.87, 95% CI [2.9407, 8.7993]). There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics (p = 1; U = 112 at p<0.05; z‐score 0). In the SVD group, no subjects had adverse events leading to early termination. Early efficacy as suggested by NIHSS‐diff between groups was statistically significant (p = 0.00228; U = 38.5; z‐score 3.04864; 80% power at p<0.05). Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first systematic demonstration of safety and early efficacy of multimodal intervention for acute SVD‐related ischemic stroke. Larger randomized trials using concurrent controls are required to corroborate our findings

Photo-thermal modulation of surface plasmon polariton propagation at telecommunication wavelengths

International audienceWe report on photo-thermal modulation of thin film surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) excited at telecom wavelengths and traveling at a gold/air interface. By operating a modulated continuous-wave or a Q-switched nanosecond pump laser, we investigate the photo-thermally induced modulation of SPP propagation mediated by the temperature-dependent ohmic losses in the gold film. We use a fiber-to-fiber characterization set-up to measure accurately the modulation depth of the SPP signal under photo-thermal excitation. On the basis of these measurements, we extract the thermo-plasmonic coefficient of the SPP mode defined as the temperature derivative of the SPP damping constant. Next, we introduce a figure of merit which is relevant to characterize the impact of temperature onto the properties of bounded or weakly leaky SPP modes supported by a given metal at a given wavelength. By combining our measurements with tabulated values of the temperature-dependent imaginary part of gold dielectric function, we compute the thermo-optical coefficients (TOC) of gold at telecom wavelengths. Finally, we investigate a pulsed photo-thermal excitation of the SPP in the nanosecond regime. The experimental SPP depth of modulation obtained in this situation are found to be in fair agreement with the modulation depths computed by using our values of gold TOC

Thermo-plasmonic components at telecom wavelength

International audienc

Laser Direct Write micro-fabrication of large area electronics on flexible substrates

Symposium CC on Laser and Plasma Processing for Advanced Applications in Material Science held during the Annual Spring Meeting of the European-Materials-Research-Society (E-MRS), Lille, FRANCE, MAY 11-15, 2015International audienceTo date, Laser Direct Write (LDW) techniques, such as Laser Induced Forward Transfer (LIFT), selective laser ablation and selective laser sintering of metal nanoparticle (NP) ink layers are receiving growing attention for the printing of uniform and well-defined conductive patterns with resolution down to 10 mu m. For flexible substrates in particular, selective laser sintering of such NP patterns has been widely applied, as a low temperature and high resolution process compatible with large area electronics. In this work, LDW of silver NP inks has been carried out on polyethylene-terephthalate (PET), polyethylenenaphthalate (PEN) and polyimide (PI) substrates to achieve low electrical resistivity electrodes. In more detail, high speed short pulsed (picosecond and nanosecond) lasers with repetition rates up to 1 MHz were used to print (LIFT) metal NP inks. We thus achieved uniform and continuous patterns with a minimum feature size of 1 mu m and a total footprint larger than 1 cm(2). Next, the printed patterns were laser sintered with ns pulses at 532 nm over a wide laser fluence window, resulting in an electrical resistivity of 10 mu Omega cm. We carried out spatial beam shaping experiments to achieve a top-hat laser intensity profile and employed selective laser ablation of thin films (thickness on the order of 100 nm) to produce silver micro-electrodes with a resolution on the order of 10 pin and a low line edge roughness. Laser sintering was combined with laser ablation to constitute a fully autonomous micro-patterning technique of metallic micro-features, with a 10 pin resolution and geometrical characteristics tuned for interdigitated electrodes for sensor applications. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Antioxidant agent nimesulid and beta-blocker metoprolol do not exert protective effects against rat mitochondrial DNA alterations in adriamycin-induced cardiotoxicity

Possible protective effects of two therapeutical agents (nimesulid and metoprolol) in adriamycin-induced cardiotoxicity were examined in rat cardiomyocytes at the mitochondrial DNA (mt DNA) level. Analysis by PCR revealed the presence of multiple deletions in a large region of the long are of mt DNA which codes for several important genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation, in all animals under drug administration. No differences were found in the frequency of defective mt DNA between the animals that received only adriamycin (83%, 10/12), nimesulid and adriamycin (92%, 13/14), or metoprolol and adriamycin (80, 12/15) (p = 0.004). (C) 1999 Academic Press