Sticky Prices in The Euro Area: a Summary of New Micro Evidence

This paper presents original evidence on price setting in the euro area at the individual level. We use micro data on consumer (CPI) and producer (PPI) prices, as well as survey information. Our main findings are: (i) prices in the euro area are sticky and more so than in the US; (ii) there is evidence of heterogeneity and of asymmetries in price setting behaviour; (iii) downward price rigidity is only slightly more marked than upward price rigidity and (iv) implicit or explicit contracts and coordination failure theories are important, whereas menu or information costs are judged much less relevant by firms.

Analytic Metaphysics versus Naturalized Metaphysics: The Relevance of Applied Ontology

The relevance of analytic metaphysics has come under criticism: Ladyman & Ross, for instance, have suggested do discontinue the field. French & McKenzie have argued in defense of analytic metaphysics that it develops tools that could turn out to be useful for philosophy of physics. In this article, we show first that this heuristic defense of metaphysics can be extended to the scientific field of applied ontology, which uses constructs from analytic metaphysics. Second, we elaborate on a parallel by French & McKenzie between mathematics and metaphysics to show that the whole field of analytic metaphysics, being useful not only for philosophy but also for science, should continue to exist as a largely autonomous field

Structural and functional characterisation of human RNA helicase DHX8 provides insights into the mechanism of RNA-stimulated ADP release.

DHX8 is a crucial DEAH-box RNA helicase involved in splicing and required for the release of mature mRNA from the spliceosome. Here, we report the biochemical characterisation of full-length human DHX8 and the catalytically active helicase core DHX8Δ547, alongside crystal structures of DHX8Δ547 bound to ADP and a structure of DHX8Δ547 bound to poly(A)6 single-strand RNA. Our results reveal that DHX8 has an in vitro binding preference for adenine-rich RNA and that RNA binding triggers the release of ADP through significant conformational flexibility in the conserved DEAH-, P-loop and hook-turn motifs. We demonstrate the importance of R620 and both the hook-turn and hook-loop regions for DHX8 helicase activity and propose that the hook-turn acts as a gatekeeper to regulate the directional movement of the 3' end of RNA through the RNA-binding channel. This study provides an in-depth understanding of the activity of DHX8 and contributes insights into the RNA-unwinding mechanisms of the DEAH-box helicase family

Preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction and left atrium reverse remodeling after mitral regurgitation surgery

Background: Left atrium enlargement has been associated with cardiac events in patients with mitral regurgitation (MR). Left atrium reverse remodeling (LARR) occur after surgical correction of MR, but the preoperative predictors of this phenomenon are not well known. It is therefore important to identify preoperative predictors for postoperative LARR.Methods: We enrolled 62 patients with chronic severe MR (prolapse or flail leaflet) who underwent successful mitral valve surgery (repair or replacement); all with pre-and postoperative echocardiography. LARR was defined as a reduction in left atrium volume index (LAVI) of >= 25%. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of LARR.Results: LARR occurred in 46 patients (74.2%), with the mean LAVI decreasing from 85.5 mL/m(2) to 49.7 mL/m(2) (p = 25% with a sensitivity of 71.7% and a specificity of 56.3%.Conclusions: LARR occurs frequently after mitral valve surgery and is associated with preoperative LVEF higher than 63.5%.Inst Dante Pazzanese Cardiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, São Paulo, BrazilDisciplina Cardiol, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Prostate Diffusion Weighted-Magnetic Resonance Image analysis using Multivariate Curve Resolution methods

[EN] Multivariate Curve Resolution (MCR) has been applied on prostate Diffusion Weighted-Magnetic Resonance Images (DW-MRI). Different physiological-based modeling approaches of the diffusion process have been submitted to validation by sequentially incorporating prior knowledge on the MCR constraints. Results validate the biexponential diffusion modeling approach and show the capability of the MCR models to find, characterize and locate the behaviors related to the presence of an early prostate tumor.The authors want to thank prof. Anna de Juan for her comments and help in using the software for this study. This research work was partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under the project DPI 2011-28112-004-02.Aguado Sarrió, E.; Prats-Montalbán, JM.; Sanz Requena, R.; Marti Bonmati, L.; Alberich Bayarri, Á.; Ferrer Riquelme, AJ. (2015). Prostate Diffusion Weighted-Magnetic Resonance Image analysis using Multivariate Curve Resolution methods. Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems. 140:43-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemolab.2014.11.002S434814

Microstructural parameter estimation in vivo using diffusion MRI and structured prior information.

Diffusion MRI has recently been used with detailed models to probe tissue microstructure. Much of this work has been performed ex vivo with powerful scanner hardware, to gain sensitivity to parameters such as axon radius. By contrast, performing microstructure imaging on clinical scanners is extremely challenging

Evaluation of soil solar heating for control of damping-off fungi in two forest nurseries in France

Field experiments were carried out at two different forest nurseries during the summer of 1994 to examine the efficacy of soil solarization for the control of damping-off. Both soils hosted Pythium spp., Fusarium spp. and Rhizoctonia solani as damping-off agents. Soil samples from solarized, steamed, fumigated and untreated plots were periodically collected and assayed for soil infectivity. Solarization with a double layer of polyethylene film was as effective as steaming or fumigation in reducing soil infectivity in the uppermost layer. During July the temperature of covered beds rose as high as 50°C at a soil depth of 5cm. The method achieved good control of Pythium spp., the main cause of damping-off at both nurseries, whereas Fusarium spp. were more tolerant. The association of Trichoderma spp. with a reduction of soil infectivity at the last sampling date strongly suggested that biocontrol processes were induced after solarization. Soil solarization provides a suitable method for control of damping-off.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Fundamental representations and algebraic properties of biquaternions or complexified quaternions

The fundamental properties of biquaternions (complexified quaternions) are presented including several different representations, some of them new, and definitions of fundamental operations such as the scalar and vector parts, conjugates, semi-norms, polar forms, and inner and outer products. The notation is consistent throughout, even between representations, providing a clear account of the many ways in which the component parts of a biquaternion may be manipulated algebraically

Sticky Prices in the Euro Area: A Summary of New Micro Evidence,

This paper presents original evidence on price setting in the euro area at the individual level. We use micro data on consumer (CPI) and producer (PPI) prices, as well as survey information. Our main findings are: (i) prices in the euro area are sticky and more so than in the US; (ii) there is evidence of heterogeneity and of asymmetries in price setting behaviour; (iii) downward price rigidity is only slightly more marked than upward price rigidity and (iv) implicit or explicit contracts and coordination failure theories are important, whereas menu or information costs are judged much less relevant by firms.Price setting ; Price stickiness ; Consumer prices ; Producer prices ; Survey data.