Mutual Enrichment in Ranked Lists and the Statistical Assessment of Position Weight Matrix Motifs

Statistics in ranked lists is important in analyzing molecular biology measurement data, such as ChIP-seq, which yields ranked lists of genomic sequences. State of the art methods study fixed motifs in ranked lists. More flexible models such as position weight matrix (PWM) motifs are not addressed in this context. To assess the enrichment of a PWM motif in a ranked list we use a PWM induced second ranking on the same set of elements. Possible orders of one ranked list relative to the other are modeled by permutations. Due to sample space complexity, it is difficult to characterize tail distributions in the group of permutations. In this paper we develop tight upper bounds on tail distributions of the size of the intersection of the top of two uniformly and independently drawn permutations and demonstrate advantages of this approach using our software implementation, mmHG-Finder, to study PWMs in several datasets.Comment: Peer-reviewed and presented as part of the 13th Workshop on Algorithms in Bioinformatics (WABI2013

Estimating a Dynamic Adverse Selection Model: Labor Force Experience and the Changing Gender Earnings Gap 1968-93.

This paper addresses two questions: What accounts for the gender gap in labor-market outcomes? What are the driving forces behind the changes in the gender-labor-market out- comes over the period 1968–97? It formulates a dynamic general equilibrium model of labor supply, occupational sorting and human capital accumulation in which gender discrimination and an earnings gap arise endogenously. It uses this model to quantify the driving forces behind the decline in the gender earnings gap and the increase in women’s labor-force participation, professional-occupation representation and hours worked. It …nds that labor-market experience is the most important factor explaining the gender earnings gap. In addition, statistical dis- crimination accounts for a large fraction of the observed gender earnings gap and its decline. It also …nds that a large increase in aggregate productivity in professional occupations plays a major role in the increase in women’s labor-force participation, professional-occupation repre- sentation and hours worked. Although of less importance, demographic changes account for a substantial part of the increase in female labor-force participation and hours worked, whereas home-production technology shocks do not.

The Local TV News Experience: How to Win Viewers by Focusing on Engagement

Offers television stations insights to help them engage their audiences, stimulate strategic thinking about their position and role in the market, and connect with viewers in ways that could lead to improved civic involvement

The Repository as Data (Re) User: Hand Curating for Replication

On August 31, 2010, Yale University’s Institution for Social and Policy Studies launched the ISPS Data Archive (http://isps.yale.edu/research/data). The motivation for the Archive was to capture and preserve intellectual output produced by scholars affiliated with ISPS, to share data and associated research output, and to link to publications and projects. The Archive was developed as a pilot for the university (under the Office for Digital Assets and Infrastructure). It provides a model for customized platforms that meet the needs of one research unit, and otherwise relies entirely on Yale IT and library resources (no third party vendors or tools). The ISPS Data Archive currently holds over 1,000 files for ~55 studies. ISPS has created policies for users and depositors in consultation with Yale’s General Counsel and the IRB, and in line with best practices among leading social science data archives elsewhere (e.g., ICPSR). Files are hand-curated: This means that all files are inspected by RAs for PII data and for useable labeling and all program files are run to validate results. (For more background information, see: http://www.ijdc.net/index.php/ijdc/article/view/212.

Income Tax (Treasury) Unhappy: Efficacy of Media Campaigns and Tax Noncompliance

This Article systematically evaluates the effectiveness of governmental media campaigns and considers whether we should invest in educating society via such campaigns to increase tax compliance, primarily in light of the intrinsic flaw of taxation. Is a radio spot that starts with the sound of scary footsteps approaching you, followed by an announcer who says in a deep and intimidating voice, “we’re closing in on undeclared income,” effective? To answer those questions, this Article proposes and showcases a four-step analysis—the ARMS scheme (Aim, Reason, Media-Methods, Sorting). First, the government’s aim of increased tax compliance is identified and declared (Step I: Aim). Second, because the discrepancy between tax payments and government expenditures can lead taxpayers to evade payment, various reasons and motivations for evading tax are explored, including those of rational and irrational taxpayers with a particular focus on the unrequited motive (Step II: Reason). The unrequited motive refers to the motive to avoid paying taxes because tax payments do not directly correlate to the return provided by the government back to the taxpayer. Third, various types of media campaigns (deterrence, boasting, damage, and assistance campaigns) utilized to increase tax compliance are systematically analyzed (Step III: Media-Methods). Finally, the types of compulsory payments involved are then sorted (Step IV: Sorting). By using this ARMS scheme, this Article shows that although there is a single aim—tax compliance—there is no single modus operandi to mitigate tax evasion via media campaigns given their various forms and evasion motives. In general, the tax literature so far has examined the effectiveness of media campaigns without making distinctions based on evasion motives. This Article argues that campaigns can only be effective if those motives are taken into consideration in light of the type of media campaign used. This Article classifies varying media campaigns into categories of deterrence, boasting, damage, or assistance types. Moreover, the type of compulsory payment is also relevant to the analysis. This Article concludes that, given these requirements, the only media campaign type that may be effective for all rational evader types is deterrence. Nevertheless, boasting and damage campaigns can affect a certain group of rational evaders: those who also take the unrequited nature of taxation into consideration. Additionally, most media campaign types—primarily boasting and damage (and to some extent also deterrence)—are effective means to address the unrequited motive. To highlight the correlation between tax compliance and the public good, taxpayers need to be informed on how their taxes are used. Governments should implement mechanisms to effectively communicate with those taxpayers in line with an ideal of “no taxation without communication.” Media campaigns can be that mechanism to deliver such information to overcome tax non-compliance