Billion In Losses Research Articles

Liquid Crystals as Lubricants

The review summarizes the literature data and the authors’ own research results on the application of liquid crystals in tribology. It has been shown that both thermotropic (calamitic, discotic, cholesteric) and lyotropic (surfactants, chromonics) mesogens as tribological additives are able to optimize the properties of lubricating compositions when introduced even at low concentrations to oils and greases. A wide possibility of varying the chemical structure of mesogens and studying the relationship between their structure and tribological properties can be used for the desired (programmed) change of the quality of tribotechnical processes. The synergism of the combined use of mesogenic esters of cholesterol and carbon nanostructures as additives in improving tribological properties has been established. The use of synthetic lubricants in biological systems still requires further research as the experimental results obtained on models of joint prostheses in vitro conditions are significantly worse than the results obtained in vivo. Considering the annual loss of billions of US dollars worldwide due to the low efficiency of friction processes in the industry and the resulting wear, liquid crystals and the systems based on them can be the most effective way to optimize these processes. The present review will be useful for researchers and industrialists.

Updating the application of Metarhizium anisopliae to control cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae)

The bovine tick, Rhipicephalus microplus, is the main ectoparasite of cattle and causes loss of billions of dollars worldwide in lost meat, milk, and leather production, as well as control expenses. In addition to systemically impacting the host during the parasitic act, this parasite is also an important disease vector. Traditionally, the main commercial control of the tick is achieved through application of chemical acaricides, which can leave residues in the meat and milk. Moreover, ticks can become resistant to these chemicals due to their massive and incorrect use. Many alternative methods have been tested including vaccines and natural products from plant origin. However, the efficacy of these treatments is variable and limited, especially when used alone. Arthropod-pathogenic fungi, such as Metarhizium anisopliae, are among the natural microbial agents with promising potential to be used alone or in association with other products, for example with chemical acaricides. This article discusses several aspects of bovine tick control related to the use of M. anisopliae, which is one of the most studied and viable alternative tools for effective tick control.

The DNA of a Testing Scam.

Federal agents raided a number of genetic testing laboratories in September 2019, resulting in 35 people being charged with fraudulent genetic testing associated with an estimated $2.1 billion in losses to federal healthcare insurance programs. The scams work in several ways. In some cases, an older adult is contacted by a customer service representative of the testing laboratory and told that Medicare pays for the genetic testing ordered, based on a simple cheek swab sample. This occurs when representatives of the testing laboratory have "arrangements" with providers who order the tests, often without the provider examining the patient. These providers may receive financial payment or other gifts for their efforts.

Staggering decline of bird populations

Biodiversity Loss Because birds are conspicuous and easy to identify and count, reliable records of their occurrence have been gathered over many decades in many parts of the world. Drawing on such data for North America, Rosenberg et al. report wide-spread population declines of birds over the past half-century, resulting in the cumulative loss of billions of breeding individuals across a wide range of species and habitats. They show that declines are not restricted to rare and threatened species—those once considered common and wide-spread are also diminished. These results have major implications for ecosystem integrity, the conservation of wildlife more broadly, and policies associated with the protection of birds and native ecosystems on which they depend. Science , this issue p. [120][1] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aaw1313

XPS Investigation of the Source of GPS Arc Contamination

Global positioning system (GPS) satellites are strongly suspected to arc into the space environment. Arcing on spacecraft due to differential charging can be blamed for a host of operational anomalies resulting in the loss of billions of dollars and productivity. In addition to anomalous behavior on spacecraft, arcing can be accused of an otherwise unexplained degradation in solar power production of GPS satellites while on orbit. In the study presented here, it will be shown that arcs on a GPS-representative solar array coupon under representative medium earth orbit/geosynchronous earth orbit (MEO/GEO)-like conditions result in contamination of solar panel coverglasses. This finding supports the argument that arc-induced contamination is a prime suspect in explaining the mysterious excess power loss of GPS satellites on orbit. Further, optical mapping suggests that this arcing occurs primarily at the edges of the sample panel where silicone adhesive with glass microspheres was exposed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals that the concentration of Si near the arc sites is increased, suggesting that the adhesive is ionized during the electrostatic discharge and coats the surface of the solar panel, resulting in reduced optical transmission through the coverglass and therefore reducing power production. X-ray depth profiling suggests that the silicon detected is due to surface contamination, and electrostatic simulations indicate that glass microspheres intended to reduce adhesive mass and produce a uniform bond-line may be exacerbating the arcing problem.

