This paper describes a parsimonious methodology employed by the World Bank for estimating potential output using the production function method. Despite the necessity of strong assumptions, sensitivity analysis suggests the reported estimates for 159 countries are robust to alternative specifications. Moreover, for the majority of countries estimated output gaps are positively correlated with inflation acceleration and negatively correlated with current account balances. An examination of estimated output gaps and post-crisis economic developments in several middle-income countries suggest that the methods can play a useful role in guiding macroeconomic policy.

This paper investigates the stationarity behavior of the ex-post real interest rates (RIRs) for 12 Asian countries. Formal tests conducted indicate that high persistence is an intrinsic characteristic in the majority of the RIRs. We consider local-persistent model to assess the degree of persistence in these series. The findings from this devise reveal that RIRs are persistent, but are characterized by a mean-reverting process. The consistency of the persistence comparable amongst the series is confirmed after accounting for the volatility of the consumption growth. Applying a test proposed by Leybourne et al. (2007a) that allows for long memory dynamics, we reconfirm the characteristic of the series. Building on previous studies, this paper provides favorable support for the long-run Fisher hypothesis and help to solve an intertemporal consumption behavior puzzle across the emerging and advanced countries. Finally, the results for the G-7 countries are presented for comparison.

This paper investigates the stationarity behavior of the ex-post real interest rates (RIRs) for 12 Asian countries. Formal tests conducted indicate that high persistence is an intrinsic characteristic in the majority of the RIRs. We consider local-persistent model to assess the degree of persistence in these series. The findings from this devise reveal that RIRs are persistent, but are characterized by a mean-reverting process. The consistency of the persistence comparable amongst the series is confirmed after accounting for the volatility of the consumption growth. Applying a test proposed by Leybourne et al. (2007a) that allows for long memory dynamics, we reconfirm the characteristic of the series. Building on previous studies, this paper provides favorable support for the long-run Fisher hypothesis and help to solve an intertemporal consumption behavior puzzle across the emerging and advanced countries. Finally, the results for the G-7 countries are presented for comparison.

Impaired production of healthy hematopoietic cells from residual hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) leads to high mortality in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Previous studies have identified p21 and Egr3 as intrinsic factors responsible for the growth arrest and differentiation blockade of normal HSCs in leukemia; however, the related extrinsic factors remain unknown. In this study, we found that transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) signaling was upregulated in HSCs from bone marrow of mice with MLL-AF9-induced acute myeloid leukemia (AML) because of excessive production of TGFβ1, especially from megakaryocytes, and overactivation of latent TGFβ1 protein. We also found that SMAD3, a signal transducer of TGFβ1, directly bound to Egr3 and upregulated its expression to arrest proliferation of HSCs. Our study provides evidence for targeting TGFβ1 in AML to rectify normal hematopoiesis defects in clinical practice.

The hormonal management of patients with androgen insensitivity can be challenging.An illustrative case is presented of a newborn with ambiguous genitalia who was raised female. She was diagnosed as 46,XY Disorder of Sexual Development with partial androgen insensitivity. To induce puberty, conjugated equine estrogens were administered beginning at age 12. At age 13, she instead began taking combined oral contraceptives for maternal concerns about height and continued taking them for social reasons. Invasive ductal carcinoma was diagnosed at age 27, and the patient was treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, bilateral mastectomies, and endocrine therapy.The current literature is reviewed, and hormonal management and other risks for breast cancer are discussed.

