A State-Level Analysis of the Great Moderation

A number of studies have documented a reduction in aggregate macroeconomic volatility beginning in the early 1980s. Using an empirical model of business cycles, we extend this line of research to state-level employment data, find significant heterogeneity in the timing and magnitude of the state-level volatility reductions. In fact, some states experience no statistically-significant reduction in volatility. We then exploit this cross-sectional heterogeneity to evaluate three hypotheses about the origin of the aggregate volatility reduction. We show that states with relatively higher manufacturing concentration experience later breaks, a result that tends to contradict improved inventory management and a decline in the volatility of productivity shocks as possible explanations. Our results, then, are more consistent with monetary policy as the origin of the aggregate volatility reductiondisaggregation, volatility reduction, Markov-switching

Roundup 2.0: Enabling Comparative Genomics for over 1800 Genomes

Summary: Roundup is an online database of gene orthologs for over 1800 genomes, including 226 Eukaryota, 1447 Bacteria, 113 Archaea, and 21 Viruses. Orthologs are inferred using the Reciprocal Smallest Distance algorithm. Users may query Roundup for single-linkage clusters of orthologous genes based on any group of genomes. Annotated query results may be viewed in a variety of ways including as clusters of orthologs and as phylogenetic profiles. Genomic results may be downloaded in formats suitable for functional as well as phylogenetic analysis, including the recent OrthoXML standard. In addition, gene IDs can be retrieved using FASTA sequence search. All orthology results and source code are freely available

DISTRIBUTED BROKERAGE OFFICES THROUGH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

This paper describes some novel ways in which Edward D. Jones and Co., a successful brokerage firm with 1650 offices nationwide, uses information technology to pursue a unique market niche: single-broker offices in communities too small to support a traditional, typically much larger, brokerage branch office. The paper focuses on the use of mainframes with "dumb" CRT terminals, rather than workstations or personal computers, to coordinate distributed operational work on a day-to-day basis.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

Autworks: a Cross-Disease Network Biology Application for Autism and Related Disorders

Background: The genetic etiology of autism is heterogeneous. Multiple disorders share genotypic and phenotypic traits with autism. Network based cross-disorder analysis can aid in the understanding and characterization of the molecular pathology of autism, but there are few tools that enable us to conduct cross-disorder analysis and to visualize the results. Description: We have designed Autworks as a web portal to bring together gene interaction and gene-disease association data on autism to enable network construction, visualization, network comparisons with numerous other related neurological conditions and disorders. Users may examine the structure of gene interactions within a set of disorder-associated genes, compare networks of disorder/disease genes with those of other disorders/diseases, and upload their own sets for comparative analysis. Conclusions: Autworks is a web application that provides an easy-to-use resource for researchers of varied backgrounds to analyze the autism gene network structure within and between disorders

Psycho-social factors influencing forest conservation intentions on the agricultural frontier

Remnant forest fragments are critical to conserve biological diversity yet these are lost rapidly in areas under agricultural expansion. Conservation planning and policy require a deeper understanding of the psycho-social factors influencing landholders’ intentions towards conserving forest fragments. We surveyed 89 landholders in an agricultural frontier of the South American Gran Chaco and employed survey data to test three social psychological models: the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and two modified versions of it, one integrated to the Norm Activation Theory (TPB-NAT) and one including the effect of identity (TPB-NAT-Identity). The TPB was the most parsimonious model and explained a large variance of conservation intentions (41%). Social norms and attitudes had the largest direct influence on intentions across the three models, and identity had a significant role in shaping social norms and attitudes. Interventions aimed at building social capital within landholder networks provide the best hope for influencing pro-conservation norms.Fil: Mastrangelo, Matias Enrique. Victoria University of Wellington; Nueva Zelanda. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gavin, Michael C.. Colorado State University; Estados Unidos. Victoria University of Wellington; Nueva ZelandaFil: Laterra, Pedro. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; ArgentinaFil: Linklater, Wayne L.. Victoria University of Wellington; Nueva ZelandaFil: Milfont, Taciano L.. Victoria University of Wellington; Nueva Zeland

Whitebark Pine Stand Condition, Tree Abundance, and Cone Production as Predictors of Visitation by Clark's Nutcracker

Accurately quantifying key interactions between species is important for developing effective recovery strategies for threatened and endangered species. Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), a candidate species for listing under the Endangered Species Act, depends on Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) for seed dispersal. As whitebark pine succumbs to exotic disease and mountain pine beetles (Dendroctonus ponderosae), cone production declines, and nutcrackers visit stands less frequently, reducing the probability of seed dispersal.We quantified whitebark pine forest structure, health metrics, and the frequency of nutcracker occurrence in national parks within the Northern and Central Rocky Mountains in 2008 and 2009. Forest health characteristics varied between the two regions, with the northern region in overall poorer health. Using these data, we show that a previously published model consistently under-predicts the proportion of survey hours resulting in nutcracker observations at all cone density levels. We present a new statistical model of the relationship between whitebark pine cone production and the probability of Clark's nutcracker occurrence based on combining data from this study and the previous study.Our model clarified earlier findings and suggested a lower cone production threshold value for predicting likely visitation by nutcrackers: Although nutcrackers do visit whitebark pine stands with few cones, the probability of visitation increases with increased cone production. We use information theoretics to show that beta regression is a more appropriate statistical framework for modeling the relationship between cone density and proportion of survey time resulting in nutcracker observations. We illustrate how resource managers may apply this model in the process of prioritizing areas for whitebark pine restoration

Septic thrombophlebitis with acute osteomyelitis in adolescent children: a report of two cases and review of the literature

The triad of acute osteomyelitis, deep venous thrombophlebitis, and septic pulmonary embolism is a rare, but life-threatening syndrome in children that requires prompt recognition and treatment. We report two cases of acute osteomyelitis complicated by septic thrombophlebitis and pulmonary emboli. Both patients required operative drainage to remove the septic focus. Recognition of any one component of the triad should prompt a search for the other associated disorders. Aggressive management with early antibiotic administration, anticoagulation, and surgical debridement can be life saving

Towards a global platform for linking soil biodiversity data

Soil biodiversity is immense, with an estimated 10–100 million organisms belonging to over 5000 taxa in a handful of soil. In spite of the importance of soil biodiversity for ecosystem functions and services, information on soil species, from taxonomy to biogeographical patterns, is incomplete and there is no infrastructure to connect pre-existing or future data. Here, we propose a global platform to allow for greater access to soil biodiversity information by linking databases and repositories through a single open portal. The proposed platform would for the first time, link data on soil organisms from different global sites and biomes, and will be inclusive of all data types, from molecular sequences to morphology measurements and other supporting information. Access to soil biodiversity species records and information will be instrumental to progressing scientific research and education. Further, as demonstrated by previous biodiversity synthesis efforts, data availability is key for adapting to, and creating mitigation plans in response to global changes. With the rapid influx of soil biodiversity data, now is the time to take the first steps forward in establishing a global soil biodiversity information platform