A trust-region method for stochastic variational inference with applications to streaming data

Stochastic variational inference allows for fast posterior inference in complex Bayesian models. However, the algorithm is prone to local optima which can make the quality of the posterior approximation sensitive to the choice of hyperparameters and initialization. We address this problem by replacing the natural gradient step of stochastic varitional inference with a trust-region update. We show that this leads to generally better results and reduced sensitivity to hyperparameters. We also describe a new strategy for variational inference on streaming data and show that here our trust-region method is crucial for getting good performance.Comment: in Proceedings of the 32nd International Conference on Machine Learning, 201

International Trade in Used Vehicles: The Environmental Consequences of NAFTA

Previous studies of trade and the environment overwhelmingly focus on how trade affects where goods are produced. However, trade also affects where goods are consumed. In this paper we describe a model of trade with durable goods and non-chomothetic preferences. In autarky, used goods are relatively inexpensive in high-income countries and free trade causes these goods to be exported to low-income countries. We then evaluate the environmental consequences of this pattern of trade using evidence from the North American Free Trade Agreement. Since trade restrictions were eliminated in 2005, over 2.5 million used cars have been exported from the United States to Mexico. Using a unique, vehicle-level dataset, we find that traded vehicles are dirtier than the stock of vehicles in the United States and cleaner than the stock in Mexico, so trade leads average vehicle emissions to decrease in both countries. Total greenhouse gas emissions increase, primarily because trade gives new life to vehicles that otherwise would have been scrapped.trade, environment, NAFTA, consequences

Factorial Invariance of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) for Adults of Mexican Descent across Nativity Status, Language Format, and Gender

The cultural equivalence of psychological outcome measures remains a major area of investigation. The current study sought to test the factor structure and factorial invariance of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) with a sample of adult individuals of Mexican descent (N = 923) across nativity status (U.S.- vs. foreign-born), language format (English vs. Spanish), and gender. The results show that 1-factor and 3-factor measurement models provided a good fit to the data; however, a single-factor model was deemed more appropriate and parsimonious. Tests of measurement invariance and invariance of factor variances (i.e., structural invariance) indicated at least partial measurement invariance across gender, nativity status, and language format. These findings suggest that the BSI-18 operates in a similar fashion among adults of Mexican descent regardless of nativity status, language format of the survey, and gender. Clinical and practical implications for use of the BSI-18 with Latino populations are discussed

Identification of Conserved Protein Kinase CK2 and 14-3-3 Target Sites In Neurogenic Transcriptional Regulators

In the decades following the identification of CK2 as the first \u27phosphotransferase\u27, a great deal has been learned regarding its biological importance. In one developmental context, CK2 regulates cell fate decisions during Drosophila neurogenesis by activating the E(spl)M8 repressor, a terminal effector of the Notch pathway. The finding that CK2 is intimately involved in retinal cell determination propelled a search for additional neurogenic factors regulated by CK2. Here, using bioinformatics and biochemical assays, the transcription factors E(spl)Mgamma, Extramacrochaetae, and Sine Oculis were identified and characterized as targets of CK2. Significantly, each of these factors is expressed at distinct time points of eye development and thereby adds to the participation of CK2 in neurogenesis. Furthermore, E(spl)M8, -M5, and -M7 phosphorylation studies revealed that specific residues in the C-terminal domain regulate these repressors. However, the sequence motifs present in the aforementioned are variable and not present in all E(spl) members, raising the possibility of divergent regulation. Interestingly, previous experiments suggested that the cofactor 14-3-3 formed complexes with most E(spl) proteins. Bioinformatics and genetic analyses revealed a conserved 14-3-3 interaction motif in E(spl)Mdelta and its mammalian homologs HES1 and HES4. These findings demonstrate a functional diversification among E(spl) repressors through disparate kinases and protein cofactors

Familiality of Auditory Evoked Potentials: Preliminary Investigation of the Auditory Brainstem Response and Late Latency Cortical Response

Twenty-four participants, consisting of six sibling pairs and six non-sibling pairs, participated in this study investigating the familiality of auditory evoked potentials (AEPs). The auditory brainstem response (ABR) recorded at high stimulus rates, revealed that Wave V latency increases, while amplitude decreases as stimulus rate increases. ABR Wave V latency was also found to increase with click position within a stimulus train, plateauing by the third stimulus. No evidence for familiality was found with respect to the ABR Wave V under these conditions. The late latency response (LLR) components N1 and P2 were found to decrease between the first and second stimulus within a stimulus train, with evidence of familiality found in the N1 decrement, as indicated by a higher correlation for siblings. Correlations between the ABR and LLR components were also investigated; for the first tone in a stimulus train, a significant correlation was found between the P2 amplitude and Wave V amplitude for the Sibling group

The Madeleine Choir School (Salt Lake City, Utah): A Contemporary American Choral Foundation

This document chronicles the work of the Madeleine Choir School, founded in 1996 by Gregory Glenn as a ministry of the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City, Utah. The school teaches children in pre-kindergarten through grade eight the choral arts as practiced within the sacred liturgy of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the cathedral setting, offering students the opportunity to participate daily in the Cathedral's Opus Dei, or "work of God." Part I of this document provides a general history of cathedral choir schools in the European tradition, focusing especially on Westminster Cathedral Choir School in London (the model for the Madeleine Choir School), before proceeding to recount the founding and flourishing of the Madeleine Choir School under Gregory Glenn and the cathedral rector and renowned liturgist, Monsignor M. Francis Mannion. Part II focuses on the musical education provided to the cathedral choristers and their work in the Cathedral Choir of the Madeleine. Finally, this document argues for the school as a model for the Christian education of youth

Development of a light-powered microstructure : enhancing thermal actuation with near-infrared absorbent gold nanoparticles.

Development of microscale actuating technologies has considerably added to the toolset for interacting with natural components at the cellular level. Small-scale actuators and switches have potential in areas such as microscale pumping and particle manipulation. Thermal actuation has been used with asymmetric geometry to create large deflections with high force relative to electrostatically driven systems. However, many thermally based techniques require a physical connection for power and operate outside the temperature range conducive for biological studies and medical applications. The work presented here describes the design of an out-of-plane bistable switch that responds to near-infrared light with wavelength-specific response. In contrast to thermal actuating principles that require wired conductive components for Joule heating, the devices shown here are wirelessly powered by near -infrared (IR) light by patterning a wavelength-specific absorbent gold nanoparticle (GNP) film onto the microstructure. An optical window exists which allows near-IR wavelength light to permeate living tissue, and high stress mismatch in the bilayer geometry allows for large actuation at biologically acceptable limits. Patterning the GNP film will allow thermal gradients to be created from a single laser source, and integration of various target wavelengths will allow for microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices with multiple operating modes. An optically induced temperature gradient using wavelength-selective printable or spinnable coatings would provide a versatile method of wireless and non-invasive thermal actuation. This project aims to provide a fundamental understanding of the particle and surface interaction for bioengineering applications based on a “hybrid” of infrared resonant gold nanoparticles and MEMS structures. This hybrid technology has potential applications in light-actuated switches and other mechanical structures. Deposition methods and surface chemistry are integrated with three-dimensional MEMS structures in this work. The long-term goal of this project is a system of light-powered microactuators for exploring cells\u27 response to mechanical stimuli, adding to the fundamental understanding of tissue response to everyday mechanical stresses at the molecular level