Long-Run Equilibrium Shift and Short-Run Dynamics of U.S. Home Price Tiers during the Housing Bubble

We use vector error correction models to examine the interdependence between the high and the low price tiers during the latest housing market boom and bust. For 118 of the 364 US statistical areas analyzed, the tiered price indexes are bound by a long-run relationship. In general, low tier homes appreciated more than high tier homes in the past two decades. In contrast to previous periods of high volatility, however, low tier homes appreciated more during the boom and lost more value during the bust of the market. We find a shift in the long-run equilibrium during the bubble —the cointegration parameter that ties the tiers together is greater in absolute value during the bubble period compared to the periods of more moderate appreciation and depreciation rates. Moreover, the shift in the long-run equilibrium can be explained by differences in subprime originations across housing markets. We also find that short run price dynamics is driven by momentum in both segments of the market

Dynamical Induction of s-wave Component in d-wave Superconductor Driven by Thermal Fluctuations

We investigated the mutual induction effects between the d-wave and the s-wave components of order parameters due to superconducting fluctuation above the critical temperatures and calculated its contributions to paraconductivity and excess Hall conductivity based on the two-component stochastic TDGL equation. It is shown that the coupling of two components increases paraconductivity while it decreases excess Hall conductivity compared to the cases when each component fluctuates independently. We also found the singular behavior in the paraconductivity and the excess Hall conductivity dependence on the coupling parameter which is consistent with the natural restriction among the coefficients of gradient terms.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures included, submitted to J.Phys.Soc.Jp

Pattern electroretinography as an objective method for study the visual analyzer function in patients with diabetes mellitus with initial diabetic retinopathy

Цел: Целта на нашето проучване е да се изследва обективно функцията на зрителния анализатор чрез патерна електроретинография (ПЕРГ) при пациенти със захарен диабет (ЗД) с начална диабетна ретинопатия (ДР) и получените резултати да се сравнят с контролната група, както и според типа на диабета.Материал и методика: Изследвана е група от 81 човека (162 очи), от които 47 здрави лица (контроли) - 94 очи. Пациентите със ЗД са 34 (68 очи), от които със ЗД тип 1 са 11 лица и 23 са с тип 2 ЗД. Извършена е ПЕРГ. Основните показатели, които са отчетени при анализа на резултатите са латентни времена и амплитуди, отразяващи се на конфиrурацията на вълновите форми.Резултати: При сравнителния анализ на стойностите на компонентите на ПЕРГ с контролната група, както и според типа ЗД, се установиха значителни различия. При сравнителния анализ на стойностите на компонентите на ПЕРГ между пациенти със ЗД с ДР и контроли се установи, че двете групи статистически се различават по амплитудите на всички компоненти на ПЕРГ при всички отвеждания при 15o и 30o.При латентностите сигнификантни различия се установиха при компонент Р50 при всички отвеждания при 15o и 30o. Пациентите със ЗД имат сигнификантно по-удължени латентности и по-ниски амплитуди, в сравнение с контролната група. При сравнителния анализ според типа ЗД, сигнификантни различия се получиха при амплитуден компонент P50-N95 при 15o и30o при дясно око, което потвърждава асиметричното засягане на очите при ЗД. Амплитудите на ПЕРГ при ЗД тип 2 са сигнификантно по-ниски от тези на пациентите със ЗД тип 1.Заключение: ПЕРГ би могла да се използва като обективен метод за регистриране на ранни изменения във функцията на зрителния анализатор (ЗА) като усложнение на З)J,. Също така и за проследяване на промените в динамика, тъй като изследването е неинвазивно, безвредно, по-бързо, повторяемо и обективно, по-евтино в сравнение с флуоресцеиновата ангиография (ФА), оптината кохерентна томография (ОСТ) и ангио-ОСТ.Aim: The aim of the study was to examine objectively the visual analyzer function by pattern electroretinography (PERG) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) with initial diabetic retinopathy (DR) and to compare the results with the control group as well as according to the type of diabetes. Material and methods: A group of 81 people (162 eyes) were studied. Patients with DM were 34 (68 eyes), 11 patients with type 1 DM and 23 with type 2 DM. The control group consisted of 47 healthy individuals (94 eyes). PERG was performed. The main variables that were considered in the results analysis were the latency and amplitudes, reflecting the configuration of the wave forms.Results: The comparative analysis of PERG components between patients with DM with DR and controls as well as according to the type of DM demonstrated significant differences. In latencies, significant differences were found for component P50 at all electrode positions at 15o and 30o. Patients with DM had significantly longer latencies and lower amplitudes compared to the control group. In the comparative analysis according to the type of DM, significant differences were found in amplitude component P50-N95 at 15o and 30o in the right eye, which confirms the asymmetrical eye involvement in DM. The PERG amplitudes in type 2 DM were significantly lower than those of type 1 DM patients.Conclusion: PERG could be used as an objective method for registration of early changes in the visual analyzer function as a DM complication. Also, to monitor the changes in dynamics as it is non-invasive, harmless, faster, and less expensive than fluorescein angiography (FA), OCT and angio-OCT

