324 research outputs found
Heterogeneous Homebuyers, Mortgage Choice and the use of Mortgage Brokers
Choosing a mortgage product in the face of labor income risk, interest rate risk and borrowing constraints is one of the most important decisions facing a household. This paper investigates the choice between a variety of fixed rate mortgages and adjustable rate mortgages. We find that households with a high loan-to-value ratio, risky income and high risk aversion are more likely to choose a fixed rate mortgage. Choosing a mortgage product relies market search and information. The paper finds that in general first-time homebuyers and those with a high loan-to-value ratio are more likely to use a mortgage broker.Mortgage choice,First-time homebuyer,Mortgage broker
4f spin density in the reentrant ferromagnet SmMn2Ge2
The spin contribution to the magnetic moment in SmMn2Ge2 has been measured by
magnetic Compton scattering in both the low and high temperature ferromagnetic
phases. At low temperature, the Sm site is shown to possess a large 4f spin
moment of 3.4 +/- 0.1 Bohr magnetons, aligned antiparallel to the total
magnetic moment. At high temperature, the data show conclusively that ordered
magnetic moments are present on the samarium site.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, transferred from PRL to PRB (Rapid Comm.
Clinical use of biomarkers in breast cancer: Updated guidelines from the European Group on Tumor Markers (EGTM)
Abstract Biomarkers play an essential role in the management of patients with invasive breast cancer. For selecting patients likely to respond to endocrine therapy, both oestrogen receptors (ERs) and progesterone receptors (PRs) should be measured on all newly diagnosed invasive breast cancers. On the other hand, for selecting likely response to all forms of anti-HER2 therapy (trastuzumab, pertuzumab, lapatinib or ado-trastuzumab emtansine), determination of HER2 expression or gene copy number is mandatory. Where feasible, measurement of ER, PR and HER2 should be performed on recurrent lesions and the primary invasive tumour. Although methodological problems exist in the determination of Ki67, because of its clearly established clinical value, wide availability and low costs relative to the available multianalyte signatures, Ki67 may be used for determining prognosis, especially if values are low or high. In oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative, lymph node–negative patients, multianalyte tests such as urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA)-PAI-1, Oncotype DX, MammaPrint, EndoPredict, Breast Cancer Index (BCI) and Prosigna (PAM50) may be used to predict outcome and aid adjunct therapy decision-making. Oncotype DX, MammaPrint, EndoPredict and Prosigna may be similarly used in patients with 1–3 metastatic lymph nodes. All laboratories measuring biomarkers for patient management should use analytically and clinically validated assays, participate in external quality assurance programs, have established assay acceptance and rejection criteria, perform regular audits and be accredited by an appropriate organisation
Transcriptional regulation of the urokinase receptor (u-PAR) - A central molecule of invasion and metastasis
The phenomenon of tumor-associated proteolysis has been acknowledged as a decisive step in the progression of cancer. This short review focuses on the urokinase receptor (u-PAR), a central molecule involved in tumor-associated invasion and metastasis, and summarizes the transcriptional regulation of u-PAR. The urokinase receptor (u-PAR) is a heavily glycosylated cell surface protein and binds the serine protease urokinase specifically and with high affinity. It consists of three similar cysteine-rich repeats and is anchored to the cell membrane via a GPI-anchor. The u-PAR gene comprises 7 exons and is located on chromosome 19q13. Transcriptional activation of the u-PAR promoter region can be induced by binding of transcription factors (Sp1, AP-1, AP-2, NF-kappaB). One current study gives an example for transcriptional downregulation of u-PAR through a PEA3/ets transcriptional silencing element. Knowledge of the molecular regulation of this molecule in tumor cells could be very important for diagnosis and therapy in the near future
Transport and the Order Parameter of Superconducting SrRuO
Recent experiments make it appear more likely that the order parameter of the
unconventional superconductor SrRuO has a spin-triplet -wave
symmetry. We study ultrasonic absorption and thermal conductivity of
superconducting SrRuO and fit to the recent data for various -wave
candidates. It is shown that only -wave symmetry can account
qualitatively for the transport data.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, references added and update
Crop supply dynamics and the illusion of partial adjustment
We use field-level data to estimate the response of corn and soybean acreage to price shocks. Our sample contains more than eight million observations derived from satellite imagery and includes every field in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. We estimate that aggregate crop acreage responds more to price shocks in the short run than in the long run, and we show theoretically how the benefits of crop rotation generate this response pattern. In essence, farmers who change crops due to a price shock have an incentive to switch back to the previous crop to capture the benefits of crop rotation. Our result contradicts the long-held belief that agricultural supply responds gradually to price shocks through partial adjustment. We would not have obtained this result had we used county-level panel data. Standard econometric methods applied to county-level data produce estimates consistent with partial adjustment. We show that this apparent partial adjustment is illusory, and we demonstrate how it arises from the fact that fields in the same county are more similar to each other than to fields in other counties. This result underscores the importance of using models with appropriate micro-foundations and cautions against inferring micro-level rigidities from inertia in aggregate panel data. Our preferred estimate of the own-price long-run elasticity of corn acreage is 0.29 and the cross-price elasticity is -0.22. The corresponding elasticities for soybean acreage are 0.26 and -0.33. Our estimated short-run elasticities are 37 percent larger than their long-run counterparts
