Public Opinions Impacts on Cryptocurrency Valuation: A View from Behavioral Finance Perspective

Many fintech start-ups participant companies and cryptocurrencies have experienced phenomenal growth in value during the past several years. Many specialists would like to know the reasons for such success. In this article we investigate the predictive power of public opinions. This is one of the few works that using quantitative analysis connects social media and internet users' activities with cryptocurrency valuations

Crude Oil Distillation with Superheated Water Steam: Parametrical Sensitivity and Optimization

Stability of crude oil distillation units was analyzed with mathematical models developed using Aspen Hysys. Parametrical sensitivities of light fractions yields, heat duties and steam load of column trays to perturbations of superheated steam flow rate were estimated. Objective function based on the light products yields and energy consumption for distillation was formed. The maxima of the objective function were calculated depending on operational parameters and flow rate of water steam

МАТЕМАТИЧЕСКИЙ ПОДХОД К УСТРАНЕНИЮ ИСКАЖЕНИЙ МАСС-СПЕКТРОВ, ЗАРЕГИСТРИРОВАННЫХ НА СКЛОНАХ ХРОМАТОГРАФИЧЕСКИХ ПИКОВ

Distortions of mass spectra recorded on the slopes of chromatographic peaks (spectral skewing) are typical for the scanning instruments (quadrupoles and magnetic sectors). Only ions with the specific m/z value can pass through the scanning mass analyzer per unit time. All m/z values are scanned sequentially. If the concentration of the analyte in the ion source changes appreciably during the scan time, then the respective mass spectrum is distorted. A mathematical approach to eliminating spectral skewing is proposed in this paper. Deskewing algorithm is based on the signal reconstruction in the space between measurement (discrete) points. To do this, a small segment of particular extracted ion chromatogram is approximated by the cubic polynomial. The size of the approximation interval is chosen automatically by the algorithm (large window sizes are typically used for the baseline and small window sizes are used for the peaks). If the data is not adequately approximated by the cubic polynomial (according to χ2 test), then the cubic interpolation is performed. Along with the deskewing process, the algorithm provides noise smoothing of the original data. The performance of the algorithm is demonstrated on the data recorded using the quadrupole mass spectrometer.Keywords: gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, GC/MS, scanning mass analyzer, quadrupole mass analyzer, spectral skewing, noise filtering, Savitzky-Golay filterDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/analitika.2017.21.2.007                 Andrey S. Samokhin1, Artem E. Gusev1, Yury A. Kalambet21Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-3, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation2Ampersand Ltd., pl. Academician Kurchatov 2-2, 123182 Moscow, Russian FederationИскажение масс-спектров, зарегистрированных на склонах хроматографических пиков, характерно для сканирующих масс-спектрометров (к которым относятся квадрупольные и магнитные секторные приборы). В единицу времени через сканирующий масс-анализатор могут пролетать ионы, характеризующиеся только одним единственным значением m/z. В процессе развертки масс-спектра все интересующие значения m/z регистрируются последовательно. Если за время регистрации одного масс-спектра концентрация вещества в источнике ионов существенно меняется, то полученный масс-спектр будет искажен. В работе предложен математический алгоритм, позволяющий устранять такие искажения. Алгоритм основан на восстановлении формы аналитического сигнала в пространстве между дискретными точками путем аппроксимации небольшого фрагмента масс-хроматограммы полиномом третьей степени. Число точек, используемых при аппроксимации, выбирается алгоритмом автоматически (при описании базовой линии алгоритм, как правило, использует широкие аппроксимационные окна, а при описании участков хроматограммы, содержащих пики, – узкие). Если исходные данные не могут быть адекватно аппроксимированы полиномом третьей степени (в соответствии с критерием χ2), проводится кубическая интерполяция данных. Наряду с устранением искажений масс-спектров алгоритм сглаживает шумы в исходных данных. Эффективность алгоритма продемонстрирована на примере данных, зарегистрированных на квадрупольном масс-спектрометре.Ключевые слова: газовая хроматография/масс-спектрометрия, ГХ/МС, сканирующий масс-анализатор, квадрупольный масс-анализатор, искажение масс-спектров, фильтрация шумов, метод Савицкого-Голея.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/analitika.2017.21.2.00

