Review of Microstructural Evidence of Magmatic and Solid-State Flow

Evidence of magmatic flow includes: (a) parallel to sub-parallel alignment of elongate euhedral crystals (e.g., of feldspar or hornblende) that are not internally deformed, (b) imbrication (‘tiling’) of elongate euhedral crystals that are not internally deformed, (c) insufficient solid-state strain in regions between aligned or imbricated crystals to accommodate phenocryst rotation, (d) elongation of microgranitoid enclaves without plastic deformation of the minerals, (e) magmatic flow foliations and elongate microgranitoid enclaves deflected around xenoliths, and (f) schlieren layering (if due to flow sorting) in the absence of plastic deformation of the minerals involved. These features are consistent with rotation of crystals in a much weaker medium, namely a melt phase, at a stage when the magma has become viscous enough to preserve the alignment. Evidence of solid-state flow includes: (a) internal deformation and recrystallization of grains, (b) recrystallized “tails,” (c) elongation of recrystallized aggregates (e.g. of quartz and mica), (d) grainsize reduction, (e) fine-grained folia anastomosing around less deformed relics, (f) microcline twinning, (g) myrmekite, (h) flame perthite, (i) boudinage of strong minerals, typically with recrystallized aggregates of weaker minerals (e.g. quartz and mica) between the boudins, (j) foliation passing through, rather than around enclaves, and (k) heterogeneous strain with local mylonitic zones. Several criteria suggest “submagmatic flow,” including recrystallized feldspar, inferred transitions from magmatic imbrication to solid-state S/C arrangements, evidence of c-slip in quartz, and especially evidence of migration of residual melt into lower-pressure sites. Recent experimental studies indicate that a change from grain-supported flow to suspension flow typically occurs in deforming magmas at melt contents of between 20% to 40%, and that large amounts of strain may accumulate in magmas without being recorded by the final fabric. At lower melt percentages, perhaps as low as a few percent, depending on the minerals and their shapes, strain may be accommodated by: (a) melt-assisted grain-boundary sliding, (b) contact-melting assisted grain-boundary migration, (c) strain partitioning into melt-rich zones, (d) intracrystalline plastic deformation (c-slip in quartz indicating plastic deformation at temperatures near the granite solidus), and (f) transfer of melt to sites of low mean stress. The only indication of strain in the absence of crystal plasticity may be an alignment of crystals. Moreover, magmatic flow microstructures may be destroyed by fracturing, crystal plasticity and recrystallization before the magma reaches its solidus. Many rocks show evidence of solid-state flow superimposed on magmatic flow. Evidence of magmatic flow is commonly preserved in deformed felsic metamorphic rocks: for example the alignment of rectangular K-feldspar megacrysts and of microgranitoid enclaves. However, absence of alignment does not preclude a magmatic origin for K-feldspar megacrysts in felsic gneisses, as magmatic flow may cease before the magma becomes viscous enough to preserve an alignment.     

Necessity of transversality conditions for stochastic problems

This paper shows stochastic versions of (i) Michel's (Econometrica 58 (1990) 705, Theorem 1) necessity result, (ii) a generalization of the TVC results of Weitzman (Management Sci. 19 (1973) 783) and Ekeland and Scheinkman (Math. Oper. Res. 11 (1986) 216), and (iii) Kamihigashi's (Econometrica 69 (2001) 995, Theorem 3.4) result, which is useful particularly in the case of homogeneous returns. These stochastic extensions are established for an extremely general stochastic reduced-form model that assumes neither differentiability nor continuity.     

On the role of consumer expectations in markets with network effects

We analyze the role of consumer expectations in a Hotelling model of price competition when products exhibit network effects. Expectations can be strong (stubborn), weak (price-sensitive) or partially stubborn (a mix of weak and strong). As a rule, the price-sensitivity of demand declines when expectations are more stubborn. An increase of stubbornness (i) increases (decreases) the parameter region with a unique duopoly equilibrium (multiple equilibria), (ii) reduces competition, (iii) reduces the conflict between consumer and social preferences for de facto standardization, and (iv) reduces the misalignment between consumer and social preferences for compatibility.     

