cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Structural Model of Dense Network Formation

This paper proposes an empirical model of network formation, combining strategic and random networks features. Payoffs depend on direct links, but also link externalities. Players meet sequentially at random, myopically updating their links. Under mild assumptions, the network formation process is a potential game and converges to an exponential random graph model (ERGM), generating directed dense networks. I provide new identification results for ERGMs in large networks: if link externalities are nonnegative, the ERGM is asymptotically indistinguishable from an Erdős–Renyi model with independent links. We can identify the parameters only when at least one of the externalities is negative and sufficiently large. However, the standard estimation methods for ERGMs can have exponentially slow convergence, even when the model has asymptotically independent links. I thus estimate parameters using a Bayesian MCMC method. When the parameters are identifiable, I show evidence that the estimation algorithm converges in almost quadratic time.
Predictive Power of Clean Bed Filtration Theory for Fecal Indicator Bacteria Removal in Stormwater Biofilters.

Green infrastructure (also referred to as low impact development, or LID) has the potential to transform urban stormwater runoff from an environmental threat to a valuable water resource. In this paper we focus on the removal of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB, a pollutant responsible for runoff-associated inland and coastal beach closures) in stormwater biofilters (a common type of green infrastructure). Drawing on a combination of previously published and new laboratory studies of FIB removal in biofilters, we find that 66% of the variance in FIB removal rates can be explained by clean bed filtration theory (CBFT, 31%), antecedent dry period (14%), study effect (8%), biofilter age (7%), and the presence or absence of shrubs (6%). Our analysis suggests that, with the exception of shrubs, plants affect FIB removal indirectly by changing the infiltration rate, not directly by changing the FIB removal mechanisms or altering filtration rates in ways not already accounted for by CBFT. The analysis presented her...
The N‐Terminal Domain of ALS‐Linked TDP‐43 Assembles without Misfolding

Transactivation response element (TAR) DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) misfolding is implicated in several neurodegenerative diseases characterized by aggregated protein inclusions. Misfolding is believed to be mediated by both the N- and C-terminus of TDP-43; however, the mechanistic basis of the contribution of individual domains in the process remained elusive. Here, using single-molecule fluorescence and ensemble biophysical techniques, and a wide range of pH and temperature conditions, we show that TDP-43NTD is thermodynamically stable, well-folded and undergoes reversible oligomerization. We propose that, in full-length TDP-43, association between folded N-terminal domains enhances the propensity of the intrinsically unfolded C-terminal domains to drive pathological aggregation.
The MDS queue: Analysing the latency performance of erasure codes

In order to scale economically, data centers are increasingly evolving their data storage methods from the use of simple data replication to the use of more powerful erasure codes, which provide the same level of reliability as replication but at a significantly lower storage cost. In particular, it is well known that Maximum-Distance-Separable (MDS) codes, such as Reed-Solomon codes, provide the maximum storage efficiency. While the use of codes for providing improved reliability in archival storage systems, where the data is less frequently accessed (or so-called "cold data"), is well understood, the role of codes in the storage of more frequently accessed and active "hot data", where latency is the key metric, is less clear. In this paper, we study data storage systems based on MDS codes through the lens of queueing theory, and term this the "MDS queue." We analytically characterize the (average) latency performance of MDS queues, for which we present insightful scheduling policies that form upper and lower bounds to performance, and are observed to be quite tight. Extensive simulations are also provided and used to validate our theoretical analysis. We also employ the framework of the MDS queue to analyse different methods of performing so-called degraded reads (reading of partial data) in distributed data storage.
The Rights/Development Nexus: Sen, Olson, and the Obesity Rights Movement*

This paper explores how economic development facilitates the creation of interest groups that seek to improve their “capabilities” that, as Amartya Sen has explained, can enhance human freedom. Mancur Olson’s work shows that long periods of political stability can foster “distributive coalitions” that benefit small interest groups at the expense of the nation. In this context the fat acceptance movement is analyzed. Oriented toward reducing discrimination against overweight people, it works to improve their well-being. The fat acceptance movement represents a new kind of distributive coalition: rather than transferring income to overweight people it imposes significant medical costs on the rest of society. This externality provides a justification for public policies that can influence weight without compromising the dignity of overweight people.
Natural gels in the Yucca Mountain area, Nevada, USA

Abstract Relict gels at Yucca Mountain include pore- and fracture-fillings of silica and zeolite related to diagenetic and hydrothermal alteration of vitric tuffs. Water-rich free gels in fractures at Rainier Mesa consist of smectite with or without silica-rich gel fragments. Gels are being studied for their potential role in transport of radionuclides from a nuclear-waste repository.
A Task Allocation Approach for the Man-Machine Intelligency Synergetic System*

