Shorter Lag Time Research Articles

Identification of a Novel Dehydrogenase from Gluconobacter oxydans for Degradation of Inhibitors Derived from Lignocellulosic Biomass

Inhibitors from lignocellulosic biomass have become the bottleneck of biorefinery development. Gluconobacter oxydans DSM2003 showed a high performance of inhibitors degradation, which had a short lag time in non-detoxified corn stover hydrolysate and could convert 90% of aldehyde inhibitors to weaker toxic acids. In this study, an aldehyde dehydrogenase gene W826-RS0111485, which plays an important function in the conversion of aldehyde inhibitors in Gluconobacter oxydans DSM2003, was identified. W826-RS0111485 was found by protein profiling, then a series of enzymatic properties were determined and were heterologously expressed in E. coli. The results indicated that NADP is the most suitable cofactor of the enzyme when aldehyde inhibitor is the substrate, and it had the highest oxidation activity to furfural among several aldehyde inhibitors. Under the optimal reaction conditions (50 °C, pH 7.5), the Km and Vmax of the enzyme under furfural stress were 2.45 and 80.97, respectively, and the Kcat was 232.22 min−1. The biodetoxification performance experiments showed that the recombinant E. coli containing the target gene completely converted 1 g/L furfural to furoic acid within 8 h, while the control E. coli only converted 18% furfural within 8 h. It was further demonstrated that W826-RS0111485 played an important role in the detoxification of furfural. The mining of this inhibitor degradation gene could provide a theoretical basis for rational modification of industrial strains to enhance its capacity of inhibitor degradation in the future.

Unified Framework for Ship Detection in Multi-Frequency SAR Images: A Demonstration with COSMO-SkyMed, Sentinel-1, and SAOCOM Data

In the framework of maritime surveillance, vessel detection techniques based on spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images have promoted extensive applications for the effective understanding of unlawful activities at sea. This paper deals with this topic, presenting a novel approach that exploits a cascade application of a pre-screening algorithm and a discrimination phase. Pre-screening is based on a constant false alarm rate (CFAR) detector, whereas discrimination exploits sub-look analysis (SLA). For the first time, the method has been validated with experiments on multi-frequency (C-, X-, and L-band) SAR images, demonstrating a significant reduction of up to 40% in false alarms within highly congested scenarios, along with a notable enhancement of the receiving operating characteristic (ROC) curves. For future synergic exploitation of multiple SAR missions, the developed dataset, composed of Sentinel-1, SAOCOM, and COSMO-SkyMed images, is comprehensive, having images gathered over the same area with a short time lag (below 15 min). Finally, the diversified processing chains and the results for each mission product and scenario are discussed. Being the first dataset of single-look complex (SLC) SAR multi-frequency data, the present work intends to encourage additional investigation in this promising field of research.

Hydrogeological characteristics of waterlogged areas in Natore District, Bangladesh

Waterlogging (WL) refers to the process by which water flow is resisted in vertical and horizontal directions and thus water stagnates for a short or long span of time; it is induced by a combination of human and natural factors. In the southwestern region of Bangladesh, including Natore District, WL is a significant issue that needs to be addressed if agricultural activity is to be successful. This study aimed to identify surface WL in Natore District and to characterise the WL scenario in the study area in terms of hydrogeology. Waterlogged areas were identified with a geographic information system using satellite images corresponding to the premonsoon and postmonsoon periods. Using groundwater level data (1990–2017), the pre- and postmonsoon scenarios of the waterlogged areas were indicated by seasonal and perennial types of WL. Groundwater recharge scenarios were classified as long and short lag times. Most of the study area was characterised by thick clay or silty clay surficial layers with low water penetration rates, resulting from low porosity and low hydraulic conductivity. The cross-correlation between rainfall and groundwater level revealed the response of groundwater to rainfall, with a lag time of 1–5 months. Long lag time areas exhibited slow groundwater recharge and significant groundwater level fluctuation, with lower hydraulic conductivity values of 49.37–76.24 m/day. In contrast, short lag time areas displayed rapid groundwater recharge and small groundwater fluctuation due to a good proportional relationship with rainfall and higher hydraulic conductivity values of 74.74–117.79 m/day.

