Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Financial Fragility, Systemic Risks and Informational Spillovers : Modelling Banking Contagion as State-Contingent Change in Cross-Bank Correlation

We consider banking panic transmission in a two-bank setting, in which the main propagator of a shock across banks is the informational spillover channel. Banks are perceived to be positively connected to some unobserved macroeconomic fundamental. Depositors in each bank are assumed to noisily observe their bank's idiosyncratic fundamental. The game takes a dynamic bayesian setting with depositors of one bank, making their decision to withdraw after observing the event in the other bank. We show that, if this public event is used for bayesian inference about the state of the common macroeconomic fundamental, then, in the equilibrium profile of the game, contagion and correlation both occur with positive probability, with contagion modeled as a state-contingent change in the cross-bank correlation. Such endogenous characterisation of probabilistic assessments of contagion and correlation, has the appealing feature that it enables us to distill between these two concepts as equilibrium phenomena and to assess their relative importance in a given banking panic transmission setting. We show that contagion is characterised by public informational dominance in depositors.decision set.
Scaling Unstructured Peer-to-Peer Networks with Heterogeneity-Aware Topology And Routing

Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing systems such as Gnutella have been widely acknowledged as the fastest growing Internet applications ever. The P2P model has many potential advantages including high flexibility and server-less management. However, these systems suffer from the well-known performance mismatch between the randomly constructed overlay network topology and the underlying IP-layer topology. This paper proposes to structure the P2P overlay topology using a heterogeneity-aware multi-tier topology to better balance the load at peers with heterogeneous capacities and to prevent low capability nodes from throttling the performance of the system. An analytical model is developed to enable the construction and maintenance of heterogeneity-aware overlay topologies with good node connectivity and better load balance. We also develop an efficient routing scheme, called probabilistic selective routing, that further utilizes heterogeneity-awareness to enhance the routing performance. We evaluate our design through simulations. The results show that our multi-tier topologies alone can provide eight to ten times improvements in the messaging cost, two to three orders of magnitude improvement in terms of load balancing, and seven to eight times lower topology construction and maintenance costs when compared to Gnutella’s random power-law topology. Moreover, our heterogeneity-aware routing scheme provides further improvements on all evaluation metrics, when used with our heterogeneity-aware overlay
Out of sight, out of mind/out of mind, out of site: schooling and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a diagnostic term now indelibly scored on the public psyche. In some quarters, a diagnosis of ADHD is regarded with derision. In others it is welcomed with relief. Despite intense multidisciplinary research, the jury is still out with regard to the ‘truth’ of ADHD. Not surprisingly, the rapid increase in diagnosis over the past 15 years, coupled with an exponential rise in the prescription of restricted‐class psychopharmaceuticals, has stirred virulent debate. Provoking the most interest, it seems, are questions regarding causality. Typically, these revolve around possible antecedents for ‘disorderly’ behaviour—bad food, bad TV and bad parents. Very seldom is the institution of schooling ever in the line of sight. To investigate this gap, the author questions what might be happening in schools and how this may be contributing to the definition, recognition and classification of particular children as a particular kind of ‘disorderly’.
Blood pressure control and correlation dimension

A simple continuous nonlinear model of the human cardiovascular system (CVS) is investigated while focusing on the simulated achieved blood pressure (BP) signal. The beat-to-beat version of this model, introduced by DeBoer et. al. was a simplified linearized version. We present a modified model, which allows investigating the nonlinear dynamics of the CVS and the effect of variations in several physiological parameters on the correlation dimension, D/sub 2/. The simulation reveals nonlinear features such as bifurcation, due to variations in the /spl alpha/-sympathetic gain and the respiratory term. In addition, we studied the limitations of calculating D/sub 2/ in the presence of noise. The D/sub 2/ values obtained from the simulated BP signals are similar to values obtained in our previous experimental animal studies. Our results emphasize that nonlinearity in cardiovascular control is indeed a fundamental feature of the system.
Multilevel Modeling in Traffic Safety Research: Two Empirical Examples Illustrating the Consequences of Ignoring Hierarchies

Objectives: This commentary illustrates the advantages of multilevel modeling compared to statistical techniques that ignore hierarchies, based on two empirical traffic safety examples. Methods: The common concept shared by different definitions of multilevel modeling is identified and illustrated. Each definition defines multilevel modeling in its own way but they all refer to hierarchies. Conceptual issues inherently related to hierarchies are then pointed out and illustrated. Results: Broadly speaking there are two important consequences of ignoring a hierarchical structure in the data. The first consequence, underestimation of standard errors, is illustrated with data from an observational study on seatbelt behavior. Two effects that were significant at the 5% level in a single-level model were no longer found to be significant in a two-level model. The single-level model is therefore bound to lead to erroneous conclusions regarding variables that could have an impact on seatbelt use and, ultimately, on increasing the level of traffic safety. The second consequence, related to contextual information, is illustrated with data from a roadside survey on drink driving. Of particular interest is the relationship between Traffic Count, an aggregated level 2 explanatory variable and Odds of drink driving, an individual level 1 dependent variable. Conclusions: Like every statistical technique, multilevel models should be used with caution and reservation. However, given certain limitations, multilevel modeling is very useful and valuable to traffic safety research.
Determinants of Arterial Distensibility in Patients with Renal Failure