Abstract Previous literature demonstrates that task allocation can be either static or dynamic, with both approaches possessing benifets and drawbacks. In order to improve task allocation for man-machine systems, a different task allocation approach is introduced utilizing the synergism of human high level intelligence and the information processing ability of the computer. On the basis of human intelligence and limitation analysis a max-min principle for task allocation is presented and three categories of tasks are defined to implement the principle. Emulation illustrates the validity and simplicity of the method. In essence this process is a queuing system with task classified constraints in regard to the problem to be solved.
Analysis of TCP performance over mobile ad hoc networks

Mobile ad hoc networks have attracted attention lately as a means of providing continuous network connectivity to mobile computing devices regardless of physical location. Recent research has focused primarily on the routing protocols needed in such an environment. In this paper, we investigate the effects that link breakage due to mobility has on TCP performance. Through simulation, we show that TCP throughput drops significantly when nodes move, due to TCP's inability to recognize the difference between link failure and congestion. We also analyze specific examples, such as a situation where throughput is zero for a particular connection. We introduce a new metric, expected throughput, for the comparison of throughput in multi-hop networks, and then use this metric to show how the use of explicit link failure notification (ELFN) techniques can significantly improve TCP performance.
Comparison of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Radionuclide Imaging in the Evaluation of Renal Transplant Failure

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was compared with radionuclide scintigraphy (RNS) in 16 patients with renal transplants undergoing renal failure to determine which modality could best discriminate between rejection, acute tubular necrosis (ATN), and cyclosporin nephrotoxicity (CN). Although all rejecting transplants had reduced corticomedullary differentiation (CMD) on T1-weighted MR images, four of five cases of ATN had appearances that could not be distinguished from rejection. A normal CMD suggests nonrejection, but diminished CMD is nonspecific. Tc-99m DTPA/I-131 hippuran RNS was superior to MRI in differentiating rejection from ATN. Although ATN and CN have similar RNS patterns, this distinction can usually be made based on the clinical time course. Other potential uses of MRI in the evaluation of the renal transplants are discussed.
On the Interpretation of Kernels — Computer Simulation of Responses to Impulse Pairs

Abstract A method is presented for the use of a unit impulse response and responses to impulse pairs of variable separation in the calculation of the second-degree kernels of a quadratic system. A quadratic system may be built from simple linear terms of known dynamics and a multiplier. Computer simulation results on quadratic systems with building elements of various time constants indicate reasonably that the larger time constant term before multiplication dominates in the envelope of the off-diagonal kernel curves as these move perpendicular to and away from the main diagonal. The smaller time constant term before multiplication combines with the effect of the time constant after multiplication to dominate in the kernel curves in the direction of the second-degree impulse response, i.e., parallel to the main diagonal. Such types of insight may be helpful in recognizing essential aspects of (second-degree) kernels; they may be used in simplifying the model structure and, perhaps, add to the physical/physiological understanding of the underlying processes.
Growth Responses of Normal, Benign Hyperplastic, and Malignant Human Prostatic Epithelial Cells In Vitro to Cholera Toxin, Pituitary Extract, and Hydrocortisone

Normal, benign hyperplastic (BPH), and malignant prostatic epithelial cells from adult humans can be serially passaged in medium PFMR-4 supplemented with 20% whole serum, cholera toxin, and epidermal growth factor (EGF). Improved growth of these cells has been achieved by optimizing the concentrations of the components of the basal medium. In the new modified medium, PFMR-4A, the only supplements required are 5% dialyzed serum, cholera toxin, EGF, pituitary extract, and hydrocortisone. Comparative studies of the growth responses of prostatic cells derived from normal central zone, normal peripheral zone, BPH nodules, and adenocarcinomas did not reveal any qualitative differences; all respond positively to the addition of cholera toxin, pituitary extract, and hydrocortisone to the culture medium. Cells of one cancer strain, however, were much less density-dependent for growth than were the other strains of normal, BPH, or malignant cells.
Microalbuminuria and Hypertension in Long-Term Renal Donors

In order to determine whether the proteinuria observed in some renal donors was glomerular or tubular in origin, and to determine whether creatinine clearance was an accurate index of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in subjects with reduced nephron mass, 29 donors were evaluated 9-18 years after uninephrectomy. Results were compared with those in 31 age-, sex-, and race-matched controls evaluated at the same time. Mean creatinine clearance (Ccreat) in donor was 78% that of controls, which was similar to the 85% ratio of inulin clearance (Cin) in donors compared with that of controls. Furthermore, the ratio of Ccreat/Cin was similar in both donors and controls. One third of the renal donors had an elevated albumin excretion compared with controls (microalbuminuria [12-220 mg/24 hr] in seven patients; 301 and 1084 mg/24 hr in two patients). There was no correlation between albuminuria and blood pressure, nor was there a demonstrable clinical cause for the albuminuria in most patients. In contrast to these results, excretion of beta-2 microglobulin, an index of tubular proteinuria, was normal in all but one patient. The prevalence of hypertension was higher in donors compared with the expected prevalence adjusted for age, sex, and race. These results verify that creatinine clearance is a reliable measure of GFR in long-term renal donors. They also demonstrate an increased frequency of glomerular proteinuria and hypertension in renal donors. Despite these mild abnormalities, GFR is well preserved for up to 18 years postuninephrectomy.
Urethral Duplication With the Dorsal Urethra Presenting as a Perineal Mass

