cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ATAC-seq signal processing and recurrent neural networks can identify RNA polymerase activity

Abstract Nascent transcription assays are the current gold standard for identifying regions of active transcription, including markers for functional transcription factor (TF) binding. Here we present a signal processing-based model to determine regions of active transcription genome-wide using the simpler assay for transposase-accessible chromatin, followed by high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq). The focus of this study is twofold: First, we perform a frequency space analysis of the “signal” generated from ATAC-seq experiments’ short reads, at a single-nucleotide resolution, using a discrete wavelet transform. Second, we explore different uses of neural networks to combine this signal with its underlying genome sequence in order to classify ATAC-seq peaks on the presence or absence of bidirectional transcription. We analyze the performance of different data encoding schemes and machine learning architectures, and show how a hybrid signal/sequence representation classified using recurrent neural networks (RNNs) yields the best performance across different cell types. Contact robin.dowell@colorado.edu
A Downlink NOMA System Based on Combinatorial Design

It is known that the Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) system is capable of obtaining higher spectral efficiency and massive connectivity owing to the fact that multiple users are superimposed over each resource. However, as the number of users is more than that of resources, the resultant surjective-only mapping and expanded constellation increase the multiuser detection (MUD) complexity at the receiver inherently. In this paper, a downlink code-domain NOMA design based on combinatorial structures with balanced incomplete block design (BIBD) is studied. The unique discretizing distribution of BIBD provides an inherent mapping pattern for the linear combination of multiuser data. To accommodate with our system, a heuristic constellation forming paradigm is proposed. Message Passing Algorithm (MPA) is used at the receiver in this design. Simulation results on additive white Gaussian (AWGN) and Rayleigh fading channel demonstrate that our system obtain an equivalent even better performance compared with other similar code-domain NOMA techniques with much lower design complexity.
Augmenting Pre-Analysis Plans with Machine Learning

Concerns about the dissemination of spurious results have led to calls for pre-analysis plans (PAPs) to avoid ex-post "p-hacking." But often the conceptual hypotheses being tested do not imply the level of specificity required for a PAP. In this paper we suggest a framework for PAPs that capitalize on the availability of causal machine-learning (ML) techniques, in which researchers combine specific aspects of the analysis with ML for the flexible estimation of unspecific remainders. A "cheap-lunch" result shows that the inclusion of ML produces limited worst-case costs in power, while offering a substantial upside from systematic specification searches.
Hospital readmission in persons with dementia: A systematic review.

Objective Hospital readmission in persons with dementia is becoming a critical safety and cost issue. The purpose of this review is to systematically assess published evidence on hospital readmissions in persons with dementia, including rate, clinical reasons, risk factors, and prevention programs. Methods A systematic review of relevant literature was conducted. Literature were searched in PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Embase as well as hand searching. Quality of reviewed studies were assessed independently by reviewers using quality assessment checklists. Results Nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. In persons with dementia, all-cause 30-day readmission rate was most frequently reported and ranged from 7% to 35%. Compared with those without dementia, persons with dementia had significantly higher rate of readmission. Reported risk factors of readmission varied across studies from patient sociodemographic and clinical status, history of health care utilization, to family caregivers. Reasons for readmission were rarely documented. Programs of home-based individualized care and interdisciplinary team care were used for preventing readmissions. Findings from some of the studies were limited by small sample sizes, single data source, and other methodologic flaws. Conclusions Persons with dementia are at high risk for hospital readmission, but many of the readmissions are potentially preventable. Multiple strategies such like identifying high-risk individuals and the clinical reasons for index admission and readmission and implementing home-based individualized care by interdisciplinary team can reduce preventable hospital readmissions. Future studies should use multiple national data sources and advanced methodology to identify risk factors and clinical reasons of hospital readmissions.
Intra-abdominal lymphangioma: A case report

Lymphangioma is a rare, benign congenital malformation of the lymphatic system that usually affects the neck and head in children. Intra-abdominal lymphangioma accounts for less than 5 percent of all cases of lymphangioma. The clinical presentation of intra-abdominal lymphangioma can vary from asymptomatic to nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The diagnosis of intra-abdominal lymphangioma is based on imaging modalities and histopathological examination. The definitive treatment is surgical resection. Here we describe the interesting and rare case of a 29-year-old woman with lymphangioma of the retroperitoneum extending to the root of the mesentery. We focus on the diagnosis and management of this rare tumor by the application of radiological modalities and pathological analysis.
Solvation parameter model: Tutorial on its application to separation systems for neutral compounds.

