Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
First-Price Auctions with Speculative Resale Part I: Optimal Revenue

In this paper, we investigate the model of speculative resale in auctions. Resale (or secondary trade) is allowed for each bidder, but in equilibrium we show that there is only speculative resale. We consider a standard …rst-price auction in the …rst stage with symmetric independent private values (IPV) among N bidders and several speculators. In the second stage there is resale among the bidders. The winner in the …rst stage auction uses an optimal mechanism to sell the object to the losing bidders. We establish a supermodularity property without assuming monotonicity or symmetry in bidding. We show the equilibrium bidding function of the regular bidders to be symmetric and increasing. We give a simple computable equilibrium solution and prove it to be unique. The Myerson (1981) revenue formula is extended to our model with speculative resale. Revenue monotonicity holds, and the Bulow-Klemperer (1996) argument favoring participation rather than the choice of optimal reservation price is also valid here with even greater force. Speculators’active participation enhances the seller revenue, but for optimal revenue, the seller should prevent speculative resale by setting a su¢ ciently high reservation price. Thus …rst-price auction provides an implementation of optimal auctions with a unique equilibrium, while allowing speculative resale.
Polymeric micromachines driven by laser-induced negative dielectrophoresis

Optoelectronic micromachines driven by laser-induced dielectrophoretic force were developed by two-photon microfabrication. The optoelectronic driving system consists of the lower photoconductive layer of amorphous silicon on an indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrate and the upper transparent, conductive ITO-coated glass substrate. Micromachines are fabricated on the upper ITO-coated substrate by two-photon microfabrication. To estimate the driving condition, we examined the displacement of a microparticle by focusing a laser beam. Micromachines such as manipulators and microgears were also driven at proper driving condition. Furthermore a prototype of microfluidic components was developed. The optoelectronic micromachines will be powerful tools applicable to high-performance, low-cost lab-on-a-chip devices.
Regulation of Easter activity is required for shaping the Dorsal gradient in the Drosophila embryo

Dorsoventral polarity of the Drosophila embryo requires maternal spätzle-Toll signaling to establish a nuclear gradient of Dorsal protein. The shape of this gradient is altered in embryos produced by females carrying dominant alleles of easter (eaD). The easter gene encodes a serine protease that generates processed Spätzle, which is proposed to act as the Toll ligand. By examining the expression domains of the zygotic genes zen, sog, rho and twist, which are targets of nuclear Dorsal, we show that the slope of the Dorsal gradient is progressively flattened in stronger eaD alleles. In the wild-type embryo, activated Easter is found in a high Mr complex called Ea-X, which is hypothesized to contain a protease inhibitor. In eaD embryo extracts, we detect an Easter form corresponding to the free catalytic domain, which is never observed in wild type. These mutant eaD proteins retain protease activity, as determined by the production of processed Spätzle both in the embryo and in cultured Drosophila cells. These experiments suggest that the eaD mutations interfere with inactivation of catalytic Easter, and imply that this negative regulation is essential for generating the wild-type shape of the Dorsal gradient.
Systematic Band Gap Tuning of BaSnO3 via Chemical Substitutions: The Role of Clustering in Mixed-Valence Perovskites

By combining high-throughput experiments and first-principles calculations based on the DFT-ACBN0 approach, we have investigated the energy band gap of Sr-, Pb-, and Bi-substituted BaSnO3 over wide concentration ranges. We show that the band gap energy can be tuned from 3 to 4 eV by chemical substitution. Our work indicates the importance of considering the mixed-valence nature and clustering effects upon substitution of BaSnO3 with Pb and Bi. Starting from the band gap of ∼3.4 eV for pure BaSnO3, we find that Pb substitution changes the gap in a nonmonotonic fashion, reducing it by as much as 0.3 eV. Bi substitution provides a monotonic reduction but introduces electronic states into the energy gap due to Bi clustering. Our findings provide new insight into the ubiquitous phenomena of chemical substitutions in perovskite semiconductors with mixed-valence cations that underpin their physical properties.
Insomnia Among Brain Tumor Patients: A Population-Based Prospective Study of Tumor Patients in Northern Finland