An active microbiome in Old Faithful geyser.

Natural thermal geysers are hot springs that periodically erupt liquid water, steam, and gas. They are found in only a few locations worldwide, with nearly half located in Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Old Faithful geyser (OFG) is the most iconic in YNP and attracts millions of visitors annually. Despite extensive geophysical and hydrological study of geysers, including OFG, far less is known of the microbiology of geysed waters. Here, we report geochemical and microbiological data from geysed vent water and vent water that collects in a splash pool adjacent to OFG during eruptions. Both waters contained microbial cells, and radiotracer studies showed that they fixed carbon dioxide (CO2) when incubated at 70°C and 90°C. Shorter lag times in CO2 fixation activity were observed in vent and splash pool waters incubated at 90°C than 70°C, suggesting cells are better adapted or acclimated to temperatures like those in the OFG vent (∼92-93°C). 16S rDNA and metagenomic sequence data indicated that both communities are dominated by the autotroph Thermocrinis, which likely fuels productivity through the aerobic oxidation of sulfide/thiosulfate in erupted waters or steam. Dominant OFG populations, including Thermocrinis and subdominant Thermus and Pyrobaculum strains, exhibited high-strain level genomic diversity (putative ecotypes) relative to populations from nongeysing YNP hot springs that is attributed to the temporal chemical and temperature dynamics caused by eruptions. These findings show that OFG is habitable and that its eruption dynamics promote genomic diversity, while highlighting the need to further research the extent of life in geyser systems such as OFG.

Rapid movements at segment boundaries.

This paper reports on a one-to-one aspect of the articulatory-acoustic relationship, explaining how acoustic segment boundaries are a result of the rapid movements of the active articulators. In the acceleration profile, these are identified as acceleration peaks, which can be measured. To test the relationship, consonant and vowel segment durations are compared to articulatory posture intervals based on acceleration peaks, and time lags are measured on the alignment of the segment boundaries to the acceleration peaks. Strong relationships and short time lags are expected when the acceleration peaks belong to crucial articulators, whereas weak relationships are expected when the acceleration peaks belong to non-crucial articulators. The results show that lip posture intervals are indeed strongly correlated with [m], and tongue tip postures are strongly correlated with [n]. This is confirmed by the time lag results, which also reveal that the acoustic boundaries precede the acceleration peaks. Exceptions to the predictions are attributed to the speech material or the joint jaw-lip control unit. Moreover, the vowel segments are strongly correlated with the consonantal articulators while less correlated with the tongue body, suggesting that acceleration of crucial consonantal articulators determines not only consonant segment duration but also vowel segment duration.

Development and Evaluation of Luliconazole Nail Lacquer Containing Potential Permeation Enhancers for an Enhanced Transungual Drug Delivery

Background: Topical therapy for nail infection has a serious drawback of drug permea-tion via keratinized human nail plate. Onychomycosis, or tinea unguium, is a human nail fungal infection affecting nearly 19% of the world’s population. Aim: Purposely, we aimed to develop and evaluate nail lacquer formulations incorporated with lu-liconazole utilizing different permeation enhancers for targeted transungual drug delivery. Nail clippings were treated with luliconazole solution (5% w/v) with or without permeation enhancers and screened by determining the hydration enhancement factor and retention of the drug in the nail clippings. Different batches of nail lacquer formulations were prepared to employ Eudragit, poly-ethylene glycol 400, Tween 80, and permeation enhancer with the highest hydration enhancement factor value. Methods: Successively, the formulations were evaluated for studies like compatibility, application, gloss, blush, smoothness of flow, adhesion, non-volatile content, etc. Based on the results of physi-cal characterization and in vitro release study, formulations based on Eudragit RLPO and RSPO containing N-acetylcysteine and urea and the Eudragit RL100 containing urea as penetration en-hancer were found to be potentially useful. Furthermore, a comparative ex vivo evaluation of the formulations for permeation across the nail clippings revealed that the luliconazole-loaded Eudragit RLPO formulations containing N-acetylcysteine and urea provided the highest flux (5.12 μg/cm2/min) and shortest lag time (17.4 min). Results: Morphological analysis showed an increase in the number of pores on the nail surface, leading to the enhancement of drug diffusion across the nail matrix and nail bed. Conclusion: Furthermore, the luliconazole nail lacquer formulation exhibited higher antifungal ac-tivity, viscosity, and stability properties. Hence, the results suggest that the developed luliconazole nail lacquer formulation is an efficient topical transungual drug delivery system.

