8,087 research outputs found
On Cournot-Nash equilibria with exogenous uncertainty
A large body of literature has accumulated which examines how the optimal solution of an agent maximizing the expectation of a real-valued function, depending on a random parameterp and the agent's behaviorx, reacts to perturbations in the first and second moments ofp. Here, by an approximation valid for small uncertainty, we allow many agents and consider their behavior in a Cournot-Nash equilibrium. We also allowp to depend on the behaviors of the participating agents. We apply the analysis to two models, one of a Cournot oligopoly, the other of a cooperative of individuals where there is uncertainty in the return to communal work
Quasi-periodic pulsations in solar and stellar flares: re-evaluating their nature in the context of power-law flare Fourier spectra
The nature of quasi-periodic pulsations in solar and stellar flares remains
debated. Recent work has shown that power-law-like Fourier power spectra, also
referred to as 'red' noise processes, are an intrinsic property of solar and
stellar flare signals, a property that many previous studies of this phenomenon
have not accounted for. Hence a re-evaluation of the existing interpretations
and assumptions regarding QPP is needed. Here we adopt a Bayesian method for
investigating this phenomenon, fully considering the Fourier power law
properties of flare signals. Using data from the PROBA2/LYRA, Fermi/GBM,
Nobeyama Radioheliograph and Yohkoh/HXT instruments, we study a selection of
flares from the literature identified as QPP events. Additionally we examine
optical data from a recent stellar flare that appears to exhibit oscillatory
properties. We find that, for all but one event tested, an explicit oscillation
is not required in order to explain the observations. Instead, the flare
signals are adequately described as a manifestation of a power law in the
Fourier power spectrum, rather than a direct signature of oscillating
components or structures. However, for the flare of 1998 May 8, strong evidence
for the existence of an explicit oscillation with P ~ 14-16 s is found in the
17 GHz radio data and the 13-23 keV Yohkoh HXT data. We conclude that, most
likely, many previously analysed events in the literature may be similarly
described in terms of power laws in the flare Fourier power spectrum, without
the need to invoke a narrowband, oscillatory component. As a result the
prevalence of oscillatory signatures in solar and stellar flares may be less
than previously believed. The physical mechanism behind the appearance of the
observed power laws is discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in The
Astrophysical Journa
They are Small Worlds After All: Revised Properties of Kepler M Dwarf Stars and their Planets
We classified the reddest () stars observed by the NASA
mission into main sequence dwarf or evolved giant stars and determined the
properties of 4216 M dwarfs based on a comparison of available photometry with
that of nearby calibrator stars, as well as available proper motions and
spectra. We revised the properties of candidate transiting planets using the
stellar parameters, high-resolution imaging to identify companion stars, and,
in the case of binaries, fitting light curves to identify the likely planet
host. In 49 of 54 systems we validated the primary as the host star. We
inferred the intrinsic distribution of M dwarf planets using the method of
iterative Monte Carlo simulation. We compared several models of planet orbital
geometry and clustering and found that one where planets are exponentially
distributed and almost precisely coplanar best describes the distribution of
multi-planet systems. We determined that M dwarfs host an average of
planets with radii of 1-4 and orbital periods of
1.5-180 d. The radius distribution peaks at and is
essentially zero at , although we identify three giant planet
candidates other than the previously confirmed Kepler-45b. There is suggestive
but not significant evidence that the radius distribution varies with orbital
period. The distribution with logarithmic orbital period is flat except for a
decline for orbits less than a few days. Twelve candidate planets, including
two Jupiter-size objects, experience an irradiance below the threshold level
for a runaway greenhouse on an Earth-like planet and are thus in a "habitable
zone".Comment: MNRAS, in press. Tables 1, 3, and 4 are available in electronic form
in the "anc" director
Little Kingdoms: The Counties of Kentucky, 1850–1891
Kentucky’s counties though theoretically provinces of the state were in reality powerful semi-sovereign entities during the latter half of the 19th century. Their positive accomplishments were many. Government funds were wisely invested in internal improvements, road construction, law enforcement, tax collection, and relief of the poor. Keen competition for county offices, placed on an electoral basis by the Constitution of 1850, brought added vitality to Kentucky’s uniquely intense political life, and the official day on which the county courts met continued to be the foremost social and economic day of the month.
Despite these positive facets and the good intentions of the reformers of 1849-1850, however, Kentucky’s counties retained a tradition of parochialism, corruption, and inefficiency. The establishment of elective offices eliminated few of the deficiencies of the county system. The railroads were the focus of rivalry and scandal. Prevailing lawlessness compounded the semi-anarchical condition of many of the counties. Rising crime rates rendered insecure the lives of many Kentuckians. Nineteenth-century Kentucky left no legacy of law and order. A grasp of this paradoxical situation is essential to an understanding of late 19th-century Kentucky history. In this probing study, Robert M. Ireland offers the first thorough examination of the impact of Kentucky’s counties on the state’s constitutional, political, social, and economic development during this period.
Robert M. Ireland is associate professor of history at the University of Kentucky.https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_political_science_american_politics/1017/thumbnail.jp
Predicting and Characterising Zinc Metal Binding Sites in Proteins
Zinc is one of the most important biologically active metals. Ten per cent of the human genome is thought to encode a zinc binding protein and its uses encompass catalysis, structural stability, gene expression and immunity. Knowing whether a protein binds to zinc can offer insights into its function, and knowing precisely where it binds zinc can show the mechanism by which it carries out its intended function, as well as provide suggestions as to how pharmaceutical molecules might disrupt or enhance this function where required for medical interventions. At present, there is no specific resource devoted to identifying and presenting all currently known zinc binding sites. This PhD has resulted in the creation of ZincBind — a database of zinc binding sites (ZincBindDB), predictive models of zinc binding at the family level (ZincBindPredict) and a user-friendly, modern website frontend (ZincBindWeb). Both ZincBindDB and ZincBindPredict are also available as GraphQL APIs. The database of zinc binding sites currently contains 38,141 sites, and is automatically updated every week. The predictive models, trained using the Random Forest Machine Learning algorithm, all achieve an MCC ≥ 0.88, recall ≥0.93 and precision ≥0.91 for the structural models (mean MCC = 0.97), while the sequence models have MCC ≥ 0.64, recall ≥0.80 and pre- cision ≥0.83 (mean MCC = 0.87), outperforming competing, previous predictive models
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