Liquid Atmospheric Pressure Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry Adds Enhanced Functionalities to MALDI MS Profiling for Disease Diagnostics.

A liquid matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (liquid MALDI) method has been developed for high-throughput atmospheric pressure (AP) mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of the molecular content of crude bioliquids for disease diagnostics. The presented method is rapid and highly robust, enabling its application in environments where speed and low-cost high-throughput analyses are required. Importantly, because of the creation of multiply charged analyte ions, it provides additional functionalities that conventional solid MALDI MS profiling is lacking, including the use of high-performance mass analyzers with limited m/z range. The concomitant superior MS/MS performance that is achieved similar to ESI MS/MS adds greater analytical power and specificity to MALDI MS profiling while retaining the advantages of a fast laser-based analysis system and off-line large-scale sample preparation. The potential of this MALDI MS profiling method is demonstrated on the detection of dairy cow mastitis, which is a substantial economic burden on the dairy industry with losses of hundreds of dollars per diseased cow per year, equating to a total annual loss of billions of dollars, as well as leading to the use of large quantities of antibiotics, adding to the proliferation of antimicrobial resistance. Only small amounts of aliquots obtained from the daily farm milking process were prepared for liquid MALDI MS profiling using a simple one-pot/two-step analyte extraction. Automated analysis was performed using a custom-built AP-MALDI ion source, enabling the simultaneous detection of lipids, peptides, and proteins. Diagnostic, multiply charged, proteinaceous ions were easily sequenced and identified by MS/MS experiments. Samples were classified according to mastitis status using multivariate analysis, achieving 98.5% accuracy (100% specificity) determined by “leave 20% out” cross-validation. The methodology is generally applicable to AP-MALDI MS profiling on most commercial high-resolution mass spectrometers, with the potential for expansion into hospitals for rapid assessment of human and other biofluids.

Consumer-facing technology fraud: Economics, attack methods and potential solutions

Abstract The emerging use of modern technologies has not only benefited society but also attracted fraudsters and criminals to misuse the technology for financial benefits. Fraud over the Internet has increased dramatically, resulting in an annual loss of billions of dollars to customers and service providers worldwide. Much of such fraud directly impacts individuals, both in the case of browser-based and mobile-based Internet services, as well as when using traditional telephony services, either through landline phones or mobiles. It is important that users of the technology should be both informed of fraud, as well as protected from frauds through fraud detection and prevention systems. In this paper, we present the anatomy of frauds for different consumer-facing technologies from three broad perspectives — we discuss Internet, mobile and traditional telecommunication, from the perspectives of losses through frauds over the technology, fraud attack mechanisms and systems used for detecting and preventing frauds. The paper also provides recommendations for securing emerging technologies from fraud and attacks.

PRS26 TOTAL ECONOMIC BURDEN OF ASTHMA IN THE UNITED STATES

The cost of asthma is an important measure of the impact of the disease on society. Presenting the burden of the disease in monetary terms provides critical information to decision makers for better allocation of health-care resources. In this study we analyzed the prevalence, medical costs, and costs of absenteeism (missed school and workdays) and mortality attributable to asthma. The primary source of data for this study was the 2008-2013 household component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). We used a two-part regression model to estimate annual per person medical expenditure and negative binomial models to estimate asthma-related absenteeism. We applied a human capital approach to measure the value of absenteeism and mortality. We used personal weights from MEPS to estimate national prevalence and costs of asthma. Prevalence of treated asthma in the United States ranged from 4.81% in 2008 to 5.16 in 2011. Over the 2008-2013 period, the annual per-person incremental medical cost of asthma was $3,266 (95% CI: 2,687-3,844) in 2015 US dollars, with $1,830 (1,409-2,251) attributable to prescription medication, $640 (504-776) to office-based providers visits, $176 (79-273) to hospital-based outpatient visits, $529 (288-771) to hospitalizations, and $105 (83-127) to emergency rooms visits. In total, during 2008-2013, asthma was responsible for $3 (2.2-3.6) billion in losses due to missed work and school days, $29 (28.1-29.9) billion due to asthma-related mortality, and $50.3 (32.0-68.7) billion in medical costs. All combined, the total cost of asthma in the United States based on the pooled sample amounted to $81.9 (63.5-100.3) billion in 2013. Asthma places a significant economic burden on the United States, with a total cost of asthma, including costs incurred by absenteeism and mortality, of almost $82 billion in 2013.

