466 research outputs found
Deriving the term structure of banking crisis risk with a compound option approach: The case of Kazakhstan
We use a compound option-based structural credit risk model to infer a term structure of banking crisis risk from market data on bank stocks in daily frequency. Considering debt service payments with different maturities this term structure assigns a separate estimator for short- and long-term default risk to each maturity. Applying the Duan (1994) maximum likelihood approach, we find for Kazakhstan that the overall crisis probability was mainly driven by short-term risk, which increased from 25% in March 2007 to 80% in December 2008. Concurrently, the long-term default risk increased from 20% to only 25% during the same period. --Banking crisis,bank default,option pricing theory,compound option,liability structure
Classical many-body time crystals
Discrete time crystals are a many-body state of matter where the extensive
system's dynamics are slower than the forces acting on it. Nowadays, there is a
growing debate regarding the specific properties required to demonstrate such a
many-body state, alongside several experimental realizations. In this work, we
provide a simple and pedagogical framework by which to obtain many-body time
crystals using parametrically coupled resonators. In our analysis, we use
classical period-doubling bifurcation theory and present a clear distinction
between single-mode time-translation symmetry breaking and a situation where an
extensive number of degrees of freedom undergo the transition. We
experimentally demonstrate this paradigm using coupled mechanical oscillators,
thus providing a clear route for time crystals realizations in real materials.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures, comments are welcom
The role of fluctuations in quantum and classical time crystals
Discrete time crystals (DTCs) are a many-body state of matter whose dynamics
are slower than the forces acting on it. The same is true for classical systems
with period-doubling bifurcations. Hence, the question naturally arises what
differentiates classical from quantum DTCs. Here, we analyze a variant of the
Bose-Hubbard model, which describes a plethora of physical phenomena and has
both a classical and a quantum time-crystalline limit. We study the role of
fluctuations on the stability of the system and find no distinction between
quantum and classical DTCs. This allows us to probe the fluctuations in an
experiment using two strongly coupled parametric resonators subject to
classical noise.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure
The impact of the AO foundation on fracture care : an evaluation of 60 years AO foundation
Objectives
Sixty years ago, the Association of Osteosynthesis (AO) was founded with the aim to improve fracture treatment and has since grown into one of the largest medical associations worldwide. Aim of this study was to evaluate AO's impact on science, education, patient care and the MedTech business.
Design/methods
Impact evaluations were conducted as appropriate for the individual domains: Impact on science was measured by analyzing citation frequencies of publications promoted by AO. Impact on education was evaluated by analyzing the evolution of number and location of AO courses. Impact on patient care was evaluated with a health economic model analyzing cost changes and years of life gained through the introduction of osteosynthesis in 17 high-income countries (HICs). Impact on MedTech business was evaluated by analyzing sales data of AO-associated products.
Results
Thirty-five AO papers and 2 major AO textbooks are cited at remarkable frequencies in high ranking journals with up to 2000 citations/year. The number of AO courses steadily increased with a total of 645'000 participants, 20â000 teaching days and 2â500 volunteer faculty members so far. The introduction of osteosynthesis saved at least 925 billion Swiss Francs [CHF] in the 17 HICs analyzed and had an impact on avoiding premature deaths comparable to the use of antihypertensive drugs. AO-associated products generated sales of 55 billion CHF.