We have found that there are usually 2 causes of acute dyspnea in our emergency department: (1) pulmonary infection only and (2) pulmonary infection in the setting of acute left ventricular heart failure (LVHF). These conditions are sometimes difficult to differentiate. Lung ultrasonography (LUS) is easily performed at the bedside and provides accurate information for diagnosis. In this study, we propose a simple B-line score to allow rapid differential diagnosis between these 2 lung conditions.A prospective, single-blind trial was conducted on 98 patients with acute dyspnea in the emergency department. Lung ultrasonography and transthoracic echocardiography were performed within 30 minutes after enrollment. The final clinical diagnosis was recorded for all patients. Using the Bedside Lung Ultrasound in Emergency protocol, we recorded the number of B lines at 4 standardized points. Based on the theory of Lichtenstein, scores of 1, 2, 3, and 4 were categorized by the number of B lines on a static screen (0 to < 3, 3 to < 6, 6 to < 8, and ≥ 8, respectively). The B-line score of 4 Bedside Lung Ultrasound in Emergency protocol points was recorded, and the total B-line score was calculated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the accuracy of the rapid ultrasound measurements for the final clinical diagnosis.In our study, 27 patients were diagnosed with pulmonary infection and acute LVHF. The total number of B lines and the B-line score in patients with pulmonary infection in the setting of acute LVHF were 24.2 ± 2.5 and 11.5 ± 1.5, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in patients with pulmonary infection (12.5 ± 6.4 and 7.2 ± 1.9) (P = .000). In patients with pulmonary infection and acute LVHF, the effective diagnostic value of left ventricular ejection fraction and the total B-line score were similar (area under the ROC curve: 0.986 vs 0.962, P = .2607). The cutoff value of the total B-line score was 8, with a sensitivity of 80.7% and a specificity of 100%. A combination of LUS and echocardiography might improve the diagnostic accuracy (area under the ROC curve: 0.994; 95% confidence interval, 0.981-1.000; P = .000).This simple B-line score with LUS can help make a rapid differential diagnosis between pulmonary infection and pulmonary infection with acute LVHF. The diagnostic accuracy may be enhanced when used in conjunction with echocardiography.

We show that for any ϵ>0 the number of rational points of height less than B on the image of a degree d map from P1 to P2 is bounded above by CdB2/d+d2, where the point is that for fixed d the constant Cd is independent of the choice of map. This improves on a result of Heath-Brown, which states that for any ϵ>0 the number of rational points of height less than B on a degree d plane curve is Od,ϵ(B2/d+ϵ). It is known that Heath-Brownʼs theorem is sharp apart from the ϵ; our results show that for our degree d rational curves it is true with ϵ=0.

It is unclear how radiographic measurements of cup position are sensitive to deviations from a perfect AP pelvis image.To quantify changes in radiographic measurements of cup abduction angle due to pelvic tilt or obliquity.Part A, a retrospective comparison of radiographic cup abduction angle measurements from intraoperative and post-operative radiographs of 23 patients undergoing THA. Part B, a pelvic sawbones model was used to quantify changes in radiographic measurement of cup abduction angle due to known changes in pelvic tilt or obliquity.Part A, a perfect AP pelvis was obtained in just 30% of intraoperative radiographs. The mean intraoperative cup angle measurement was underestimated by 3.4° compared to post-operative standard radiographs. In Part B, pelvic tilt caused cup abduction angle measurement to decrease on inlet view and increase on outlet view. Pelvic obliquity caused cup abduction angle measurement to decrease on obturator oblique view and increase on iliac oblique view.A trend exists toward slight underestimation of cup abduction angle measurement using intraoperative radiographs. Pelvic tilt or obliquity alters the measured cup abduction angle in known directions.

In this paper, the Analog Equation Method (AEM), a boundary element based method, is employed for the analysis of homogenous beams of arbitrary cross section (thin- or thick-walled) taking into account nonuniform warping and shear deformation effects (shear lag due to both flexure and torsion), considering a B-spline approximation for the fictitious loads of a substitute problem. The fictitious loads are established using a BEM-based technique and the solution of the original problem is obtained from the integral representation of the solution of the substitute problem. The beam is subjected to the combined action of arbitrarily distributed or concentrated axial and transverse loading, as well as to bending, twisting and warping moments. Its edges are subjected to the most general boundary conditions, including also elastic support. Nonuniform warping distributions are taken into account by employing four independent warping parameters multiplying a shear warping function in each direction and two torsional warping functions, which are obtained by solving corresponding boundary value problems, formulated exploiting the longitudinal local equilibrium equation. Ten one-dimensional boundary value problems are described by second-order differential equations. Integrating B-splines in the AEM technique, the computational cost is efficiently reduced while the results are highly accurate.

HRAID is motivated by the storage bricks paradigm. Each Storage Node - SN has a controller implementing the intranode erasure code over SN's disks. HRAID uses a multilevel RAID paradigm with internode erasure coding. Disk failures can be handled by intra-node redundancy firstly and internode redundancy secondly. Internode coding can handle SN failures. Nodes may be provided with higher levels of redundancy RAID(4+k),k⩾1 greater than zero. Disk failures are handled by restriping at each node, i.e., overwriting check strips with data strips from the failed disk. A baseline array with no interdisk redundancy is considered for comparison purposes. Operations with and without intranode rebuild processing are considered. Simulation is used to determine the effect of varying HRAID parameters on the Mean Time to Data Loss - MTTDL.