Patients with neurological diseases often suffer from sleep disturbances. Insomnia among adult brain tumor patients has usually been studied as part of quality-of-life studies, or some case reports on insomnia in these patients have been described. The authors aimed to study insomnia in a prospective study setting among patients with primary brain tumors and evaluate whether insomnia is related to tumor laterality. Entire study population consisted of 70 patients with a solitary primary supratentorial brain tumor treated surgically at the Clinic for Neurosurgery, Oulu University Hospital. The overall functional state of the patients was assessed by the Karnofsky Performance Scale, depression was measured by Beck Depression Inventory, and insomnia by Nottingham Health Profile. Repeated measurements were assessed before tumor operation as well as 3 months and one year after surgery. Prevalence of insomnia among patients with a primary brain tumor waiting for surgery was higher compared to general population, but level of insomnia significantly decreased as soon as 3 months after tumor operation. Patients with a bilateral primary brain tumor had significantly more often insomnia without comorbid depression compared to patients with a left or right tumor for up to one year after operation. The authors suggest that insomnia among patients with a bilateral brain tumor may not be associated with depression but have other biological background.
Chronic Kidney Disease and Risk for Gastrointestinal Bleeding in the Community: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Patients on dialysis are known to have higher risk for gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. However, data on mild to moderate CKD, particularly elevated albuminuria, are limited. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS Among 11,088 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, we investigated the association of eGFR and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) with risk for hospitalization with GI bleeding. Kidney measures were assessed at visit four (1996-1998), and follow-up was continued through 2011. RESULTS During a median follow-up of 13.9 years, 686 first incident hospitalizations with GI bleeding were observed (incidence rate, 4.9 per 1000 person-years [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 4.5 to 5.3]). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models revealed that both lower eGFR and higher ACR were associated with higher risk for GI bleeding. With eGFR≥90 ml/min per 1.73 m2 as a reference, risk for GI bleeding was significant in moderately decreased eGFR of 30-59 ml/min per 1.73 m2 (hazard ratio [HR], 1.51; 95% CI, 1.13 to 2.02), and was highest in severely decreased eGFR<30 ml/min per 1.73 m2 (HR, 7.06; 95% CI, 3.91 to 12.76). Compared with ACR<10 mg/g, risk for GI bleeding became significantly higher in mild albuminuria with ACR 10-29 mg/g (HR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.69), and was nearly double in moderate and severe albuminuria (HR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.66 to 2.71 for ACR 30-299 mg/g, and HR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.33 to 3.22 for ACR≥300 mg/g). These results were largely consistent in demographic and clinical subgroups and independent of incident cardiovascular events or dialysis during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with even mild to moderate CKD warrant clinical attention regarding the risk of hospitalization with GI bleeding.
Imperfect Information, Social Capital and the Poor's Access to Credit

The last fifty years have seen the large-scale implementation of financial programs that specifically target the poor. Many such early programs, often implemented by governments, were not able to satisfactorily deal with information uncertainties, and hence resulted in weak incentive structures, heavily bureaucratic and politicized approaches and inevitably low repayment performance. More recently (even though the concept is more than a century old), a new type of approach to lending to the poor-known as microfinance-has designed specific methods to deal with information uncertainties, resulting in impressive program performance. Almost concurrently, social scientists and development practitioners have identified and assembled growing anecdotal evidence to suggest that the forms of capital traditionally used in growth theory (natural, physical and human) are missing an important element. This concept, generically known as "social capital", includes the various networks of relationships among economic actors, and the values and attitudes associated with them. A large part of the success of mircrofinance programs resides in their ability to surmount the significant information problems inherent in dealing with poor customers with no banking experience and unknown creditworthiness. Hence this literature review examins how social capital can help reduce the cost of imperfect information in small financial transactions, and thereby improve the performance of credit delivery programs in the developing world. It will suggest that, although social ties facilitate the poor's access to credit and lowers its cost, they do so in a more diverse and complex manner than the mainstream literature on development finance indicates. In addition to the horizontal networks of borrowers that are largely credited for the success of organizations like the Grameen Bank, credit delivery systems also rely heavily on vertical and/or hierarchical relationships between lenders and borrowers.
Intracardiac migration of inferior vena cava filters: review of published data.