Background: An increased stiffness of the arterial system is an adverse risk factor for the outcome in patients with renal disease. Few studies have focused on the determinants of an increased arterial stiffness in patients with renal failure. As the percentage of patients with renal failure secondary to vascular disease and/or diabetes mellitus is rapidly growing, and the underlying disease per se may also influence the arterial wall properties, it may also be of interest to study the arterial wall properties in relation to the etiology of kidney disease. Methods: The distensibility coefficient (DC) of the common carotid artery was used as a marker of arterial stiffness. One hundred and seventeen patients were studied: 47 patients (aged 63 ± 10 years) with renal failure secondary to vascular disease and/or diabetes mellitus and 70 patients (aged 57 ± 13 years) with other diagnoses. The origin of the renal failure was retrieved from the patients’ charts. Results: Age, mean arterial pressure, and serum calcium level were each independent predictors of arterial stiffness (DC). The DC was significantly lower in the patients with vascular renal disease or diabetes mellitus [11.0 ± 5.5 (1/MPa)] as compared with patients with renal/urological diseases [15.4 ± 7.5 (1/MPa)]. Nevertheless, after correction for potentially confounding variables, the relation between cause of renal disease and DC lost significance in the overall group, but remained significant (p < 0.05) in the younger age groups (≤61 years; median age of the patient group). Conclusions: Age, mean arterial pressure, and serum calcium level were independent predictors of arterial stiffness in our patients with renal failure. Only in younger dialysis patients, the origin of renal failure was an independent predictor of arterial wall stiffness.
Iron‐responsive chromatin remodelling and MAPK signalling enhance adhesion in Candida albicans

Recent cumulative data show that various transcription factors are recruited to the chromatin in an iron‐responsive manner to affect diverse cellular functions in the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans. Here we identified groups of iron‐responsive genes in C. albicans by chromatin remodelling analysis at gene promoters, using micrococcal nuclease (MNase) digestion followed by deep sequencing. Chromatin in the promoter regions of iron uptake and utilization genes showed repressed and active configuration, respectively, under iron‐replete conditions. GO Term enrichment analysis of genes with differentially remodelled chromatin, in respective promoter locales, suggested that many genes involved in adhesion are also iron‐responsive. C. albicans was observed to be more self‐adherent (twofold increase) and formed higher biofilm mass (77% increase) in the presence of iron. Furthermore, we identified various known and novel adhesion‐related genes with iron‐dependent active chromatin profiles that are indicative of potential upregulation under iron‐replete conditions. Transcription factor Cph1 that is activated upon Cek1 phosphorylation also showed an active chromatin profile under iron‐replete conditions and cells showed iron‐responsive Cek1 MAPK phosphorylation in the presence of iron. Thus, iron affects diverse biological functions by modulating chromatin profiles of large gene sets and by signalling through Cek1 MAPK in C. albicans.
Descriptive epidemiology of infantile cataracts in metropolitan Atlanta, GA, 1968-1998.

BACKGROUND Infantile cataract is an important cause of childhood visual impairment. Surgery before 6 weeks of age is recommended for optimal visual outcome. Description of the epidemiologic characteristics of cataracts is important for an improved understanding of the condition. OBJECTIVES To identify at-risk populations and facilitate successful treatment of patients with infantile cataracts. METHODS Infants with cataracts diagnosed in the first year of life were identified using the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program, a birth defects surveillance program with active methods of case ascertainment, for the years 1968-1998. Several factors were analyzed, including year of birth, sex, race, maternal age, plurality (single vs multiple gestation), gestational age, birth weight, laterality, seasonality, and age at diagnosis. RESULTS A total of 199 infants with cataracts were identified, for a rate of 2.03 per 10 000 births. In 117 infants (59%), cataracts occurred as an isolated defect; in 43 infants (22%), cataracts occurred as part of a syndrome; and in 39 infants (20%), additional, unrelated, major birth defects were also present. Rates were higher for low-birth-weight infants (those weighing <1500 g; risk ratio [RR], 6.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.83-9.43) and preterm infants (RR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.21-2.40). Of the cases that occurred as an isolated defect, 38% were diagnosed after 6 weeks. CONCLUSIONS This population-based study provides 31 years of data from a diverse US population and allows identification of risk factors for infantile cataracts. The finding that a number of infants with cataracts continue to have their conditions diagnosed after 6 weeks of age emphasizes the need for direct ophthalmoscopic examination of the red reflex in the newborn period to facilitate early detection and improve outcomes.
Shocks, Stocks and Socks

