cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Network assisted analysis to reveal the genetic basis of autism

While studies show that autism is highly heritable, the nature of the genetic basis of this disorder remains illusive. Based on the idea that highly correlated genes are functionally interrelated and more likely to affect risk, we develop a novel statistical tool to find more potentially autism risk genes by combining the genetic association scores with gene co-expression in specific brain regions and periods of development. The gene dependence network is estimated using a novel partial neighborhood selection (PNS) algorithm, where node specific properties are incorporated into network estimation for improved statistical and computational efficiency. Then we adopt a hidden Markov random field (HMRF) model to combine the estimated network and the genetic association scores in a systematic manner. The proposed modeling framework can be naturally extended to incorporate additional structural information concerning the dependence between genes. Using currently available genetic association data from whole exome sequencing studies and brain gene expression levels, the proposed algorithm successfully identified 333 genes that plausibly affect autism risk.
Cluster Synchronization of Diffusively Coupled Nonlinear Systems: A Contraction-Based Approach

Finding the conditions that foster synchronization in networked nonlinear systems is critical to understanding a wide range of biological and mechanical systems. However, the conditions proved in the literature for synchronization in nonlinear systems with linear coupling, such as has been used to model neuronal networks, are in general not strict enough to accurately determine the system behavior. We leverage contraction theory to derive new sufficient conditions for cluster synchronization in terms of the network structure, for a network where the intrinsic nonlinear dynamics of each node may differ. Our result requires that network connections satisfy a cluster-input-equivalence condition, and we explore the influence of this requirement on network dynamics. For application to networks of nodes with FitzHugh–Nagumo dynamics, we show that our new sufficient condition is tighter than those found in previous analyses that used smooth or nonsmooth Lyapunov functions. Improving the analytical conditions for when cluster synchronization will occur based on network configuration is a significant step toward facilitating understanding and control of complex networked systems.
High efficiency power side-channel attack immunity using noise injection in attenuated signature domain

With the advancement of technology in the last few decades, leading to the widespread availability of miniaturized sensors and internet-connected things (IoT), security of electronic devices has become a top priority. Side-channel attack (SCA) is one of the prominent methods to break the security of an encryption system by exploiting the information leaked from the physical devices. Correlational power attack (CPA) is an efficient power side-channel attack technique, which analyses the correlation between the estimated and measured supply current traces to extract the secret key. The existing countermeasures to the power attacks are mainly based on reducing the SNR of the leaked data, or introducing large overhead using techniques like power balancing. This paper presents an attenuated signature AES (AS-AES), which resists SCA with minimal noise current overhead. AS-AES uses a shunt low-drop-out (LDO) regulator to suppress the AES current signature by 400x in the supply current traces. The shunt LDO has been fabricated and validated in 130 nm CMOS technology. System-level implementation of the AS-AES along with noise injection, shows that the system remains secure even after 50K encryptions, with 10x reduction in power overhead compared to that of noise addition alone.
Quantitative Calculations for Black Hole Production at the Large Hadron Collider

The framework of large extra dimensions provides a way to explain why gravity is weaker than the other forces in nature. A consequence of this model is the possible production of D-dimensional black holes in high energy p–p collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. The present work uses the CATFISH black hole generator to study quantitatively how these events could be observed in the hadronic channel at midrapidity using a particle-tracking detector.
Observing the Formation of the Hubble Sequence in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey

Understanding the physical formation of the Hubble sequence remains one of the most important unsolved astrophysical problems. Searches for protodisks and proto-elliptical galaxies can now be effectively done using deep wide-field Hubble Space Telescope images taken with the new Advanced Camera for Surveys. Through an analysis of the concentrations (C), asymmetries (A), and clumpiness values (S) of galaxies found in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey Field South, we are able to identify objects possibly forming onto the Hubble sequence. Using this approach, we detect a sizeable population of star-forming luminous diffuse objects and star-forming luminous asymmetric objects between redshifts 0.5 2 and z < 1. The luminous asymmetric objects are found at a similar abundance, with a peak at z ~ 1. We argue that these galaxies are a subset of modern disks and elliptical galaxies in formation. The comoving volume density of the luminous diffuse objects between z = 1 and 2 is similar to the local density of bright disk galaxies, with values ~5 × 105 Gpc-3. The spectral energy distributions of these objects are mostly consistent with starbursts, or star-forming normal galaxies, with average uncorrected for extinction star formation rates of ~4 M☉ yr-1. These galaxies also host 35%-40% of the star formation activity at 1 < z < 2. We briefly discuss the implications of these objects for understanding the origin of the Hubble sequence.
Recursive polarization of nuclear spins in diamond at arbitrary magnetic fields

