Active Management of Non-Granular Loan Portfolios

This thesis considers quantitative tools for assessing concentration risks in credit portfolios that may underlie decision making in an active portfolio management setting. The study incorporates a literature review, which considers analytical and simulation based credit risk models in a Merton-type framework as well as aspects of credit portfolio management. The literature review is followed by a numerical analysis in which the credit risk models are evaluated with respect to accuracy and computational efficiency and the results suggests that the simulations based models are suitable for being incorporated into an active portfolio management framework in the setting tested

Antikaon Production in Proton-Nucleus Reactions and the K−K^- properties in nuclear matter

We calculate the momentum-dependent potentials for $K^+$ and $K^-$ mesons in a dispersion approach at nuclear density $\rho_0$ using the information from the vacuum $K^+ N$ and $K^- N$ scattering amplitudes, however, leaving out the resonance contributions for the in-medium analysis. Whereas the $K^+$ potential is found to be repulsive ($\approx$ + 30 MeV) and to show only a moderate momentum dependence, the $K^-$ selfenergy at normal nuclear matter density turns out to be $\approx$ - 200 MeV at zero momentum in line with kaon atomic data, however, decreases rapidly in magnitude for higher momenta. The antikaon production in p + A reactions is calculated within a coupled transport approach and compared to the data at KEK including different assumptions for the antikaon potentials. Furthermore, detailed predictions are made for $p + ^{12}C$ and $p + ^{207}Pb$ reactions at 2.5 GeV in order to determine the momentum dependent antikaon potential experimentally.Comment: 27 pages, LaTeX, including 14 ps-figures, UGI-98-1

Effect of alkalinity on the diffusion of solvent-fractionated lignin through cellulose membranes

Mass transport of liberated lignin fragments from pits and fiber walls into black liquor is considered a determining step in the delignification process. However, our current understanding of the diffusion of lignin through cellulose and the influential parameter on this process is very limited. A comprehensive and detailed study of lignin mass transport through cellulosic materials is, therefore, of great importance. In this study, diffusion cell methodology is implemented to systematically investigate the transport of fractionated kraft lignin molecules through model cellulose membranes. Pulping is a complex process and lignin is very heterogenous material therefore to perform a more detailed study on lignin diffusion, we included an additional solvent fractionation step. One of the benefits of this method is that the setup can be adjusted to various experimental conditions allowing the complex chemical reactions occurring during pulping, which would affect the mass transfer of lignin, to be avoided. Here, the effects of the alkalinity of the aqueous solution and molecular weight of the kraft lignin molecules on their diffusion were investigated. Additionally,\ua0NMR spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, and UV/Vis spectroscopy were used to characterize the starting material and the molecules that passed through the membrane. Lignin molecules detected in the acceptor chamber of the diffusion cells had lower molecular weights, indicating a size fractionation between the donor and acceptor chamber. UV/Vis showed higher concentrations of ionized conjugated kraft lignin molecules in the acceptor chamber, which is a sign of chemical fractionation. This study suggests that the diffusion of lignin through small cellulose pores can be enhanced by decreasing the average molecular weight of the diffusing kraft lignin molecules and increasing alkalinity