When duplication of the urethra occurs the dorsal urethra is always to be considered the abnormal of the two. The following is a case report of the dorsal urethra presenting as a mass on the ventral surface.
Inhibition of Wound Healing by Corynebacterium Parvum

Abstract Corynebacterium parvum (C. parvum) , an immunostimulant, was examined for its effects on wound healing in mice. Animals injected intraperitoneally with C. parvum , 1400 μg 48 hr prior to wounding had significantly decreased wound strength at 5, 7, 11, 14, and 21 days after wounding compared to saline-injected controls ( P P C. parvum at 48 or 2 hr before wounding, synchronous with wounding and 2 or 48 hr after wounding had significantly decreased wound disruption strength of 11-day-old wounds ( P P C. parvum -treated animals were consistently weaker than similarly treated wound strips from controls ( P P C. parvum -treated animals revealed decreased amounts of wound collagen and increased inflammatory reaction compared to saline-injected animals. While C. parvum can improve survival following injury or septic challenge, the potential for marked alterations in wound healing may limit its clinical application in surgical and trauma patients.
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Uses of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone

Fourteen years ago independent investigations regarding the hypothalamic control of gonadotropin release were simultaneously concluded by two research teams. 1,2 These reports presented the isolation and synthesis of a hypothalamic decapeptide now known as gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) (also known as luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone [LH-RH] or gonadorelin). When given parenterally to humans, this compound results in stimulation of release of the anterior pituitary gonadotropic hormones, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). In 1978 the significance of this accomplishment was recognized by the award of the Nobel Prize for Medicine to the heads of the two research teams. Since its discovery GnRH has been widely used as a reproductive endocrine probe to aid our understanding of basic control mechanisms involved in gonadal function in humans. Additionally, GnRH has been extensively used as a diagnostic tool for men and women with gonadal dysfunction; more recently it has also been utilized as a
Dynamics of Implementation and Maintenance of Organizational Health Interventions

In this study, we present case studies to explore the dynamics of implementation and maintenance of health interventions. We analyze how specific interventions are built and eroded, how the building and erosion mechanisms are interconnected, and why we can see significantly different erosion rates across otherwise similar organizations. We use multiple comparative obesity prevention case studies to provide empirical information on the mechanisms of interest, and use qualitative systems modeling to integrate our evolving understanding into an internally consistent and transparent theory of the phenomenon. Our preliminary results identify reinforcing feedback mechanisms, including design of organizational processes, motivation of stakeholders, and communication among stakeholders, which influence implementation and maintenance of intervention components. Over time, these feedback mechanisms may drive a wedge between otherwise similar organizations, leading to distinct configurations of implementation and maintenance processes.
INO80 Chromatin Remodeling Coordinates Metabolic Homeostasis with Cell Division

Adaptive survival requires the coordination of nutrient availability with expenditure of cellular resources. For example, in nutrient-limited environments, 50% of all S. cerevisiae genes synchronize and exhibit periodic bursts of expression in coordination with respiration and cell division in the yeast metabolic cycle (YMC). Despite the importance of metabolic and proliferative synchrony, the majority of YMC regulators are currently unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the INO80 chromatin-remodeling complex is required to coordinate respiration and cell division with periodic gene expression. Specifically, INO80 mutants have severe defects in oxygen consumption and promiscuous cell division that is no longer coupled with metabolic status. In mutant cells, chromatin accessibility of periodic genes, including TORC1-responsive genes, is relatively static, concomitant with severely attenuated gene expression. Collectively, these results reveal that the INO80 complex mediates metabolic signaling to chromatin to restrict proliferation to metabolically optimal states.
On the Capacity of the AWGN Channel With Additive Radar Interference

This paper investigates the capacity of a communications channel that, in addition to additive white Gaussian noise, also suffers from interference caused by a co-existing radar transmission. The radar interference (of short duty-cycle and of much wider bandwidth than the intended communication signal) is modeled as an additive term whose amplitude is known and constant, but whose phase is independent and identically uniformly distributed at each channel use. The capacity achieving input distribution, under the standard average power constraint, is shown to have independent modulo and phase. The phase is uniformly distributed in $[0, 2\pi ]$ . The modulo is discrete with countably infinite many mass points, but only finitely many in any bounded interval. From numerical evaluations, a proper-complex Gaussian input is seen to perform quite well for weak radar interference. We also show that for very large radar interference, and for signal to noise ratio equal to $ \mathsf {S}$ , the capacity is equal to $({1}/{2})\log (1+ \mathsf {S})$ and a proper-complex Gaussian input achieves it. It is concluded that the presence of the radar interference results in a loss of half of the degrees of freedom compared with an AWGN channel without radar interference.
Repeated storage of respired carbon in the equatorial Pacific Ocean over the last three glacial cycles.