Abstract The solvation parameter model affords a useful tool to model distribution properties of neutral compounds in biphasic separation systems. Common applications include column characterization and method development in gas chromatography; reversed-phase, micellar and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography; supercritical fluid chromatography; and micellar electrokinetic chromatography. The characterization of the distribution properties of liquid-liquid partition systems is another major application of this model. This tutorial is aimed at establishing good practices for the application of the model to separation systems. Suitable experimental protocols to determine system constants by multiple linear regression analysis and descriptors by the Solver method are presented; statistical tools to evaluate model quality are discussed; and model-specific data analysis tools based on system maps and correlation diagrams are described.
Broader families of cordial graphs

A binary labeling of the vertices of a graph G is cordial if the number of vertices labeled 0 and the number of vertices labeled 1 differ by at most 1, and the number of edges of weight 0 and the number of edges of weight 1 differ by at most 1. In this paper we present general results involving the cordiality of graphs that results of some well-known operations such as the join, the corona, the one-point union, the splitting graph, and the super subdivision. In addition we show a family of cordial circulant graphs.
The Transition to Electric Vehicles: Incremental or Rapid?

It is now conventional wisdom that electric vehicles (EVs) will replace conventional, oil-based, passenger vehicles in the future. This has occurred because of dramatic technological progress, bolstered by government policy support. Despite this consensus, no one really knows how long the transition to EVs will take. This paper claims that two opposing viewpoints on the transition can be discerned from a literature review: one is an incrementalist perspective that views change as gradual and drawn out over decades; the other is an expansionist perspective that claims change is going to happen rapidly with notable results by the end of this decade. This paper reviews the claims of both visions, and discusses the basis for their differing perspectives. And, it posits that even if the expansionist vision prevails, large-scale, near-term carbon reductions should not be expected.
Covid-19 Vaccine Participation in an Academic Institution With Multiple Clinics Across a Diverse Metropolitan Area.

Purpose/objective(s) Covid-19 has been a challenge for many radiation oncology clinics across the country. Patients have not been seeking care due to fear of contracting the illness. In an effort to allay patient's fears, our institution has been at the forefront of the Covid-19 vaccine. With a diverse staff in seven radiation oncology clinics across a large metropolitan area, we wanted to know what the level of participation was and what the barriers to vaccination were. Materials/methods A short survey was designed and sent to the staff who work in the seven radiation oncology clinics for a total of 460 recipients. The survey asked if you had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. If the answer was no then a list of potential reasons were listed to determine what barriers may exist. Surveys were anonymous with the exception of where the respondent works. Results Of 460 recipients of the survey, we received 181 responses. 81% of respondents had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Of the 34 respondents who had not received the vaccine yet the top three most common reasons were 1) Lack of access, 2) Lack of trust in the vaccine, and 3) Felt like the vaccine was developed too quickly to be safe. Of the seven centers, we received responses from each center. The centers in the more affluent areas had the fewest staff members who had not received the vaccine. During the course of the survey, we received emails from several staff members who wanted to receive the vaccine but did not currently qualify due to their specific job or age. Those staff members who are employed by the university rather than the hospital and were under 65 did not immediately qualify for the vaccine. Conclusion We found an issue with vaccine distribution within our specific healthcare system that will need further investigation. We also determined that there is an opportunity for more education regarding the safety and efficacy of the vaccine for staff members who have a lack of trust in the vaccine and the process by which it was made. Further study is warranted on this topic to determine how to improve the vaccine rates within diverse radiation oncology departments in an academic institution.
Nash equilibrium in discontinuous games

We provide several generalizations of the various equilibrium existence results in Reny (Econometrica 67:1029–1056, 1999), Barelli and Meneghel (Econometrica 81:813–824, 2013), and McLennan et al. (Econometrica 79:1643–1664, 2011). We also provide an example demonstrating that a natural additional generalization is not possible. All of the theorems yielding existence of pure-strategy Nash equilibria here are stated in terms of the players’ preference relations over joint strategies. Hence, in contrast to much of the previous work in the area, the present results for pure-strategy equilibria are entirely ordinal.
Instrumental measurement of milk flavour and colour

Abstract: Flavour and colour are among the main determinants of milk product quality. The understanding of how certain variables, such as production, processing and storage, impact the flavour and colour of fluid and dried milk products is of great interest to dairy scientists. For this reason instrumental methods have been developed for the measurement of the flavour and colour properties of milk products. Colour measurement is usually made using mature technologies based on colorimeters or spectrophotometers. On the other hand, the analysis of the flavour of milk and milk products presents a unique challenge and improved analytical methods are in constant development. This chapter presents a detailed discussion of modern instrumental methods used for the analysis of the flavour components and colour attributes of fluid and dried milk products.
"Driving While Black": Corollary Phenomena and Collateral Consequences