Delegated Monitoring, Institutional Ownership, and Corporate Misconduct Spillovers

Upon the revelation of corporate misconduct by firms in their portfolios, institutional investors experience a significant discount in the market value of their portfolios, creating a negative externality that averages $92.7 billion of losses per year. This negative spillover increases with stronger ownership links to misconduct firms, when more long-term investors hold such firms’ shares, and when the institutional investor should provide higher common ownership incentives, all of which lend support to a failed monitor hypothesis. These institutional investors experience significant fund outflows in the year immediately following the fraud incidents, which increase with misconduct severity and monitoring incentives.

FINANCIAL ABUSE OF THE ELDERLY: THE ROLE OF PSYCHIATRISTS: Session 415

Elder financial abuse is a common and underreported problem, causing more than $36 billion in losses annually and resulting in serious social and psychological consequences for its victims. Common sequelae of elder financial abuse include financial destitution, feelings of shame, guilt, anger, self-doubt, anxiety, insomnia, and depression. Psychiatric illnesses in late life can lead to diminished capacity to make financial decisions and render individuals vulnerable to undue influence, frauds, and scams. Elder financial abuse is best managed in multidisciplinary teams, with adult protective services workers, social workers, attorneys, law enforcement, psychiatrists and other physicians, family, and the patient all playing a role. Psychiatrists are important in the detection of elderly individuals who may be victimized by financial abuse and in helping them navigate the psychological sequelae of these circumstances. Psychiatrists can also be asked by attorneys for expert consultation in litigation regarding financial abuse in which the mental state of the elder is under question. Questions about capacity to make certain financial decisions, such as creating or changing a will or trust, assigning a financial durable power of attorney, or making investment or business decisions, as well as about vulnerability to undue influence, are among the most frequent types of questions asked of psychiatrists by the legal system. This session will speak about common types of elder financial abuse and about legal criteria for different decisional and functional financial capacities that psychiatrists can be asked to assess.

Comparative Case Study of Machine Learning Classification Techniques Using Imbalanced Credit Card Fraud Datasets

Today, the total transaction volume of credit cards is increasing consistently, as a result fraudulent transaction cases are also on a rise, producing losses in billions of dollars for financial institutions and banking sectors every year. Hence there is a need for a robust, reliable mechanism which is able to identify and prevent such fraudulent transactions effectively and efficiently. Some data mining techniques helps in detecting patterns between data attributes (classifying the transaction as fraudulent or non-fraudulent) and results in probabilistic prediction of the transaction category. In this study, multiple Machine Learning classification techniques are applied on a highly imbalanced datasets consisting of credit card transaction. ‘Chip and Pin’ is considered as one of the trusted mechanisms today in terms of securing payment transaction but even this mechanism doesn’t stops fake credit card utilizations on virtual Point Of Sale nodes or email orders known as an online 'credit card bankrupt'. It was observed that SVM, Random Forest and J48 Decision Tree classifiers yield a very high accuracy ratio but are suggested not to be leveraged while classifying such dataset where class imbalance is present. While thinking about these methodologies, this investigation gives a comprehensive overview of various classification methods, their highlights and restrictions of bankruptcy.

A Comparative Study and Performance Analysis of ATM Card Fraud Detection Techniques

ATM card fraud is increasing gradually with the expansion of modern technology and global communication. In the whole world, it is resulting in the loss of billions of dollars each year. Fraud detection systems have become essential for all ATM card issuing banks to minimize their losses. The main goals are, firstly, to review alternative techniques that have been used in fraud detection and secondly compare and analyze these techniques that are already used in ATM card fraud detection. Recently different card security systems used different fraud detection techniques; these techniques are based on neural network, genetic algorithm, hidden Markov model, Bayesian network, decision tree, clustering method, support vector machine, etc. According to our survey, the most important parameters used for comparing these fraud detection systems are accuracy, speed and cost of fraud detection. This study is very useful for any ATM card provider to choose an appropriate solution for fraud detection problem and also enable us to build a hybrid approach for developing some effective algorithms which can perform properly on fraud detection mechanism.

