Forecasting key US macroeconomic variables with a factor‐augmented Qual VAR

In this paper, we first extract factors from a monthly dataset of 130 macroeconomic and financial variables. These extracted factors are then used to construct a factor‐augmented qualitative vector autoregressive (FA‐Qual VAR) model to forecast industrial production growth, inflation, the Federal funds rate, and the term spread based on a pseudo out‐of‐sample recursive forecasting exercise over an out‐of‐sample period of 1980:1 to 2014:12, using an in‐sample period of 1960:1 to 1979:12. Short‐, medium‐, and long‐run horizons of 1, 6, 12, and 24 months ahead are considered. The forecast from the FA‐Qual VAR is compared with that of a standard VAR model, a Qual VAR model, and a factor‐augmented VAR (FAVAR). In general, we observe that the FA‐Qual VAR tends to perform significantly better than the VAR, Qual VAR and FAVAR (barring some exceptions relative to the latter). In addition, we find that the Qual VARs are also well equipped in forecasting probability of recessions when compared to probit models.     

Feeding ecology of the common sun skink,Eutropis multifasciata (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae), in the plains of central Vietnam

We studied the feeding ecology of Eutropis multifasciata in the tropical plains of central Vietnam to understand better the foraging mode, spatiotemporal and sexual variation in dietary composition, and rarefaction curves of prey-taxon richness for males and females. Stomach contents (n = 161) were collected from October 2013 to May 2014 using a nonlethal stomach-flushing technique. A total of 680 food items (624 animal items and 56 plant items) was found in 161 stomachs of skinks, representing 19 unique animal categories. We found that the diet of E. multifasciata is composed mainly of small, sedentary and clumped prey and that this skink specialises on spiders, insect larvae, snails, grasshoppers and crickets (with a combined importance index of 60%). Dietary composition, prey size and total prey volume in E. multifasciata changed between dry and rainy seasons and among regions. The total volume of food items consumed by males was larger than that of females, and the diversity and evenness index of prey categories were larger in males than in females. However, using rarefaction curves revealed that females have the higher prey-taxon richness after points between 130 and 140 prey items for frequency, and between 160 and 170 prey items for number of items, and the differences were not statistically significant. The foraging behaviour of E. multifasciata best fits a ‘widely foraging’ model.     

Natural variation at Strubbelig Receptor Kinase 3 drives immune-triggered incompatibilities between Arabidopsis thaliana accessions

Accumulation of genetic incompatibilities within species can lead to reproductive isolation and, potentially, speciation. In this study, we show that allelic variation at SRF3 (Strubbelig Receptor Family 3), encoding a receptor-like kinase, conditions the occurrence of incompatibility between Arabidopsis thaliana accessions. The geographical distribution of SRF3 alleles reveals that allelic forms causing epistatic incompatibility with a Landsberg erecta allele at the RPP1 resistance locus are present in A. thaliana accessions in central Asia. Incompatible SRF3 alleles condition for an enhanced early immune response to pathogens as compared to the resistance-dampening effect of compatible SRF3 forms in isogenic backgrounds. Variation in disease susceptibility suggests a basis for the molecular patterns of a recent selective sweep detected at the SRF3 locus in central Asian populations.     

Selective effect of burn injury on splenic CD11c+ dendritic cells and CD8α+CD4−CD11c+ dendritic cell subsets

Burn injury causes an immunosuppression associated with suppressed adaptive immune function. Dendritic cells (DCs) are APCs for which signaling via their Toll-like receptors (TLRs) induces their maturation and activation, which is essential for the adaptive immune response. In this study, we examined if burn injury alters the TLR activity of splenic DCs. After injury, we noticed that DC functions were impaired, characterized by a suppressed capacity to prime naive T cells when triggering the TLR4 signaling cascade using specific ligands (LPS or rHSP60). The observed perturbations on LPS-primed DCs isolated from burned mice exhibited significantly diminished IL-12p40 production and enhanced IL-10 secretion-associated impairment in mitogen-activated protein kinase activation. Interestingly, we observed a decrease of TLR4/MD-2 expression on the CD8α⁺ DC subset that persisted following LPS stimulation. The altered TLR4 expression on LPS-stimulated CD8α⁺ DCs was associated with reduced capacity to produce IL-12 after stimulation. Our results suggested that TLR4 reactivity on DCs, especially CD8α⁺ DCs, is disturbed after burn injury.     

Triosephosphate isomerase: a highly evolved biocatalyst

Triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) is a perfectly evolved enzyme which very fast interconverts dihydroxyacetone phosphate and d-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate. Its catalytic site is at the dimer interface, but the four catalytic residues, Asn11, Lys13, His95 and Glu167, are from the same subunit. Glu167 is the catalytic base. An important feature of the TIM active site is the concerted closure of loop-6 and loop-7 on ligand binding, shielding the catalytic site from bulk solvent. The buried active site stabilises the enediolate intermediate. The catalytic residue Glu167 is at the beginning of loop-6. On closure of loop-6, the Glu167 carboxylate moiety moves approximately 2 Å to the substrate. The dynamic properties of the Glu167 side chain in the enzyme substrate complex are a key feature of the proton shuttling mechanism. Two proton shuttling mechanisms, the classical and the criss-cross mechanism, are responsible for the interconversion of the substrates of this enolising enzyme.