In the public arena, issues of race continue to command center stage. The ongoing debates and discussions have raised new questions, while not necessarily answering the old ones. Specifically, the recent dialogues have focused on the role that Blackness plays in today's society. Some assign Blackness a primary role, others believe it is secondary. Still others dismiss it as tertiary. These varied positions, ranging from "race has nothing to do with this" to "race has everything to do with this" have in some ways canceled out any meaningful discussion of racial issues. Each of the racial camps has been allowed to claim victory without giving any ground. The result: racial homeostasis. This failure of movement is particularly troubling given that in the legal arena, Blackness itself faces increasing criminal penalty-both actual and perceived. One of the clearest examples is the phenomenon of "Driving While Black" ("DWB"). This expression has been used to describe a wide range of race-based suspicion of Black and Brown motorists. This Article explores DWB and related phenomena. Further, it considers how these problems affect criminal justice processing in particular and social policy in general. The discussion is divided into three parts. The first part considers ways in which Blackness has become a standard indicator of criminality. The second part provides an overview of the 1997 Traffic Stops Statistics Act. The final part evaluates the social fallout of DWB and its collateral consequences.
Sensitivity Analysis in the Analytic Hierarchy Process

In model building using the AHP, sensitivity analysis is a crucial step in determining if the solution is implementable and robust. For example, Zhong and Gu (2010) developed an AHP model to assess black-start schemes for fast restoration of a power system.
Correlated Default and Financial Intermediation

Financial intermediation naturally arises when knowledge about the aggregate state is valuable for managing investments and lenders cannot easily observe the aggregate state. I show this using a costly enforcement model in which lenders need ex-post incentives to enforce payments from defaulted loans and borrowers' payoffs are correlated. When projects have correlated outcomes, learning the state of one project (via enforcement) provides information about the states of other projects. A large, correlated portfolio provides ex-post incentives for enforcement; as a result, intermediation dominates direct lending, intermediaries are financed with risk-free deposits, earn positive profits, and hold systemic default risk.
Minsky Machines and Algorithmic Problems

This is a survey of using Minsky machines to study algorithmic problems in semigroups, groups and other algebraic systems.
Metal Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation: Its Development in the Trost Laboratories.

I am highly honored to be the co-recipient of the Tetrahedron Prize for 2014 with Professor Jiro Tsuji for our work on metal catalyzed allylic alkylation, notably that using palladium. In the context of this award, this report deals only with the evolution of our work. Nevertheless, it is important to note that innumerable groups around the world have and are playing essential roles metal catalyzed allylic alkylations. The reader can find citations to such work in the references to our work that appears in this report. My involvement with this field derived from work in my laboratory dealing with the structure determination and synthesis of the insect juvenile hormone.1 The juvenile hormone is one of three hormones that control the stages of insect development from the pupae to the larvae and finally to the adult. Thus, these hormones, most notably the juvenile hormone that prevented molting was targeted as a potentially more environmentally benign insecticide. The structural relationship of the insect juvenile hormone and methyl farnesoate suggests a possible biosynthetic pathway may be involving the homologation of two of the olefinic methyl groups to ethyl groups. Such an approach, if feasible, would be very attractive, short, and potentially very practical. Unfortunately, such a synthetic protocol did not exist – a fact that intrigued me. While the reactions of the oxygen analog wherein alkylation at the carbon adjacent to the π-unsaturated carbonyl group is one of the most important synthetic reactions, the inability of the all carbon analog to undergo a similar transformation was very attractive.
Synthesizing customized planners from specifications

Existing plan synthesis approaches in artificial intelligence fall into two categories - domain independent and domain dependent. The domain independent approaches are applicable across a variety of domains, but may not be very efficient in any one given domain. The domain dependent approaches need to be (re)designed for each domain separately, but can be very efficient in the domain for which they are designed. One enticing alternative to these approaches is to automatically synthesize domain independent planners given the knowledge about the domain and the theory of planning. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of using existing automated software synthesis tools to support such synthesis. Specifically, we describe an architecture called CLAY in which the Kestrel Interactive Development System (KIDS) is used to derive a domain-customized planner through a semi-automatic combination of a declarative theory of planning, and the declarative control knowledge specific to a given domain, to semi-automatically combine them to derive domain-customized planners. We discuss what it means to write a declarative theory of planning and control knowledge for KIDS, and illustrate our approach by generating a class of domain-specific planners using state space refinements. Our experiments show that the synthesized planners can outperform classical refinement planners (implemented as instantiations of UCP, Kambhampati & Srivastava, 1995), using the same control knowledge. We will contrast the costs and benefits of the synthesis approach with conventional methods for customizing domain independent planners.
Emerging Issues and Challenges in Applied Commodity Price Analysis

