Causes and Macroeconomic Consequences of Time Variations in Wage Indexation

This dissertation consists of four related papers investigating the causes and consequences of time variations in the degree of wage indexation. Both empirical (structural) estimation and theoretical approaches are adopted in the investigation of the subject. Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 explore the causes while Chapter 3, Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 investigate the consequences. The main findings of this dissertation are as follows. Trend inflation is the most significant variable influencing the level of wage indexation while labour market institutional variables regarding wage (indexation) negotiations explain the variances of wage indexation and of inflation. The possibility of heavy-tailed distributed macroeconomic variables is the main consequence of time variations in wage indexation

Molecular characterization of projection neuron subtypes in the mouse olfactory bulb

Projection neurons (PNs) in the mammalian olfactory bulb (OB) receive input from the nose and project to diverse cortical and subcortical areas. Morphological and physiological studies have highlighted functional heterogeneity, yet no molecular markers have been described that delineate PN subtypes. Here, we used viral injections into olfactory cortex and fluorescent nucleus sorting to enrich PNs for high-throughput single nucleus and bulk RNA deep sequencing. Transcriptome analysis and RNA in situ hybridization identified distinct mitral and tufted cell populations with characteristic transcription factor network topology, cell adhesion and excitability-related gene expression. Finally, we describe a new computational approach for integrating bulk and snRNA-seq data, and provide evidence that different mitral cell populations preferentially project to different target regions. Together, we have identified potential molecular and gene regulatory mechanisms underlying PN diversity and provide new molecular entry points into studying the diverse functional roles of mitral and tufted cell subtypes

Sniff-synchronized, gradient-guided olfactory search by freely moving mice.

For many organisms, searching for relevant targets such as food or mates entails active, strategic sampling of the environment. Finding odorous targets may be the most ancient search problem that motile organisms evolved to solve. While chemosensory navigation has been well characterized in microorganisms and invertebrates, spatial olfaction in vertebrates is poorly understood. We have established an olfactory search assay in which freely moving mice navigate noisy concentration gradients of airborne odor. Mice solve this task using concentration gradient cues and do not require stereo olfaction for performance. During task performance, respiration and nose movement are synchronized with tens of milliseconds precision. This synchrony is present during trials and largely absent during inter-trial intervals, suggesting that sniff-synchronized nose movement is a strategic behavioral state rather than simply a constant accompaniment to fast breathing. To reveal the spatiotemporal structure of these active sensing movements, we used machine learning methods to parse motion trajectories into elementary movement motifs. Motifs fall into two clusters, which correspond to investigation and approach states. Investigation motifs lock precisely to sniffing, such that the individual motifs preferentially occur at specific phases of the sniff cycle. The allocentric structure of investigation and approach indicates an advantage to sampling both sides of the sharpest part of the odor gradient, consistent with a serial-sniff strategy for gradient sensing. This work clarifies sensorimotor strategies for mouse olfactory search and guides ongoing work into the underlying neural mechanisms

Adaptation in bacterial flagellar and motility systems: from regulon members to ‘foraging’-like behavior in E. coli

Bacterial flagellar motility and chemotaxis help cells to reach the most favorable environments and to successfully compete with other micro-organisms in response to external stimuli. Escherichia coli is a motile gram-negative bacterium, and the flagellar regulon in E. coli is controlled by a master regulator FlhDC as well as a second regulator, flagellum-specific sigma factor, σF. To define the physiological role of these two regulators, we carried out transcription profiling experiments to identify, on a genome-wide basis, genes under the control of these two regulators. In addition, the synchronized pattern of increasing CRP activity causing increasing FlhDC expression with decreasing carbon source quality, together with the apparent coupling of motility activity with the activation of motility and chemotaxis genes in poor quality carbon sources, highlights the importance of CRP activation in allowing E. coli to devote progressively more of its limited reserves to search out better conditions. In adaptation to a variety of carbon sources, the motile bacteria carry out tactical responses by increasing flagellar operation but restricting costly flagellar synthesis, indicating its capability of strategically using the precious energy in nutrient-poor environments for maximizing survival

The direct observation and characterisation of the interaction between the #alpha#-subunit of the RNA-polymerase and the catabolite receptor protein in E. coli and its role in transcription....

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Time-Varying Degree of Wage Indexation and the New Keynesian Wage Phillips Curve

Cost-of-Living-Adjustment (COLA) coverage figures suggest a time variation in the degree of wage indexation. In spite of this observation, most current literature conveniently assume a constant degree of indexation as this variable is not directly observable. This study intends to empirically measure the time variation in the degree of wage indexation. To this end, we derive a reduced form version of the New Keynesian Wage Phillips Curve under the assumption of a time varying degree of wage indexation. A state-space methodology is then employed in estimating this model using data of selected OECD countries. The study subsequently investigates variables influencing the time variation in the degree of wage indexation. Our results consistently suggest a substantial time variation in the degree of wage indexation in all countries considered. The wage indexation estimates obtained for the US bear remarkable similarities with the figures suggested by COLA coverage. It is subsequently shown that variations in trend inflation significantly explain variations in the degree of wage indexation. Finally, there is weak evidence in support of the Gray hypothesis that wage indexation is negatively correlated with the variance of productivity shocks