The institutional shaping of management: in the tracks of English individualism
Globalisation raises important questions about the shaping of economic action by cultural factors. This article explores the formation of what is seen by some as a prime influence on the formation of British management: individualism. Drawing on a range of historical sources, it argues for a comparative approach. In this case, the primary comparison drawn is between England and Scotland. The contention is that there is a systemic approach to authority in Scotland that can be contrasted to a personal approach in England. An examination of the careers of a number of Scottish pioneers of management suggests the roots of this systemic approach in practices of church governance. Ultimately this systemic approach was to take a secondary role to the personal approach engendered by institutions like the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, but it found more success in the different institutional context of the USA. The complexities of dealing with historical evidence are stressed, as is the value of taking a comparative approach. In this case this indicates a need to take religious practice as seriously as religious belief as a source of transferable practice. The article suggests that management should not be seen as a simple response to economic imperatives, but as shaped by the social and cultural context from which it emerges
Lattice Dynamics and the High Pressure Equation of State of Au
Elastic constants and zone-boundary phonon frequencies of gold are calculated
by total energy electronic structure methods to twofold compression. A
generalized force constant model is used to interpolate throughout the
Brillouin zone and evaluate moments of the phonon distribution. The moments are
used to calculate the volume dependence of the Gruneisen parameter in the fcc
solid. Using these results with ultrasonic and shock data, we formulate the
complete free energy for solid Au. This free energy is given as a set of closed
form expressions, which are valid to compressions of at least V/V_0 = 0.65 and
temperatures up to melting. Beyond this density, the Hugoniot enters the
solid-liquid mixed phase region. Effects of shock melting on the Hugoniot are
discussed within an approximate model. We compare with proposed standards for
the equation of state to pressures of ~200 GPa. Our result for the room
temperature isotherm is in very good agreement with an earlier standard of
Heinz and Jeanloz.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures. Accepted by Phys. Rev.
Spatio-temporal genetic tagging of a cosmopolitan planktivorous shark provides insight to gene flow, temporal variation and site-specific re-encounters
Migratory movements in response to seasonal resources often influence population structure and dynamics. Yet in mobile marine predators, population genetic consequences of such repetitious behaviour remain inaccessible without comprehensive sampling strategies. Temporal genetic sampling of seasonally recurring aggregations of planktivorous basking sharks, Cetorhinus maximus, in the Northeast Atlantic (NEA) affords an opportunity to resolve individual re-encounters at key sites with population connectivity and patterns of relatedness. Genetic tagging (19 microsatellites) revealed 18% of re-sampled individuals in the NEA demonstrated inter/multi-annual site-specific re-encounters. High genetic connectivity and migration between aggregation sites indicate the Irish Sea as an important movement corridor, with a contemporary effective population estimate (Ne) of 382 (CI = 241–830). We contrast the prevailing view of high gene flow across oceanic regions with evidence of population structure within the NEA, with early-season sharks off southwest Ireland possibly representing genetically distinct migrants. Finally, we found basking sharks surfacing together in the NEA are on average more related than expected by chance, suggesting a genetic consequence of, or a potential mechanism maintaining, site-specific re-encounters. Long-term temporal genetic monitoring is paramount in determining future viability of cosmopolitan marine species, identifying genetic units for conservation management, and for understanding aggregation structure and dynamics
Optical symmetries and anisotropic transport in high-Tc superconductors
A simple symmetry analysis of in-plane and out-of-plane transport in a family
of high temperature superconductors is presented. It is shown that generalized
scaling relations exist between the low frequency electronic Raman response and
the low frequency in-plane and out-of-plane conductivities in both the normal
and superconducting states of the cuprates. Specifically, for both the normal
and superconducting state, the temperature dependence of the low frequency
Raman slope scales with the axis conductivity, while the
Raman slope scales with the in-plane conductivity. Comparison with experiments
in the normal state of Bi-2212 and Y-123 imply that the nodal transport is
largely doping independent and metallic, while transport near the BZ axes is
governed by a quantum critical point near doping holes per
CuO plaquette. Important differences for La-214 are discussed. It is also
shown that the axis conductivity rise for is a consequence of
partial conservation of in-plane momentum for out-of-plane transport.Comment: 16 pages, 8 Figures (3 pages added, new discussion on pseudogap and
charge ordering in La214
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