Role Based Hedonic Games

In the hedonic coalition formation game model Roles Based Hedonic Games (RBHG), agents view teams as compositions of available roles. An agent\u27s utility for a partition is based upon which role she fulfills within the coalition and which additional roles are being fulfilled within the coalition. I consider optimization and stability problems for settings with variable power on the part of the central authority and on the part of the agents. I prove several of these problems to be NP-complete or coNP-complete. I introduce heuristic methods for approximating solutions for a variety of these hard problems. I validate heuristics on real-world data scraped from League of Legends games

Use of Headed Bars as Shear Reinforcement

Thirty-nine beams with a shear span-to-depth ratio of 3 were tested with the goal of determining whether headed deformed bars can be used in reinforced concrete members in place of stirrups as shear reinforcement as well as whether shear reinforcement with yield strengths up to 80 ksi [550 MPa] may be used without problems related to strength or serviceability. Grade 60 and Grade 80 [Grade 420 and Grade 550] No. 3, No. 4, and No. 6 [No. 10, No. 13, and No. 16] headed bars and stirrups were used as transverse reinforcement, and were spaced between onequarter and one-half of the member effective depth. The shear strength of members reinforced with U stirrups and crossties was compared with the strength of matching specimens reinforced with headed bars as shear reinforcement. Stirrups were anchored around longitudinal bars, as required by ACI 318-14. Headed bars were anchored using one of three details: (1) engaged with longitudinal bars, that is, with the bearing face of the head in contact with a longitudinal bar; (2) not engaged with longitudinal reinforcement, with the headed bar outside of the longitudinal reinforcement and close to the side of the member; and (3) not engaged with longitudinal reinforcement, with the headed bar inside of the longitudinal reinforcement and at least 4 in. from the side of the member. Member depths ranged from 12 to 48 in. [310 to 1220 mm] with widths of 24 and 42 in. [620 and 1070 mm]. Test specimens were designed to represent beams, walls, and mat foundations. Modifications to the ACI 318-14 Code are proposed, which will in turn impact the design of nuclear power plants worldwide through changes in ACI 349-13 and ACI 359-13. The results show that members with adequately anchored headed deformed bars have shear strengths that are equivalent to members with stirrups. Adequate anchorage of headed bars is provided by (1) direct contact between the bearing face of the head with longitudinal reinforcement or (2) placing the headed bars inside at least one longitudinal bar and providing side concrete cover to the headed bar of at least five headed bar diameters. Placing headed bars outside of longitudinal reinforcement and close to the side of a member may result in reduced shear strength. Grade 80 [Grade 550] shear reinforcement provides the same strength and similar serviceability as Grade 60 [Grade 420] shear reinforcement. Shear crack widths increase with beam depth.Electric Power Research InstituteCommercial Metals CompanyGerdau CorporationHeaded Reinforcement Corp.LENTON® products from Pentair®MMFX Technologies CorporationNucor CorporationDayton SuperiorMidwest Concrete Material

Big Genomes Facilitate the Comparative Identification of Regulatory Elements

The identification of regulatory sequences in animal genomes remains a significant challenge. Comparative genomic methods that use patterns of evolutionary conservation to identify non-coding sequences with regulatory function have yielded many new vertebrate enhancers. However, these methods have not contributed significantly to the identification of regulatory sequences in sequenced invertebrate taxa. We demonstrate here that this differential success, which is often attributed to fundamental differences in the nature of vertebrate and invertebrate regulatory sequences, is instead primarily a product of the relatively small size of sequenced invertebrate genomes. We sequenced and compared loci involved in early embryonic patterning from four species of true fruit flies (family Tephritidae) that have genomes four to six times larger than those of Drosophila melanogaster. Unlike in Drosophila, where virtually all non-coding DNA is highly conserved, blocks of conserved non-coding sequence in tephritids are flanked by large stretches of poorly conserved sequence, similar to what is observed in vertebrate genomes. We tested the activities of nine conserved non-coding sequences flanking the even-skipped gene of the teprhitid Ceratis capitata in transgenic D. melanogaster embryos, six of which drove patterns that recapitulate those of known D. melanogaster enhancers. In contrast, none of the three non-conserved tephritid non-coding sequences that we tested drove expression in D. melanogaster embryos. Based on the landscape of non-coding conservation in tephritids, and our initial success in using conservation in tephritids to identify D. melanogaster regulatory sequences, we suggest that comparison of tephritid genomes may provide a systematic means to annotate the non-coding portion of the D. melanogaster genome. We also propose that large genomes be given more consideration in the selection of species for comparative genomics projects, to provide increased power to detect functional non-coding DNAs and to provide a less biased view of the evolution and function of animal genomes

Genome-Wide Tissue-Specific Occupancy of the Hox Protein Ultrabithorax and Hox Cofactor Homothorax in Drosophila