BACKGROUND Intracardiac or intrapulmonary migration of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters is an uncommon although potentially life-threatening event that is poorly understood. METHODS We searched the medical literature and extracted data detailing information concerning the event, including the cause and treatment of the filter migration. Our data were summarized with respect to the filter type, presenting symptoms, associated morbidity and mortality, and success and failure of the treatment provided. RESULTS Ninety-eight cases of intracardiac or intrapulmonary migration of IVC filters were identified in 77 publications. CONCLUSIONS Intracardiac and intrapulmonary migration of IVC filters is an uncommon event the etiology of which has been attributed to a variety of causes including operator error, device failure, and patient's physical attributes. Although there is no consensus on patient management, we offer that open thoracotomy has several advantages over the endovascular approach and may provide the best first option. Whenever the patient is not a surgical candidate, endovascular retrieval has been demonstrated to be a relatively safe and viable alternative.
Stability Analysis of Micropower Network

Stability analysis of micropower networks is gaining importance given the dwindling gap of power generation and demand as well as increasing penetration of intermittent renewable energy sources. Instead of using prevalent small-signal analysis-based approaches, with predictions typically limited to the vicinity of the equilibrium, the outlined approach provides a sense of global/semiglobal stability. With regard to the latter, current approaches to stability analysis are primarily based on time-domain-, energy-function-, and common-Lyapunov-function-based analyses. This paper outlines a stability analysis approach based on polynomial Lyapunov function, which is determined algorithmically using sum-of-squares optimization in order to maximize the region of attraction (ROA) of an equilibrium solution. This procedure precludes the need for prior knowledge of the form of the Lyapunov or energy function. In this paper, the tradeoff between accuracy of determining the ROA of a power-system model and the computation overhead incurred is evaluated.
Misvaluation and UK mergers 1986–2002

We provide evidence that ex ante misvaluation matters for merger activities in the UK 1986–2002 using a sample of 302 bidders and targets. Sector or long-run misvaluation causes merger firms to be more overvalued than nonmerger firms. Acquirers are overvalued absolutely and relative to targets which are themselves absolutely undervalued. Bidders use mergers to purchase the superior long-term growth prospects of targets. Finally our probit regression results provide evidence that misvaluation drives merger waves in the UK.
Physiological, morphological and behavioural effects of selecting zebra finches for divergent levels of corticosterone

SUMMARY The effects of environmental stress on the physiology and behaviour of higher vertebrates has become an important avenue of research in recent years. Evidence from recent studies has suggested that the avian stress-related hormone corticosterone (CORT) may play a role in immunocompetence and sexual selection. We tested whether CORT is immunosuppressive by studying humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in populations of captive zebra finches selected for divergent peak levels of CORT. We also investigated whether selection for peak CORT has an effect on the quality of several sexually selected regions of the male zebra finch; in addition we compared morphometric parameters and the dominance ranking in males from the different selection lines. We also tested whether different components of the immune system compete for limited resources. We found that selection for divergent levels of peak CORT had little effect on humoral immunity, male sexual signal quality or dominance ranking. However, contrary to expectations, we did find a positive relationship between CORT titre and cell-mediated immunity, as well as a greater cell-mediated response in the birds selected for high CORT titre than those selected for low CORT titre. Consistent with predictions, significant negative relationships were found between both testosterone and CORT titre on humoral immunity. Birds from the low CORT lines were significantly larger in terms of skeletal size than those from the high CORT lines. Overall, our results suggest that the cell-mediated immune response is associated with a reduction in the humoral response, but only in males, and that there is no simple relationship between peak CORT levels and immune function.
Managerial Opportunism? Evidence from Directors' and Officers' Insurance Purchases

