378 research outputs found
Fraction auctions: the tradeoff between effciency and running time
Get PDFThis paper studies the sales of a single indivisible object where bidders have continuous valuations. In Grigorieva et al. [13] it was shown that, in this setting, query auctions necessarily allocate inefficiently in equilibrium. In this paper we propose a new sequential auction, called the c-fraction auction. We show c-fraction auctions guarantee approximate efficiency at any desired level of accuracy, independent of the number of bidders. We discuss the running time and the efficiency in the ex-post equilibrium of the auction. We show that by changing the parameter c of the auction we can trade off efficiency against running time.operations research and management science;
Assessment of the reliability of wave observations from Voluntary Observing Ships: insights from the validation of a global wind wave climatology based on Voluntary Observing Ship data
No full textThis paper describes development and validation of a global climatology of basic wave parameters based on the voluntary observing ship (VOS) data from the Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set collection. Climatology covers the period 1958–1997 and presents heights and periods for the wind sea, swell, and significant wave height (SWH) over the global ocean on 2° × 2° spatial resolution. Significant wave height has been derived from separate sea and swell estimates by taking square root of the sum of squares for the seas and swells propagating approximately in the same direction and assuming SWH to be equal to the higher of the two components in all other cases. Special algorithms of corrections were applied to minimize some biases, inherent in visual wave data. Particularly, we corrected overestimation of small seas, corrected underestimation of periods, and analyzed separation between sea and swell. Validation included estimation of random observational errors, observation of sampling errors, and comparison with the alternative wave data. Estimates of random observational errors show that for the majority of locations, observational uncertainties are within 20% of mean values, which allows us to discuss quantitatively the produced climatology. Biases associated with inadequate sampling were quantified using the data from high-resolution WAM hindcast for the period 1979–1993. The highest sampling biases are observed in the South Ocean, where wave height may be underestimated by 1–1.5 m because of poor sampling, primarily associated with a fair weather bias of ship routing and observation. Comparison to the other VOS-based products shows in general higher SWH in our climatology, especially in the midlatitudes. However, comparison with the altimeter data shows that even for well-sampled regions, high waves are still underestimated in VOS, suggesting a ubiquitous fair weather bias. Further ways of improving VOS-based wave climatologies and possible applications are discussed
Self-perceived health in Belarus: Evidence from the income and expenditures of households survey
Get PDFBased on data from five cross-sectional household surveys conducted during 1996-2007, this study provides initial results of an analysis of self-perceived health in Belarus. The findings suggest that there has been a compression of morbidity. Self-perceived health has been improving steadily for both sexes and at all ages. Despite this notable improvement, Belarus still remains far behind Western Europe in terms of healthy life expectancy. This disadvantage is mainly due to higher mortality among the working-age population, but health at older ages also plays an important role. Education appears to be the most important factor associated with self-rated health.Belarus, healthy life expectancy, self-perceived health
Inefficiency of equilibria in query auctions with continuous valuations
Get PDFQuery auctions are iterative auctions in which bidders have to select in each round an action from a finite set. We show that, when bidders have continuous valuations, any ex post equilibrium in an ex post individually rational query auction can only be ex post efficient when the running time of the auction is infinite for almost all realizations of valuations of thebidders. Thus, when valuations are drawn from a continuous probability distribution, efficiency can only be bought at the expense of a running time that is infinite with probability one. For two bidders we even show this to be true when we only require efficiency with probability one.mathematical economics;
Resonant Terahertz Detection Using Graphene Plasmons
Get PDFPlasmons, collective oscillations of electron systems, can efficiently couple light and electric current, and thus can be used to create sub-wavelength photodetectors, radiation mixers, and on-chip spectrometers. Despite considerable effort, it has proven challenging to implement plasmonic devices operating at terahertz frequencies. The material capable to meet this challenge is graphene as it supports long-lived electrically tunable plasmons. Here we demonstrate plasmon-assisted resonant detection of terahertz radiation by antenna-coupled graphene transistors that act as both plasmonic Fabry-Perot cavities and rectifying elements. By varying the plasmon velocity using gate voltage, we tune our detectors between multiple resonant modes and exploit this functionality to measure plasmon wavelength and lifetime in bilayer graphene as well as to probe collective modes in its moiré minibands. Our devices offer a convenient tool for further plasmonic research that is often exceedingly difficult under non-ambient conditions (e.g. cryogenic temperatures) and promise a viable route for various photonic applications
Macrophage activation syndrome in COVID-19