Anthropogenically-forced weakening of the Indian summer monsoon and enhancement of the western North Pacific tropical cyclogenesis

This study addresses the role of human-induced climate change on the interactions of convective activities between the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) and western North Pacific (WNP) regions - an important scientific issue which has been hitherto overlooked. We have examined this problem using two numerical experiments of a high-resolution climate model, with and without anthropogenic forcing (i.e., HIST and HISTNAT) for the historical period 1951–2005, supplemented by innovative diagnostics like causal network analysis. Our findings suggest that an anthropogenically-forced weakening of the ISM circulation tends to significantly enhance the genesis potential index (GPI) of the WNP tropical cyclones by 13.5% and associated convective activities, by reorienting the large-scale flow over the tropical Indo-Pacific in a manner that is conducive for enhancement of the WNP tropical cyclogenesis. Additionally, it is found that the probability of extremely low sea-level pressure (SLP) (<995.5 hPa) around Taiwan and Chinese mainland is significantly higher by 10.3% in the anthropogenically-forced simulation as compared to the natural run. Using the model outputs from HIST and HISTNAT, we also performed a causal effect network (CEN) analysis to understand the causal connections among the three indices involved in the ISM-WNP interactions (a) Indian monsoon circulation index (IMI) which is the difference in the area-averaged 850 hPa zonal winds between the boxes (40oE-80oE, 5oN-15oN) and (70oE-90oE, 20oN-30oN) (b) WNP tropical cyclone activity expressed as the genesis potential index (GPI) averaged over the region (120oE-180oE, 5oN-30oN) and (c) Tropical Indo-Pacific wind index (IPWND) which is based on the 850 hPa zonal winds averaged over the domain (100oE-130oE, 5oN-20oN). Results from the CEN analysis indicate that an anthropogenically-forced weakening of the IMI can lead to possible strengthening of GPI and IPWND with time-lags of 5 and 7 days, respectively. In general, it is noted that the causal relationships among IMI, GPI and IPWND are associated with shorter time-lags (∼4–9 days) in HIST and longer time-lags (∼19–28 days) in HISTNAT.

Temperature of quiet Sun small scale brightenings observed by EUI on board Solar Orbiter: Evidence for a cooler component

Context. On May 30, 2020, small and short-lived extreme-UV (EUV) brightenings in the quiet Sun were observed over a four-minute sequence by the EUV channel of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager – High Resolution Imager (EUIHRIEUV) on board the Solar Orbiter. The brightenings’ physical origin and possible impact on coronal or transition region (TR) heating are still to be determined. Aims. Our aim is to derive the statistical thermal evolution of these events in order to establish their coronal or TR origin. Methods. Our thermal analysis took advantage of the multithermal sensitivity of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. We first identified the HRIEUV events in the six coronal bands of AIA. We then performed a statistical time lag analysis that quantified the delays between the light curves from different bands, as these time lags can give significant insight into the temperature evolution of the events. The analysis was performed taking into account the possible contribution of the background and foreground emissions to the results. Results. For all nine couples of AIA bands analyzed, the brightening events are characterized by time lags inferior to the AIA cadence of 12 s. Our interpretation for these short time lags is the possible copresence of events that reach or do not reach coronal temperatures (≈1 MK). We believe that the cool population dominates the events analyzed in this work.