We introduce an alternate route to dynamically polarize the nuclear spin host of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. Our approach articulates optical, microwave, and radio-frequency pulses to recursively transfer spin polarization from the NV electronic spin. Using two complementary variants of the same underlying principle, we demonstrate nitrogen nuclear spin initialization approaching 80% at room temperature both in ensemble and single NV centers. Unlike existing schemes, our approach does not rely on level anti-crossings and is thus applicable at arbitrary magnetic fields. This versatility should prove useful in applications ranging from nanoscale metrology to sensitivity-enhanced NMR.
Exotic Statistics for Ordinary Particles in Quantum Gravity

Objects exhibiting statistics other than the familiar Bose and Fermi ones are natural in theories with topologically nontrivial objects, including geons, strings, and black holes. It is argued here from several viewpoints that the statistics of ordinary particles with which we are already familiar are likely to be modified due to quantum gravity effects. In particular, such modifications are argued to be present in loop quantum gravity and in any theory which represents space–time in a fundamentally piecewise-linear fashion or, more generally, which has large curvature fluctuations at small scales. The appearance of unusual statistics may be a generic feature (such as the deformed position–momentum uncertainty relations and the appearance of a fundamental length scale) which is to be expected in any theory of quantum gravity, and which could be testable.
A Census of Star Formation in the Outer Galaxy. II. The GLIMPSE360 Field.

We have conducted a study of star formation in the outer Galaxy from 65° 180° in Galactic longitude. Using the DBSCAN method on the combined catalog, we identify 618 clusters or aggregations of YSOs having five or more members. We identify 10,476 class I, 29,604 class II, and 7325 anemic class II/class III YSOs. The ratio of YSOs identified as members of clusters was 25,528/47,338, or 54%. We found that 100 of the clusters identified have previously measured distances in the WISE H II survey. We used these distances in our spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting of the YSOs in these clusters, of which 96 had YSOs with 11.5 kpc. The slope of the combined IMF was found to be Γ = 1.92 ± 0.42 above 3 Mⵙ. These values are consistent with each other within the uncertainties and with literature values in the inner Galaxy high-mass star formation regions. The slopes are likely also consistent with a universal Salpeter IMF.
Interferometric Motion Detection in Atomic Layer 2D Nanostructures: Visualizing Signal Transduction Efficiency and Optimization Pathways

Atomic layer crystals are emerging building blocks for enabling new two-dimensional (2D) nanomechanical systems, whose motions can be coupled to other attractive physical properties in such 2D systems. Optical interferometry has been very effective in reading out the infinitesimal motions of these 2D structures and spatially resolving different modes. To quantitatively understand the detection efficiency and its dependence on the device parameters and interferometric conditions, here we present a systematic study of the intrinsic motion responsivity in 2D nanomechanical systems using a Fresnel-law-based model. We find that in monolayer to 14-layer structures, MoS2 offers the highest responsivity among graphene, h-BN, and MoS2 devices and for the three commonly used visible laser wavelengths (633, 532, and 405 nm). We also find that the vacuum gap resulting from the widely used 300 nm-oxide substrate in making 2D devices, fortunately, leads to close-to-optimal responsivity for a wide range of 2D flakes. Our results elucidate and graphically visualize the dependence of motion transduction responsivity upon 2D material type and number of layers, vacuum gap, oxide thickness, and detecting wavelength, thus providing design guidelines for constructing 2D nanomechanical systems with optimal optical motion readout.
Design and operation of LongBo: a 2 m long drift liquid argon TPC

In this paper, we report on the design and operation of the LongBo time projection chamber in the Liquid Argon Purity Demonstrator cryostat. This chamber features a 2 m long drift distance. We measure the electron drift lifetime in the liquid argon using cosmic ray muons and the lifetime is at least 14 ms at 95% confidence level. LongBo is equipped with preamplifiers mounted on the detector in the liquid argon. Of the 144 channels, 128 channels were readout by preamplifiers made with discrete circuitry and 16 channels were readout by ASIC preamplifiers. For the discrete channels, we measure a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of 30 at a drift field of 350 V/cm. The measured S/N ratio for the ASIC channels was 1.4 times larger than that measured for the discrete channels.
Strong second harmonic generation in two-dimensional ferroelectric IV-monochalcogenides.