Fluctuation conductivity in superconductors in strong electric fields

We study the effect of a strong electric field on the fluctuation conductivity within the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory for the case of arbitrary dimension. Our results are based on the analytical derivation of the velocity distribution law for the fluctuation Cooper pairs, from the Boltzmann equation. Special attention is drawn to the case of small nonlinearity of conductivity, which can be investigated experimentally. We obtain a general relation between the nonlinear conductivity and the temperature derivative of the linear Aslamazov-Larkin conductivity, applicable to any superconductor. For the important case of layered superconductors we derive an analogous relation between the small nonlinear correction for the conductivity and the fluctuational magnetoconductivity. On the basis of these relations we provide new experimental methods for determining both the lifetime constant of metastable Cooper pairs above T_c and the coherence length. A systematic investigation of the 3rd harmonic of the electric field generated by a harmonic current can serve as an alternative method for the examination of the metastable Cooper-pair relaxation time.Comment: 18 pages, REVTeX, submitted to Phys. Rev.

NeuN/Rbfox3 Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Isoforms Differentially Regulate Alternative Splicing and Nonsense-Mediated Decay of Rbfox2

Anti-NeuN (Neuronal Nuclei) is a monoclonal antibody used extensively to specifically detect post-mitotic neurons. Anti-NeuN reactivity is predominantly nuclear; by western it detects multiple bands ranging in molecular weight from 45 kDa to >75 kDa. Expression screening putatively identified R3hdm2 as NeuN; however immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry of the two major NeuN species at 45–50 kDa identified both as the RNA binding protein Rbfox3 (a member of the Fox family of alternative splicing factors), confirming and extending the identification of the 45 kDa band as Rbfox3 by Kim et al. Mapping of the anti-NeuN reactive epitopes in both R3hdm2 and Rbfox3 reveals a common proline- and glutamine-rich domain that lies at the N-terminus of the Rbfox3 protein. Our data suggests that alternative splicing of the Rbfox3 pre-mRNA itself leads to the production of four protein isoforms that migrate in the 45–50 kDa range, and that one of these splicing choices regulates Rbfox3/NeuN sub-cellular steady-state distribution, through the addition or removal of a short C-terminal extension containing the second half of a bipartite hydrophobic proline-tyrosine nuclear localization signal. Rbfox3 regulates alternative splicing of the Rbfox2 pre-mRNA, producing a message encoding a dominant negative form of the Rbfox2 protein. We show here that nuclear Rbfox3 isoforms can also enhance the inclusion of cryptic exons in the Rbfox2 mRNA, resulting in nonsense-mediated decay of the message, thereby contributing to the negative regulation of Rbfox2 by Rbfox3 through a novel mechanism

NeuN/Rbfox3 Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Isoforms Differentially Regulate Alternative Splicing and Nonsense-Mediated Decay of Rbfox2

Anti-NeuN (Neuronal Nuclei) is a monoclonal antibody used extensively to specifically detect post-mitotic neurons. Anti-NeuN reactivity is predominantly nuclear; by western it detects multiple bands ranging in molecular weight from 45 kDa to >75 kDa. Expression screening putatively identified R3hdm2 as NeuN; however immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry of the two major NeuN species at 45–50 kDa identified both as the RNA binding protein Rbfox3 (a member of the Fox family of alternative splicing factors), confirming and extending the identification of the 45 kDa band as Rbfox3 by Kim et al. Mapping of the anti-NeuN reactive epitopes in both R3hdm2 and Rbfox3 reveals a common proline- and glutamine-rich domain that lies at the N-terminus of the Rbfox3 protein. Our data suggests that alternative splicing of the Rbfox3 pre-mRNA itself leads to the production of four protein isoforms that migrate in the 45–50 kDa range, and that one of these splicing choices regulates Rbfox3/NeuN sub-cellular steady-state distribution, through the addition or removal of a short C-terminal extension containing the second half of a bipartite hydrophobic proline-tyrosine nuclear localization signal. Rbfox3 regulates alternative splicing of the Rbfox2 pre-mRNA, producing a message encoding a dominant negative form of the Rbfox2 protein. We show here that nuclear Rbfox3 isoforms can also enhance the inclusion of cryptic exons in the Rbfox2 mRNA, resulting in nonsense-mediated decay of the message, thereby contributing to the negative regulation of Rbfox2 by Rbfox3 through a novel mechanism

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

A Survey of Experimental Research on Contests, All-Pay Auctions and Tournaments

Many economic, political and social environments can be described as contests in which agents exert costly efforts while competing over the distribution of a scarce resource. These environments have been studied using Tullock contests, all-pay auctions and rankorder tournaments. This survey provides a review of experimental research on these three canonical contests. First, we review studies investigating the basic structure of contests, including the contest success function, number of players and prizes, spillovers and externalities, heterogeneity, and incomplete information. Second, we discuss dynamic contests and multi-battle contests. Then we review research on sabotage, feedback, bias, collusion, alliances, and contests between groups, as well as real-effort and field experiments. Finally, we discuss applications of contests to the study of legal systems, political competition, war, conflict avoidance, sales, and charities, and suggest directions for future research. (author's abstract