As the largest reservoir of carbon exchanging with the atmosphere on glacial–interglacial timescales, the deep ocean has been implicated as the likely location of carbon sequestration during Pleistocene glaciations. Despite strong theoretical underpinning for this expectation, radiocarbon data on watermass ventilation ages conflict, and proxy interpretations disagree about the depth, origin and even existence of the respired carbon pool. Because any change in the storage of respiratory carbon is accompanied by corresponding changes in dissolved oxygen concentrations, proxy data reflecting oxygenation are valuable in addressing these apparent inconsistencies. Here, we present a record of redox-sensitive uranium from the central equatorial Pacific Ocean to identify intervals associated with respiratory carbon storage over the past 350 kyr, providing evidence for repeated carbon storage over the last three glacial cycles. We also synthesise our data with previous work and propose an internally consistent picture of glacial carbon storage and equatorial Pacific Ocean watermass structure. During glacial periods the oceans stored carbon removed from the atmosphere, yet identifying precisely where that storage occurred remains challenging. Here, the authors show that the deep equatorial Pacific Ocean was a reservoir for respired carbon during glacial periods for at least the last 350 kyr.
The Development and Validation of the Motives to Donate Scale

In this article, we develop and validate a comprehensive self-report scale of why people make charitable donations, relying on a theoretical model of private versus public benefits to donors. In St...
Experimental Zika Virus Inoculation in a New World Monkey Model Reproduces Key Features of the Human Infection

A monkey model of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is urgently needed to better understand transmission and pathogenesis, given its proven association with fetal brain defects in pregnant women and acute neurological illness. Here we experimentally infected 4 male marmosets with ZIKV (prototype 1947 African strain) and monitored them clinically with sampling of various body fluids and tissues for nearly 3 months. We show that the course of acute infection with ZIKV in these New World monkeys resembles the human illness in many respects, including (1) lack of apparent clinical symptoms in most cases, (2) persistence of the virus in body fluids such as semen and saliva for longer periods of time than in serum, and (3) generation of neutralizing antibodies as well as an antiviral immunological host response. Importantly, ZIKV-infected saliva samples (in addition to serum) were found to be infectious, suggesting potential capacity for viral transmission by the oral route. Re-challenge of a previously infected marmoset with a contemporary outbreak strain SPH2015 from Brazil resulted in continued protection against infection, no viral shedding, and boosting of the immune response. Given the key similarities to human infection, a marmoset model of ZIKV infection may be useful for testing of new drugs and vaccines.
Healthcare robotics

Robots have the potential to be a game changer in healthcare: improving health and well-being, filling care gaps, supporting care givers, and aiding health care workers. However, before robots are able to be widely deployed, it is crucial that both the research and industrial communities work together to establish a strong evidence-base for healthcare robotics, and surmount likely adoption barriers. This article presents a broad contextualization of robots in healthcare by identifying key stakeholders, care settings, and tasks; reviewing recent advances in healthcare robotics; and outlining major challenges and opportunities to their adoption.
An Economic Model of the Evolution of Food Retail and Supply Chains from Traditional Shops to Supermarkets to E-Commerce

Food retail has been in continuous evolution for the past century, both in developing and developed countries: from local traditional stores to supermarkets to e-commerce. In this paper we analyze the evolution of food retail by building a store choice equilibrium model and provide an illustrated discussion. The patterns in retail in any given time and place of different types of stores (such as traditional shops, supermarkets, and online e-commerce) depend on two main factors. The first are consumers’ characteristics such as income, tastes, and travel costs of going to different stores and/or shipping costs if purchasing online. The second are the stores’ cost structures, which include item costs from upstream producers, the costs of procurement supply chains (beyond the cost of the item) for perishable items, and the costs of in-store storage. We show under what conditions in equilibrium the different retail types exist and which can become dominant, and what types of goods (dry packaged foods versus perishables) are distributed by what type of retailers.
Extension of caution indices to mixed‐format tests