This organization (NCR-134) began 20 years ago to serve as a meeting ground for applied commodity price analysts in academic, business and government positions. The primary objective was to foster interaction, and discuss recent applied research and extension applications, and emerging related issues that might warrant attention. The interchange of ideas has continued for 20 years, and your participation over the years has made it the success that it is today. My focus today will not be on history, however. Rather, it is a set of observations about how I see the world in which we operate, and some challenges and opportunities that deserve more thought and attention as we serve our various customers for our professional expertise. My goal is to provide one useful idea to each of you.
Extragalactic Spectroscopy with SIRTF/IRS

The Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) is one of the three instruments on board the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) to be launched in December 2001. The IRS will provide high resolution spectra (R≈600) from 10–37 μm and low resolution spectra (R≥60) from 5–40 μm. Its high sensitivity and “spectral mapping”-mode make it a powerful instrument for observing both faint point-like and extended sources. We discuss the performance of the IRS on faint extragalactic targets and present simulated spectra of starbursts and AGNs at high redshift. In addition, we discuss the determination of redshifts from the low resolution spectra.
Personal Computer Design Software for Magnetic Analysis and Dynamic Simulation of a Two-Valve Solenoid Actuator

To improve the performance of solenoid valves, it is essential to understand the effect of magnetic material properties and geometry in their design. A Macintosh computer program is developed for simulating and predicting on a personal computer the performance of two-valve solenoid actuators. In order to make the software applicable it personal computers, special attention must be paid to finite element mesh generation and computational efficiency in general. For this purpose, linear triangular coordinates and a variable bandwidth Choleski decomposition are applied for solution of the magnetic field. All magnetic properties can be graphically displayed on the CRT with color and most design parameters can be interactively changed for time effective analysis. The program is composed of two modules: a finite element module for magnetic field analysis and force calculations, and a dynamic simulation module which predicts The effects of specific magnetic designs on solenoid opening and closing dynamic performance.
Optimizing differential XML processing by leveraging schema and statistics

XML fills a critical role in many software infrastructures such as SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture), Web Services, and Grid Computing. In this paper, we propose a high performance XML parser used as a fundamental component to increase the viability of such infrastructures even for mission-critical business applications. We previously proposed an XML parser based on the notion of differential processing under the hypothesis that XML documents are similar to each other, and in this paper we enhance this approach to achieve higher performance by leveraging static information as well as dynamic information. XML schema languages can represent the static information that is used for optimizing the inside state transitions. Meanwhile, statistics for a set of instance documents are used as dynamic information. These two approaches can be used in complementary ways. Our experimental results show that each of the proposed optimization techniques is effective and the combination of multiple optimizations is especially effective, resulting in a 73.2% performance improvement compared to our earlier work.
Micromechanical Studies of Mitotic Chromosomes

We review micromechanical experiments studying mechanoelastic properties of mitotic chromosomes. We discuss the history of this field, starting from the classic in vivo experiments of Nicklas (1983). We then focus on experiments where chromosomes were extracted from prometaphase cells and then studied by micromanipulation and microfluidic biochemical techniques. These experiments reveal that chromosomes have a well-behaved elastic response over a fivefold range of stretching, with an elastic modulus similar to that of a loosely tethered polymer network. Perturbation by microfluidic "spraying" of various ions reveals that the mitotic chromosome can be rapidly and reversibly decondensed or overcondensed, i.e., that the native state is not maximally compacted. We compare our results for chromosomes from cells to results of experiments by Houchmandzadeh and Dimitrov (1999) on chromatids reconstituted using Xenopus egg extracts. Remarkably, while the stretching elastic response of reconstituted chromosomes is similar to that observed for chromosomes from cells, reconstituted chromosomes are far more easily bent. This result suggests that reconstituted chromatids have a large-scale structure that is quite different from chromosomes in somatic cells. Finally, we discuss microspraying experiments of DNA-cutting enzymes, which reveal that the element that gives mitotic chromosomes their mechanical integrity is DNA itself. These experiments indicate that chromatin-condensing proteins are not organized into a mechanically contiguous "scaffold," but instead that the mitotic chromosome is best thought of as a cross-linked network of chromatin. Preliminary results from restriction enzyme digestion experiments indicate a spacing between chromatin "cross-links" of roughly 15 kb, a size similar to that inferred from classical chromatin loop isolation studies. These results suggest a general strategy for the use of micromanipulation methods for the study of chromosome structure.
Online Promiscuity: Prophylactic Patching and the Spread of Computer Transmitted Infections