Resonant thermal energy transfer to magnons in a ferromagnetic nanolayer

Energy harvesting is a concept which makes dissipated heat useful by transferring thermal energy to other excitations. Most of the existing principles are realized in systems which are heated continuously. We present the concept of high-frequency energy harvesting where the dissipated heat in a sample excites resonant magnons in a thin ferromagnetic metal layer. The sample is excited by femtosecond laser pulses with a repetition rate of 10 GHz which results in temperature modulation at the same frequency with amplitude ~0.1 K. The alternating temperature excites magnons in the ferromagnetic nanolayer which are detected by measuring the net magnetization precession. When the magnon frequency is brought onto resonance with the optical excitation, a 12-fold increase of the amplitude of precession indicates efficient resonant heat transfer from the lattice to coherent magnons. The demonstrated principle may be used for energy harvesting in various nanodevices operating at GHz and sub-THz frequency ranges

Mutational re-modeling of di-aspartyl intramembrane proteases: uncoupling physiologically-relevant activities from those associated with Alzheimer\u27s disease

The intramembrane proteolytic activities of presenilins (PSEN1/PS1 and PSEN2/PS2) underlie production of beta-amyloid, the key process in Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD). Dysregulation of presenilin-mediated signaling is linked to cancers. Inhibition of the gamma-cleavage activities of PSENs that produce Abeta, but not the epsilon-like cleavage activity that release physiologically essential transcription activators, is a potential approach for the development of rational therapies for AD. In order to identify whether different activities of PSEN1 can be dissociated, we designed multiple mutations in the evolutionary conserved sites of PSEN1. We tested them in vitro and in vivo assays and compared their activities with mutant isoforms of presenilin-related intramembrane di-aspartyl protease (IMPAS1 (IMP1)/signal peptide peptidase (SPP)). PSEN1 auto-cleavage was more resistant to the mutation remodeling than the epsilon-like proteolysis. PSEN1 with a G382A or a P433A mutation in evolutionary invariant sites retains functionally important APP epsilon- and Notch S3- cleavage activities, but G382A inhibits APP gamma-cleavage and Abeta production and a P433A elevates Abeta. The G382A variant cannot restore the normal cellular ER Ca(2+) leak in PSEN1/PSEN2 double knockout cells, but efficiently rescues the loss-of-function (Egl) phenotype of presenilin in C. elegans. We found that, unlike in PSEN1 knockout cells, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca(2+) leak is not changed in the absence of IMP1/SPP. IMP1/SPP with the analogous mutations retained efficiency in cleavage of transmembrane substrates and rescued the lethality of Ce-imp-2 knockouts. In summary, our data show that mutations near the active catalytic sites of intramembrane di-aspartyl proteases have different consequences on proteolytic and signaling functions

Whole exome sequencing links dental tumor to an autosomal-dominant mutation in ANO5 gene associated with gnathodiaphyseal dysplasia and muscle dystrophies

Tumors of the jaws may represent different human disorders and frequently associate with pathologic bone fractures. In this report, we analyzed two affected siblings from a family of Russian origin, with a history of dental tumors of the jaws, in correspondence to original clinical diagnosis of cementoma consistent with gigantiform cementoma (GC, OMIM: 137575). Whole exome sequencing revealed the heterozygous missense mutation c.1067G \u3e A (p.Cys356Tyr) in ANO5 gene in these patients. To date, autosomal-dominant mutations have been described in the ANO5 gene for gnathodiaphyseal dysplasia (GDD, OMIM: 166260), and multiple recessive mutations have been described in the gene for muscle dystrophies (OMIM: 613319, 611307); the same amino acid (Cys) at the position 356 is mutated in GDD. These genetic data and similar clinical phenotypes demonstrate that the GC and GDD likely represent the same type of bone pathology. Our data illustrate the significance of mutations in single amino-acid position for particular bone tissue pathology. Modifying role of genetic variations in another gene on the severity of the monogenic trait pathology is also suggested. Finally, we propose the model explaining the tissue-specific manifestation of clinically distant bone and muscle diseases linked to mutations in one gene

Conversion of conventional gravitational-wave interferometers into QND interferometers by modifying their input and/or output optics

The LIGO-II gravitational-wave interferometers (ca. 2006--2008) are designed to have sensitivities at about the standard quantum limit (SQL) near 100 Hz. This paper describes and analyzes possible designs for subsequent, LIGO-III interferometers that can beat the SQL. These designs are identical to a conventional broad-band interferometer (without signal recycling), except for new input and/or output optics. Three designs are analyzed: (i) a "squeezed-input interferometer" (conceived by Unruh based on earlier work of Caves) in which squeezed vacuum with frequency-dependent (FD) squeeze angle is injected into the interferometer's dark port; (ii) a "variational-output" interferometer (conceived in a different form by Vyatchanin, Matsko and Zubova), in which homodyne detection with FD homodyne phase is performed on the output light; and (iii) a "squeezed-variational interferometer" with squeezed input and FD-homodyne output. It is shown that the FD squeezed-input light can be produced by sending ordinary squeezed light through two successive Fabry-Perot filter cavities before injection into the interferometer, and FD-homodyne detection can be achieved by sending the output light through two filter cavities before ordinary homodyne detection. With anticipated technology and with laser powers comparable to that planned for LIGO-II, these interferometers can beat the amplitude SQL by factors in the range from 3 to 5, corresponding to event rate increases between ~30 and ~100 over the rate for a SQL-limited interferometer.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review D; RevTeX manuscript with 16 figures; prints to 33 pages in Physical Review double column format. Minor revisions have been made in response to referee repor

