Indexation Rules, Risk Aversion, and Imperfect Information

Nominal wage adjustment is modeled as resulting from bargaining between a risk neutral firm and a risk averse worker, in an environment where the rate of inflation is a random variable. Risk aversion makes for endogenous indexation arrangements, which deliver partial indexation as they exploit imperfect inflation indices; risk aversion also generates a positive correlation between indexation and inflation variance. The model suggests a distinction between complete vs incomplete inflation adjustment on the one hand, and perfect vs imperfect adjustment on the other hand

Structure of Hybrid Interpolymeric Complexes of Polyvinyl Alcohol and Halides of Second Group Elements

Density functional theory was used to investigate structure and properties of polyvinyl alcohol complexes with halides of second group elements XHal2 (X = Be, Mg, Ca, Zn, Sr, Cd, Ba, and Hg; Hal = F, Cl, Br, and I). PVA can form hybrid interpolymeric complexes with some of them. These complexes show double spiral structure of two types

Law of large numbers for the asymmetric simple exclusion process

We consider simple exclusion processes on Z for which the underlying random walk has a finite first moment and a non-zero mean and whose initial distributions are product measures with different densities to the left and to the right of the origin. We prove a strong law of large numbers for the number of particles present at time t in an interval growing linearly with t.Comment: 16 page

Mesenchymal stromal cells promote the proliferation of basal stem cells and efficient epithelization in organotypic models of wound healing

Adipose derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ADSCs) represent a fascinating tool in the scenario of wound healing and regenerative medicine. Recent data already demonstrated that ADSCs could exert a stimulatory action on epithelial cells through secretion of soluble factors. The aim of the present study was to assess how ADSCs guide wound re-epithelization in vitro in the presence of keratinocytes. We used an organotypic model of wound healing and we seeded keratinocytes on a ADSC-induced dermal matrix. Conventional hematoxylin–eosin stain and immunohistochemistry staining for Ki67, p63 and pan-keratins were performed at different timepoints. Histological sections of organotypic cultures showed complete coverage of the ADSC-induced matrix by keratinocytes. Proliferation of basal stem cells was found to be the main mechanism responsible for epithelization of the dermis. In conclusion, ADSC do not only stimulate dermal regeneration through collagen deposition but also promote epithelization

Effects of phase transitions in devices actuated by the electromagnetic vacuum force

We study the influence of the electromagnetic vacuum force on the behaviour of a model device based on materials, like germanium tellurides, that undergo fast and reversible metal-insulator transitions on passing from the crystalline to the amorphous phase. The calculations are performed at finite temperature and fully accounting for the behaviour of the material dielectric functions. The results show that the transition can be exploited to extend the distance and energy ranges under which the device can be operated without undergoing stiction phenomena. We discuss the approximation involved in adopting the Casimir expression in simulating nano- and micro- devices at finite temperature