There is a long history of studying the epidemiology of computer malware. Much of this work has focused on the behaviors of specific viruses, worms, or botnets. In contrast, we seek to utilize an extension of the simple SIS model to examine the efficacy of various aggregate patching and recovery behaviors. We use the SIS model because we are interested in the global prevalence of malware, rather than the dynamics, such as recovery, covered in previous work. We consider four populations: vigilant and non-vigilant with infected or not for both sets. Using our model we show that small increases in patch rates and recovery speed are the most effective approaches to reduce system-wide vulnerabilities due to unprotected computers. Our results illustrate that a public health approach may be feasible, requiring a subpopulation adopt prophylactic actions rather than near-universal immunization.
Vote splitting as insurance against uncertainty

The present article offers a rational choice explanation for political ticket splitting. It considers a game-theoretic model of voting and bargaining within Congress and between Congress and the president. When parties are ideologically oriented and voters' utilities are state dependent, the model shows that if there is uncertainty about the true state of the world, ticket splitting emerges as a tool risk-averse voters use in order to insure themselves against extreme policies in bad states of nature.
Feature-Based steganalysis for JPEG images and its implications for future design of steganographic schemes

In this paper, we introduce a new feature-based steganalytic method for JPEG images and use it as a benchmark for comparing JPEG steganographic algorithms and evaluating their embedding mechanisms. The detection method is a linear classifier trained on feature vectors corresponding to cover and stego images. In contrast to previous blind approaches, the features are calculated as an L1 norm of the difference between a specific macroscopic functional calculated from the stego image and the same functional obtained from a decompressed, cropped, and recompressed stego image. The functionals are built from marginal and joint statistics of DCT coefficients. Because the features are calculated directly from DCT coefficients, conclusions can be drawn about the impact of embedding modifications on detectability. Three different steganographic paradigms are tested and compared. Experimental results reveal new facts about current steganographic methods for JPEGs and new de-sign principles for more secure JPEG steganography.
Effects of Convection On Solar p Modes

We are investigating how advective motions and structures such as magnetic flux tubes affect the propagation of p modes in the Sun. We do this by means of a computer code which determines the eigenfrequencies of a ray with a given dispersion relation traveling through a plane-parallel medium with variations in the local wave velocity. By coupling this program to a numerical model of the solar convection zone, we plan to calculate shifts in eigenfrequencies as well as line widths and compare them to new high-quality data from the GONG project as well as from the MDI instrument on SOHO.
Markov Equilibrium in Models of Dynamic Endogenous Political Institutions

This paper examines existence of Markov equilibria in the class of dynamic political games (DPGs). DPGs are dynamic games in which political institutions are endogenously determined each period. The process of change is both recursive and instrumental: the rules for political aggregation at date t+1 are decided by the rules at date t, and the resulting institutional choices do not affect payoffs or technology directly. Equilibrium existence in dynamic political games requires a resolution to a “political fixed point problem” in which a current political rule (e.g., majority voting) admits a solution only if all feasible political rules in the future admit solutions in all states. If the class of political rules is dynamically consistent, then DPGs are shown to admit political fixed points. This result is used to prove two equilibrium existence theorems, one of which implies that equilibrium strategies, public and private, are smooth functions of the economic state. We discuss practical applications that require existence of smooth equilibria.
OPTIMAL CORPORATE LENIENCY PROGRAMS

This study characterizes the corporate leniency policy that minimizes the frequency with which collusion occurs. Though it can be optimal to provide only partial leniency, plausible sufficient conditions are provided whereby the antitrust authority should waive all penalties for the first firm to come forward. It is also shown that restrictions should be placed on when amnesty is awarded, though it can be optimal to award amnesty even when the antitrust authority is very likely to win the case without insider testimony.
Factored particles for scalable monitoring

Exact monitoring in dynamic Bayesian networks is intractable, so approximate algorithms are necessary. This paper presents a new family of approximate monitoring algorithms that combine the best qualities of the particle filtering and Boyen-Koller methods. Our algorithms maintain an approximate representation the belief state in the form of sets of factored particles, that correspond to samples of clusters of state variables. Empirical results show that our algorithms outperform both ordinary particle filtering and the Boyen-Koller algorithm on large systems.
Issues of Environmental and Labor Standards in the Global Trading System

In recent years there have been increasing calls in the United States and other major industrialized countries for actions designed to harmonize domestic policies, institutions, and practices, especially with regard to trade-related environmental and labor standards. As pointed out by Anderson (1996) and Bhagwati (1996), these calls for action have been motivated by a host of moral, economic, structural, and political factors. The purpose of our paper is to investigate the analytics, empirical evidence, institutional arrangements, and available policy options for addressing the issues involved.
Presence of DNA fragmentation and lack of neuroprotective effect in DFF45 knockout mice subjected to traumatic brain injury.

