Exchange rate forecasting and the performance of currency portfolios

We examine the potential gains of using exchange rate forecast models and forecast combination methods in the management of currency portfolios for three exchange rates: the euro versus the US dollar, the British pound, and the Japanese yen. We use a battery of econometric specifications to evaluate whether optimal currency portfolios implied by trading strategies based on exchange rate forecasts outperform single currencies and the equally weighted portfolio. We assess the differences in profitability of optimal currency portfolios for different types of investor preferences, two trading strategies, mean squared error‐based composite forecasts, and different forecast horizons. Our results indicate that there are clear benefits of integrating exchange rate forecasts from state‐of‐the‐art econometric models in currency portfolios. These benefits vary across investor preferences and prediction horizons but are rather similar across trading strategies.     

Wavelet Transform and Image Processing

This paper presents systematically a method for image compression/decompression viawavelet transform.It consists of filter,quantization and Huffman coding etc..Different methodshave been compared.Finally,some suggestions for further studies are proposed.In fact,the paper isa summary of our recent research.     

Recollection-like memory retrieval in rats is dependent on the hippocampus

Recognition memory may be supported by two independent types of retrieval, conscious recollection of a specific experience and a sense of familiarity gained from previous exposure to particular stimuli. In humans, signal detection techniques have been used to distinguish recollection and familiarity, respectively, in asymmetrical and curvilinear components of their receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, standard curves that represent item recognition across different levels of confidence or bias. To determine whether animals also employ multiple processes in recognition memory and to explore the anatomical basis of this distinction, we adapted these techniques to examine odour recognition memory in rats. Their ROC curve had asymmetrical and curvilinear components, indicating the existence of both recollection and familiarity in rats. Furthermore, following selective damage to the hippocampus the ROC curve became entirely symmetrical and remained curvilinear, supporting the view that the hippocampus specifically mediates the capacity for recollection.     

A preliminary report on the fine structure of Tripneustes esculentus eggs.

The fine structure of Tripneustes esculentus eggs was studied with the aid of an electron microscope. Cells obtained from this West Indies sea urchin showed cortical granules, mitochondria forming a rosette around lipid granules, endoplasmic reticula, Golgi apparatus and annulated lamellae. These structures appear identical to those seen in eggs of the Atlantic sea urchin: Arbacia punctulata.     

A transglutaminase homologue as a condensation catalyst in antibiotic assembly lines

The unrelenting emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens demands the investigation of antibiotics with new modes of action. The pseudopeptide antibiotic andrimid is a nanomolar inhibitor of the bacterial acetyl-CoA carboxylase that catalyses the first committed step in prokaryotic fatty acid biosynthesis. Recently, the andrimid (adm) biosynthetic gene cluster was isolated and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. This establishes a heterologous biological host in which to rapidly probe features of andrimid formation and to use biosynthetic engineering to make unnatural variants of this important and promising new class of antibiotics. Bioinformatic analysis of the adm cluster revealed a dissociated biosynthetic assembly system lacking canonical amide synthases between the first three carrier protein domains. Here we report that AdmF, a transglutaminase (TGase) homologue, catalyses the formation of the first amide bond, an N-acyl-beta-peptide link, in andrimid biosynthesis. Hence, AdmF is a newly discovered biosynthetic enzyme that acts as a stand-alone amide synthase between protein-bound, thiotemplated substrates in an antibiotic enzymatic assembly line. TGases (enzyme class (EC) 2.3.2.13) normally catalyse the cross-linking of (poly)peptides by creating isopeptidic bonds between the gamma-carboxamide group of a glutamine side chain of one protein and various amine donors, including lysine side chains. To the best of our knowledge, the present study constitutes the first report of a TGase-like enzyme recruited for the assembly of an antibiotic. Moreover, genome mining using the AdmF sequence yielded additional TGases in unassigned natural product biosynthetic pathways. With many more microbial genomes being sequenced, such a strategy could potentially unearth biosynthetic pathways producing new classes of antibiotics.     

