Applications of Flow Network Models in Finance

In this thesis we explore the applications of flow networks in practical problems in finance. After introducing basic definitions and background information, we first survey some known applications of flow networks in theoretical mathematics. We also briefly comment on their potential applications in the setting of financial flow networks. We then construct networks from practical financial flows and present the construction, reasoning, and known applications. Lastly, we show a design of financial flow networks that takes time into consideration and discuss its applications

Efficient Representation of Numerical Optimization Problems for SNARKs

This paper introduces Otti, a general-purpose compiler for (zk)SNARKs that provides support for numerical optimization problems. Otti produces efficient arithmetizations of programs that contain optimization problems including linear programming (LP), semi-definite programming (SDP), and a broad class of stochastic gradient descent (SGD) instances. Numerical optimization is a fundamental algorithmic building block: applications include scheduling and resource allocation tasks, approximations to NP-hard problems, and training of neural networks. Otti takes as input arbitrary programs written in a subset of C that contain optimization problems specified via an easy-to-use API. Otti then automatically produces rank-1 constraint satisfiability (R1CS) instances that express a succinct transformation of those programs. Correct execution of the transformed program implies the optimality of the solution to the original optimization problem. Our evaluation on real benchmarks shows that Otti, instantiated with the Spartan proof system, can prove the optimality of solutions in zero-knowledge in as little as 100 ms---over 4 orders of magnitude faster than existing approache

Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating the Prime Time Sister Circles (PTSC) Program\u27s Impact on Hypertension among Midlife African American Women

Background The Prime-Time Sister Circles® (PTSC) program is a multifaceted, community-based peer support intervention targeting African American women who are 40 to 75 years of age. It aims to reduce hypertension disparities observed among African American women by promoting adherence to antihypertensive therapies, including lifestyle modification and therapeutic regimens. Methods The PTSC randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effectiveness of the PTSC Program on improved blood pressure control, healthcare utilization attributed to cardiovascular events, and healthcare costs. The study began in 2016 and will end in 2022. African American women who are 40–75 years old, have been diagnosed with hypertension, reside in Washington, D.C. or Baltimore, Maryland, and receive their care from Unity Health Care, a federally qualified health center in Washington, D.C., or Baltimore Medical System, a federally qualified health center in Baltimore, Maryland, are eligible to participate. Those randomized to the intervention group participate in the PTSC Program, which spans 13 weeks and comprises facilitator-led discussions, didactic training about hypertension management, and peer-based problem-solving concerning CVD risk factors and their amelioration. Blood pressure, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, self-reported adherence, physical activity, dietary practices, stress, and healthcare utilization data are collected at baseline, 13 weeks (end of the intervention), 9 months (months post-intervention), and 15 months (one year after the intervention). Healthcare costs will be computed at the end of the study. The study’s design is reported in the present manuscript, wherein we employed the SPIRIT checklist to guide its construction. Discussion Disparities in hypertension prevalence and management observed among mid-life African American women exist as a result of a confluence of structural determinants of health. Consequently, there is a need to develop, implement, and evaluate culturally appropriate and relevant interventions that are tailored to their lived experiences. The PTSC Trial aims to assess the impact of the program on participants’ cardiovascular, psychosocial, and cost outcomes. Its results have implications for advancing the science of designing and implementing culturally relevant interventions for African American women. Trial registration Unique identifier: NCT04371614. Retrospectively registered on April 30, 2020

The Current State of Performance Appraisal Research and Practice: Concerns, Directions, and Implications

On the surface, it is not readily apparent how some performance appraisal research issues inform performance appraisal practice. Because performance appraisal is an applied topic, it is useful to periodically consider the current state of performance research and its relation to performance appraisal practice. This review examines the performance appraisal literature published in both academic and practitioner outlets between 1985 and 1990, briefly discusses the current state of performance appraisal practice, highlights the juxtaposition of research and practice, and suggests directions for further research

Mesoscale physical–biological–biogeochemical linkages in the open ocean : an introduction to the results of the E-Flux and EDDIES programs

Author Posting. © Elsevier B.V., 2008. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 55 (2008): 1133-1138, doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2008.03.001.Mesoscale currents, fronts, and eddies are ubiquitous and energetic features of ocean circulation. These phenomena, sometimes referred to as the “internal weather of the sea,” accommodate a diverse set of physical, chemical, and biological interactions that influence marine biogeochemistry on a wide range of timescales. These biogeochemical processes include the “biological pump”, i.e. the transfer or flux of biologically produced organic matter and associated elements from the surface ocean to depth (Ducklow et al., 2001; Volk and Hoffert, 1985). Within ~ 80% of the world’s oceans, the productivity and species composition of the autotrophic organisms that contribute to the biological pump are typically limited by major nutrients (e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus, and silica), or trace metals (e.g. iron). Primary production in such oligotrophic regions therefore depends mostly on intense recycling of nutrients within the surface sunlit waters, with only a small fraction supported by that entering from the atmosphere, or from the physical transport of nutrients from nutrient-rich deep waters below. Evidence that mesoscale and submesoscale phenomena play a role in the latter process dates back more than two decades (Angel and Fasham, 1983; Franks et al., 1986; Ring Group, 1981; Tranter et al., 1980; Venrick, 1990; Woods, 1988).E-Flux and EDDIES were supported by the National Science Foundation Chemical, Biological, and Physical Oceanography Programs. Additional support for the EDDIES project was provided by NASA

Twelve experiments in restorative justice: the Jerry Lee program of randomized trials of restorative justice conferences

We conducted and measured outcomes from the Jerry Lee Program of 12 randomized trials over two decades in Australia and the United Kingdom (UK), testing an identical method of restorative justice taught by the same trainers to hundreds of police officers and others who delivered it to 2231 offenders and 1179 victims in 1995–2004. The article provides a review of the scientific progress and policy effects of the program, as described in 75 publications and papers arising from it, including previously unpublished results of our ongoing analyses