Apoptosis plays an important pathophysiologic role in neuronal cell loss and associated neurologic deficits following traumatic brain injury (TBI). DNA fragmentation represents one of the characteristic biochemical features of neuronal apoptosis and is observed after experimental TBI. DFF45 and DFF40 are essential for DNA fragmentation in various models of apoptosis. We used mice deficient in DFF45 and wild-type controls. Oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation induced by TBI was analyzed using in vivo and in vitro assays. Expression and integrity of DFF45 and DFF40 proteins was assessed by Western analysis. Other outcome measurements included neurologic scoring, learning/memory tests, lesion volume measurements (MRI), and assessment of cell viability in vitro among others. We compared the effects of controlled cortical impact (CCI) trauma in DFF45 knockout mice and wild-type controls. Analysis of TBI-induced DNA fragmentation in brain cortex from wild-type and DFF45 knockout mice indicates that, although somewhat delayed, oligonucleosomal cleavage of DNA occurs after TBI in DFF45 knockout mice. DFF45 knockouts showed no significant differences in behavioral outcomes or lesion volumes after TBI as compared to wild-type controls. Using an in vitro reconstitution system, we also demonstrated that cleavage of DFF45 by caspase-3 is not sufficient for DNA fragmentation induced by protein extracts from rat brain cortex. We found that endonuclease activity induced in rat brain cortex following TBI depends on the presence of Mg2+ and Ca2+, but is not inhibited by Zn2+. Primary neuronal cultures from DFF45 knockouts failed to show DNA laddering in response to staurosporine, but did show prominent, albeit delayed, DNA fragmentation following treatment with etoposide. In contrast, primary neurons from wildtype animals demonstrated marked DNA fragmentation following treatment with staurosporine or etoposide. The results of this study suggest that, in addition to DFF45/40, other endonucleases may be essential for chromatin degradation during neuronal apoptosis in adult brain after TBI.
Income Risks, Gender, and Human Capital Investment in a Developing Country

This paper investigates the role of permanent and transitory incomes in educational investments using household panel data from Pakistan. The empirical results indicate that transient poverty is a serious obstacle to human capital investment. Our analysis also points out that schooling response to an income shock is consistently larger for daughters than sons and that there may exist resource competition among siblings. Human capital investment and intrahousehold schooling allocation decisions seem to be affected by a need for self-insurance devices under binding credit constraints. As a by-product, our empirical results are in favor of the investment model of education against the consumption model.
Urban Public Finance

Abstract America’s local governments spend about one-eighth of our national income, one-fourth of total government spending, and employ over 14 million people. This paper surveys the large and growing economics literature on local governments and their finances. A primary difference between local and national government is the ease of labor mobility within countries, which disciplines local governments and means that heterogeneous service levels can be beneficial, but mobility also challenges local attempts at redistribution. The empirical literature on mobility responses to local government is distinguished, but remains a pressing area for future research. We have sophisticated models of local spending, tax policy, and institutional design, but research is often far less developed on even basic questions of costs and benefits of core local public services.
Foreign firm characteristics, absorptive capacity and the institutional framework : the role of mediating factors for FDI spillovers in low- and middle-income countries

Using a cross-section of more than 25,000 domestic manufacturing firms in 78 low and middle-income countries from the World Bank's Enterprise Surveys, this paper assesses how mediating factors influence intra-industry productivity spillovers to domestic firms from foreign direct investment. It identifies three types of mediating factors: (i) foreign direct investment spillover potential, (ii) domestic firm absorptive capacity, and (iii) the host country's institutional framework. It finds that all three affect the extent and direction of foreign direct investment spillovers on domestic firm productivity. However, the impact of mediating factors depends significantly on the level of domestic firms' productivity and the structure of foreign ownership.
Characterizing Workload of Web Applications on Virtualized Servers

With the ever increasing demands of cloud computing services, planning and management of cloud resources has become a more and more important issue which directed affects the resource utilization and SLA and customer satisfaction. But before any management strategy is made, a good understanding of applications’ workload in virtualized environment is the basic fact and principle to the resource management methods. Unfortunately, little work has been focused on this area. Lack of raw data could be one reason; another reason is that people still use the traditional models or methods shared under non-virtualized environment. The study of applications’ workload in virtualized environment should take on some of its peculiar features comparing to the non-virtualized environment. In this paper, we are open to analyze the workload demands that reflect applications’ behavior and the impact of virtualization. The results are obtained from an experimental cloud testbed running web applications, specifically the RUBiS benchmark application. We profile the workload dynamics on both virtualized and non-virtualized environments and compare the findings. The experimental results are valuable for us to estimate the performance of applications on computer architectures, to predict SLA compliance or violation based on the projected application workload and to guide the decision making to support applications with the right hardware.
DAVID: influence diagram processing system for the Macintosh

