Cross-Country Evidence on the Link between the Level of Infrastructure and Capital Inflows

This paper empirically investigates the relationship between public infrastructrue and international capital flows. Out of a sample of thirty countries a cross-sectional econometric model is constructed to estimate the effects. Different components of infrastructure variables are tested in relation to their impact on different kinds of external capital liabilities. The resuts suggest a positive relationship between the level of infrastructure and capital inflows. However, statistical significance cannot be established for all variables in question.

Many Particle Hardy-Inequalities

In this paper we prove three differenttypes of the so-called many-particle Hardy inequalities. One of them is a "classical type" which is valid in any dimesnion $d\neq 2$. The second type deals with two-dimensional magnetic Dirichlet forms where every particle is supplied with a soplenoid. Finally we show that Hardy inequalities for Fermions hold true in all dimensions.Comment: 20 page

Analyticity of the density of electronic wavefunctions

We prove that the electronic densities of atomic and molecular eigenfunctions are real analytic in ${\mathbb R}^3$ away from the nuclei.Comment: 19 page

A small population of hypothalamic neurons govern fertility: the critical role of VAX1 in GnRH neuron development and fertility maintenance.

Fertility depends on the correct maturation and function of approximately 800 gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons in the brain. GnRH neurons are at the apex of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis that regulates fertility. In adulthood, GnRH neurons are scattered throughout the anterior hypothalamic area and project to the median eminence, where GnRH is released into the portal vasculature to stimulate release of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) from the pituitary. LH and FSH then regulate gonadal steroidogenesis and gametogenesis. Absence of GnRH neurons or inappropriate GnRH release leads to infertility. Despite the critical role of GnRH neurons in fertility, we still have a limited understanding of the genes responsible for proper GnRH neuron development and function in adulthood. GnRH neurons originate in the olfactory placode then migrate into the brain. Homeodomain transcription factors expressed within GnRH neurons or along their migratory path are candidate genes for inherited infertility. Using a combined in vitro and in vivo approach, we have identified Ventral Anterior Homeobox 1 (Vax1) as a novel homeodomain transcription factor responsible for GnRH neuron maturation and fertility. GnRH neuron counts in Vax1 knock-out embryos revealed Vax1 to be required for the presence of GnRH-expressing cells at embryonic day 17.5 (E17.5), but not at E13.5. To localize the effects of Vax1 on fertility, we generated Vax1flox mice and crossed them with Gnrhcre mice to specifically delete Vax1 within GnRH neurons. GnRH staining in Vax1flox/flox:GnRHcre mice show a total absence of GnRH expression in the adult. We performed lineage tracing in Vax1flox/flox:GnRHcre:RosaLacZ mice which proved GnRH neurons to be alive, but incapable of expressing GnRH. The absence of GnRH leads to delayed puberty, hypogonadism and complete infertility in both sexes. Finally, using the immortalized model GnRH neuron cell lines, GN11 and GT1-7, we show that VAX1 is a direct regulator of Gnrh1 transcription by binding key ATTA sites within the Gnrh1 promoter. This study identifies VAX1 as a key transcription factor regulating GnRH expression and establishes VAX1 as a novel candidate gene implicated in heritable infertility

Inelastic relaxation and noise temperature in S/N/S junctions

We studied electronic relaxation in long diffusive superconductor / normal metal / superconductor (S/N/S) junctions by means of current noise and transport measurements down to very low temperature (100mK). Samples with normal metal lengths of 4, 10 and 60 micrometer have been investigated. In all samples the shot noise increases very rapidly with the voltage. This is interpreted in terms of enhanced heating of the electron gas confined between the two S/N interfaces. Experimental results are analyzed quantitatively taking into account electron-phonon interaction and heat transfer through the S/N interfaces. Transport measurements reveal that in all samples the two S/N interfaces are connected incoherently, as shown by the reentrance of the resistance at low temperature. The complementarity of noise and transport measurements allows us to show that the energy dependence of the reentrance at low voltage is essentially due to the increasing effective temperature of the quasiparticles in the normal metal.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to be published in EPJ