Tatsuoka suggested several extended caution indices and their standardized versions, and these have been used as person-fit statistics by various researchers. However, these indices are only defined for tests with dichotomous items. This paper extends two of the popular standardized extended caution indices for use with polytomous items and mixed-format tests. Two additional new person-fit statistics are obtained by applying the asymptotic standardization of person-fit statistics for mixed-format tests. Detailed simulations are then performed to compute the Type I error rate and power of the four new person-fit statistics. Two real data illustrations follow. The new person-fit statistics appear to be satisfactory tools for assessing person fit for polytomous items and mixed-format tests.
Do covenant violations affect audit report timeliness

We investigate the impact of covenant violations on audit report timeliness. We argue that the existence of covenant violations might motivate clients or banks to seek waivers or renegotiations of current lending contracts. Otherwise, auditors might perform more audit tests before issuing audit opinions. Ultimately, auditors will increase the number of days to complete the audit. Our major findings are consistent with our prediction. In addition, we find that the presence of early covenant violations further increases audit delays. Our findings identify another factor affecting the audit report timeliness and one economic consequence of covenant violations.
Predictive set point modulation to mitigate transients in lightly damped balanced and unbalanced systems

Power system controllers are designed and tuned to achieve the desired dynamic performance under prespecified system conditions. However, changes in the system, e.g., load variation, generation changes, and faults, can cause departure of the system from previously assumed parameters. This in turn can change and reduce damping, which may enable large transients to violate the operational limits of a controlled apparatus. Set point automatic adjustment with correction enabled (SPAACE) is a strategy that modulates the set point of an apparatus to mitigate such transients. This paper (1) proposes a quadratic prediction algorithm for SPAACE to enhance its performance, (2) presents a supplemental strategy to improve set point tracking even when limits are not violated, (3) introduces an approach to implement SPAACE in unbalanced systems, and (4) analyzes the stability of SPAACE. Several case studies are presented to demonstrate the superior ability of this strategy for mitigating transients in different scenarios compared to conventional PI-based control strategies.
Functional triplet motifs underlie accurate predictions of single-trial responses in populations of tuned and untuned V1 neurons

Visual stimuli evoke activity in visual cortical neuronal populations. Neuronal activity can be selectively modulated by particular visual stimulus parameters, such as the direction of a moving bar of light, resulting in well-defined trial averaged tuning properties. However, given any single stimulus parameter, a large number of neurons in visual cortex remain unmodulated, and the role of this untuned population is not well understood. Here, we use two-photon calcium imaging to record, in an unbiased manner, from large populations of layer 2/3 excitatory neurons in mouse primary visual cortex to describe co-varying activity on single trials in neuronal populations consisting of both tuned and untuned neurons. Specifically, we summarize pairwise covariability with an asymmetric partial correlation coefficient, allowing us to analyze the resultant population correlation structure, or functional network, with graph theory. Using the graph neighbors of a neuron, we find that the local population, including both tuned and untuned neurons, are able to predict individual neuron activity on a moment to moment basis, while also recapitulating tuning properties of tuned neurons. Variance explained in total population activity scales with the number of neurons imaged, demonstrating larger sample sizes are required to fully capture local network interactions. We also find that a specific functional triplet motif in the graph results in the best predictions, suggesting a signature of informative correlations in these populations. In summary, we show that unbiased sampling of the local population can explain single trial response variability as well as trial-averaged tuning properties in V1, and the ability to predict responses is tied to the occurrence of a functional triplet motif.
Endogenous R&D and Intellectual Property Laws in Developed and Emerging Economies

The incentive of providing protection of intellectual property has been analyzed, both for an emerging economy as well as for a developed economy. The optimal patent length and the optimal patent breadth within a country are found to be positively related to each other for a fixed structure of laws abroad. Moreover, a country can respond to stronger patent protection abroad by weakening its patent protection under certain circumstances and by strengthening its patent protection under other circumstances. These results depend upon the curvature of the R&D production function. Finally, we investigate the impact of an increase in the willingness-to-pay in the emerging economy and find conditions under which there is an improvement in both patent length as well as patent breadth in the emerging economy.
Economic inequality can generate unhappiness that leads to violent crime in society

Many studies in social sciences have suggested different approaches to explain violent crime in society, such as the heat hypothesis that more violence is associated to hot weather. However, these approaches provide a partial explanation of this social issue. This study shows that, controlling climate, socio-economic inequality at country level negatively affects human behaviour and leads to high rates of violent crime in society. The socio-economic inequality is one of the contributing factors that generates aversive environments, unhappiness and, as a consequence, high rates of intentional homicides in society. Overall, then, these findings here can clarify whenever possible, a vital source of unhappiness in society that may lead to aggressive behaviour and violent crime.
An Assessment of the FGGE Satellite Observing System during SOP-1

This study investigates the degree to which data from the space-borne FGGE observing systems are able to determine the complete state of the atmosphere when incorporated into a global objective analysis cycle. Three data assimilation experiments are performed with the Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheric Sciences (GLAS) analysis/forecast system, using different combinations of the FGGE level II–b data collected during the first Special Observing Period (SOP-1), 5 January through 5 March 1979. The control experiment is an assimilation cycle with the complete FGGE II–b data. The other two assimilation/forecast experiments consist of i) the conventional system without the satellite data and special FGGE data sets; and ii) the FGGE II–b surface and satellite temperature soundings and cloud-track winds, aircraft data, and special FGGE data sets, but without the conventional rawinsonde/pilot balloon network. From these experiments, we attempt to assess the accuracy of the inferred mass and motion fields over data...
Oral health promotion practices: a survey of Florida child care center directors.