Association between medication use and performance on higher education entrance tests in individuals with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Importance: Individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at greater risk for academic problems. Pharmacologic treatment is effective in reducing the core symptoms of ADHD, but it is unclear whether it helps to improve academic outcomes. Objective: To investigate the association between the use of ADHD medication and performance on higher education entrance tests in individuals with ADHD. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study observed 61640 individuals with a diagnosis of ADHD from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2013. Records of their pharmacologic treatment were extracted from Swedish national registers along with data from the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test. Using a within-patient design, test scores when patients were taking medication for ADHD were compared with scores when they were not taking such medication. Data analysis was performed from November 24, 2015, to November 4, 2016. Exposures: Periods with and without ADHD medication use. Main Outcomes and Measures: Scores from the higher education entrance examination (score range, 1-200 points). Results: Among 930 individuals (493 males and 437 females; mean [SD] age, 22.2 [3.2] years) who had taken multiple entrance tests (n = 2524) and used ADHD medications intermittently, the test scores were a mean of 4.80 points higher (95% CI, 2.26-7.34; P < .001) during periods they were taking medication vs nonmedicated periods, after adjusting for age and practice effects. Similar associations between ADHD medication use and test scores were detected in sensitivity analyses. Conclusions and Relevance: Individuals with ADHD had higher scores on the higher education entrance tests during periods they were taking ADHD medication vs nonmedicated periods. These findings suggest that ADHD medications may help ameliorate educationally relevant outcomes in individuals with ADHD.Swedish Research Council, 340-2013-5867 and 1R01MH102221Swedish Initiative for Research on Microdata in the Social and Medical Sciences, 2013-2280National Institute of Mental HealthAustralian National Health and Medical Research CouncilAccepte

Infant tidal flow–volume parameters and arousal state

This version is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial Licence 4.0. For commercial reproduction rights and permissions contact: [email protected]: Infant lung function can be assessed with tidal flow–volume (TFV) loops. While TFV loops can be measured in both awake and sleeping infants, the influence of arousal state in early infancy is not established. The aim of the present study was to determine whether TFV loop parameters in healthy infants differed while awake compared to the sleeping state at 3 months of age. Methods: From the population-based Scandinavian Preventing Atopic Dermatitis and ALLergies in children (PreventADALL) birth cohort, 91 infants had reproducible TFV loops measured with Exhalyzer® D in both the awake and sleeping state at 3 months of age. The TFV loops were manually selected according to a standardised procedure. The ratio of time to peak tidal expiratory flow (tPTEF) to expiratory time (tE) and the corresponding volume ratio (VPTEF/VE), as well as tidal volume (VT) and respiratory rate were compared using nonparametric tests. Results: The mean (95% CI) tPTEF/tE was significantly higher while awake compared to the sleeping state: 0.39 (0.37–0.41) versus 0.28 (0.27–0.29); with the corresponding VPTEF/VE of 0.38 (0.36–0.40) versus 0.29 (0.28–0.30). The VT was similar, while the respiratory rate was higher while awake compared to the sleeping state: 53 (51–56) breaths·min−1 versus 38 (36–40) breaths·min−1 . Conclusion: Higher tPTEF/tE, VPTEF/VE and respiratory rate, but similar VT while awake compared to the sleeping state suggests that separate normative TFV loop values according to arousal state may be required in early infancy.publishedVersio

A genetically informed study of the associations between maternal age at childbearing and adverse perinatal outcomes

We examined associations of maternal age at childbearing (MAC) with gestational age and fetal growth (i.e., birth weight adjusting for gestational age), using two genetically informed designs (cousin and sibling comparisons) and data from two cohorts, a population-based Swedish sample and a nationally representative United States sample. We also conducted sensitivity analyses to test limitations of the designs. The findings were consistent across samples and suggested that, associations observed in the population between younger MAC and shorter gestational age were confounded by shared familial factors; however, associations of advanced MAC with shorter gestational age remained robust after accounting for shared familial factors. In contrast to the gestational age findings, neither early nor advanced MAC was associated with lower fetal growth after accounting for shared familial factors. Given certain assumptions, these findings provide support for a causal association between advanced MAC and shorter gestational age. The results also suggest that there are not causal associations between early MAC and shorter gestational age, between early MAC and lower fetal growth, and between advanced MAC and lower fetal growth.NonePublishe

Production and absorption of ccˉc \bar{c} pairs in nuclear collisions at SPS energies

