Replacement of the Legacy High-Cost Universal Support Fund with a Connect America Fund. Key Economic and Legal Considerations

On April 21, 2010, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) and a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that seek the public’s input on the FCC’s effort to replace the legacy high-cost universal service fund (USF) with a broadband “Connect America” fund (CAF). In effect, the FCC seeks to implement cost-cutting measures for existing voice support (USF) and create a new fund (CAF) to support the provision of broadband communications in areas that would be unserved without such support or that depend on USF support for the maintenance of existing broadband service. An initial review of the NOI/NPRM raises a number of key economic and legal considerations. In the following, we identify some of the considerations, questions, and challenges raised by the FCC’s USF reform attempt, which is likely to have far-reaching consequences not only for operators that currently rely on USF subsidies or broadband providers in high-cost regions but for the entire communications industry.The purpose of this note is not to provide an all-inclusive list of, or responses to, the critical questions raised by the NOI/NPRM, but rather to illustrate the complexities of this proceeding and the impact the proposed reforms may have on industry performance. As the CAF is necessary for the success of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan (NBP), the policy directions taken by the FCC in establishing it are critically important. USF reform is also essential to the performance and competitiveness of the U.S. communications industry and policy missteps could have serious economic and legal consequences.Federal Communications Commission, America Fund

Consumer preferences for mobile phone service in the U.S.: an application of efficient design on conjoint analysis

The wide commercial success of certain mobile phones, such as Apple‘s iPhone and RIM‘s Blackberry, was the motivation behind this study to examine empirically what drives the demand for mobile service bundles. If casual observation is an accurate indicator, consumers make their mobile purchasing decisions based solely on the type of mobile phone that mobile service providers are offering at the time as part of a bundle of services. This, in turn, raises the question of whether service bundle components, other than the mobile phone, matter to consumers. In light of increased competition and saturation in the U.S. mobile sector, gaining a deeper understanding of consumer choice is critical not only for the development of effective market strategies but also for policymaking. As governmental agencies take a closer look at competition and the need or lack thereof of regulation in the mobile sector, it is crucial to understand how consumers purchase mobile service as this may very well form the basis of new regulations and public policies. Surprisingly, although there is a large literature addressing various aspects of mobile demand, no prior study has examined this topic from a mobile service bundle perspective.The present study uses data from an online stated-preference survey with a conjoint analysis component. The design for the conjoint analyses incorporates efficient survey design, which promises most accurate parameter estimates. It is the first application of efficient survey design theory to telecommunication services. It is also one of the first practical applications of this innovative concept. In these trade-off exercises, 503 survey respondents ranked three mobile service plan alternatives, each described via 10 service attributes. Survey respondents completed six such exercises. A thorough quality review of the survey results revealed 14 invalid survey responses and survey respondent fatigue in the last two choice situations. After eliminating the 14 invalid responses, the resulting data were fit to several versions of the multinomial exploded logit model. Using likelihood ratio indices and hypotheses tests, such as the likelihood-ratio test, the Wald test, and the Hausman test, to determine the best model for this study, the final model selected was a multinomial mixed exploded logit model with 10 lognormal distributed and two fixed parameters. This model provides direct insight into the demand determinants for mobile service bundles. It reveals demand elasticities and calculates the consumers‘ maximum willingness to pay for specific bundle components.The fitted model reveals several interesting econometric, competitive, and public policy findings. First, applying D-efficient survey design requires a priori information on the final model‘s specification and the signs and sizes of its coefficients. Data from a pilot survey fitted to a multinomial logit model generate the necessary a priori proxies. The design matrix is D-optimized relative to this a priori model. Any deviation from the pilot model‘s specifications and its coefficient priors jeopardizes the optimality of the design matrix. A test was derived to measure whether the optimized design matrix retained its optimality when evaluated under the final model instead of the pilot model. In the present study, the final model specifications and coefficients deviate sufficiently from the a priori proxy to render the optimized design matrix no more or less efficient than a design matrix randomly created. Hence, no benefits from D-optimization carried through to the final model. With perfect foresight, however, D-optimality could have decreased the design matrix‘s D-error by 83%, thereby significantly increasing the model‘s accuracy. This practical application of D-efficient survey design illustrates that further research in efficient design needs to address how the benefits from D-optimization can be retained.In terms of competition, the fitted model explores several competitive strategies, simulating market share gains and losses from changes in attribute levels and calculating demand elasticities for specific bundle components. This analysis reveals that only certain pricing strategies are effective. It also demonstrates that a combinatorial strategy might be most effective. Specifically, decreasing mobile phone prices, increasing term lengths, and increasing the monthly recurring charge increases subscriber revenue in addition to gaining market share.In terms of public policy, the study finds that regulators must examine market behavior and alleged market failures in terms of service bundles. Considering individual bundle attributes on a standalone basis, which is currently the common practice, yields incorrect results. Finally, the fitted model highlights the importance of making additional radio spectrum available to mobile service provider

