Determinants of the onshore and offshore Chinese Government yield curves

As part of its effort to internationalize the Renminbi, China's government has promoted the establishment of a regulated offshore Renminbi capital market hub in Hong Kong, where, among other activities, it issues RMB-denominated government bonds providing foreign investors access to Chinese bond markets. In a VAR model where yield curves are represented by Nelson-Siegel latent factors and which includes macroeconomic variables, we find that onshore government bond yields are primarily driven by policy-related factors such as the policy rate and money supply, whereas offshore government bond yields are additionally driven by market-related factors such as consumer confidence, GDP and FX rate expectations as well as liquidity constraints. At the current stage of market development there are virtually no spillover effects between the onshore and offshore government bond curves. Our results add quantitative evidence that China's efforts to internationalize its currency results in a simultaneous liberalization of its financial system

Stretchable electronic platform for soft and smart contact lens applications

A stretchable platform with spherical-shaped electronics based on thermo- plastic polyurethane (TPU) is introduced for soft smart contact lenses. The low glass transition temperature of TPU, its relatively low hardness, and its proven biocompatibility (i.e., protection of exterior body wounds) fulfill the essential requirements for eye wearable devices. These requirements include optical transparency, conformal fitting, and flexibility comparable with soft contact lenses (e.g., hydrogel-based). Moreover, the viscoelastic nature of TPU allows planar structures to be thermoformed into spherical caps with a well-defined curvature (i.e., eye’s curvature at the cornea: 9 mm). Numerical modeling and experimental validation enable fine-tuning of the thermo - forming parameters and the optimization of strain-release patterns. Such tight control is proven necessary to achieve oxygen permeable, thin, nonde- velopable, and wrinkle-free contact lenses with integrated electronics (silicon die, radio-frequency antenna, and stretchable thin-film interconnections). This work paves the way toward fully autonomous smart contact lenses potentially for vision correction or sensing applications, among others

Inhibition of ADAMTS4 (aggrecanase-1) by tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP-1, 2, 3 and 4)

AbstractADAMTS4 (aggrecanase-1) is considered to play a key role in the degradation of aggrecan in arthritides. The inhibitory activity of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) to ADAMTS4 was examined in an assay using aggrecan substrate. Among the four TIMPs, TIMP-3 inhibited the activity most efficiently with an IC50 value of 7.9 nM, which was at least 44-fold lower than that of TIMP-1 (350 nM) and TIMP-2 (420 nM) and >250-fold less than that of TIMP-4 (2 μM for 35% inhibition). These results suggest that TIMP-3 is a potent inhibitor against the aggrecanase activity of ADAMTS4 in vivo

Thick-layer resists for surface micromachining

Abstract. Interest in thick-photoresist applications is steadily growing. In addition to bump fabrication and wire interconnect technology (WIT), the process of patterning thick-layer photoresists by UV lithography is specially qualified for applications in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Specialized equipment and new photoresists have been developed or are under development to cope with the new challenges in the field of preparing extremely thick photoresist layers, the process of patterning these thick resists, and to deal with the difficulties of the following galvanoplating step. As one of the most critical steps in thick-photoresist processing, the baking procedure was investigated. Positive tone photoresists (AZ 4562, ma-P 100) were processed by means of three different baking methods: air-forced oven, ramped hotplate, and IR radiation. It could be shown that IR baking is advantageous compared to the other methods with respect to process duration and energy consumption. As for edge steepness, resolution, edge loss, and surface roughness, all methods deliver nearly the same results. A minimum width of 2-3 µm for the resist bars was found to be necessary to withstand the fabrication process of lines and spaces in about 15 µm thick resists. For thicker layers, high aspect ratios of about 10 as well as steep edges of more than 88 • could be fabricated. The development of SU-8, a chemically amplified negative tone photoresist for the 300-450 nm region opened totally new dimensions for the UV depth lithography. Even under development, SU-8 delivers results otherwise only achievable by x-ray lithography. The deposition of photoresist on highly-structured surfaces demands advanced methods. Electrodeposition of resist is one solution. PEPR 2400 was used for patterning by UV light in order to generate resist patterns around a free standing silicon bar. The achieved resist patterns were moulded by using electroplating. For microsystem applications some metals and alloys were deposited. Three-dimensional micro components were fabricated as demonstrators for the new technique. Electrodeposition allows the use of materials with interesting properties which could not be provided by standard processes in microelectronics

Expression profiling of metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases in normal and degenerate human achilles tendon