To understand the oral health promotion practices (OHPPs) in Florida licensed childcare centers (CCCs), we surveyed the childcare center directors (CCCDs) employed at these centers. We determined if CCC’s affiliation with Early Head Start/Head Start (EHS/HS) programs was associated with the number of OHPPs implemented. For this cross-sectional study we emailed a pretested 45-item online survey to unduplicated email addresses of 5142 licensed CCCDs as listed in the publicly available Florida Department of Child and Family services database. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted. In addition, a Poisson regression model predicting higher numbers of OHPPs implemented was conducted. A response rate of 19.4% was estimated. CCCDs reporting to implement a higher number of OHPPs in their CCCs were more likely to have longer work experience (b = 0.006, 95% CI: 0.001,0.012 p = 0.03), work in EHS/HS affiliated centers (b = 0.7, 95%CI: 0.48,0.91) p < 0.001), and have more positive attitudes about pediatric oral health (b = 0.08, 95%CI: 0.05, 0.10) p < 0.001). CCCDs with more self-perceived barriers reported implementing a lower number of OHPPs (b = − 0.046, 95% CI: -0.09, − 0.003 p = 0.035) compared to their counterparts. A significant association between a CCC’s affiliation with EHS/HS programs and the number of OHPPs implemented was observed. In addition, CCCD’s years of experience, attitudes towards oral health, and self-perceived barriers in implementing OHPPs were also associated with the number of OHPPs implemented.
Population genomic data reveal extreme geographic subdivision and novel conservation actions for the declining foothill yellow-legged frog

Genomic data have the potential to inform high resolution landscape genetic and biological conservation studies that go far beyond recent mitochondrial and microsatellite analyses. We characterize the relationships of populations of the foothill yellow-legged frog, Rana boylii, a declining, “sentinel” species for stream ecosystems throughout its range in California and Oregon. We generated RADseq data and applied phylogenetic methods, hierarchical Bayesian clustering, PCA and population differentiation with admixture analyses to characterize spatial genetic structure across the species range. To facilitate direct comparison with previous analyses, we included many localities and individuals from our earlier work based on mitochondrial DNA. The results are striking, and emphasize the power of our landscape genomic approach. We recovered five extremely differentiated primary clades that indicate that R. boylii may be the most genetically differentiated anuran yet studied. Our results provide better resolution and more spatially consistent patterns than our earlier work, confirming the increased resolving power of genomic data compared to single-locus studies. Genomic structure is not equal across the species distribution. Approximately half the range of R. boylii consists of a single, relatively uniform population, while Sierra Nevada and coastal California clades are deeply, hierarchically substructured with biogeographic breaks observed in other codistributed taxa. Our results indicate that clades should serve as management units for R. boylii rather than previously suggested watershed boundaries, and that the near-extinct population from southwestern California is particularly diverged, exhibits the lowest genetic diversity, and is a critical conservation target for species recovery.
Scalable preprocessing for sparse scRNA-seq data exploiting prior knowledge.

Motivation Single cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) data contains a wealth of information which has to be inferred computationally from the observed sequencing reads. As the ability to sequence more cells improves rapidly, existing computational tools suffer from three problems. (i) The decreased reads-per-cell implies a highly sparse sample of the true cellular transcriptome. (ii) Many tools simply cannot handle the size of the resulting datasets. (iii) Prior biological knowledge such as bulk RNA-seq information of certain cell types or qualitative marker information is not taken into account. Here we present UNCURL, a preprocessing framework based on non-negative matrix factorization for scRNA-seq data, that is able to handle varying sampling distributions, scales to very large cell numbers and can incorporate prior knowledge. Results We find that preprocessing using UNCURL consistently improves performance of commonly used scRNA-seq tools for clustering, visualization and lineage estimation, both in the absence and presence of prior knowledge. Finally we demonstrate that UNCURL is extremely scalable and parallelizable, and runs faster than other methods on a scRNA-seq dataset containing 1.3 million cells. Availability and implementation Source code is available at https://github.com/yjzhang/uncurl_python. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The Hygiene of Swimming Pools