We study the production of $c \bar{c}$ pairs and dimuons from hard collisions in nuclear reactions within the covariant transport approach HSD, which describes successfully both hadronic and electromagnetic observables from p+A and A+A collisions from SIS to SPS energies. The production of $c \bar{c}$ and Drell-Yan pairs is treated perturbatively employing experimental cross sections while the interactions of $c\bar{c}$ pairs with hadrons are included by conventional cascade-type two-body collisions. Adopting 6mb for the $c \bar{c}$-baryon cross sections the data on $J/\Psi$ suppression in p+A reactions are reproduced in line with calculations based on the Glauber model. We study different models for $c \bar{c}$ dissociation on mesons in comparison with the experimental data of the HELIOS-3, NA38 and NA50 collaborations. Adopting absorption cross sections with mesons above the $D\bar{D}$ threshold in the order of 1.5 - 3mb we find that all data on $J/\Psi$ suppression from both proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions can be described without assuming the formation of a quark-gluon plasma in these collisions.Comment: 27 pages, LaTeX, including 13 postscript figures, to appear in Nucl. Phys.

Investigating sex-specific effects of familial risk for ADHD and other neurodevelopmental disorders in the Swedish population

Background: Many psychiatric disorders show sex differences in prevalence. Recent studies suggest that females diagnosed with anxiety and depression carry more genetic risks related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), compared to affected males. Aims: In this register-based study, we aimed to test whether females who received clinical diagnoses of anxiety, depressive, bipolar, and eating disorders are at higher familial risk for ADHD and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs), compared to diagnosed males. Method: We analysed data from a record-linkage of several Swedish national registers, including 151,025 sibling pairs from 103,941 unique index individuals diagnosed with anxiety, depressive, bipolar, or eating disorders, as well as data from 646,948 cousin pairs. We compared the likelihood of having a relative diagnosed with ADHD/NDs in index males and females. Results: Females with anxiety disorders were more likely than affected males to have a brother with ADHD [OR(CIs)=1.13(1.05-1.22)]. Results for broader NDs were similar and were driven by ADHD diagnoses. Follow-up analyses revealed similar point estimates for several categories of anxiety disorders, with the strongest effect observed for agoraphobia [OR(CIs)=1.64(1.12-2.39)]. No significant associations were found in individuals with depressive, bipolar, or eating disorders, or in cousins. Conclusions: These results provide modest support for the possibility that familial/genetic risks for ADHD may show sex-specific phenotypic expression. Alternatively, there could be sex-specific biases in diagnoses of anxiety and ADHD. These factors could play a small role in the observed sex differences in prevalence of ADHD and anxiety

A family-based study of the association between labor induction and offspring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and low academic achievement

The current study examined associations between labor induction and both (1) offspring attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis in a Swedish birth cohort born 1992-2005 (n = 1,085,008) and (2) indices of offspring low academic achievement in a sub-cohort born 1992-1997 (n = 489,196). Associations were examined in the entire sample (i.e., related and unrelated individuals) with adjustment for measured covariates and, in order to account for unmeasured confounders shared within families, within differentially exposed cousins and siblings. We observed an association between labor induction and offspring ADHD diagnosis and low academic achievement in the population. However, these associations were fully attenuated after adjusting for measured covariates and unmeasured factors that cousins and siblings share. The results suggest that observed associations between labor induction and ADHD and low academic achievement may be due to genetic and/or shared environmental factors that influence both mothers' risk of labor induction and offspring neurodevelopment.NoneAccepte

Истмико-цервикальная недостаточность и беременность: диагностика, лечение, профилактика

МЕТОДИЧЕСКИЕ РЕКОМЕНДАЦИИШЕЙКИ МАТКИ ФУНКЦИОНАЛЬНАЯ НЕДОСТАТОЧНОСТЬБЕРЕМЕННОСТИ ОСЛОЖНЕНИЯАБОРТ ПРИВЫЧНЫЙСЕРКЛЯЖ ШЕЙКИ МАТКИПРОГЕСТЕРОНПЕССАРИИИНТЕРНЫКЛИНИЧЕСКИЕ ОРДИНАТОРЫВ рекомендациях описаны современные методы диагностики и лечения пациентов с истмико-цервикальной недостаточностью, тактика ведения беременности при несостоятельности шейки матки. Издание предназначено для врачей акушеров-гинекологов, студентов медицинских вузов, врачей-интернов, клинических ординаторов