To profile the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression for the 23 known genes of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), 19 genes of ADAMTS, 4 genes of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), and ADAM genes 8, 10, 12, and 17 in normal, painful, and ruptured Achilles tendons. Tendon samples were obtained from cadavers or from patients undergoing surgical procedures to treat chronic painful tendinopathy or ruptured tendon. Total RNA was extracted and mRNA expression was analyzed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction, normalized to 18S ribosomal RNA. In comparing expression of all genes, the normal, painful, and ruptured Achilles tendon groups each had a distinct mRNA expression signature. Three mRNA were not detected and 14 showed no significant difference in expression levels between the groups. Statistically significant (P < 0.05) differences in mRNA expression, when adjusted for age, included lower levels of MMPs 3 and 10 and TIMP-3 and higher levels of ADAM-12 and MMP-23 in painful compared with normal tendons, and lower levels of MMPs 3 and 7 and TIMPs 2, 3, and 4 and higher levels of ADAMs 8 and 12, MMPs 1, 9, 19, and 25, and TIMP-1 in ruptured compared with normal tendons. The distinct mRNA profile of each tendon group suggests differences in extracellular proteolytic activity, which would affect the production and remodeling of the tendon extracellular matrix. Some proteolytic activities are implicated in the maintenance of normal tendon, while chronically painful tendons and ruptured tendons are shown to be distinct groups. These data will provide a foundation for further study of the role and activity of many of these enzymes that underlie the pathologic processes in the tendon

O movimento e a criança em idade pré-escolar, na faixa etária dos 3 aos 5 anos

Orientadora: Maria Regina Ferreira da CostaMonografia (licenciatura) - Universidade Federal do Paraná. Setor de Ciências Biológicas. Curso de Educação Físic

Comparison of Different Caching Techniques for High-Performance Web Map Services

The demand for digital maps on the Internet has increased considerably in the last few years. Therefore the performance of Web Mapping Services is becoming more and more important. This article introduces different caching techniques for high performance transfer of data using standardized Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Map Services (WMS). It describes and examines different caching mechanisms based on tile caching, reverse proxy caching and web application acceleration. Furthermore it demonstrates benefits, problems and how data needs to be modified for different caching techniques. The article outlines the advantages of WMS caching systems and investigates the behaviour of these systems with an increasing number of concurrent requests using benchmark tests. This includes the examination of applicability of the INSPIRE service level agreement for view services

FYCO1 Frameshift Deletion in Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Dogs with Juvenile Cataract

Different breed-specific inherited cataracts have been described in dogs. In this study, we investigated an inbred family of Wirehaired Pointing Griffon dogs in which three offspring were affected by juvenile cataract. The pedigree suggested monogenic autosomal recessive inheritance of the trait. Whole-genome sequencing of an affected dog revealed 12 protein-changing variants that were not present in 566 control genomes, of which two were located in functional candidate genes, FYCO1 and CRYGB. Targeted genotyping of both variants in the investigated family excluded CRYGB and revealed perfect co-segregation of the FYCO1 variant with the juvenile cataract phenotype. This variant, FYCO1:c.2024delG, represents a 1 bp frameshift deletion predicted to truncate ~50 of the open reading frame p.(Ser675Thrfs*5). FYCO1 encodes the FYVE and coiled-coil domain autophagy adaptor 1, a known regulator of lens autophagy, which is required for the normal homeostasis in the eye. In humans, at least 37 pathogenic variants in FYCO1 have been shown to cause autosomal recessive cataract. Fcyo1&minus;/&minus; knockout mice also develop cataracts. Together with the current knowledge on FYCO1 variants and their functional impact in humans and mice, our data strongly suggest FYCO1:c.2024delG as a candidate causative variant for the observed juvenile cataract in Wirehaired Pointing Griffon dogs. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first report of a FYCO1-related cataract in domestic animals

PCYT1A Missense Variant in Vizslas with Disproportionate Dwarfism

Disproportionate dwarfism phenotypes represent a heterogeneous subset of skeletal dysplasias and have been described in many species including humans and dogs. In this study, we investigated Vizsla dogs that were affected by disproportionate dwarfism that we propose to designate as skeletal dysplasia 3 (SD3). The most striking skeletal changes comprised a marked shortening and deformation of the humerus and femur. An extended pedigree with six affected dogs suggested autosomal recessive inheritance. Combined linkage and homozygosity mapping localized a potential genetic defect to a ~4 Mb interval on chromosome 33. We sequenced the genome of an affected dog, and comparison with 926 control genomes revealed a single, private protein-changing variant in the critical interval, PCYT1A:XM_038583131.1:c.673T>C, predicted to cause an exchange of a highly conserved amino acid, XP_038439059.1:p.(Y225H). We observed perfect co-segregation of the genotypes with the phenotype in the studied family. When genotyping additional Vizslas, we encountered a single dog with disproportionate dwarfism that did not carry the mutant PCYT1A allele, which we hypothesize was due to heterogeneity. In the remaining 130 dogs, we observed perfect genotype–phenotype association, and none of the unaffected dogs were homozygous for the mutant PCYT1A allele. PCYT1A loss-of-function variants cause spondylometaphyseal dysplasia with cone–rod dystrophy (SMD-CRD) in humans. The skeletal changes in Vizslas were comparable to human patients. So far, no ocular phenotype has been recognized in dwarf Vizslas. We propose the PCYT1A missense variant as a candidate causative variant for SD3. Our data facilitate genetic testing of Vizslas to prevent the unintentional breeding of further affected puppies