The Hox genes are responsible for generating morphological diversity along the anterior-posterior axis during animal development. The Drosophila Hox gene Ultrabithorax (Ubx), for example, is required for specifying the identity of the third thoracic (T3) segment of the adult, which includes the dorsal haltere, an appendage required for flight, and the ventral T3 leg. Ubx mutants show homeotic transformations of the T3 leg towards the identity of the T2 leg and the haltere towards the wing. All Hox genes, including Ubx, encode homeodomain containing transcription factors, raising the question of what target genes Ubx regulates to generate these adult structures. To address this question, we carried out whole genome ChIP-chip studies to identify all of the Ubx bound regions in the haltere and T3 leg imaginal discs, which are the precursors to these adult structures. In addition, we used ChIP-chip to identify the sites bound by the Hox cofactor, Homothorax (Hth). In contrast to previous ChIP-chip studies carried out in Drosophila embryos, these binding studies reveal that there is a remarkable amount of tissue- and transcription factor-specific binding. Analyses of the putative target genes bound and regulated by these factors suggest that Ubx regulates many downstream transcription factors and developmental pathways in the haltere and T3 leg. Finally, we discovered additional DNA sequence motifs that in some cases are specific for individual data sets, arguing that Ubx and/or Hth work together with many regionally expressed transcription factors to execute their functions. Together, these data provide the first whole-genome analysis of the binding sites and target genes regulated by Ubx to specify the morphologies of the adult T3 segment of the fly

Evaluation of the Factors That Impact the Perception of Online Content Trustworthiness by Income, Political Affiliation and Online Usage Time

Intentionally deceptive online content represents a significant issue for society. Multiple techniques have been proposed to identify and combat its spread. To understand how to inform individuals most effectively about the potential biases of and other issues with content, this article studies factors that impact the perception of online content. Specifically, it looks at how these factors have similar or different impact depending on the income level, political affiliation and online usage time of Americans. A national survey was conducted that asked respondents about multiple factors that influence their and others’ perception of online content trustworthiness. It also asked what the ideal impact of these factors should be. This data is presented and analyzed herein, conclusions are drawn and their implications, with regard to preventing the spread of deceptive online content, are discussed

Analysis of the Impact of Age, Education and Gender on Individuals’ Perception of Label Efficacy for Online Content

Online content is consumed by most Americans and is a primary source of their news information. It impacts millions’ perception of the world around them. Problematically, individuals who seek to deceive or manipulate the public can use targeted online content to do so and this content is readily consumed and believed by many. The use of labeling as a way to alert consumers of potential deceptive content has been proposed. This paper looks at factors which impact its perceived trustworthiness and, thus, potential use by Americans and analyzes these factors based on age, education level and gender. This analysis shows that, while labeling and all label types enjoy broad support, the level of support and uncertainty about labeling varies by age and education level with different labels outperforming for given age and education levels. Gender, alternately, was not shown to have a tremendous impact on respondents’ perspectives regarding labeling; however, females where shown to support labeling more, on average, but also report more uncertainty

Analysis of the Impact of Age, Education and Gender on Individuals’ Perception of Label Efficacy for Online Content

Online content is consumed by most Americans and is a primary source of their news information. It impacts millions’ perception of the world around them. Problematically, individuals who seek to deceive or manipulate the public can use targeted online content to do so and this content is readily consumed and believed by many. The use of labeling as a way to alert consumers of potential deceptive content has been proposed. This paper looks at factors which impact its perceived trustworthiness and, thus, potential use by Americans and analyzes these factors based on age, education level and gender. This analysis shows that, while labeling and all label types enjoy broad support, the level of support and uncertainty about labeling varies by age and education level with different labels outperforming for given age and education levels. Gender, alternately, was not shown to have a tremendous impact on respondents’ perspectives regarding labeling; however, females where shown to support labeling more, on average, but also report more uncertainty

Assessment of Consumer Perception of Online Content Label Efficacy by Income Level, Party Affiliation and Online Use Levels

Deceptive online content represents a potentially severe threat to society. This content has shown to have the capability to manipulate individuals’ beliefs, voting and activities. It is a demonstrably effective way for foreign adversaries to create domestic strife in open societies. It is also, by virtue of the magnitude of content, very difficult to combat. Solutions ranging from censorship to inaction have been proposed. One solution that has been suggested is labeling content to indicate its accuracy or characteristics. This would provide an indication or even warning regarding content that may be deceptive in nature, helping content consumers make informed decisions. If successful, this approach would avoid limitations on content creators’ freedom of speech while also mitigating the problems caused by deceptive content. To determine whether this approach could be effective, this paper presents the results of a national survey aimed at understanding how content labeling impacts online content consumption decision making. To ascertain the impact of potential labeling techniques on different portions of the population, it analyzes labels’ efficacy in terms of income level, political party affiliation and online usage time. This, thus, facilitates determining whether the labeling may be effective and also aids in understating whether its effectiveness may vary by demographic group