The care of swimming-pools in educational institutions and athletic clubs has of late years attracted considerable attention. Notable studies have been made, among which may be especially mentioned those at Brown University, and by Dr. William J. Lyster at the University of Pennsylvania. Gymnasia which are frequented by a large number of persons may act as foci of infection. It seems possible that a swimming-pool with a limited supply of water, when used by a large number of persons, may serve to convey from one to the other pathogenic organisms. In this connection the danger from typhoid fever seems to attract the attention of many people. There is no doubt that contaminated water may produce this disease in swimmers as the water is not infrequently taken into the mouth. The men's gymnasium at the University of Wisconsin is much overcrowded and it was felt that a study of conditions as
Differentially private hierarchical count-of-counts histograms

We consider the problem of privately releasing a class of queries that we call hierarchical count-of-counts histograms. Count-of-counts histograms partition the rows of an input table into groups (e.g., group of people in the same household), and for every integer j report the number of groups of size j. Hierarchical count-of-counts queries report count-of-counts histograms at different granularities as per hierarchy defined on an attribute in the input data (e.g., geographical location of a household at the national, state and county levels). In this paper, we introduce this problem, along with appropriate error metrics and propose a differentially private solution that generates count-of-counts histograms that are consistent across all levels of the hierarchy.
A model for learned bloom filters, and optimizing by sandwiching

Recent work has suggested enhancing Bloom filters by using a pre-filter, based on applying machine learning to determine a function that models the data set the Bloom filter is meant to represent. Here we model such learned Bloom filters, with the following outcomes: (1) we clarify what guarantees can and cannot be associated with such a structure; (2) we show how to estimate what size the learning function must obtain in order to obtain improved performance; (3) we provide a simple method, sandwiching, for optimizing learned Bloom filters; and (4) we propose a design and analysis approach for a learned Bloomier filter, based on our modeling approach.
Intergenerational Income Elasticities, Instrumental Variable Estimation, and Bracketing Strategies:

The fact that the intergenerational income elasticity (IGE)—the workhorse measure of economic mobility—is defined in terms of the geometric mean of children’s income generates serious methodologica...
State Estimation for Indoor and Outdoor Operation with a Micro-Aerial Vehicle.

In this work, we detail a methodology for estimating the state of a microaerial vehicle (MAV) as it transitions between different operating environments with varying applicable sensors. We ensure that the estimate is smooth and continuous throughout and provide an associated quality measure of the state estimate. We address the challenge of maintaining consistency between local and global measurements and propose a strategy to recursively estimate the transform between different coordinate frames. We close with experiments that validate the approach and the resulting performance as a MAV navigates between mixed indoor and outdoor environments.
Assessment of the Placental Cord Insertion Using 3-Dimensional Ultrasound at the Time of the Structural Fetal Survey.

OBJECTIVES The influence of placental morphologic characteristics on pregnancy outcomes is poorly understood. Our objective was to evaluate the relationship of the distance of the placental cord insertion from the placental edge (PCI-D) with associated placental characteristics as well as birth outcomes. METHODS We performed a retrospective cohort study of nulliparous women with singleton gestations undergoing obstetric ultrasound examinations between 14 and 23 weeks' gestation with a cervical length of greater than 3.0 cm who delivered between 24 and 42 weeks. A 3-dimensional volume of the placenta was evaluated. The PCI-D was obtained with Virtual Organ computer-aided analysis software (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI). Generalized linear regression and generalized additive models were fitted to explore the associations between the PCI-D in relation to demographic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS A total of 216 pregnancies were included in the analysis. The PCI-D did not correlate with maternal age, gestational age at delivery, mode of delivery, or 5-minute Apgar score. Although not statistically significant, the birth weight z score (P = .09) was associated with a longer PCI-D, and gravidity was associated with a shorter PCI-D (P = .10). A low-lying placenta or placenta previa was associated with a longer PCI-D (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS The PCI-D is associated with a low placental position in the second trimester. These data are helpful for understanding placental development. The PCI-D may be associated with pregnancy-related factors such as birth weight and multigravidity. More research is required to evaluate the effects of pregnancy-related factors on the PCI-D and the effect of the PCI-D on pregnancy outcomes.
Interbank Connections, Contagion and Bank Distress in the Great Depression

Abstract Liquidity shocks transmitted through interbank connections contributed to bank distress during the Great Depression. New data on interbank connections reveal that banks were vulnerable to closures of their correspondents and their respondents. Further, banks were less responsive to network liquidity risk in their management of cash and capital buffers after the Federal Reserve was established, suggesting that banks expected the Fed to reduce that risk. The Fed's presence weakened incentives for the most systemically important banks to maintain capital and cash buffers against liquidity risk, and thereby likely contributed to the banking system's vulnerability to contagion during the Depression.
Scarce Foods are Perceived as Having More Calories