Bovine neutrophils form extracellular traps in response to the gastrointestinal parasite Ostertagia ostertagi

Ostertagia ostertagi (OO) is a widespread parasite that causes chronic infection in cattle and leads to annual losses of billions of dollars in the cattle industry. It remains unclear why cattle are unable to mount an effective immune response despite a large influx of immune cells to the infected abomasal mucosa and draining lymph nodes. Neutrophils, the immune system’s first responders, have the capacity to release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) to contain various pathogens, including some parasites. In the present study, the mechanisms by which O. ostertagi influences bovine NET formation were investigated. O. ostertagi larval soluble extract (OO extract) was able to induce typical NETs by purified neutrophils in vitro, confirmed by co-localization of extracellular DNA with typical NET-associated proteins histone and neutrophil elastase (NE). Consistent with existing literature, inhibition assays demonstrated that these OO extract-induced NETs were dependent upon the enzymes NADPH oxidase and myeloperoxidase (MPO). Live OO stage 4 larvae (L4) stimulated neutrophils to form NETs similar to those induced by OO extract. Bovine neutrophils also released NETs in response to Caenorhabditis elegans, a free-living soil nematode, suggesting that bovine NET production may be a conserved mechanism against a broad range of nematodes. This is the first report demonstrating O. ostertagi-induced NET formation by bovine neutrophils, a potentially underappreciated mechanism in the early immune response against nematode infections.

Modelling of Tsunami Forces on Coastal Structures: a Review

This paper reviews methods applicable to assess the impact of tsunami forces on coastal structures. Countries affected by tsunamis have proven that this environmental disaster has costed billions of losses, such as the event occurred during year 2004 Andaman tsunami. Therefore, there is a need to assess the structural behaviour upon the impact of tsunami forces in order to minimize the damages and to ensure that coastal structures are able to sustain loading from high current-velocity waves. Currently in practice, there are two approaches of accessing the impacts of tsunami on structures namely physical modelling and experiment or numerical modelling and simulation. Numerical modelling methods are expected to produce acceptable analysis on the stability and condition of structures subjected to tsunami loadings since it incorporates several important parameters which are not implemented in physical modelling. The result from this study is expected to prompt engineers and relevant authorities to revise the current design guidelines on coastal structures which could sustain possible tsunami event in the future.

Optimal Black Start Allocation for Power System Restoration

Equipment failures, operator errors, natural disasters and cyber-attacks can and have caused extended blackouts of the electric grid. Even though such events are rare, preparedness for them is critical because extended power outages endanger human lives, compromise national security, or result in economic losses of billions of dollars. Since most of the generating units cannot restart without connecting to an energized grid, the system operator relies on a few units with the ability to start autonomously, called Black Start (BS) units, to restore the power system. Allocating and maintaining these units is costly and can severely impact the restoration security and time. We formulate an optimization problem to optimally allocate BS units in the grid, while simultaneously optimizing over the restoration sequence. We extend existing optimal allocation models by including grid considerations such as active power nodal balance, transmission switching, nodal reactive power support and voltage limits. In order to aid the branch and bound tree that solves the resulting large scale mixed integer program, we propose a randomized heuristic that is executed multiple times in parallel on a high-performance computing environment to find feasible solutions. We proceed to solve the IEEE-39, the IEEE-118, and a simplified WECC system with 225 nodes and 136 generators to near optimality.

Effects of red clover isoflavones on tall fescue seed fermentation and microbial populations in vitro.

Negative impacts of endophyte-infected Lolium arundinaceum (Darbyshire) (tall fescue) are responsible for over $2 billion in losses to livestock producers annually. While the influence of endophyte-infected tall fescue has been studied for decades, mitigation methods have not been clearly elucidated. Isoflavones found in Trifolium pratense (red clover) have been the subject of recent research regarding tall fescue toxicosis mitigation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of ergovaline and red clover isoflavones on rumen microbial populations, fiber degradation, and volatile fatty acids (VFA) in an in vitro system. Using a dose of 1.10 mg × L-1, endophyte-infected or endophyte-free tall fescue seed was added to ANKOM fiber bags with or without 2.19 mg of isoflavones in the form of a control, powder, or pulverized tablet, resulting in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangements of treatments. Measurements of pH, VFA, bacterial taxa, as well as the disappearance of neutral detergent fiber (aNDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and crude protein (CP) were taken after 48 h of incubation. aNDF disappearance values were significantly altered by seed type (P = 0.003) and isoflavone treatment (P = 0.005), and ADF disappearance values were significantly different in a seed × isoflavone treatment interaction (P ≤ 0.05). A seed × isoflavone treatment interaction was also observed with respect to CP disappearance (P ≤ 0.05). Eighteen bacterial taxa were significantly altered by seed × isoflavone treatment interaction groups (P ≤ 0.05), eight bacterial taxa were increased by isoflavones (P ≤ 0.05), and ten bacterial taxa were altered by seed type (P ≤ 0.05). Due to the beneficial effect of isoflavones on tall fescue seed fiber degradation, these compounds may be viable options for mitigating fescue toxicosis. Further research should be conducted to determine physiological implications as well as microbiological changes in vivo.