INCOMES POLICY

LLOYD ULMAN AND ROBERT J. FLANAGAN, Wage Restraint: A Study of Incomes Policies in Western Europe (University of California Press, 1971)
JOAN MITCHELL, The National Board for Prices & Incomes (Secker & Warburg, 1972)
ALLAN FELS, The British Prices and Incomes Board (Cambridge University Press, 1972)
HUGH CLEGG, How to Run an Incomes Policy and Why We Made Such a Mess of the Lust One (Heinemann, 1971)
MICHAEL PARKIN AND MICHAEL T. SUMNER (eds.), Incomes Policy and Inflation (Manchester University Press, 1972)
FRANK BLACKABY (ed.), An Incomes Policy for Britain (Heinemann, 1972)     

Comparing post-operative resource consumption following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and conventional aortic valve replacement in the UK

Objective:

To define the in-hospital and 6-month post-discharge resource use, following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) and conventional Aortic Valve Replacement (AVR) surgery within a single UK hospital.

Methods:

A local service evaluation of patients undergoing TAVI or AVR between January 2011 and May 2012 captured data until 6-months post-procedure, collected from hospital records and via a General Practitioner questionnaire. The main end-points were mortality, time in ITU/HDU, hospital length of stay (LoS), discharge destination, re-admission, and post-discharge primary/secondary care resource use. Sub-group analyses were performed for AVR patients aged ≥80 (AVR?≥?80) and with EuroSCORE of ≥10 (AVR ES?≥?10) to allow more direct comparison with ‘TAVI type’ patients.

Results:

Results are given as means (standard deviation) for TAVI (n?=?51), AVR (n?=?188), AVR?≥?80 (n?=?48), and AVR ES?≥?10 (n?=?47), respectively, unless otherwise stated. Age in years was 83.0 (8.1), 71.2 (13.1), 84.1 (2.7), 79.4 (7.1); EuroSCORE was 24.7 (11.9), 8.1 (6.4), 12.0 (6.0), and 16.5 (6.6); post-operative LoS (days) was 11.5 (11.2), 10.9 (10.8), 14.3 (16.7), and 15.2 (17.7). For discharged patients, 0%, 7%, 13%, and 9% had unplanned cardiac-related re-admissions within 30-days of discharge. Time to first readmission was 74.6 (34.0), 35.0 (34.2), 20.8 (9.7), and 22.6 (14.3) days.

Limitations:

This was a single-center retrospective evaluation, not prospectively powered to confirm differences in outcomes.

Conclusions:

Despite TAVI being performed in an older, higher risk population, LoS was similar to AVR. Most strikingly there were no cardiac-related re-admissions within 30-days for TAVI and time to first re-admission was significantly longer. This evaluation suggests that TAVI is clinically appropriate and provides economic advantages in both the hospital and post-discharge setting in this high risk group. Many patients undergoing TAVI are considered unfit for surgery and, hence, TAVI offers a treatment that delivers similar results to traditional AVR without the high risk associated with surgery.     

Retail and Wholesale Margins in Successive Cournot Oligopolies

This paper studies the determination of retail and wholesale prices in successive Cournot oligopolies. It is shown that (i) the ratio of retail to wholesale margins increases (decreases, resp.) as the retail part of the market becomes less (more, resp.) competitive; (ii) the ratio of margin in one part of the market to total margin increases (decreases, resp.) as that part of the market becomes less (more, resp.) competitive; (iii) the decline in final consumer price is larger (smaller, resp.) if the entry of additional firm occurs in less (more, resp.) competitive part of the market. The results of the paper are applied to the case of third degree price discrimination.     