Unveiling comparative genomic trajectories of selection and key candidate genes in egg-type Russian White and meat-type White Cornish chickens

Simple Summary: The search for genomic regions of putative selective signaling is instrumental in obtaining information about selection history in various species and populations. Domestic animals are subject to long-term artificial selection that leaves certain footprints in their genomes one can explore using genome-wide SNP screen. We examined here genomes of two contrasting chicken breeds, the native egg-type Russian White and meat-type White Cornish. Using three statistics, we identified genomic regions under putative selection, both breed-specific and shared between two breeds, that harbor key candidate genes for economically important traits. Our findings will be useful in further understanding selection history and genomic diversity in domestic chickens that would be pivotal in their productive breeding. Abstract: Comparison of genomic footprints in chicken breeds with different selection history is a powerful tool in elucidating genomic regions that have been targeted by recent and more ancient selection. In the present work, we aimed at examining and comparing the trajectories of artificial selection in the genomes of the native egg-type Russian White (RW) and meat-type White Cornish (WC) breeds. Combining three different statistics (top 0.1% SNP by FST value at pairwise breed comparison, hapFLK analysis, and identification of ROH island shared by more than 50% of individuals), we detected 45 genomic regions under putative selection including 11 selective sweep regions, which were detected by at least two different methods. Four of such regions were breed-specific for each of RW breed (on GGA1, GGA5, GGA8, and GGA9) and WC breed (on GGA1, GGA5, GGA8, and GGA28), while three remaining regions on GGA2 (two sweeps) and GGA3 were common for both breeds. Most of identified genomic regions overlapped with known QTLs and/or candidate genes including those for body temperatures, egg productivity, and feed intake in RW chickens and those for growth, meat and carcass traits, and feed efficiency in WC chickens. These findings were concordant with the breed origin and history of their artificial selection. We determined a set of 188 prioritized candidate genes retrieved from the 11 overlapped regions of putative selection and reviewed their functions relative to phenotypic traits of interest in the two breeds. One of the RW-specific sweep regions harbored the known domestication gene, TSHR. Gene ontology and functional annotation analysis provided additional insight into a functional coherence of genes in the sweep regions. We also showed a greater candidate gene richness on microchromosomes relative to macrochromosomes in these genomic areas. Our results on the selection history of RW and WC chickens and their key candidate genes under selection serve as a profound information for further conservation of their genomic diversity and efficient breeding

Selective footprints and genes relevant to cold adaptation and other phenotypic traits are unscrambled in the genomes of divergently selected chicken breeds

Background: The genomes of worldwide poultry breeds divergently selected for performance and other phenotypic traits may also be affected by, and formed due to, past and current admixture events. Adaptation to diverse environments, including acclimation to harsh climatic conditions, has also left selection footprints in breed genomes. Results: Using the Chicken 50K_CobbCons SNP chip, we genotyped four divergently selected breeds: two aboriginal, cold tolerant Ushanka and Orloff Mille Fleur, one egg-type Russian White subjected to artificial selection for cold tolerance, and one meat-type White Cornish. Signals of selective sweeps were determined in the studied breeds using three methods: (1) assessment of runs of homozygosity islands, (2) FST based population differential analysis, and (3) haplotype differentiation analysis. Genomic regions of true selection signatures were identified by two or more methods or in two or more breeds. In these regions, we detected 540 prioritized candidate genes supplemented them with those that occurred in one breed using one statistic and were suggested in other studies. Amongst them, SOX5, ME3, ZNF536, WWP1, RIPK2, OSGIN2, DECR1, TPO, PPARGC1A, BDNF, MSTN, and beta-keratin genes can be especially mentioned as candidates for cold adaptation. Epigenetic factors may be involved in regulating some of these important genes (e.g., TPO and BDNF). Conclusion: Based on a genome-wide scan, our findings can help dissect the genetic architecture underlying various phenotypic traits in chicken breeds. These include genes representing the sine qua non for adaptation to harsh environments. Cold tolerance in acclimated chicken breeds may be developed following one of few specific gene expression mechanisms or more than one overlapping response known in cold-exposed individuals, and this warrants further investigation