Using Satellite Nighttime Light to Measure Socio-Economic Activity in Africa Before and After COVID

Using satellite nighttime light (NTL) data as a proxy to measure socio-economic activity in normal times has been well-established in the remote sensing literature. In the recent years, the NTL composites produced by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) revealed a dimming of light in major cities during the COVID pandemic in large countries like China, India, and U.S. To test whether NTL remained a valid proxy of economic and human activity during upheaval times at the country level, this paper examined the association between NTL and GDP, CO2 emissions, and electricity consumption in all countries in Africa in the period of 2014-2021. The results indicated that NTL is associated with these three socio-economic indicators in a significant manner before and after the COVID pandemic. The model demonstrated high performance of NTL as a proxy for GDP and CO2 emissions in both periods while less so for electricity consumption (with R2=0.53, 0.48, 0.36, respectively, during pre-COVID period of 2014-19; and with R2=0.49, 0.45, 0.26, respectively, for 2014-2021 with COVID dummies). As NTL data are free and available at granular spatial and temporal levels for most areas on Earth with just a short time lag, the methodology offered an alternative to consistently measure economic and human activities and impact on the environment during normal times and after external shocks. This has the potential to fill data gaps, including for countries with weak capacity, and aid policy making to support sustainable green growth and provide information swiftly for post-disaster recovery.

Glycosidic linkage of rare and new-to-nature disaccharides reshapes gut microbiota in vitro

The impact of glycosidic linkage of seven rare and new-to-nature disaccharides on gut bacteria was assessed in vitro. The community shift of the inocula from four donors in response to 1 % (w/v) disaccharide supplementation was captured by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. A significant loss of bacterial alpha diversity, short lag time, low pH, and high total short-chain fatty acid displayed a faster fermentation of trehalose(Glc-α1,1α-Glc) and fibrulose(fructan, DP2-10). Bacteroides reduced in relative abundance under disaccharide supplementation suggesting a loss in complex carbohydrates metabolizing capacity. Fibrulose and l-arabinose glucoside(Glc-α1,3-l-Ara) significantly stimulated bifidobacteria but was suppressed with trehalose, ribose glucoside(Glc-α1,2-Rib), and 4′-epitrehalose(Glc-α1,1α-Gal) supplementation. Albeit insignificant, bifidobacteria increased with 4′-epikojibiose(Glc-α1,2-Gal), nigerose(Glc-α1,3-Glc), and kojibiose(Glc-α1,2-Glc). Prior conditioning of inoculum in kojibiose medium profoundly induced bifidobacteria by 44 % and 55 % upon reinoculation into kojibiose and fibrulose-supplemented media respectively. This study has demonstrated the importance of the disaccharide structure–function relationship in driving the gut bacterial community.

지방자치단체의 불용액 현황

This article examines local goverment’s unused-spending status-quo by defining unused-spending concepts based on theoretical approach and highlighting the relationshp between central-local financial actitvities.
 As a result, we argue that the perception of local government’s unused-spending depends largely on how organizational performances are; there are different approach between agent theory approach and resource based view approach. we found the external factors increasing the unused-spending at the relationship between local government and central government’s department. Local governments’ financial autonomy depends largely on the amount of subsidy from central government’s project. This relationship influences the growth of the unused-spending by rapid project process short time lag to spend budget implementation. Also, it reduces local government’s creative budget plan before receiving the subsidy.
 we suggest policy alternatives to manage the unused-spending amount at local government. Our suggestions is about the improvement of the special fund account by using sunset law that designate the termination of governmental program unless the legislature affirmatively acts to renew it.

Continuity and change in lithic techno-economy of the early Acheulian on the Ethiopian highland: A case study from locality MW2; the Melka Wakena site-complex.