Multiple equilibrium under CES preferences

Under the simplifying assumptions that (1) there are two commodities and two agents, (2) production (endowment) of each commodity per period is fixed, (3) preferences of the two agents are of CES type, and (4) both the endowments and the CES preferences are mirror images of each other (called “supersymmetry”), it is shown that (a) there always exists a symmetric equilibrium with a unit price ratio, (b) a sufficient condition for the stability (hence uniqueness) of this symmetric equilibrium is that the elasticity of substitution satisfy ${\sigma\geqq 1/2}$ , and (c) multiple (triple) equilibrium is possible if and only if each agent has a relative preference for the good that is sold (“exported”) to the other agent. Further conditions for multiple equilibrium are derived.     

Structural reform of the electricity industry and economic growth

Using 782 panel data from 34 OECD countries from 1991 to 2013, this study aims to evaluate how structural reform affects GDP growth rate. We use the Barro-type GDP growth rate regression model and apply both fixed and random effect models. Eight structural reform variables are selected: (i) third party access, (ii) wholesale market dummy, (iii) choice of supplier, (iv) private ownership, (v) generation-others separation, (vi) transmission-others separation, (vii) distribution-others separation and (viii) overall vertical separation. Major finding results are as follows: (i) third party access can positively contribute to GDP growth rate, (ii) wholesale market and overall vertical separation might have a small negative effect, and (iii) other variables have no significant effect.     

Are there cycles in realistic overlapping cohorts models?

Following Gale, 1973 (J. Econ. Theory 4, 110–137), Benhabib and Day, 1982 (J. Econ. Dyn. Control 4, 37–55) and Grandmont, 1985 (Econmetrica 45, 995–1045) proved the existence of P-cycles in Overlapping Generations (OLG) models. Aiyagari, 1989 (Q. J. Econ 104, 163–185) considered Overlapping Cohorts (OLC) models, with very long-lived agents of positively discounted utility functions and proved nonexistence of 2-cycles. We study OLC models with agents of normal life spans and utilities and show that: (1) for constant relative risk aversion (CRRA) utility (except for Leontief case), no 2-cycle exists; and (2) for Cobb-Douglas utility, no P-cycle exists.     

Healthcare costs and resource utilization in patients with severe aplastic anemia in the US

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and costs for patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) using US claims data.

Methods: This retrospective, observational database study analyzed claims data from the Truven MarketScan databases. SAA patients aged ≥2?years identified between 2014 and 2017 who were continuously enrolled for 6?months before their first SAA treatment or blood transfusion, with a ≥6-month follow-up, were included. Baseline demographics and comorbidities were evaluated. Monthly all-cause and SAA-related HCRU and direct costs in the follow-up period were analyzed and differences were presented for all patients and across age groups.

Results: With an average follow-up period of 21.5?months, 939 patients were included in the study. Monthly all-cause and SAA-related HCRU [mean (SD)] were 1.65 days (2.61 days) and 0.18 days (0.70 days) for length of stay, 0.18 (0.23) and 0.01 (0.04) for hospital admissions, 0.25 (0.30) and 0.02 (0.07) for ER visits, 2.24 (1.40) and 0.46 (0.99) for office visits, and 2.90 (2.64) and 0.55 (1.31) for outpatient visits, respectively. On average, SAA patients received 0.15 (0.57) blood transfusions per month. Mean monthly all-cause direct costs were $28,280 USD ($36,127) [US dollars, mean (SD)]. Direct costs related to admissions were $11,433 USD (SD $25,040), followed by $624 USD ($1,703) for ER visits, $528 USD ($694) for office visits, $7,615 USD ($13,273) for outpatient visits, and $5,998 USD ($11,461) for pharmacy expenses. Monthly SAA-related direct costs averaged $7,884 USD (SD $16,254); of these costs, $1,608 USD ($7,774) were from admissions, $47 USD ($257) from ER visits, $127 USD ($374) from office visits, $1,462 USD ($4,994) from outpatient visits, and $4,451 USD ($10,552) from pharmacy expenses.