Recent research has demonstrated that some households cut back on expenditures in an unemployment spell. Moreover, some of these households respond to variation in the transitory income provided by unemployment insurance benefits. This suggests that these households are constrained in the sense that they respond to variations in current income even if these do not have any permanent impact. In this paper we take up the question of how households in temporarily straitened circumstances cut back and how they spend marginal dollars of transfer income. Our theoretical and empirical analysis emphasises the importance of allowing for the fact that households buy durable as well as non-durable goods. The theoretical analysis shows that in the short run households can significantly cut back on total expenditures without a significant fall in welfare if they concentrate their budget reductions on durables. We present an empirical analysis based on a Canadian survey of workers who experienced a job separation. Exploiting changes in the unemployment insurance system over our sample period we show that cuts in UI benefits lead to reductions in total expenditure with a stronger impact on clothing than on food expenditures. These effects are particularly strong for households with no liquid assets and/or households in which the lost income was ‘important’ for the household. These findings are in precise agreement with the theoretical predictions.
Signatures of reionization on Lyα emitters

We use a semi-analytic model of Lyα emitters (LAEs) to constrain the reionization history. By considering two physically motivated scenarios in which reionization ends either early [early reionization model (ERM), zi ≈7] or late [late reionization model (LRM), z i ≈ 6], we fix the global value of the intergalactic medium neutral fraction (e.g. ΧH = 3 x 10 -4 , 0.15 at z = 6.56 for the ERM and LRM, respectively) leaving only the star formation efficiency and the effective escape fraction of Lyα photons as free parameters. The ERM fits the observed LAE luminosity function (LF) at z = 5.7 and 6.56 requiring no redshift evolution or mass dependence of the star formation efficiency, and LAE star formation rates (SFR) of 3 < M * /M ⊙ yr -1 < 103, contributing ≈8 per cent of the cosmic SFR density at z = 5.7. The LRM requires a physically uncomfortable drop of ≈4.5 times in the SFR of the emitters from z = 6.5 to 5.7. Thus, the data seem to imply that the Universe was already highly ionized at z = 6.56. The mass-dependent Lyα transmissivity is 0.36 ≤Tα ≤ 0.51 (ERM) and T α ≤ 0.26 (LRM) at z = 6.56. The LF data at z = 4.5 imply an extra Lyα line damping factor of ≈ 0.25 possibly due to dust; the presence of a (clumpy) dust component with E(B - V) ≤ 0.28 is also required to reproduce the observed large Lya equivalent widths at the same redshift. Additional useful information can be extracted from the line profile (weighted) skewness, found to be Sw = 10-17 A for the two reionization models, which shows an interesting L α - Χ H1 anti-correlation, holding under the model assumptions. The shortcomings of the model and strategies to overcome them are discussed.
A hierarchical approach to simulation of the melodic harmonization process

In this paper, a hybrid system (method) capable of generating accompaniment to human-created melodies was proposed with the use of machine learning and theoretical knowledge, as well as the idea of song's global framework to simulate the real composition process. This paper introduced a new method in which the harmonization process were divided into several hierarchies, chords in every hierarchy were expanded from their father hierarchy and were the highest several ranked ones among candidates in the same hierarchy. The improved bidirectional search algorithm was used to simulate this extending process, while music rules were employed to further choose the most appropriate chord sequence. For performance evaluation, a new distance definition was developed to quantify the distance between generated chords and the original chords. The quantitative performance comparisons between the hybrid approach and the traditional HMM approach were also carried out at the end of this paper to show difference between compositional and perceptual process of human beings psychologically.
Why has (reasonably accurate) Automatic Speech Recognition been so hard to achieve?

Hidden Markov models (HMMs) have been successfully applied to automatic speech recognition for more than 35 years in spite of the fact that a key HMM assumption -- the statistical independence of frames -- is obviously violated by speech data. In fact, this data/model mismatch has inspired many attempts to modify or replace HMMs with alternative models that are better able to take into account the statistical dependence of frames. However it is fair to say that in 2010 the HMM is the consensus model of choice for speech recognition and that HMMs are at the heart of both commercially available products and contemporary research systems. In this paper we present a preliminary exploration aimed at understanding how speech data depart from HMMs and what effect this departure has on the accuracy of HMM-based speech recognition. Our analysis uses standard diagnostic tools from the field of statistics -- hypothesis testing, simulation and resampling -- which are rarely used in the field of speech recognition. Our main result, obtained by novel manipulations of real and resampled data, demonstrates that real data have statistical dependency and that this dependency is responsible for significant numbers of recognition errors. We also demonstrate, using simulation and resampling, that if we `remove' the statistical dependency from data, then the resulting recognition error rates become negligible. Taken together, these results suggest that a better understanding of the structure of the statistical dependency in speech data is a crucial first step towards improving HMM-based speech recognition.
Understanding Families: Applying Family Systems Theory to Early Childhood Practice.