Get PDFThe novel coronavirus epidemic is characterized by high rates of morbidity and relatively high mortality. Laboratory test results in patients include leukopenia, an increase in liver function tests and ferritin levels reaching hundreds, and sometimes thousands of units. These data remind us about the macrophage activation syndrome (MAC). Secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis syndrome, MAC, which pathogenesis is based on a defect in the mechanisms of T-cell cytotoxicity and decreased level of natural killer cells associated with the defect in the perforin-encoding gene as well as hyperproduction of a number of cytokines – interleukin (IL)-1â, tumor necrosis factor-á, etc. by T-lymphocytes and histiocytes, indirectly leading to the activation of macrophages and production of proinflammatory cytokines, in particular IL-6 hyperproduction. MAC is one of "hyperferritinemic syndromes". These disorders have similar clinical and laboratory manifestations, and they also respond to similar treatments, suggesting that hyperferritinemia may be involved in the overall pathogenesis and is characterized by elevated ferritin level and cytokine storm. Despite the fact that data on the immune and inflammatory status in patients with COVID-19 have only started to appear, it is already clear that hyperinflammation and coagulopathy affect the disease severity and increase the risk of death in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. Hence, understanding the pathogenesis of the novel coronavirus infection can help in its early diagnostics and treatment
Inefficiency of equilibria in query auctions with continuous valuations
Get PDFWe show that, when bidders have continuous valuations, any ex post equilibrium in an ex post individually rational query auction can only be ex post efficient when the running timeof the auction is infinite for almost all realizations of valuations of the bidders. We also show that this result applies to the general class of bisection auctions. In contrast we show that, when we allow for inefficient allocations with arbitrarily small probability, there is a query auction (to be more specific, a bisection auction) that attains this level of approximate efficiency in equilibrium, while additionally the running time of the auction in equilibrium is finite for all realizations of valuations.mathematical economics;
Understanding the Influence of the Electrode Material on Microbial Fuel Cell Performance
Get PDFIn this thesis, I deploy sets of electrodes into microbial fuel cells (MFC), characterize their performance, and evaluate the influence of both platinum catalysts and carbon-based electrodes on current production. The platinum work centers on improving current production by optimizing the use of the catalyst using nano-fabrication techniques. The carbon-electrode work seeks to determine the influence of the bare electrode on biofilm-anode current production.
The development of electrodes for MFCs has boomed over the past decade, however, experiments aimed at identifying how catalyst deposition methods and electrode properties influence current production have been limited. The research conducted here is an attempt to expand this knowledge base for platinum catalysts and carbon electrodes. In the initial chapters (4 and 5), I discuss our attempt to decrease catalyst loadings while increasing current production through the use of platinum nanoparticles. The results demonstrate that incorporating platinum nanoparticles throughout the anode and cathode is an efficient means of increasing MFC current production relative to surface deposition because it increases catalyst surface area.
The later chapters (chapters 6 and 7) develop an understanding of the importance of electrode properties (i.e. surface area, activation resistance, conductivity, surface morphology) by electrochemically evaluating well-studied anode-respiring pure cultures on different carbon electrode architectures. Two different architectures are produced by using tubular and platelet shaped constituent materials (i.e. carbon fibers and graphene nanoplatelets) and the morphologies of the electrodes are varied by altering the size of the constituent material.
The electrodes are characterized and evaluated in MFCs using either Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 or Geobacter sulfurreducens as the innoculant because their bioelectrochemical physiologies are the most documented in the literature. Using the electrochemical results, the electrode characterizations and previous studies on their physiology I am able to extrapolate that it is the difference in the electrode morphology that significantly alters current production. For the carbon fiber, smaller constituent materials create a tighter mesh and spacing that is more amenable to biofilm colonization and increases current production. In the second experiment, the larger graphene-nanoplatelet constituents provided a morphology that better promoted biofilm-growth, after the initial colonization, which enabled significantly higher current production
The communication complexity of private value single item auctions
Get PDFIn this paper we present a new auction, the bisection auction, that can be used for the sale of a single indivisible object. We discuss the issue concerning the information revelation requirement of this auction and the associated amount of data that needs to be transmitted. We show that in the truthtelling equilibrium the bisection auction is economical in its demand for information on the valuations of the players. It requires the players to transmit less information bits to the auctioneer than the Vickrey and English auctions. In particular, we prove that for integer valuations uniformly distributed on the interval [0,L) the bisection auction of n players requires in expectation transmission of at most 2n + log L information bits by the players. Compared with the corresponding number in the Vickrey auction which is n log L, and in the English auction which is on average at least (1/3) nL, the bisection auction turns out to be the best performer.mathematical economics;
Negative local resistance caused by viscous electron backflow in graphene
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