东海潮间带埋藏古木影响下的Fe-S矿物特征

中国东海舟山群岛的潮间带存在一处距今5600年左右的古木堆积层. 对采自该潮间带的新鲜基岩样品、海岸风化壳剖面、海岸带渗滤水系统、埋藏古木渗滤水、潮间带沉积物、潮间带海水、岛上淡水和埋藏古木以及埋藏古木形成的泥炭质等潮间带环境介质进行元素地球化学分析, 对海岸带渗滤水系统中的细菌成因铁氧化物和潮间带沉积物进行了详细的透射电子显微镜-选区电子衍射分析, 并对埋藏古木形成的泥炭质和潮间带海滩泥的无机硫组成及其硫同位素组成进行了测定. 结果显示, 该潮间带环境介质出现了不同程度的Fe, Mn, S (SO^2-₄)富集, 是埋藏古木腐烂发酵对潮间带的Fe-S生物地球化学循环产生影响的结果. 透射电子显微镜-选区电子衍射分析结果不仅证实铁细菌和硫酸盐还原菌在该潮间带环境中的大量存在、参与了Fe-S循环过程, 而且诱导了胞外成矿作用. 潮间带海滩泥中高的铬还原性硫(FeS₂)含量和低的特征δ ³⁴S值(?2.9‰)不仅可能指示了潮间带沉积物中大量硫酸盐还原菌的存在, 而且可能显示其中的铁硫矿物是在高的硫酸盐还原速率条件下形成的. 本研究对于深刻认识潮间带、河口和近海岸带等高有机质累积速率和高硫酸盐还原速率条件下Fe-S生物地球化学循环和生物成矿特征具有重要的意义.     

Inhibition of DNA synthesis and cell division by actinomycin D

Zusammenfassung Nach in-vitro-Kultur oder Verwundung in vivo der Froschlinsen wird zuerst meistens, im Epithel, eine intensive DNS-Synthese gefunden auf die später zahlreiche Kernteilungsfiguren folgen. Nach Behandlung mit Actinomycin D werden diese Reaktionen stark gehemmt. Autoradiographische Untersuchungen mit dem DNS-Vorläufer H-3-Thymidin und dem RNS-Vorläufer H-3 Uridin erlauben den Schluss, dass die DNS-Synthese (und damit Zellteilung) von einer früheren RNS-Synthese abhängt.

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This work was supported in part by Public Health Service Grant No. NB-05425-01 and also by institutional grant 71D from the American Cancer Society.

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Supported by U.S. National Science Foundation grant No. GE-6534 5/410-0056.     

Identification and isolation of a membrane protein necessary for leukotriene production

Several inflammatory diseases, including asthma, arthritis and psoriasis are associated with the production of leukotrienes by neutrophils, mast cells and macrophages. The initial enzymatic step in the formation of leukotrienes is the oxidation of arachidonic acid by 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) to leukotriene A4. Osteosarcoma cells transfected with 5-LO express active enzyme in broken cell preparations, but no leukotriene metabolites are produced by these cells when stimulated with the calcium ionophore A23187, indicating that an additional component is necessary for cellular 5-LO activity. A new class of indole leukotriene inhibitor has been described that inhibits the formation of cellular leukotrienes but has no direct inhibitory effect on soluble 5-LO activity. We have now used these potent agents to identify and isolate a novel membrane protein of relative molecular mass 18,000 which is necessary for cellular leukotriene synthesis.     

Fast Implementation of Iterative Reconstruction with Exact Ray-Driven Projector on GPUs

Iterative methods are popular choices in image reconstruction fields due to their capability of recovering object information from incomplete acquisition data.However,the computation process involves frequent uses of forward and backward projections that are computationally expensive.Past research has proved that a forward projector that can produce high quality images is crucial to achieve a good convergence rate.In this paper a high performance iterative reconstruction framework is introduced,where two mo...