Conclusion: SAA is associated with high economic burden, with costs comparable to blood malignancies, implying that US health plans should consider appropriately managing SAA while constraining the total healthcare costs when making formulary decisions.     

Global nanotechnology research literature overview

Text mining was used to extract technical intelligence from the open source global nanotechnology and nanoscience research literature (SCI/SSCI databases). Identified were: (1) the nanotechnology/nanoscience research literature infrastructure (prolific authors, key journals/institutions/countries, most cited authors/journals/documents); (2) the technical structure (pervasive technical thrusts and their inter-relationships); (3) nanotechnology instruments and their relationships; (4) potential nanotechnology applications, (5) potential health impacts and applications; and (6) seminal nanotechnology literature. Our results are summarized in this paper.     

Hepatocellular carcinoma: Prospective assessments of the T-factor with CT,US, and MR imaging

The capabilities of computed tomography (CT), ultrasonography (US), and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging were studied in order to determine the role of each of these noninvasive examinations for estimating the T-factor of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). Fifty-one patients with surgically proven HCCs received CT (50 patients), US (46 patients), and MR (44 patients). The images of CT, US, and MR were prospectively evaluated for main tumor size, intrahepatic metastases, and vascular invasion, which compose the T-factor of HCC, and compared to pathological results. The sizes of the main tumor were estimated correctly by all examinations. For estimating intrahepatic metastases, US (74%) and MR (73%) were superior to CT (65%). For estimating portal invasion, CT (79%) was superior to US (70%) and MR (66%), because CT could demonstrate the segmental staining caused by portal invasion. The estimates of hepatic venous invasion were difficult during any of the examinations. We conclude that presurgical evaluations of the T-factor require the use of US and CT or MR and CT.     

Score-driven Markov-switching EGARCH models: an application to systematic risk analysis

We introduce new Markov-switching (MS) dynamic conditional score (DCS) exponential generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (EGARCH) models, to be used by practitioners for forecasting value-at-risk (VaR) and expected shortfall (ES) in systematic risk analysis. We use daily log-return data from the Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) index for the period 1950–2016. The analysis of the S&P 500 is useful, for example, for investors of (i) well-diversified US equity portfolios; (ii) S&P 500 futures and options traded at Chicago Mercantile Exchange Globex; (iii) exchange traded funds (ETFs) related to the S&P 500. The new MS DCS-EGARCH models are alternatives to of the recent MS Beta-t-EGARCH model that uses the symmetric Student’s t distribution for the error term. For the new models, we use more flexible asymmetric probability distributions for the error term: Skew-Gen-t (skewed generalized t), EGB2 (exponential generalized beta of the second kind) and NIG (normal-inverse Gaussian) distributions. For all MS DCS-EGARCH models, we identify high- and low-volatility periods for the S&P 500. We find that the statistical performance of the new MS DCS-EGARCH models is superior to that of the MS Beta-t-EGARCH model. As a practical application, we perform systematic risk analysis by forecasting VaR and ES.

Abbreviation Single regime (SR); Markov-switching (MS); dynamic conditional score (DCS); exponential generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (EGARCH); value-at-risk (VaR); expected shortfall (ES); Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500); exchange traded funds (ETFs); Skew-Gen-t (skewed generalized t); EGB2 (exponential generalized beta of the second kind); NIG (normal-inverse Gaussian); log-likelihood (LL); standard deviation (SD); partial autocorrelation function (PACF); likelihood-ratio (LR); ordinary least squares (OLS); heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation consistent (HAC); Akaike information criterion (AIC); Bayesian information criterion (BIC); Hannan-Quinn criterion (HQC).     