We analyze a sample of 72 IPO firms that went public between 1992 and 1996 for which we have detailed proprietary information about the amount and cost of D&O liability insurance. If managers of IPO firms are exploiting superior inside information, we hypothesize that the amount of insurance coverage chosen will be related to the post-offering performance of the issuing firm's shares. Consistent with the hypothesis, we find a significant negative relation between the three-year post-IPO stock price performance and the insurance coverage purchased in conjunction with the IPO. One plausible interpretation is that, like insider securities transactions, D&O insurance decisions reveal opportunistic behavior by managers. This provides some motivation to argue that disclosure of the details of D&O insurance decisions, as is required in some other countries, is valuable. Copyright The American Finance Association 2002.
A Genomic Islet Mediates Flagellar Phase Variation in Escherichia coli Strains Carrying the Flagellin-Specifying Locus flk

ABSTRACT The occurrence of unilateral flagellar phase variation was previously demonstrated in Escherichia coli strains carrying the non-fliC flagellin-specifying locus flk. In this study, we investigated the mechanism involved in this process. By using sequencing and sequence analysis, the flk region between the chromosomal genes yhaC and rnpB was characterized in all described flk-positive E. coli strains, including the H35 strain identified in this study (the other strains used are H3, H36, H47, and H53 strains), and this region was found to contain a putative integrase gene and flanking direct repeats in addition to the flk flagellin-specifying gene flkA and a fliC repressor gene, flkB, indicating that there is a typical genomic islet (GI), which was designated the flk GI. The horizontal transfer potential of the flk GI was indicated by detection of the excised extrachromosomal circular form of the flk GI. By generating fliC-expressing variants of H3 and H47 strains, unilateral flagellar phase variation in flk-positive strains was shown to be mediated by excision of the flk GI. The function of the proposed integrase gene was confirmed by deletion and a complementation test. The potential integration sites of the flk GI were identified. A general model for flagellar phase variation in flk-positive E. coli strains can be expressed as fliCoff + flkA on → fliC on + flkA none. This is the first time that a molecular mechanism for flagellar phase variation has been reported for E. coli.
Cross-Sectional Volatility and Return Dispersion

In the past few years, the return spread between successful and unsuccessful active managers has increased dramatically. We analyzed how levels of cross-sectional volatility correspond to active manager dispersion in the U.S. and other equity markets. We demonstrate that changes in the level of cross-sectional volatility have a significant association with the distribution of active manager returns. We further show that these observations are neither unique to U.S. equities nor merely a product of the “technology bubble”; they are observable in several equity markets.
Emergence of new ALK mutations at relapse of neuroblastoma.

PURPOSE In neuroblastoma, the ALK receptor tyrosine kinase is activated by point mutations. We investigated the potential role of ALK mutations in neuroblastoma clonal evolution. METHODS We analyzed ALK mutations in 54 paired diagnosis-relapse neuroblastoma samples using Sanger sequencing. When an ALK mutation was observed in one paired sample, a minor mutated component in the other sample was searched for by more than 100,000× deep sequencing of the relevant hotspot, with a sensitivity of 0.17%. RESULTS All nine ALK-mutated cases at diagnosis demonstrated the same mutation at relapse, in one case in only one of several relapse nodules. In five additional cases, the mutation seemed to be relapse specific, four of which were investigated by deep sequencing. In two cases, no mutation evidence was observed at diagnosis. In one case, the mutation was present at a subclonal level (0.798%) at diagnosis, whereas in another case, two different mutations resulting in identical amino acid changes were detected, one only at diagnosis and the other only at relapse. Further evidence of clonal evolution of ALK-mutated cells was provided by establishment of a fully ALK-mutated cell line from a primary sample with an ALK-mutated cell population at subclonal level (6.6%). CONCLUSION In neuroblastoma, subclonal ALK mutations can be present at diagnosis with subsequent clonal expansion at relapse. Given the potential of ALK-targeted therapy, the significant spatiotemporal variation of ALK mutations is of utmost importance, highlighting the potential of deep sequencing for detection of subclonal mutations with a sensitivity 100-fold that of Sanger sequencing and the importance of serial samplings for therapeutic decisions.
Isolated Handwritten Digit Recognition Using oBIFs and Background Features

