1,289 research outputs found
The outcome of competitive equilibrium rules in buyer-seller markets when the agents play strategically
Financial support from the Ministerio de Ciencia y TecnologÃa (ECO2015-63679-P), Generalitat de Catalunya (2014SGR-142), the Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (SEV-2015-0563) and ICREA Academia.We analyze the two-stage games induced by competitive equilibrium rules for the buyer-seller market of Shapley and Shubik (Int J Game Theory 1:111-130, 1972). In these procedures, first sellers and then buyers report their valuation and the outcome is determined by a competitive equilibrium outcome for the market reported by the agents. We provide results concerning buyers and sellers' equilibrium strategies. In particular, our results point out that, by playing first, sellers are able to instigate an outcome that corresponds to the sellers' optimal competitive equilibrium allocation for the true market
Associations between HLA and autoimmune neurological diseases with autoantibodies
Recently, several autoimmune neurological diseases have been defined by the presence of autoantibodies against different antigens of the nervous system. These autoantibodies have been demonstrated to be specific and useful biomarkers, and most of them are also pathogenic. These aspects have increased the value of autoantibodies in neurological practice, as they enable to establish more accurate diagnosis and to better understand the underlying mechanisms of the autoimmune neurological diseases when they are compared to those lacking them. Nevertheless, the exact mechanisms leading to the autoimmune response are still obscure. Genetic predisposition is likely to play a role in autoimmunity, HLA being the most reported genetic factor. Herein, we review the current knowledge about associations between HLA and autoimmune neurological diseases with autoantibodies. We report the main alleles and haplotypes, and discuss the clinical and pathogenic implications of these findings
Primary gas thermometry by means of laser-absorption spectroscopy: Determination of the Boltzmann constant
We report on a new optical implementation of primary gas thermometry based on
laser absorption spectrometry in the near infrared. The method consists in
retrieving the Doppler broadening from highly accurate observations of the line
shape of the R(12) transition in
CO gas at thermodynamic equilibrium. Doppler width measurements as a
function of gas temperature, ranging between the triple point of water and the
gallium melting point, allowed for a spectroscopic determination of the
Boltzmann constant with a relative accuracy of .Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letter
Observing the intrinsic linewidth of a quantum-cascade laser: beyond the Schawlow-Townes limit
A comprehensive investigation of the frequency-noise spectral density of a
free-running mid-infrared quantum-cascade laser is presented for the first
time. It provides direct evidence of the leveling of this noise down to a white
noise plateau, corresponding to an intrinsic linewidth of a few hundred Hz. The
experiment is in agreement with the most recent theory on the fundamental
mechanism of line broadening in quantum-cascade lasers, which provides a new
insight into the Schawlow-Townes formula and predicts a narrowing beyond the
limit set by the radiative lifetime of the upper level.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Effect of the feed presentation form on the intake pattern, productive traits and rumen pH of beef cattle fed high concentrate diets
Nutritional disorders like ruminal acidosis are common in Spanish beef production system, in which animals are fed diets with a high content in starch. This experiment studied the effect of feed presentation form (concentrate and straw offered separately, CD, or mixed in form of briquettes, BR) on the pattern of intake, growth and rumen pH of beef cattle fed high concentrate diets. The experiment was performed with 40 Holstein male calves, 32 of them for determining feed intake pattern and productive rates, and the remaining 8, which were previously provided with a ruminal cannula, to monitor rumen pH in two 21-day consecutive periods following a change-over design. Animals fed BR reduced feed intake rate during the first hour after feeding (18.6 vs. 24.0% of daily intake p<0.001), but this diet promoted a lower rumen pH at all sampling times compared with CD (daily average of 5.98 vs. 6.33; p<0.001) and tended to promote a lower total feed intake (7.08 vs. 9.77 kg DM d–1; p<0.001) and daily weight gain (1.43 vs. 1.76 kg d–1; p=0.056). Offering the concentrate and the straw mixed in form of briquettes is not useful to prevent ruminal acidosis and improve growth, probably due to both a reduced particle size of straw and avoided self-regulation of straw intake along the day. Additional key words: fee
Self-trapping in B-doped amorphous Si: Intrinsic origin of low acceptor efficiency
We have used ab initio simulations to study the doping efficiency of amorphous semiconductors, in particular of B-doped amorphous Si. We have found that even in the optimum case of substitutional doping in dangling-bond free amorphous Si the holes provided by B atoms do not behave as free carriers. Instead, they are trapped into regions with locally distorted bond angles. Thus, the effective activation energy for hole conduction turns to be the hole binding energy to these traps. In the case of high B concentration, the trap states move deeper in the gap and the binding energy and spatial localization of holes increase. In addition, B atoms have lower energies for shorter bond lengths, configurations favored in the vicinity of these traps
Pathophysiology of paraneoplastic and autoimmune encephalitis: genes, infections, and checkpoint inhibitors
Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNSs) are rare complications of systemic cancers that can affect all parts of the central and/or peripheral nervous system. A body of experimental and clinical data has demonstrated that the pathogenesis of PNSs is immune-mediated. Nevertheless, the mechanisms leading to immune tolerance breakdown in these conditions remain to be elucidated. Despite their rarity, PNSs offer a unique perspective to understand the complex interplay between cancer immunity, effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), and mechanisms underlying the attack of neurons in antibody-mediated neurological disorders, with potentially relevant therapeutic implications. In particular, it is reported that ICI treatment can unleash PNSs and that the immunopathological features of PNS-related tumors are distinctive, showing prominent tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and germinal center reactions. Intriguingly, similar pathological substrates have gained further attention as potential biomarkers of ICI-sensitivity and oncological prognosis. Moreover, the genetic analysis of PNS-associated tumors has revealed specific molecular signatures and mutations in genes encoding onconeural proteins, leading to the production of highly immunogenic neoantigens. Other than PNSs, autoimmune encephalitides (AEs) comprise a recently described group of disorders characterized by prominent neuropsychiatric symptoms, diverse antibody spectrum, and less tight association with cancer. Other triggering factors seem to be involved in AEs. Recent data have shed light on the importance of preceding infections (in particular, herpes simplex virus encephalitis) in inducing neurological autoimmune disorders in susceptible individuals (those with a selective deficiency in the innate immune system). In addition, in some AEs (e.g. LGI1-antibody encephalitis) an association with specific host-related factors [e.g., human leukocyte antigen (HLA)] was clearly demonstrated. We provide herein a comprehensive review of the most recent findings in the field of PNSs and AEs, with particular focus on their triggering factors and immunopathogenesis
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