Beyond the Journal • Young Children on the Web • January 2006 1 WORKING WITH FAMILIES is one of the most important aspects of being an early childhood professional, yet it is an area in which many educators have received little preparation (Nieto 2004). We spend hours learning about child development, developmentally appropriate practices, health and safety, playgrounds, and play. At times it seems that we focus on children as if they appear from nowhere, land in our classrooms, and merely disappear at the end of the day. We may ignore the settings in which they spend their time away from us, believing they are not very important. In fact the home environment greatly influences what goes on in school. Much has been written on parent involvement (Ginott 1965; Henderson & Berla 1981; Epstein et al. 1997), and the literature includes a growing number of references to family involvement (Birckmayer et al. 2005; Crosser 2005; Diss & Buckley 2005). However, a limited amount of research (Bredekamp & Copple 1997; Couchenour & Chrisman 2004) directly addresses understanding of family systems as a key component of early childhood education. To serve children well, we must work with their families. To be effective in this work, we must first understand families who are diverse in ways such as culture, sexual orientation, economic status, work, religious beliefs, and composition. Singleparent families, families of divorce, blended families, extended families, homeless families, migrant families, and gay and lesbian families represent some of the diversity in families that we work with as early childhood professionals. Yet no matter how different families appear to outside observers, all have certain characteristics in common. Families just show them in different ways. Examining these characteristics helps educators engage families in ways that foster optimal child development.
Effect of skull resistivity on the spatial resolutions of EEG and MEG

The resistivity values of the different tissues of the head affect the lead fields of electroencephalography (EEG). When the head is modeled with a concentric spherical model, the different resistivity values have no effect on the lead fields of the magnetoencephalography (MEG). Recent publications indicate that the resistivity of the skull is much lower than what was estimated by Rush and Driscoll. At the moment, this information on skull resistivity is, however, slightly controversial. We have compared the spatial resolution of EEG and MEG for cortical sources by calculating the half-sensitivity volumes (HSVs) of EEG and MEG as a function of electrode and magnetometer distance, respectively, with the relative skull resistivity as a parameter. Because the spatial resolution is related to the HSV, these data give an overview of the effect of these parameters on the spatial resolution of both techniques. Our calculations show that, with the new information on the resistivity of the skull, in the spherical model for cortical sources the spatial resolution of the EEG is better than that of the MEG.
Two-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis Analyses of pH-Dependent Protein Expression in Facultatively AlkaliphilicBacillus pseudofirmus OF4 Lead to Characterization of an S-Layer Protein with a Role in Alkaliphily

ABSTRACT The large majority of proteins of alkaliphilic Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4 grown at pH 7.5 and 10.5, as studied by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis analyses, did not exhibit significant pH-dependent variation. A new surface layer protein (SlpA) was identified in these studies. Although the prominence of some apparent breakdown products of SlpA in gels from pH 10.5-grown cells led to discovery of the alkaliphile S-layer, the largest and major SlpA forms were present in large amounts in gels from pH 7.5-grown cells as well. slpA RNA abundance was, moreover, unchanged by growth pH. SlpA was similar in size to homologues from nonalkaliphiles but contained fewer Arg and Lys residues. An slpA mutant strain (RG21) lacked an exterior S-layer that was identified in the wild type by electron microscopy. Electrophoretic analysis of whole-cell extracts further indicated the absence of a 90-kDa band in the mutant. This band was prominent in wild-type extracts from both pH 7.5- and 10.5-grown cells. The wild type grew with a shorter lag phase than RG21 at either pH 10.5 or 11 and under either Na+-replete or suboptimal Na+ concentrations. The extent of the adaptation deficit increased with pH elevation and suboptimal Na+. By contrast, the mutant grew with a shorter lag and faster growth rate than the wild type at pH 7.5 under Na+-replete and suboptimal Na+ conditions, respectively. Logarithmically growing cells of the two strains exhibited no significant differences in growth rate, cytoplasmic pH regulation, starch utilization, motility, Na+-dependent transport of α-aminoisobutyric acid, or H+-dependent synthesis of ATP. However, the capacity for Na+-dependent pH homeostasis was diminished in RG21 upon a sudden upward shift of external pH from 8.5 to 10.5. The energy cost of retaining the SlpA layer at near-neutral pH is apparently adverse, but the constitutive presence of SlpA enhances the capacity of the extremophile to adjust to high pH.