The two-dimensional ferroelectrics GeS, GeSe, SnS and SnSe are expected to have large spontaneous in-plane electric polarization and enhanced shift-current response. Using density functional methods, we show that these materials also exhibit the largest effective second harmonic generation reported so far. It can reach magnitudes up to which is about an order of magnitude larger than that of prototypical GaAs. To rationalize this result we model the optical response with a simple one-dimensional two-band model along the spontaneous polarization direction. Within this model the second-harmonic generation tensor is proportional to the shift-current response tensor. The large shift current and second harmonic responses of GeS, GeSe, SnS and SnSe make them promising non-linear materials for optoelectronic applications.
Statistical Physics Analysis of Maximum a Posteriori Estimation for Multi-channel Hidden Markov Models

The performance of Maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation is studied analytically for binary symmetric multi-channel Hidden Markov processes. We reduce the estimation problem to a 1D Ising spin model and define order parameters that correspond to different characteristics of the MAP-estimated sequence. The solution to the MAP estimation problem has different operational regimes separated by first order phase transitions. The transition points for L-channel system with identical noise levels, are uniquely determined by L being odd or even, irrespective of the actual number of channels. We demonstrate that for lower noise intensities, the number of solutions is uniquely determined for odd L, whereas for even L there are exponentially many solutions. We also develop a semi analytical approach to calculate the estimation error without resorting to brute force simulations. Finally, we examine the tradeoff between a system with single low-noise channel and one with multiple noisy channels.
Improving Energy-Based Estimates of Monsoon Location in the Presence of Proximal Deserts

AbstractTwo theoretical frameworks have been widely used to understand the response of monsoons to local and remote forcings: the vertically integrated atmospheric energy budget and convective quasi-equilibrium (CQE). Existing forms of these frameworks neglect some of the complexities of monsoons, such as the shallow meridional circulations that advect dry air from adjacent deserts into the middle and lower troposphere of monsoon regions. Here the fidelity of energy budget and CQE theories for monsoon location is assessed in a three-dimensional beta-plane model with boundary conditions representative of an off-equatorial continent with a tropical grassland and an adjacent subtropical desert. Energy budget theories show mixed success for various SST and land surface albedo forcings, with the ITCZ being collocated with the energy flux equator but a nonmonotonic relationship existing between ITCZ latitude and cross-equatorial energy transport. Accounting for the off-equatorial position of the unperturbed ene...
MaterialGAN: reflectance capture using a generative SVBRDF model

We address the problem of reconstructing spatially-varying BRDFs from a small set of image measurements. This is a fundamentally under-constrained problem, and previous work has relied on using various regularization priors or on capturing many images to produce plausible results. In this work, we present MaterialGAN, a deep generative convolutional network based on StyleGAN2, trained to synthesize realistic SVBRDF parameter maps. We show that MaterialGAN can be used as a powerful material prior in an inverse rendering framework: we optimize in its latent representation to generate material maps that match the appearance of the captured images when rendered. We demonstrate this framework on the task of reconstructing SVBRDFs from images captured under flash illumination using a hand-held mobile phone. Our method succeeds in producing plausible material maps that accurately reproduce the target images, and outperforms previous state-of-the-art material capture methods in evaluations on both synthetic and real data. Furthermore, our GAN-based latent space allows for high-level semantic material editing operations such as generating material variations and material morphing.
Quasi-local energy with respect to de Sitter/anti-de Sitter reference

This article considers the quasi-local conserved quantities with respect to a reference spacetime with a cosmological constant. We follow the approach developed by the authors in [25,26,7] and define the quasi-local energy as differences of surface Hamiltonians. The ground state for the gravitational energy is taken to be a reference configuration in the de Sitter (dS) or Anti-de Sitter (AdS) spacetime. This defines the quasi-local energy with respect to the reference spacetime and generalizes our previous definition with respect to the Minkowski spacetime. Through an optimal isometric embedding into the reference spacetime, the Killing fields of the reference spacetime are transplanted back to the surface in the physical spacetime to complete the definitions of quasi-local conserved quantities. We also compute how the corresponding total conserved quantities evolve under the Einstein equation with a cosmological constant.
An attempt to simulate laser-induced all-optical spin switching in a crystalline ferrimagnet

Interest in all-optical spin switching (AOS) is growing rapidly. The recent discovery of AOS in Mn2RuGa provides a much needed clean case of crystalline ferrimagnets for theoretical simulations. Here, we attempt to simulate it using the state-of-the-art first-principles method combined with the Heisenberg exchange model. We first compute the spin moments at two inequivalent manganese sites and then feed them into our model Hamiltonian. We employ an ultrafast laser pulse to switch the spins. We find that there is a similar optimal laser field amplitude to switch spins. However, we find that the exchange interaction has a significant effect on the system switchability. Weakening the exchange interaction could make the system unswitchable. This provides a crucial insight into the switching mechanism in ferrimagnets.
Structure and mechanism of Staphylococcus aureus oleate hydratase (OhyA).

Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent bacterial oleate hydratases (OhyAs) catalyze the addition of water to isolated fatty acid carbon–carbon double bonds. Staphylococcus aureus uses OhyA to counteract the host innate immune response by inactivating antimicrobial unsaturated fatty acids. Mechanistic information explaining how OhyAs catalyze regiospecific and stereospecific hydration is required to understand their biological functions and the potential for engineering new products. In this study, we deduced the catalytic mechanism of OhyA from multiple structures of S. aureus OhyA in binary and ternary complexes with combinations of ligands along with biochemical analyses of relevant mutants. The substrate-free state shows Arg81 is the gatekeeper that controls fatty acid entrance to the active site. FAD binding engages the catalytic loop to simultaneously rotate Glu82 into its active conformation and Arg81 out of the hydrophobic substrate tunnel, allowing the fatty acid to rotate into the active site. FAD binding also dehydrates the active site, leaving a single water molecule connected to Glu82. This active site water is a hydronium ion based on the analysis of its hydrogen bond network in the OhyA•PEG400•FAD complex. We conclude that OhyA accelerates acid-catalyzed alkene hydration by positioning the fatty acid double bond to attack the active site hydronium ion, followed by the addition of water to the transient carbocation intermediate. Structural transitions within S. aureus OhyA channel oleate to the active site, curl oleate around the substrate water, and stabilize the hydroxylated product to inactivate antimicrobial fatty acids.
A genome-wide microRNA screen identifies the microRNA-183/96/182 cluster as a modulator of circadian rhythms

The regulatory mechanisms of circadian rhythms have been studied primarily at the level of the transcription-translation feedback loops of protein-coding genes. Regulatory modules involving noncoding RNAs are less thoroughly understood. In particular, emerging evidence has revealed the important role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in maintaining the robustness of the circadian system. To identify miRNAs that have the potential to modulate circadian rhythms, we conducted a genome-wide miRNA screen using U2OS luciferase reporter cells. Among 989 miRNAs in the library, 120 changed the period length in a dose-dependent manner. We further validated the circadian regulatory function of an miRNA cluster, miR-183/96/182, both in vitro and in vivo. We found that all three members of this miRNA cluster can modulate circadian rhythms. Particularly, miR-96 directly targeted a core circadian clock gene, PER2. The knockout of the miR-183/96/182 cluster in mice showed tissue-specific effects on circadian parameters and altered circadian rhythms at the behavioral level. This study identified a large number of miRNAs, including the miR-183/96/182 cluster, as circadian modulators. We provide a resource for further understanding the role of miRNAs in the circadian network and highlight the importance of miRNAs as a genome-wide layer of circadian clock regulation.
Topological spines of $4$–manifolds

We show that infinitely many of the simply connected 4–manifolds constructed by Levine and Lidman that do not admit PL spines actually admit topological spines.
Matching While Learning

Platforms face a cold start problem whenever new users arrive: namely, the platform must learn attributes of new users (explore) in order to match them better in the future (exploit). How should a ...
Adversarial Dual Distinct Classifiers for Unsupervised Domain Adaptation

Unsupervised Domain adaptation (UDA) attempts to recognize the unlabeled target samples by building a learning model from a differently-distributed labeled source domain. Conventional UDA concentrates on extracting domain-invariant features through deep adversarial networks. However, most of them seek to match the different domain feature distributions, without considering the task-specific decision boundaries across various classes. In this paper, we propose a novel Adversarial Dual Distinct Classifiers Network (AD2CN) to align the source and target domain data distribution simultaneously with matching task-specific category boundaries. To be specific, a domain-invariant feature generator is exploited to embed the source and target data into a latent common space with the guidance of discriminative cross-domain alignment. Moreover, we naturally design two different structure classifiers to identify the unlabeled target samples over the supervision of the labeled source domain data. Such dual distinct classifiers with various architectures can capture diverse knowledge of the target data structure from different perspectives. Extensive experimental results on several cross-domain visual benchmarks prove the model’s effectiveness by comparing it with other state-of-the-art UDA.
Drop and bubble migration at large Reynolds and Marangoni numbers