Recent research has made great strides clarifying the chronology, temporal span, and geographic and technological patterning of the Acheulian in eastern Africa. However, highland occurrences of the Acheulian remain under-represented and their relationship to cultural dynamics in the Rift are still poorly understood. Recently, a stratified sequence of four archaeological layers, recording Acheulian occupations dated between ~1.6 Ma and ~1.3 Ma, has been discovered in locality MW2 of the Melka Wakena site-complex (south-central Ethiopian highlands). This database enabled a systematic exploration of the question of tempo and mode of technological changes at a local sequence, allowing, for the first time, comparison with other highland sites as well as in the Rift. The detailed techno-economic study presented in this study shows that the early Acheulian at the locality was characterized by the co-existence of lithic reduction sequences for small debitage and for flake-based Large Cutting Tool production. In the early, ~1.6 Ma assemblage, a strategy of variable raw material exploitation and technological emphasis on small debitage were coupled with production of few crude bifacial elements. These shifted at ~1.4 Ma towards a preferential and intensive exploitation of a highly knappable glassy ignimbrite and emphasis on Large Cutting Tool production, including higher investment in their techno-morphological aspects. The MW2 sequence tracks lithic technological trends observed in the Rift, with only a short time lag. Diachronic changes in the raw material economy and land use patterns may have occurred at MW2 earlier than previously reported for the Acheulian on the highlands. The behavioral dynamics gleaned from the early Acheulian assemblages at MW2 are important for our understanding of the diachronic changes in the abilities of Acheulian hominins to exploit the diverse geographic and ecological habitats of eastern Africa and beyond.

Dissimilarity in coagulation system in adults after fontan surgery based on thrombin generations.

The Fontan procedure is the treatment of choice in congenital cardiac malformations defined as the single ventricle. Those patients are at high risk of thromboembolism, but the exact mechanism of this is poorly understood.The aim of this study was to evaluate an involvement of thrombin generations and microparticles in prothrombotic state in adults with Fontan circulation. Study included hospitalized patients after Fontan procedure and healthy volunteers. We assessed laboratory tests including thrombin generation by Calibrated Automated Thrombography in three variants (platelet poor plasma (impact of coagulation factors), platelet rich plasma (influence of platelets) and related with microparticles). The technique allows for a comprehensive evaluation of the coagulation system. The study groups consisted of 81 adult Fontan patients (41 females (50.6%); median age 22 interquartile range [20-27] years) and 54 control subjects. In patients with Fontan circulation higher values of endogenous thrombin potential and peak values were observed for both platelet poor plasma (+17% and +33%) and microparticles (+29% and 41%) compared to controls (all p < 0.05). Moreover, in Fontan group we found 64.9% shorter lag time and 70.4% time to peak for microparticles variant (both p < 0.001). Contrary, analysis in the platelet rich plasma showed 17.1% reduced endogenous thrombin potential in Fontan. Further, there were no differences in thrombin synthesis in platelet rich plasma in Fontan patients receiving aspirin or those with thrombocytopaenia (all p > 0.05). This study for the first time showed that thrombin generation associated with microparticles may be an important contributor to prothrombotic state in Fontan population.

TELOMERE LENGTH OF PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS IS ASSOCIATED WITH DISCHARGE DISPOSITION IN OLDER TRAUMA PATIENTS.

Introduction: Little is known regarding peripheral blood mononuclear cell telomere length (PBMC-TL) and response to traumatic injury. The objective of this study was to characterize the role of PBMC-TL in coagulation and clinical outcomes after injury. Methods: Plasma and buffy coats were prospectively collected from trauma patients and healthy volunteers. DNA was purified and PBMC-TL quantified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Thrombin generation kinetics were expressed as lag time (in minutes), peak height (in nanometers), time to peak (in minutes), and endogenous thrombin potential (in nM × min). Results are in median and quartiles [Q1, Q3]. P < 0.05 was considered significant (Wilcoxon rank sum testing). Results: Forty-two younger patients (21 [20, 22] years, 69% were male) and 39 older patients (62 [61, 64] years, 79% were male) were included. There was no significant difference in Clinical Frailty Scores between groups. Younger patients had longer total PBMC-TL (0.40 Mb [0.30, 0.49] vs. 0.29 Mb [0.23, 0.33], P < 0.001) and longer average PBMC-TL per chromosome (4.3 kb [3.3, 5.3] vs. 3.2 kb [2.5, 3.7], P < 0.001). When older patients were stratified by 50th percentile of PBMC-TL, there were no differences in thrombin generation; however, those with shorter telomeres were less likely to be discharged home (29% vs. 77%, P = 0.004). Older patients in the bottom quartile of PBMC-TL had shorter lag time (2.78 min [2.33, 3.00] vs. 3.33 min [3.24, 3.89], P = 0.030) and were less likely to be discharged home (22% vs. 90%, P = 0.006) than those in the top quartile of PBMC-TL. Multivariable logistic regression models revealed both increased age and shorter PBMC-TL to be independent predictors of discharge disposition other than home. Conclusion: In older trauma patients, shorter PBMC-TL is associated with accelerated initiation of thrombin generation and lower likelihood of being discharged to home.