Reversing age: Dual species measurement of epigenetic age with a single clock

Young blood plasma is known to confer beneficial effects on various organs in mice. However, it was not known whether young plasma rejuvenates cells and tissues at the epigenetic level; whether it alters the epigenetic clock, which is a highly-accurate molecular biomarker of aging. To address this question, we developed and validated six different epigenetic clocks for rat tissues that are based on DNA methylation values derived from n=593 tissue samples. As indicated by their respective names, the rat pan-tissue clock can be applied to DNA methylation profiles from all rat tissues, while the rat brain-, liver-, and blood clocks apply to the corresponding tissue types. We also developed two epigenetic clocks that apply to both human and rat tissues by adding n=850 human tissue samples to the training data. We employed these six clocks to investigate the rejuvenation effects of a plasma fraction treatment in different rat tissues. The treatment more than halved the epigenetic ages of blood, heart, and liver tissue. A less pronounced, but statistically significant, rejuvenation effect could be observed in the hypothalamus. The treatment was accompanied by progressive improvement in the function of these organs as ascertained through numerous biochemical/physiological biomarkers and behavioral responses to assess cognitive functions. Cellular senescence, which is not associated with epigenetic aging, was also considerably reduced in vital organs. Overall, this study demonstrates that a plasma-derived treatment markedly reverses aging according to epigenetic clocks and benchmark biomarkers of aging.Fil: Horvath, Steve. University of California at Los Angeles; Estados UnidosFil: Singh, Kavita. NMIMS University; IndiaFil: Raj, Ken. Public Health England; Reino UnidoFil: Khairnar, Shraddha. NMIMS University; IndiaFil: Sanghav, Akshay. Nugenics Research Pvt Ltd; IndiaFil: Shrivastava, Agnivesh. Nugenics Research Pvt Ltd; IndiaFil: Zoller, Joseph A.. University of California at Los Angeles; Estados UnidosFil: Li, Caesar Z.. University of California at Los Angeles; Estados UnidosFil: Hereñú, Claudia Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Canatelli Mallat, Martina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner"; ArgentinaFil: Lehmann, Marianne. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner"; ArgentinaFil: Solberg Woods, Leah C.. Wake Forest University School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Garcia Martinez, Angel. University of Tennessee; Estados UnidosFil: Wang, Tengfei. University of Tennessee; Estados UnidosFil: Chiavellini, Priscila. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner"; ArgentinaFil: Levine, Andrew J.. University of California at Los Angeles; Estados UnidosFil: Chen, Hao. University of Tennessee; Estados UnidosFil: Goya, Rodolfo Gustavo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner"; ArgentinaFil: Katcher, Harold L.. Nugenics Research Pvt Ltd; Indi

Twelve experiments in restorative justice: the Jerry Lee program of randomized trials of restorative justice conferences

Objectives: We conducted and measured outcomes from the Jerry Lee Program of 12 randomized trials over two decades in Australia and the United Kingdom (UK), testing an identical method of restorative justice taught by the same trainers to hundreds of police officers and others who delivered it to 2231 offenders and 1179 victims in 1995–2004. The article provides a review of the scientific progress and policy effects of the program, as described in 75 publications and papers arising from it, including previously unpublished results of our ongoing analyses. Methods: After random assignment in four Australian tests diverting criminal or juvenile cases from prosecution to restorative justice conferences (RJCs), and eight UK tests of supplementing criminal or juvenile proceedings with RJCs, we followed intention-to-treat group differences between offenders for up to 18 years, and for victims up to 10 years. Results: We distil and modify prior research reports into 18 updated evidence-based conclusions about the effects of RJCs on both victims and offenders. Initial reductions in repeat offending among offenders assigned to RJCs (compared to controls) were found in 10 of our 12 tests. Nine of the ten successes were for crimes with personal victims who participated in the RJCs, with clear benefits in both short- and long-term measures, including less prevalence of post-traumatic stress symptoms. Moderator effects across and within experiments showed that RJCs work best for the most frequent and serious offenders for repeat offending outcomes, with other clear moderator effects for poly-drug use and offense seriousness. Conclusions: RJ conferences organized and led (most often) by specially-trained police produced substantial short-term, and some long-term, benefits for both crime victims and their offenders, across a range of offense types and stages of the criminal justice processes on two continents, but with important moderator effects. These conclusions are made possible by testing a new kind of justice on a programmatic basis that would allow prospective meta-analysis, rather than doing one experiment at a time. This finding provides evidence that funding agencies could get far more evidence for the same cost from programs of identical, but multiple, RCTs of the identical innovative methods, rather than funding one RCT at a time

The effects of stimulants and depressants on cocaine self-administration behavior in the Rhesus monkey

The effects of acute intramuscular pretreatment with several dosages of a variety of centrally acting compounds on intravenous cocaine self-administration behavior were ascertained. Pretreatment with morphine and pentobarbital produced no change in this behavior until dosages (2.0 mg/kg and 15.0 mg/kg respectively) were administered which grossly depressed grooming, exploratory, and locomotor activity behaviors, d -amphetamine (0.5–4.0 mg/kg) and phenmetrazine (2.0–12.0 mg/kg) pretreatment produced a dose-related decrease in cocaine self-administration. Trifluoperazine in dosages of 0.01–0.1 mg/kg increased the frequency of this behavior; whereas, higher dosages (0.2, 0.4 mg/kg) grossly depressed behavior. Imipramine (10–50 mg/kg) produced a dose-related decrease in cocaine self-administration. Potential mechanisms of these drug—behavior and drug—drug interactions are discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46388/1/213_2004_Article_BF00421274.pd