Abstract The migration of a drop or bubble in a fluid, onto which a temperature gradient is being applied, is treated analytically. The original calculation by Young, Goldstein and Block /1/ neglects the convective terms in the momentum equation and in the energy equation. Accounting for these terms by perturbation theory fails due to convergence problems. Numerical methods have been applied instead. In this paper convergence is achieved by splitting the convective contributions into terms proportional to the velocity u 0 of migration and terms proportional to the local flow velocity u 1 ( r ). Inclusion of the overall convective heat transport u 0 · V T( r ) into the homogeneous differential operator of the energy equation entails representing the temperature field by modified spherical Bessel functions and convergence at large Marangoni numbers. Likewise, inclusion of the overall convective momentum transport u 0 · V u ( r ) into the homogeneous differential operator of the momentum equation causes a representation of the flow field by modified spherical Bessel functions and convergence at large Reynolds numbers. — For the case of equal physical parameters of the migrating particle and the outer fluid, an exact analytical representation of the velocity of migration in terms of an exponential integral valid for arbitrary Marangoni numbers is derived. The velocity u 0 of migration decreases inversely proportional to the Marangoni number at large Marangoni numbers. - The local contributions u 1 · V T( r ) and u 1 · V u ( r ) to the convective heat transport and momentum transport are treated by a Green's function formalism. The resulting set of equations for the flow field and the temperature field is solved self-consistently.
Pricing of Sovereign Credit Risk: Evidence from Advanced Economies during the Financial Crisis†

We investigate the pricing of sovereign credit risk over the period 2008–10 for selected advanced economies by examining two widely-used indicators: sovereign credit default swap (CDS) and relative asset swap (RAS) spreads. Cointegration analysis suggests the existence of an imperfect market arbitrage relationship between the cash (RAS) and the derivatives (CDS) markets, with price discovery taking place in the latter. Likewise, panel regressions aimed at uncovering the fundamental drivers of the two indicators show that the CDS market, although less liquid, has provided a better signal for sovereign credit risk during the period of the recent financial crisis.
If wishes were horses: discursive comments on attempts to prevent individuals from being unfairly burdened by their reference classes

Group-to-individual inferences are inevitable. They are sometimes epistemically legitimate. Sometimes such inferences are morally odious. It is important to distinguish between morally odious and epistemically odious inferences. A prohibition of group-to-individual inferences exclusively on epistemic grounds in both unwise and impossible. These principles apply to both statistical inference and inference that is not overtly statistical. A legal case involving statistical data about the behaviour of a group of Nigerian drug smugglers is discussed.
How Many Patents Does It Take to Make a Drug - Follow-On Pharmaceutical Patents and University Licensing

Patent commentators often base their discussions of pharmaceutical patents on the assumption that each drug is covered by a single patent, but there has been little analysis of how many patents it takes to make a drug. Most drugs are actually protected by multiple patents: the average was nearly 3.5 patents per drug in 2005, or over five patents per drug for the best-selling pharmaceuticals. Using a dataset of all small-molecule drugs approved by the FDA from 1988 to 2005, this Article undertakes an empirical study of what factors influence the number of patents per drug. The growing number of follow-on patents has important implications for patent policy in general, but it has a particularly significant effect on socially responsible licensing efforts by universities - policies focused on increasing access to medicines based on not patenting in developing countries will be insufficient if pharmaceutical companies file follow-on patents in those countries. Although these data show that university drugs actually have fewer private-sector follow-on patents than drugs with no university connection, over half of university drugs still have private-sector patents. Universities will thus need proactive licensing terms to prevent follow-on patents from blocking access to their drugs.
The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good: The Antitrust Objections to the Google Books Settlement

The Google Books settlement recently rejected by a district court has been criticized as anticompetitive. Critics argued, and the court agreed, that approval would give Google a “de facto monopoly over unclaimed works” and “arguably give Google control over the [online] search market.” I disagree with these assessments. Though the settlement would indeed give Google de facto exclusivity over “orphan” or “unclaimed” works, it seems implausible that a small subset of out-of-print books with the least commercial value can be so unique and valuable that having exclusivity would give someone market power in an antitrust sense. But even if it does, there must be anticompetitive effects and there are few, if any, such effects. While exclusivity may not be ideal, the settlement would revitalize millions of out-of-print books, a feat that would be impossible without the settlement, and there is no less restrictive alternative. As for the argument that exclusivity over unclaimed books would further Google’s dominance in online search, there are some basic problems with this dubious, though ambitious, claim that will be addressed.The settlement, not only enhances welfare from a microeconomic perspective, but also promises important social benefits, including equal access to books to all. The settlement is not perfect but antitrust law does not require perfection. I will discuss why a few “perfect” alternatives preferred by objectors to the settlement are not necessarily more welfare enhancing. Even if they were, there is little to be gained and much to lose by rejecting the good for the conjectural perfect. I conclude with a suggested solution.
Preferences for Juries Over Judges Across Racial and Ethnic Groups