Metal Carbide Nanocrystal Nucleation and Growth in a Transition Metal Coordination Polymer

The mechanism that governs the conversion of the Co-Prussian blue analogue (PBA) to Co2C was investigated and observed to exhibit lag phase growth behavior that can be fit to the autocatalytic kinetic model. The energetics and activation energies were extracted from the temperature-dependent data. The experimental results provide insight into how to control the size and crystallinity of Co2C, where shorter lag times and smaller sizes occur at higher reaction temperatures and longer times and larger sizes at lower temperatures. Investigation of temperature-dependent growth revealed an R2 relationship, supporting a surface mediated growth model. In addition, low temperatures lead to higher polycrystallinity in the nanocrystal that grows within the PBA framework.

Cinética da fermentação ruminal de diferentes genótipos de milho e tamanho de partículas por meio da técnica de produção acumulativa de gases

The objective was to evaluate the in vitro ruminal degradation kinetics of three corn genotypes (flint, semi-flint and semi-dent) in four particle sizes (greater than 1400 µm; between 1400 and 850 µm; between 850 and 420 µm; and smaller than 420 µm), by the semi-automatic cumulative gas production technique. There was an effect of genotype and particle size on total gas production and colonization time. Flint corn in smaller particles provides better ruminal fermentation parameters, with higher total gas production, higher degradation rate of potentially degradable fraction of carbohydrates and shorter lag time.

Construction and application of Optimized Comprehensive Drought Index based on lag time: A case study in the middle reaches of Yellow River Basin, China

Drought is a complex and dynamic natural phenomenon. A single drought index can hardly reflect the multi-type characteristics of drought, and comprehensive drought indices that incorporate data from multiple sources have been proposed recently. In this study, an Optimized Comprehensive Drought Index (OCDI) was constructed by taking into account the lag time of meteorological drought, agricultural drought and hydrological drought. The Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), and Water Storage Deficit Index (WSDI) represented the three types of droughts, respectively. Specifically, we used the Solar-induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF) to characterize the vegetation condition instead of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The application results of the proposed drought index in the middle reaches of Yellow River basin (MRYRB) showed that the lag time of different types of drought indices had seasonal differences, with a shorter lag time in summer (0–4 months) and a longer lag time in winter and spring (> 4 months). For typical drought events, the drought intensity and duration identified by OCDI were compatible with the drought evolution characteristics and consistent with the historical records, therefore, OCDI is more suitable for drought monitoring in the study area. Based on the monitoring results of the OCDI, the average number of droughts in the MRYRB was 16 times, with a duration of 2.8 months and an average drought intensity of 0.28 (at moderate drought grade). Drought times and intensity were higher in the northwestern part of the study area, and spring was a high-frequency period for drought occurrences.