Conclusion
AO's impact on science, education, patient care, and the MedTech business was significant because AO addressed hitherto unmet needs by combining activities that mutually enriched and reinforced each other
FcÎłReceptors IIa on Cardiomyocytes and Their Potential Functional Relevance in Dilated Cardiomyopathy
ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to investigate how cardiac autoantibodies might contribute to cardiac dysfunction in patients suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).BackgroundIn the majority of DCM patients, it is possible to detect antibodies with negative inotropic effect on cardiomyocytes. The manner in which these antibodies impair cardiac function is poorly understood.MethodsImmunoglobulin (Ig)G was prepared from plasma of 11 DCM patients containing antibodies that induced a negative inotropic effect on cardiomyocytes. We analyzed the effects of antibodies/IgG fragments on calcium transients and on systolic cell shortening of adult rat cardiomyocytes and investigated the dependency of these effects on potential cardiomyocyte Fc receptors.ResultsIn contrast to control subjects, intact IgG from DCM patients reduced calcium transients and cell shortening of cardiomyocytes. The F(abâČ)2fragments of these antibodies did not induce these effects but inhibited the functional effects of DCM-IgG of the respective patientsâ IgG. These effects were also inhibited by Fc fragments of normal IgG. Reconstitution of the Fc part by incubation of cardiomyocytes with DCM-F(abâČ)2fragments followed by goat-anti-human-F(abâČ)-IgG again induced reduction of cell shortening and of calcium transients. In rat and human ventricular cardiomyocytes, FcÎłreceptors IIa (CD32) were demonstrated by immunofluorescence.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that DCM-IgG-F(abâČ)2bind to their cardiac antigen(s), but the Fc part might trigger the negative inotropic effects via the newly detected FcÎłreceptor on cardiomyocytes. These results point to a novel potential mechanism for antibody-induced impairment of cardiac function in DCM patients
Ghost in the Ising machine
Coupled nonlinear systems have promise for parallel computing architectures.
En route to realizing complex networks for Ising machines, we report an
experimental and theoretical study of two coupled parametric resonators
(parametrons). The coupling severely impacts the bifurcation topology and the
number of available solutions of the system; in part of the stability diagram,
we can access fewer solutions than expected. When applying noise to probe the
stability of the states, we find that the switching rates and the phase-space
trajectories of the system depend on the detuning in surprising ways. We
present a theoretical framework that heralds the existence of 'ghost
bifurcations'. These bifurcations involve only unstable solutions and lead to
avoided zones in phase space. The emergence of such ghost bifurcations is an
important feature of parametron networks that can influence their application
for parallel logic operations
Rapid flipping of parametric phase states
Since the invention of the solid-state transistor, the overwhelming majority
of computers followed the von Neumann architecture that strictly separates
logic operations and memory. Today, there is a revived interest in alternative
computation models accompanied by the necessity to develop corresponding
hardware architectures. The Ising machine, for example, is a variant of the
celebrated Hopfield network based on the Ising model. It can be realized with
artifcial spins such as the `parametron' that arises in driven nonlinear
resonators. The parametron encodes binary information in the phase state of its
oscillation. It enables, in principle, logic operations without energy transfer
and the corresponding speed limitations. In this work, we experimentally
demonstrate flipping of parametron phase states on a timescale of an
oscillation period, much faster than the ringdown time \tau that is often
(erroneously) deemed a fundamental limit for resonator operations. Our work
establishes a new paradigm for resonator-based logic architectures.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
GHz nanomechanical resonator in an ultraclean suspended graphene p-n junction
We demonstrate high-frequency mechanical resonators in ballistic graphene p-n
junctions. Fully suspended graphene devices with two bottom gates exhibit
ballistic bipolar behavior after current annealing. We determine the graphene
mass density and built-in tension for different current annealing steps by
comparing the measured mechanical resonant response to a simplified membrane
model. We consistently find that after the last annealing step the mass density
compares well with the expected density of pure graphene. In a graphene
membrane with high built-in tension, but still of macroscopic size with
dimensions 3 1 , a record resonance frequency of 1.17 GHz
is observed after the final current annealing step. We further compare the
resonance response measured in the unipolar with the one in the bipolar regime.
Remarkably, the resonant signals are strongly enhanced in the bipolar regime.
This enhancement is caused in part by the Fabry-Perot resonances that appear in
the bipolar regime and possibly also by the photothermoelectric effect that can
be very pronounced in graphene p-n junctions under microwave irradiation.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl
Spatially resolved surface dissipation over metal and dielectric substrates
We report spatially resolved measurements of static and fluctuating electric
fields over conductive (Au) and non-conductive (SiO2) surfaces. Using an
ultrasensitive `nanoladder' cantilever probe to scan over these surfaces at
distances of a few tens of nanometers, we record changes in the probe resonance
frequency and damping that we associate with static and fluctuating fields,
respectively. We find that the two quantities are spatially correlated and of
similar magnitude for the two materials. We quantitatively describe the
observed effects on the basis of trapped surface charges and dielectric
fluctuations in an adsorbate layer. Our results provide direct, spatial
evidence for surface dissipation in adsorbates that affects nanomechanical
sensors, trapped ions, superconducting resonators, and color centers in
diamond
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