Preference revelation and monopsony

(1) Johnson demonstrated the formal equivalence between the free-rider problem and monopsony. (2) Vickrey's method for eliminating the inefficiencies resulting from monopsony (monopoly) works by converting simple monopsonists (monopolists) into perfectly discriminating monopsonists (monopolists). (3) We show that three recently proposed solutions to the free-rider problem have the same rationale, i.e. they use ‘Clarke taxes’ to convert Johnson's simple monopsonists into perfectly discriminating monopsonists. The three mechanisms are those of: (i) Clarke and Groves; (ii) Groves and Ledyard; and (iii) Arrow. The relationships between these mechanisms, and between each of them and monopsony, are analyzed diagrammatically.     

Older siblings' contributions to young child's cognitive skills

This work finds that older siblings as well as early parenting influence young children's cognitive skills directly or indirectly, for example, Mathematics, and English. Our findings challenge a pervasive view in the economical literatures that early parenting plays a dominant role in explaining child development. In economics, early environmental conditions are important to demonstrate the evolution of adolescent and adult cognitive skills (Cunha and Heckman, 2007, Knudsen et al., 2006), and it establishes causal impacts of early parental inputs and other environmental factors on cognitive and non-cognitive skills (Borghans et al., 2006, Cunha et al., 2010, Heckman et al., 2006b). Early parenting as well as older siblings should explain a diverse array of academic and social outcomes, for example, Mathematics, English, maritage and pregnancy. In fact, older siblings' characteristics are as important, if not more important, than as parenting for child development. Our analysis addresses the problems of measurement error, imperfect proxies, and reverse causality that plague conventional approach in psychology. We find that older brother contributes much more than older sister to child's mathematical achievement, while older sister contributes much more to child's English achievement. Our evidence is consistent with psychology literature, for example, Hetherington (1988), Jenkins (1992), Zukow-Goldring (1995), Marshall et al. (1997), Maynard (2002), and Brody et al. (2003) for siblings' direct contributions to child development, Bronfenbrenner (1977), East (1998), Whiteman and Buchanan (2002), and Brody et al. (2003) for siblings' indirect contributions, and Reiss et al. (2000), Feinberg and Hetherington (2001), and Kowal et al. (2002) for parental differential treatment.     

Cost-efficiency analyses for the US of biosimilar filgrastim-sndz,reference filgrastim,pegfilgrastim, and pegfilgrastim with on-body injector in the prophylaxis of chemotherapy-induced (febrile) neutropenia

Aims: Guidelines recommend prophylaxis with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor for chemotherapy-induced (febrile) neutropenia (CIN/FN) based on regimen myelotoxicity and patient-related risk factors. The aim was to conduct a cost-efficiency analysis for the US of the direct acquisition and administration costs of the recently approved biosimilar filgrastim-sndz (Zarxio EP2006) with reference to filgrastim (Neupogen), pegfilgrastim (Neulasta), and a pegfilgrastim injection device (Neulasta Onpro; hereafter pegfilgrastim-injector) for CIN/FN prophylaxis.

Methods: A cost-efficiency analysis of the prophylaxis of one patient during one chemotherapy cycle under 1–14 days’ time horizon was conducted using the unit dose average selling price (ASP) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for subcutaneous prophylactic injection under four scenarios: cost of medication only (COSTMED), patient self-administration (SELFADMIN), healthcare provider (HCP) initiating administration followed by self-administration (HCPSTART), and HCP providing full administration (HCPALL). Two case studies were created to illustrate real-world clinical implications. The analyses were replicated using wholesale acquisition cost (WAC).

Results: Using ASP?+?CPT, cost savings achieved with filgrastim-sndz relative to reference filgrastim ranged from $65 (1?day) to $916 (14 days) across all scenarios. Relative to pegfilgrastim, savings with filgrastim-sndz ranged from $834 (14 days) up to $3,666 (1?day) under the COSTMED, SELFADMIN, and HPOSTART scenarios; and from $284 (14 days) up to $3,666 (1?day) under the HPOALL scenario. Similar to the cost-savings compared to pegfilgrastim, filgrastim-sndz achieved savings relative to pegfilgrastim-injector: from $834 (14 days) to $3,666 (1?day) under the COSTMED scenario, from $859 (14 days) to $3,692 (1?day) under SELFADMIN, from $817 (14 days) to $3,649 (1?day) under HPOSTART, and from $267 (14 days) to $3,649 (1?day) under HPOALL. Cost savings of filgrastim-sndz using WAC?+?CPT were even greater under all scenarios.