Analysis of the distribution of functionally relevant rare codons

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The substitution of rare codons with more frequent codons is a commonly applied method in heterologous gene expression to increase protein yields. However, in some cases these substitutions lead to a decrease of protein solubility or activity. To predict these functionally relevant rare codons, a method was developed which is based on an analysis of multisequence alignments of homologous protein families.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The method successfully predicts functionally relevant codons in fatty acid binding protein and chloramphenicol acetyltransferase which had been experimentally determined. However, the analysis of 16 homologous protein families belonging to the α/β hydrolase fold showed that functionally rare codons share no common location in respect to the tertiary and secondary structure.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A systematic analysis of multisequence alignments of homologous protein families can be used to predict rare codons with a potential impact on protein expression. Our analysis showed that most genes contain at least one putative rare codon rich region. Rare codons located near to those regions should be excluded in an approach of improving protein expression by an exchange of rare codons by more frequent codons.</p

A high frequency builder software for arbitrary radio frequency signals

While the frequencies accessible by signal generators steadily rise, the synthesization of complex and arbitrary waveforms with high frequency components remains challenging, especially when restricted by an external reference clock. In this article, we present a comprehensive software package combined with state of the art hardware as a solution for the generation of highly sampled, arbitrary radio frequency waveforms. The software can be used to conduct both synchronous and heterodyne pump probe experiments due to a variety of different synchronization modules. While both kinds of modules allow for standard waveforms, such as sines, pulses, and bursts, as well as any arbitrary signal, the heterodyne modules additionally are not restricted by the reference clock frequency. Both the output and the synchronization module can be adapted to support additional measurement devices. Due to the modular software structure, individual classes can be exchanged while maintaining all functionalities. The software provides a user friendly graphical interface that allows us to compose, save, and load complex arbitrary waveforms within only a few steps. The frequency selectivity provided by the software hardware combination allows us to directly target specific excitation states of physical systems. Conducting a heterodyne scanning transmission x ray microscopy experiment, we are able to demonstrate the capabilities of the software when paired with a high sample rate arbitrary waveform generator. The heterodyne synchronization modules allow for unlimited flexibility leveraging arbitrary waveform generation to their full power. By solving the challenges of synthesizing highly complex electromagnetic waves, the software enables a large variety of experiments to be performed more convenientl

Acute kidney injury and tools for risk-stratification in 456 patients with hantavirus-induced nephropathia epidemica

BACKGROUND Puumala virus (PUUV) is the most common species of hantavirus in Central Europe. Nephropathia epidemica (NE), caused by PUUV, is characterized by acute kidney injury (AKI) and thrombocytopenia. The major goals of this study were to provide a clear clinical phenotyping of AKI in patients with NE and to develop an easy prediction rule to identify patients, who are at lower risk to develop severe AKI. METHODS A cross-sectional prospective survey of 456 adult patients with serologically confirmed NE was performed. Data were collected from medical records and prospectively at follow-up visit. Severe AKI was defined by standard criteria according to the RIFLE (Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, End-stage kidney disease) classification. Fuller statistical models were developed and validated to estimate the probability for severe AKI. RESULTS During acute NE, 88% of the patients had AKI according to the RILFE criteria during acute NE. A risk index score for severe AKI was derived by using three independent risk factors in patients with normal kidney function at time of diagnosis: thrombocytopenia [two points; odds ratios (OR): 3.77; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.82, 8.03], elevated C-reactive protein levels (one point; OR: 3.02; 95% CI: 1.42, 6.58) and proteinuria (one point; OR: 3.92; 95% CI: 1.33, 13.35). On the basis of a point score of one or two, the probability of severe AKI was 0.18 and 0.28 with an area under the curve of 0.71. CONCLUSION This clinical prediction rule provides a novel and diagnostically accurate strategy for the potential prevention and improved management of kidney complications in patients with NE and, ultimately, for a possible decrease in unnecessary hospitalization in a high number of patient