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses DAVID project and discusses influence diagram processing system for the Macintosh. Influence diagrams are a directed graph representation for uncertainties as probabilities. The graph distinguishes between the variables that are under the control of a decision maker and those that are not as well as explicitly denotes a goal for solution. There are many possibilities using influence diagrams as a representation for communication among people and machines and as a language for the development of expert systems. Because DAVID is written in LISP, there are a variety of expert system shells available from which it can be invoked. One of the goals of the DAVID project is to develop an environment in which people can be comfortable thinking in probabilistic models. A problem is evaluated in DAVID by reducing nodes through a series of value-preserving transformations. Fundamentally, these operations are conditional expectation, the maximization of expected utility, and the application of Bayes' Theorem.
A Framework for (Under)specifying Dependency Syntax without Overloading Annotators

We introduce a framework for lightweight dependency syntax annotation. Our formalism builds upon the typical representation for unlabeled dependencies, permitting a simple notation and annotation workflow. Moreover, the formalism encourages annotators to underspecify parts of the syntax if doing so would streamline the annotation process. We demonstrate the e cacy of this annotation on three languages and develop algorithms to evaluate and compare underspecified annotations.
Effects of Porosity Distribution on the Dynamic Behavior of SiC

In order to understand the microstructural reasons behind variations in ballistic performances, plate impact tests were conducted on two sintered silicon carbides with slightly different microstructures. The materials arereferred to as Regular Hexoloy (RH) and Enhanced Hexoloy (EH) here. The porosity distribution in the EH samples had fewer large pores, leading to an 18% increase in flexural strength over that for RH samples. Plate impact experiments were conducted utilizing a VISAR to measure free surface velocities. The Hugoniot Elastic Limit (HEL) and spall strength for each material were determined. The spall strength was measured as a function of impact stress and pulse duration. Results show that the difference in porosity distribution between the EH and RH samples leads to no discernable difference in their HEL values and spall strengths. Both materials demonstrated finite spall strengths under loading above the HEL. Furthermore, the spall strengths were independent of the pulse width and showed a trend similar to that found in other studies on SiC.
Use of regression-based models to map sensitivity of aquatic resources to atmospheric deposition in Yosemite National Park, USA.

[1] An abundance of exposed bedrock, sparse soil and vegetation, and fast hydrologic flushing rates make aquatic ecosystems in Yosemite National Park susceptible to nutrient enrichment and episodic acidification due to atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S). In this study, multiple linear regression (MLR) models were created to estimate fall-season nitrate and acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) in surface water in Yosemite wilderness. Input data included estimated winter N deposition, fall-season surface-water chemistry measurements at 52 sites, and basin characteristics derived from geographic information system layers of topography, geology, and vegetation. The MLR models accounted for 84% and 70% of the variance in surface-water nitrate and ANC, respectively. Explanatory variables (and the sign of their coefficients) for nitrate included elevation (positive) and the abundance of neoglacial and talus deposits (positive), unvegetated terrain (positive), alluvium (negative), and riparian (negative) areas in the basins. Explanatory variables for ANC included basin area (positive) and the abundance of metamorphic rocks (positive), unvegetated terrain (negative), water (negative), and winter N deposition (negative) in the basins. The MLR equations were applied to 1407 stream reaches delineated in the National Hydrography Data Set for Yosemite, and maps of predicted surface-water nitrate and ANC concentrations were created. Predicted surface-water nitrate concentrations were highest in small, high-elevation cirques, and concentrations declined downstream. Predicted ANC concentrations showed the opposite pattern, except in high-elevation areas underlain by metamorphic rocks along the Sierran Crest, which had relatively high predicted ANC (>200 μeq L−1). Maps were created to show where basin characteristics predispose aquatic resources to nutrient enrichment and acidification effects from N and S deposition. The maps can be used to help guide development of water-quality programs designed to monitor and protect natural resources in national parks.
Propensity Score Matching and Policy Impact Analysis : A Demonstration in EViews

Effective development policymaking creates a need for reliable methods of assessing effectiveness. There should be, therefore, an intimate relationship between effective policymaking and impact analysis. The goal of a development intervention defines the metric by which to assess its impact, while impact evaluation can produce reliable information on which policymakers may base decisions to modify or cancel ineffective programs and thus make the most of limited resources. This paper reviews the logic of propensity score matching (PSM) and, using data on the National Support Work Demonstration, compares that approach with other evaluation methods such as double difference, instrumental variable, and Heckman's method of selection bias correction. In addition, it demonstrates how to implement nearest-neighbor and kernel-based methods, and plot program incidence curves in EViews. In the end, the plausibility of an evaluation method hinges critically on the correctness of the socioeconomic model underlying program design and implementation, and on the quality and quantity of available data. In any case, PSM can act as an effective adjuvant to other methods.
Radioactive waste disposal characteristics of candidate tokamak demonstration reactors