Objective. The objective of this article is to explore whether a preference for juries rather than judges to decide legal cases varies across racial and ethnic groups. We hypothesized that minorities (African Americans, Hispanics), who generally express less trust in the legal system, may also express less trust in juries than non-Hispanic whites. Method. A representative sample of 1,465 residents of Texas were surveyed and asked whether they would prefer a jury or a judge to be the decisionmaker in four hypothetical circumstances. Analyses control for a number of possible factors that might also predict views of the jury besides race and ethnicity. Results. Consistent with expectations, non-Hispanic whites favored juries over judges, particularly if they imagined themselves as a defendant in a criminal trial. By comparison, African Americans and some Hispanics showed a weaker preference for a jury over a judge. African Americans had markedly lower support for the civil jury, but jury support was higher among minorities with prior jury service. Among Hispanics, respondents who took the survey in Spanish typically preferred a judge to make legal decisions. Conclusions. Faith in the jury as a more trustworthy decision-making body is weakest among those groups that have a history of discriminatory treatment in the legal system and who are less acculturated on other measures, such as language dominance.
Corporate Social Responsibility for Work/family Balance

In examining the difficulties faced by child-rearing families in the United States, the concurrent economic revolution and social transformations both matter. This new environment leaves little time to invest in children and raises questions of how well today's children will be prepared to cope with tomorrow's flexible work environment. If we want flexible labor markets to be sustainable in the future, we need to consider future generations of human capital as well as the lives of current employees. Much turns on reshaping the corporate culture to accommodate the change at home and the change at work. In order to recognize the family as a corporate stakeholder, we need an alliance between gender scholars, labor activists, child advocates, and progressive corporate scholars. It is my hope that this Article will encourage other scholars in many fields to re-conceptualize the corporation's role in society to recognize the family as a corporate stakeholder.
The Beveridge Curve in the Housing Market: Supply and Disequilibrium

There is a long-run `Beveridge Curve' in the Housing market given by the negative relationship between the vacancy rate of housing and the rate of household formation. This is true in the owner-occupied market, the rental market, and the total market for housing irrespective of ownership status. The Beveridge Curve represents a long-run supply condition that can be explained by assuming that (1) the cost to produce a new house is decreasing in the growth rate of the housing stock and (2) the probability to sell a new house is decreasing in the vacancy rate. Short-run deviations from the Beveridge curve represent a measurement of oversupply. Using a years of supply metric, for the total housing market irrespective of ownership, in 2007-2008 there were 0.995 years of supply, more than three times the previous peak of 0.285 years of supply in 1973-1974. Comparing the rental market to the owner-occupied market, oversupply generally shows up in the rental market, not the owner-occupied market and the oversupply in the rental market is twice as volatile as oversupply in the owner-occupied market, implying that a large part of the market adjustment to housing supply occurs in the rental market. Interestingly two-thirds of the oversupply in 2007-2008 resided in the rental market as opposed to the owner-occupied market. Using FHFA data for house prices, 46% of the movements in oversupply in the owner-occupied market since 1975 can be explained by house price movements. The last result suggests that at short horizons (4-6 years) house prices are not determined by supply. Rather, house prices drive supply at short time horizons, permitting bubbles and oversupplies of housing to form.
Taking From the Twenty-Fifth Amendment: Lessons in Ensuring Presidential Continuity

INTRODUCTION 960 I. TO THE TWENTY-FIFTH AMENDMENT AND WHAT IT BROUGHT 963 A. The Context of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment 963 B. Presidential Inability 966 C. Vice Presidential Vacancy 968 D. First Implementations 969 1. Presidential Succession 969 2. Filling Vice Presidential Vacancy 970 3. Presidential Inability 975 II. THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE TWENTY-FIFTH AMENDMENT 980 A. Constitutional Principles 981 1. Presidential Continuity 981 a. A Prepared Successor 982 b. Harmony Breeds Preparation 983 c. Party Continuity 984 2. A Presidential Vice President 985 3. A New Vice Presidential Vision 985 4. Separation of Powers/Checks and Balances 987 5. Democratic Pedigree 991 6. Accountable Decision Making 992 7. Deliberative Decision Making 993 8. Preferring Procedures 994
Data-driven model reduction for the Bayesian solution of inverse problems

United States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research (Applied Mathematics Program Award DE-FG02-08ER2585)
Mayoral Public Sector Work Experience and Tax Collection Performance in Colombian Local Governments

ABSTRACT Local governments in Latin America tend to have limited capacity to collect taxes. Existing theory explains tax collection performance as a function of political, socio-economic, and cultural factors. Yet across Latin America, tax collection performance varies greatly between localities that are similar along these dimensions. We suggest that organizational capacity, represented by managers' human capital, explains variation in local tax collection performance. We test this theoretical idea against panel data on most Colombian local governments, where elected mayors are the top managers determining the local tax collection strategy. We examine two indicators of tax collection performance: (1) the per-capita amount of property tax collected and (2) property tax collected as a percentage of total property valuation. Controlling for important confounders, the length of the mayor's prior public sector work experience is positively associated with the per-capita amount of property tax collected but no...
The effect of employee stock ownership on wage and employment bargaining