This study demonstrates how the combination of oriented Basic Image Features (oBIFs) with the background concavity features can be effectively employed to enhance the performance of isolated digit recognition systems. The features are extracted without any size normalization from the complete image as well as from different regions of the image by applying a uniform grid sampling to the image. Classification is carried out using one-against-all support vector machine (SVM) while the experimental study is conducted on the standard CVL single digit database. A series of evaluations using different feature configurations and combinations realized high recognition rates which are compared with the state-of-the-art methods on this subject.
Does Complexity Explain the Structure of Trade?

This paper analyzes whether complexity, measured by the number of skilled tasks that are performed simultaneously in production, explains countries' commodity trade structure. We modify Romalis (2004) model to incorporate differences in complexity across commodities together with differences in average skills across countries and monopolistic competition. Our model predicts that the share of developed countries in world trade increases with products' complexity. The empirical tests confirm this prediction. Moreover, in most cases, complexity seems to provide a better explanation of countries' commodity trade structure than the one offered only by skill intensity.
In vitro model of penetration and intracellular growth of Listeria monocytogenes in the human enterocyte-like cell line Caco-2

Penetration and replication of Listeria monocytogenes within intestinal epithelial cells were studied by infecting the human enterocyte-like cell line Caco-2. Entry was due to directed phagocytosis, as suggested by the inhibiting effect of cytochalasin D on bacterial entry and by electron microscopy showing bacteria inside membrane-limiting vacuoles at the early stage of infection. Only bacteria from pathogenic species (L. monocytogenes and Listeria ivanovii) were able to induce their own phagocytosis by Caco-2 cells, as opposed to Listeria seeligeri, Listeria welshimeri, and Listeria innocua. L. monocytogenes multiplied readily within Caco-2 cells, with an apparent generation time of about 90 min. Listeriolysin O was found to be a major factor promoting intracellular growth of L. monocytogenes. After being internalized at the same rate as that of its hemolytic revertant strain, a nonhemolytic mutant from L. monocytogenes failed to replicate significantly within Caco-2 cells. Electron microscopic study demonstrated that bacteria from the nonhemolytic mutant remained inside phagosomes during cellular infection, whereas hemolytic bacteria from L. monocytogenes were released free within the cytoplasm. This indicates that disruption of vacuole membranes by listeriolysin O-producing strains of L. monocytogenes might be a key mechanism allowing bacteria to escape from phagosomes and to multiply unrestricted within cell cytoplasm.
Price Leadership between Spot and Futures Markets

This paper aims to study the relative information shares of spot and futures market at the individual stock level to measure the price discovery in spot and futures market in the Indian capital markets. We find that the spot and futures prices are co-integrated and mutually adjusting. Building on Information Share approach of Hasbrouck, the price discovery share of futures segment is about 36% compared to that of spot segment is 64%. It is expected that futures market contribute more towards price discovery given huge trading volumes and they carry the natural advantage of cost-effectiveness in terms of leverage benefit. However, the empirical result (or the fact) is spot market leadership in price discovery and this fact is reconciled by probing the clientele of futures market and is consistent with very active participation of retail traders in futures segment.