Results from the present physics, materials, and blanket research and development programs are combined with physics and engineering design constraints to characterize candidate tokamak demonstration plant (DEMO) designs. Blanket designs based on the principal structural materials, breeding materials, and coolants being developed for the DEMO were adapted from the literature. Neutron flux and activation calculations were performed, and several radioactive waste disposal indexes were evaluated for each design. Of the primary low-activation structural materials under development in the United States, it appears that vanadium and ferritic steel alloys and possibly silicon carbide could lead to DEMO designs that could satisfy realistic low-level waste (LLW) criteria, provided that impurities can be controlled within plausible limits. Allowable LLW concentrations are established for the limiting alloying and impurity elements. All breeding materials and neutron multipliers considered meet the LLW criterion. 34 refs., 9 figs., 5 tabs.
Mapping the Large-Scale Structure of the Universe

Galaxies are not scattered about the universe in a random way, but rather form an intricate network of filaments, sheets, and clusters. How these large-scale structures formed is at the root of many key questions in cosmology. In his Perspective, Weinberg discusses two ongoing astronomical efforts--the Two-Degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey--that seek to map cosmological structures over an unprecedented range of scales. By making these ambitious measurements, researchers hope to understand phenomena such as dark energy, the inflationary expansion of the universe after the big bang, and the mechanisms of galaxy formation.
HYPOTHESIS TESTING USING NUMEROUS APPROXIMATING FUNCTIONAL FORMS

While the combination of several or more models is often found to improve forecasts (Brandt and Bessler, Min and Zellner, Norwood and Schroeder), hypothesis tests are typically conducted using a single model approach 1 . Hypothesis tests and forecasts have similar goals; they seek to define a range over which a parameter should lie within a degree of confidence. If it is true that, on average, composite forecasts are more accurate than a single model's forecast, it might also be true that hypothesis tests using information from numerous models are, on average, more accurate in the sense of lower Type I and Type II errors than hypothesis tests using a single model.
Farsighted Coalitional Stability

Abstract I define the largest consistent set, a solution concept which applies to situations in which coalitions freely form but cannot make binding contracts, act publicly, and are fully "farsighted" in that a coalition considers the possibility that, once it acts, another coalition might react, a third coalition might in turn react, and so on, without limit. I establish weak nonemptiness conditions and apply it to strategic and coalitional form games and majority rule voting. I argue that it improves on the von Neumann-Morgenstern stable set as it is usually defined but is consistent with a generalization of the stable set as in the theory of social situations. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C70, C71.
Empirical Phillips Curves in OECD Countries: Has There Been A Common Breakdown?

Recent work on U.S. data calls into question the ability of simple Phillips curve models to forecast inflation. This paper asks whether there is similar evidence of a breakdown in the forecasting ability of Phillips curve models in other OECD countries. The results suggests that the ability of a Phillips curve to out-forecast simpler models has deteriorated in many OECD countries. The evidence is less clear as to whether this breakdown can be attributed to structural breaks in the parameters of the Phillips curve
Optimal Hour-Ahead Bidding in the Real-Time Electricity Market with Battery Storage Using Approximate Dynamic Programming

There is growing interest in the use of grid-level storage to smooth variations in supply that are likely to arise with an increased use of wind and solar energy. Energy arbitrage, the process of buying, storing, and selling electricity to exploit variations in electricity spot prices, is becoming an important way of paying for expensive investments into grid-level storage. Independent system operators such as the New York Independent System Operator NYISO require that battery storage operators place bids into an hour-ahead market although settlements may occur in increments as small as five minutes, which is considered near "real-time". The operator has to place these bids without knowing the energy level in the battery at the beginning of the hour and simultaneously accounting for the value of leftover energy at the end of the hour. The problem is formulated as a dynamic program. We describe and employ a convergent approximate dynamic programming ADP algorithm that exploits monotonicity of the value function to find a revenue-generating bidding policy; using optimal benchmarks, we empirically show the computational benefits of the algorithm. Furthermore, we propose a distribution-free variant of the ADP algorithm that does not require any knowledge of the distribution of the price process and makes no assumptions regarding a specific real-time price model. We demonstrate that a policy trained on historical real-time price data from the NYISO using this distribution-free approach is indeed effective.