Abstract When workers can bargain over wages and employment, standard insider–outsider models predict underemployment if the number of insiders is small and overemployment if the number of insiders is large. For instance, a union will restrict employment growth in an expanding firm and oppose layoffs in a contracting firm. This paper shows that employee stock ownership can solve both problems and that the necessary ownership share is often relatively small. The results are compared with related results in the literatures on profit-sharing and labor-managed firms. Journal of Comparative Economics 33 (3) (2005) 565–583.
ESTATE TAXES, LIFE INSURANCE, AND SMALL BUSINESS

Critics argue that the estate tax prevents the owners of family businesses from passing their enterprises to heirs because it is difficult to pay estate taxes without liquidating the business. Why don't owners purchase enough life insurance to meet their estate tax liabilities? We examine whether and how people use life insurance to deal with the estate tax. We find that, ceteris paribus, business owners purchase more life insurance than do other individuals. However, on the margin, their insurance purchases are less responsive to estate tax considerations, and they are less likely to have the wherewithal to meet estate tax liabilities out of liquid assets plus insurance.
Competition and Market Failure in the Antitrust Jurisprudence of Justice Stevens

This essay examines the significant role that Justice Stevens has played in curtailing some of the doctrinal excesses produced by the so-called "inhospitality tradition" of antitrust law and policy. Spawned by neoclassical price theory, the inhospitality tradition was uniformly hostile to nonstandard contracts, agreements that restrained the autonomy of a firm's trading partners before or after a transaction. By banning such contracts, the Court enforced a vision of unbridled rivalry drawn from price theory's model of workable competition. Justice Stevens joined the Supreme Court when this tradition was at its apogee, as the Supreme Court even banned maximum vertical price fixing and non-price restraints ancillary to pro-consumer joint ventures. The essay explains how Justice Stevens helped the Supreme Court repudiate the inhospitality tradition and the vision of "competition" that it produced. In particular, Justice Stevens embraced and articulated a vision of "competition" that made room for various non-standard contracts that overcome market failures that unbridled rivalry would otherwise produce. As Justice Stevens explained, such contracts can in many cases actually enhance competition, by altering the incentives of the parties to them and thus encouraging a more productive allocation of resources. The paper concludes by examining three questions still left open despite Justice Stevens' important opinions: the current scope of the per se rule, the definition of "cognizable" benefits that courts apply when conducting per se analysis, and the methodology for conducting rule of reason analysis. The essay suggests that the deeper logic of Justice Stevens' opinions undermines decisions such as United States v. Topco, even though Justice Stevens has cited such decisions with approval. The essay also suggests that benefits are "cognizable" whenever they alter a market's background rules or the incentives that market actors face in a manner that prevents or mitigates market failure. Finally, the essay concludes that Justice Stevens' logic requires courts to reform current rule of reason doctrine whereby proof that a restraint results in higher prices itself establishes a prima facie case. This logic also requires courts to reconsider their purported practice of "balancing" a restraint's benefits against harms presumed once a plaintiff establishes a prima facie case, as well as the related "less restrictive alternative test."
Bayesian Nonparametric Customer Base Analysis with Model-Based Visualizations

Marketing managers are responsible for understanding and predicting customer purchasing activity. This task is complicated by a lack of knowledge of all of the calendar time events that influence purchase timing. Yet, isolating calendar time variability from the natural ebb and flow of purchasing is important for accurately assessing the influence of calendar time shocks to the spending process, and for uncovering the customer-level purchasing patterns that robustly predict future spending. A comprehensive understanding of purchasing dynamics therefore requires a model that flexibly integrates known and unknown calendar time determinants of purchasing with individual-level predictors such as interpurchase time, customer lifetime, and number of past purchases. In this paper, we develop a Bayesian nonparametric framework based on Gaussian process priors, which integrates these two sets of predictors by modeling both through latent functions that jointly determine purchase propensity. The estimates of these ...
Let chaos reign, then rein in chaos—repeatedly: managing strategic dynamics for corporate longevity

Combining longitudinal field research and executive experience, we propose that corporate longevity depends on matching cycles of autonomous and induced strategy processes to different forms of strategic dynamics, and that the role of alert strategic leadership is to appropriately balance the induced and autonomous processes throughout these cycles. We also propose that such strategic leadership is the means through which leadership style exerts its influence on corporate longevity. Our findings can be related to organizational research on structural inertia, learning and adaptation, as well as to formal theories of complex adaptive systems. They also contribute to resolving the seeming contradiction between a study of corporations that attributes exceptional long‐term success to leadership style, and the more common proposition that strategy is the determinant of long‐term performance. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Advocating for Children in Care in a Climate of Economic Recession: The Relationship Between Poverty and Child Maltreatment.