CMBS and Conflicts of Interest: Evidence from Ownership Changes for Servicers

ABSTRACTSelf‐dealing is potentially important but difficult to measure. In this paper, I study special servicers in commercial mortgage‐backed securities (CMBS), which sell distressed assets on behalf of bondholders. Around 2010, ownership changes of four major servicers raised concerns that they may direct benefits to new owners' affiliates (buyers and service providers). Loans liquidated after ownership changes have greater loss rates than before (8 percentage points (p.p.), $2.3 billion in losses), relative to other (placebo) servicers. Together with a case study that tracks self‐dealing purchases, the findings point to potential steering conflicts that could incentivize tunneling through fees to service providers.

Asthma, Environment and Pollution: Where the Rubber Hits the Road.

The detrimental effects of environmental pollution on one's health are undeniable and have been demonstrated time and time again. Breathing in pollutants in ambient air often has consequences throughout the body, including cardiovascular disease, effects on the reproductive system, and oncologic implications. In the respiratory system, chronic exposure yields a number of outcomes, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma exacerbations, increased rates of hospitalizations, and increased severity of acute illnesses. On a macro-level, this morbidity and mortality then leads to vast and far-reaching public health consequences the world over, including the loss of billions of dollars' worth of labor. This is especially applicable in developing countries, which often undergo rapid growth, industrialization and urbanization with a resultant increase in vehicular traffic, coal combustion, and fuel emissions as a whole. For this reason, environmental pollutants have been studied extensively, and countries around the globe have established laws that regulate ambient air levels of so-called criteria pollutants. This article will explore several of these criteria pollutants, including particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and ozone, and their individual relationships to asthma pathophysiology. However, it is also emphasized that though each one of these toxins yields its own effects, the group of them often works together to have cumulative consequences. For these reasons and many more, it is important to remain aware and educated about these omnipresent environmental pollutants.

Co-overexpression of AVP1 and PP2A-C5 in Arabidopsis makes plants tolerant to multiple abiotic stresses

Abiotic stresses are major threats to agricultural production. Drought and salinity as two of the major abiotic stresses cause billions of losses in agricultural productivity worldwide each year. Thus, it is imperative to make crops more tolerant. Overexpression of AVP1 or PP2A-C5 was previously shown to increase drought and salt stress tolerance, respectively, in transgenic plants. In this study, the hypothesis that co-overexpression of AVP1 and PP2A-C5 would combine their respective benefits and further improve salt tolerance was tested. The two genes were inserted into the same T-DNA region of the binary vector and then introduced into the Arabidopsis genome through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing both AVP1 and PP2A-C5 at relatively high levels were identified and analyzed. These plants displayed enhanced tolerance to NaCl compared to either AVP1 or PP2A-C5 overexpressing plants. They also showed tolerance to other stresses such as KNO3 and LiCl at harmful concentrations, drought, and phosphorus deficiency at comparable levels with either AVP1 or PP2A-C5 overexpressing plants. This study demonstrates that introducing multiple genes in single T-DNA region is an effective approach to create transgenic plants with enhanced tolerance to multiple stresses.

Resistance of rice to insect pests mediated by suppression of serotonin biosynthesis.

Rice is one of the world's most important foods, but its production suffers from insect pests, causing losses of billions of dollars, and extensive use of environmentally damaging pesticides for their control1,2. However, the molecular mechanisms of insect resistance remain elusive. Although a few resistance genes for planthopper have been cloned, no rice germplasm is resistant to stem borers. Here, we report that biosynthesis of serotonin, a neurotransmitter in mammals3, is induced by insect infestation in rice, and its suppression confers resistance to planthoppers and stem borers, the two most destructive pests of rice2. Serotonin and salicylic acid derive from chorismate4. In rice, the cytochrome P450 gene CYP71A1 encodes tryptamine 5-hydroxylase, which catalyses conversion of tryptamine to serotonin5. In susceptible wild-type rice, planthopper feeding induces biosynthesis of serotonin and salicylic acid, whereas in mutants with an inactivated CYP71A1 gene, no serotonin is produced, salicylic acid levels are higher and plants are more insect resistant. The addition of serotonin to the resistant rice mutant and other brown planthopper-resistant genotypes results in a loss of insect resistance. Similarly, serotonin supplementation in artificial diet enhances the performance of both insects. These insights demonstrate that regulation of serotonin biosynthesis plays an important role in defence, and may prove valuable for breeding insect-resistant cultivars of rice and other cereal crops.