Conclusions: Prophylaxis with filgrastim-sndz, a biosimilar filgrastim, was associated consistently with significant cost-savings over prophylaxis with reference filgrastim, pegfilgrastim, and pegfilgrastim-injector, and this across various administration scenarios.     

RT-PCR技术检测VFMRNA在妊娠期糖尿病中的应用

目的探讨晚期妊娠孕妇大网膜组织内脏脂肪素(VF)mRNA表达的变化与妊娠期糖尿病(GDM)的相关性。方法采用半定量RT-PCR技术检测200例晚期妊娠妇女大网膜组织VFmRNA的表达水平,其中包括GDM孕妇90例(GDM组)、糖耐量正常(NGT)孕妇110例(NGT组)。检测各组孕妇空腹血糖、空腹血清胰岛素、总胆固醇(TC)及甘油三酯(TG)水平,采用稳态模型(HOMA)计算胰岛素抵抗(IR)指数(HOMA.IR)并计算孕前体重指数(BMI)。结果 GDM组与NGT组大网膜组织中VFmRNA表达水平分别为0.8±0.4、0.5±0.3,空腹血糖水平分别为(4.12±0.14)、(3.65±0.13)mmol/L,空腹血清胰岛素水平分别为(72±5)、(614-5)pmol/L,TG水平分别为(5.6±0.3)、(3.8±0.3)mmoL/L,TC水平分别为(5.64-0.9)、(3.94-0.3)mmoL/L,孕前BMl分别为(22.6±0.8)、(20.9±0.4)kg/m2,HOMA-IR分别为12.5±5.9、9.5±0.8,两组以上各值分别比较,GDM组各值均高于NGT组,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。VFmRNA表达水平与孕前BMI呈正相关关系(r=0.32,P<0.01),但与HOMA-IR、TC、TG无相关性。结论 VFmRNA表达上调可能与GDM、肥胖的发生密切相关。     

Forecasting US consumer price index: does nonlinearity matter?

The objective of this article is to predict, both in sample and out of sample, the consumer price index (CPI) of the US economy based on monthly data covering the period of 1980:1–2013:12, using a variety of linear (random walk (RW), autoregressive (AR) and seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA)) and nonlinear (artificial neural network (ANN) and genetic programming (GP)) univariate models. Our results show that, while the SARIMA model is superior relative to other linear and nonlinear models, as it tends to produce smaller forecast errors; statistically, these forecasting gains are not significant relative to higher-order AR and nonlinear models, though simple benchmarks like the RW and AR(1) models are statistically outperformed. Overall, we show that in terms of forecasting the US CPI, accounting for nonlinearity does not necessarily provide us with any statistical gains.     

徐州市生态经济系统的能值分析

本文应用能值理论．对徐州地区生态经济系统进行了分析．主要涉及能值投入率、能值使用强度（能值密度）、人均能值使用量、人口承载力、电力能值使用量比、能值一货币比、环境负荷率、净能值产出率、可持续发展指数等9个指标及其发展趋势，并与其他国家和地区的有关指标进行了比较研究。结论表明，徐州市是资源输出型的生态经济区域，经济发展仍处于欠发达阶段．还有较大的经济发展潜力。     

Imposing local curvature in the QUAIDS

In this paper, we build on Ryan and Wales (1998), Moschini (1999), and Serletis and Shahmoradi (2007) and impose curvature conditions locally on the quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) model of Banks et al. (1997), an extension of the simple AIDS model of Deaton and Muellbauer (1980) that can generate quadratic Engel curves [that is, rank-three demand systems, in the terminology of Lewbel (1991)]. In doing so, we exploit the Slutsky matrix of second order derivatives of the indirect utility function.