In the decades since Dr. Henry Kempe and his colleagues first coined the term "battered-child syndrome," the medical, legal, and social work professionals who wrestle with child maltreatment have faced the challenge of understanding the relationship between socioeconomic status and the kinds of harms that may prompt the intervention of public child welfare systems. More than thirty years ago, Professor Leroy Pelton wrote about what he termed the myth of classlessness, positing that many of the problems associated with child maltreatment are better understood as a reflection of the conditions in which many families live. Pelton cautioned that miscasting child abuse and neglect as a medical or psychodynamic problem related to behavior, rather than as a socioeconomic problem, would interfere with society's ability and willingness to develop effective interventions aimed at the roots of child maltreatment. If we do not understand how entrenched social problems shape child maltreatment, we cannot possibly hope to forge effective strategies or solutions — on either an individual or a macro level — that actually serve the interests of children at risk of becoming involved in the child protection system. This essay explores the relationships between poverty, neglect, and race, and the impact of the current recession on children and families exposed to the child welfare system. It also addresses the challenges posed by the climate of economic decline for advocates seeking to ensure both that the needs of children in foster care are met, and that state systems intervene into the lives of poor families only when they can act with confidence that the affected children will be made better off as a result.
Convenient estimators for the panel probit model: Further results

Bertschek and Lechner (1998) propose several variants of a GMM estimator based on the period specific regression functions for the panel probit model. The analysis is motivated by the complexity of maximum likelihood estimation and the possibly excessive amount of time involved in maximum simulated likelihood estimation. But, for applications of the size considered in their study, full likelihood estimation is actually straightforward, and resort to GMM estimation for convenience is unnecessary. In this note, we reconsider maximum likelihood based estimation of their panel probit model then examine some extensions which can exploit the heterogeneity contained in their panel data set. Empirical results are obtained using the data set employed in the earlier study.
The Property Clause Question

A “property clause” is a dedicated text in the written basic law of a constitutional-democratic state, addressing the question of the security of asset-holdings (and of their values to their owners) against impairment by action or allowance of the state. The clause provides a defensive guarantee against such impairments, in the form of a trumping right of every person to be protected – perhaps not absolutely and unconditionally, but not negligibly, either – against state-engineered losses in lawfully established asset-holdings or asset-values.How should someone writing a constitution for an expectantly “social liberal” state regime think about the question of a property clause? Without suggesting that there can be any one-size-fits-all sort of answer to the question of including such a clause or not, this paper confines itself to doubting sharply one sort of a reason our constitution-writers might consider for including one – namely, that a liberal constitutional bill of rights ought to contain clauses covering all classes of interests of persons that qualify in liberalism as basic rights and freedoms and the interest distinctively protected by a property clause does so qualify – and suggesting some pros and cons regarding a quite different sort of reason for inclusion that the writers will also undoubtedly ponder – namely, that the clause will serve to keep lawmakers and constitutional adjudicators properly attuned to a national foundational commitment to a system of political economy in which markets play a key role.This essay, prepared as an after-dinner talk for the Conference on Constitutional Revolutions and Counter-Revolutions held at the New School for Social Research, May 5-7, 2011, is a companion to my “Liberal Constitutionalism, Property Rights, and the Assault on Poverty,” Stellenbosch Law Review (2012) (forthcoming), which treats more expansively some points made summarily here. A version of this essay will appear in Constellations 12 (2012).
The Effect of Military Service on Educational, Occupational, and Income Attainment

Abstract We examine the relationship between military service and educational, occupational, and income attainment in three cohorts of young men spanning the period from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. This is a period covering the war in Vietnam, the end of the draft, and the beginning of the All-volunteer Force. We consider the effect of military service separately for African-American men and white men and take into account the potential confounding influence of unmeasured self-selection into the military. Our results indicate that there is a relationship between military service and subsequent attainment, but it varies according to race and is dependent on historical context.
Breard and the Federal Power to Require Compliance with ICJ Orders of Provisional Measures

Among the puzzling aspects of the Breard episode was the Clinton administration's claim that the decision whether or not to comply with the Order of the International Court of justice requiring the postponement of Breard's execution lay exclusively in the hands of the Governor of Virginia. The ICJ's Order provided that "[t]he United States should take all measures at its disposal to ensure that Angel Francisco Breard is not executed pending the final decision in these proceedings." The Clinton administration argued that the Order was not binding, but it also took the position that, even if the order were binding, there would be no authority in the federal Government to require a postponement of the execution.