Analysis on the Impact of River Basin Ecological Compensation Policy on Water Environment Pollution

The implementation of the river basin ecological compensation policy (ECP) is an important way to improve the ecological environment and achieve the goal of “beautiful China” (“Beautiful China” is a concept put forward by the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.). The impact analysis of the watershed ecological compensation policy provides an important basis for improving the mechanism. The research regards the Dawen River Basin ecological compensation policy in Shandong Province as a natural experiment and uses the 2005–2017 prefecture-level city panel data. Based on the two-way panel fixed effect model, Propensity Score Matching and Differences-in-Differences (PSM-DID) are applied to analyze the mechanism of the Dawen River Basin ECP pilot project and its impact on the intensity of water pollution, in order to provide experience for the development of ecological compensation work in the Yellow River Basin in the future. The empirical results show that the implementation of the river basin ECP has significantly reduced the intensity of water pollution by 22.47% with a short time lag, and the pollution reduction effect of the policy is increasing year by year. The river basin ECP has an obvious optimizing effect on industrial structure, with an inconspicuous effect on economic growth and technological progress. Finally, relevant policy recommendations are put forward from the aspects of the promotion, implementation and effect of the river basin ECP.

The impact of an unemployment insurance reform on incidence rates of hospitalisation due to alcohol-related disorders: a quasi-experimental study of heterogeneous effects across ethnic background, educational level, employment status, and sex in Sweden

BackgroundMany Western countries have scaled back social and health expenditure, including decreases in the generosity and coverage of unemployment insurance, resulting in negative effects on general health and well-being at the aggregate level. Yet, research has not sufficiently looked into heterogeneity of such effects across different subgroups of the population. In Sweden, the 2006 unemployment insurance reform, implemented on the 1st of January 2007, encompassed a drastic increase of insurance fund membership fees, reduced benefit levels, and stricter eligibility requirements. As this particularly affected already socioeconomically disadvantaged groups in society, such as foreign-born and low-educated individuals, the current study hypothesise that the reform would also have a greater impact on health outcomes in these groups.MethodsBased on register data for the total population, we utilise a quasi-experimental approach to investigate heterogeneous health effects of the reform across ethnic background, educational level, employment status, and sex. Due to behaviourally caused diseases having a relatively shorter lag time from exposure, hospitalisation due to alcohol-related disorders serves as the health outcome. A series of regression discontinuity models are used to analyse monthly incidence rates of hospitalisation due to alcohol-related disorders among individuals aged 30–60 during the study period (2001–2012), with the threshold set to the 1st of January 2007.ResultsThe results suggest that, in general, there was no adverse effect of the reform on incidence rates of hospitalisation due to alcohol-related disorders. A significant increase is nonetheless detected among the unemployed, largely driven by Swedish-born individuals with Swedish-born or foreign-born parents, low-educated individuals, and men.ConclusionsWe conclude that the Swedish 2006 unemployment insurance reform generally resulted in increasing incidence rates of hospitalisation due to alcohol-related disorders among unemployed population subgroups known to have higher levels of alcohol consumption.

Time-averaging and nonergodicity of reset geometric Brownian motion with drift.

How do near-bankruptcy events in the past affect the dynamics of stock-market prices in the future? Specifically, what are the long-time properties of a time-local exponential growth of stock-market prices under the influence of stochastically occurring economic crashes? Here, we derive the ensemble- and time-averaged properties of the respective "economic" or geometric Brownian motion (GBM) with a nonzero drift exposed to a Poissonian constant-rate price-restarting process of "resetting." We examine-based both on thorough analytical calculations and on findings from systematic stochastic computer simulations-the general situation of reset GBM with a nonzero [positive] drift and for all special cases emerging for varying parameters of drift, volatility, and reset rate in the model. We derive and summarize all short- and long-time dependencies for the mean-squared displacement (MSD), the variance, and the mean time-averaged MSD (TAMSD) of the process of Poisson-reset GBM under the conditions of both rare and frequent resetting. We consider three main regions of model parameters and categorize the crossovers between different functional behaviors of the statistical quantifiers of this process. The analytical relations are fully supported by the results of computer simulations. In particular, we obtain that Poisson-reset GBM is a nonergodic stochastic process, with generally MSD(Δ)≠TAMSD(Δ) and Variance(Δ)≠TAMSD(Δ) at short lag times Δ and for long trajectory lengths T. We investigate the behavior of the ergodicity-breaking parameter in each of the three regions of parameters and examine its dependence on the rate of reset at Δ/T≪1. Applications of these theoretical results to the analysis of prices of reset-containing options are pertinent.