The distributions of income and wealth in countries across the world are found to possess some robust and stable features independent of the specific economic, social and political conditions of the countries. We discuss a few physics-inspired multiagent dynamic models along with their microeconomic counterparts, that can produce the statistical features of the distributions observed in reality...

The paper suggests a CUSUM-type test for time-varying parameters in a recently proposed spatial autoregressive model for stock returns and derives its asymptotic null distribution as well as local power properties. As can be seen from Euro Stoxx 50 returns, a combination of spatial modelling and change point tests allows for superior risk forecasts in portfolio management. JEL Classification: C...

1. Protection against desiccation and chemical communication are two fundamental functions of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) in insects. In the parasitoid jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis (Walker), characterised by a cosmopolitan distribution through largely different environments, CHCs function as universally recognised female sex pheromones. However, CHC uniformity basis for sexual recognition m...

Recent studies of tissue culture cells have defined a widespread system of oxygen-regulated gene expression based on the activation of a heterodimeric transcription factor termed hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1). To determine whether the HIF-1 transcriptional response is activated within solid tumors and to define the consequences, we have studied tumor xenografts of a set of hepatoma (Hepa-1...

The amyloid precursor protein presents several cleavage sites leading to the release of its entire C-terminal domain into the cytoplasm. During apoptosis, this C-terminal domain can be cleaved at amino acid 664 by caspases 3, 6, and 8 and can thus generate two peptides N- and C-terminal to amino acid 664 (C31). Recently, it was shown that the C31 induces apoptosis after transfection into N2A an...

Synthetic biology requires effective methods to assemble DNA parts into devices and to modify these devices once made. Here we demonstrate a convenient rapid procedure for DNA fragment assembly using site-specific recombination by C31 integrase. Using six orthogonal attP/attB recombination site pairs with different overlap sequences, we can assemble up to five DNA fragments in a defined order a...

The main pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease are amyloid-beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, which are primarily composed of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and tau, respectively. These proteins and their role in the mechanism of neurodegeneration have been extensively studied. Hirano bodies are a frequently occurring pathology in Alzheimer's disease as well as other neurodegene...

In this paper we provide a nonparametric treatment of identification in models with social spillovers. We consider a setting with ‘high’ and ‘low’ type individuals. Individual outcomes depend upon the fraction of high types in one’s group. We refer to this dependence as a social spillover or peer group effect. We define estimands measuring local and global spillover strength as well as the outc...

While interest in social determinants of individual behavior has led to a rich theoretical literature and many efforts to measure these influences, a mature “social econometrics” has yet to emerge. This chapter provides a critical overview of the identification of social interactions. We consider linear and discrete choice models as well as social networks structures. We also consider experimen...