People vary dramatically in their calorie estimates of food depending on the information available to them. Prior research has focused on information that is normatively relevant to the number of calories a food contains (e.g., fat content, serving size). The current research examines whether information that is normatively irrelevant to the number of calories a food contains — such as its availability — might also shape people’s calorie estimates. Three studies found that a food perceived as limited in availability leads people to estimate the food to contain more calories. Serial mediation analyses revealed that this effect occurs because scarce food is seen as more valuable and expensive, which subsequently induces feelings of resource deprivation. This sense of resource deprivation, in turn, leads to motivated perception, whereby higher calorie estimates are the result of people wanting to acquire more resources. The findings provide insight into the psychology of scarcity and underscore the importance of understanding how contextual factors shape people’s calorie estimates and the psychological mechanisms that drive them.
Composable Learning with Sparse Kernel Representations

We present a reinforcement learning algorithm for learning sparse non-parametric controllers in a Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space. We improve the sample complexity of this approach by imposing a structure of the state-action function through a normalized advantage function (NAF). This representation of the policy enables efficiently composing multiple learned models without additional training samples or interaction with the environment. We demonstrate the performance of this algorithm on learning obstacle-avoidance policies in multiple simulations of a robot equipped with a laser scanner while navigating in a 2D environment. We apply the composition operation to various policy combinations and test them to show that the composed policies retain the performance of their components. We also transfer the composed policy directly to a physical platform operating in an arena with obstacles in order to demonstrate a degree of generalization.
The finite state projection based Fisher information matrix approach to estimate information and optimize single-cell experiments

Modern optical imaging experiments not only measure single-cell and single-molecule dynamics with high precision, but they can also perturb the cellular environment in myriad controlled and novel settings. Techniques, such as single-molecule fluorescence in-situ hybridization, microfluidics, and optogenetics, have opened the door to a large number of potential experiments, which begs the question of how to choose the best possible experiment. The Fisher information matrix (FIM) estimates how well potential experiments will constrain model parameters and can be used to design optimal experiments. Here, we introduce the finite state projection (FSP) based FIM, which uses the formalism of the chemical master equation to derive and compute the FIM. The FSP-FIM makes no assumptions about the distribution shapes of single-cell data, and it does not require precise measurements of higher order moments of such distributions. We validate the FSP-FIM against well-known Fisher information results for the simple case of constitutive gene expression. We then use numerical simulations to demonstrate the use of the FSP-FIM to optimize the timing of single-cell experiments with more complex, non-Gaussian fluctuations. We validate optimal simulated experiments determined using the FSP-FIM with Monte-Carlo approaches and contrast these to experiment designs chosen by traditional analyses that assume Gaussian fluctuations or use the central limit theorem. By systematically designing experiments to use all of the measurable fluctuations, our method enables a key step to improve co-design of experiments and quantitative models.
A Joint Foreign Currency Risk Management Approach for Sovereign Assets and Liabilities

An asset and liability management framework for managing risks arising from sovereign foreign exchange obligations requires a joint analysis of (i) the external financial liabilities resulting from a country's sovereign debt and (ii) the foreign exchange assets of its central bank. Governments often issue sizable amounts of debt denominated in foreign currencies, subjecting their fiscal positions to foreign exchange volatilities. Prudent management of a sovereign’s foreign exchange position under an asset and liability management framework enables governments to mitigate risks at the lowest possible cost, hence increasing resilience to external shocks. Based on the challenges associated with the implementation of an asset and liability management framework, this study recommends a practical approach that includes analysis of the foreign exchange positions of central bank reserves and central government debt portfolios and optimization of the net position. The proposed model is tested, using the foreign exchange reserve and external debt data of seven countries (Albania, Ghana, FYR Macedonia, South Africa, the Republic of Korea, Tunisia, and Uruguay). The paper employs quantitative methods to explore the impact of an overarching asset and liability management strategy and integrated approach on the efficient management of foreign exchange risk. It provides policy recommendations on ways to minimize the risk of foreign exchange mismatches and increase the return on foreign exchange reserves.
Calibrating the Mean-Reversion Parameter in the Hull-White Model Using Neural Networks

Interest rate models are widely used for simulations of interest rate movements and pricing of interest rate derivatives. We focus on the Hull-White model, for which we develop a technique for calibrating the speed of mean reversion. We examine the theoretical time-dependent version of mean reversion function and propose a neural network approach to perform the calibration based solely on historical interest rate data. The experiments indicate the suitability of depth-wise convolution and provide evidence for the advantages of neural network approach over existing methodologies. The proposed models produce mean reversion comparable to rolling-window linear regression’s results, allowing for greater flexibility while being less sensitive to market turbulence.