4,098 research outputs found
Inferring Population Preferences via Mixtures of Spatial Voting Models
Understanding political phenomena requires measuring the political
preferences of society. We introduce a model based on mixtures of spatial
voting models that infers the underlying distribution of political preferences
of voters with only voting records of the population and political positions of
candidates in an election. Beyond offering a cost-effective alternative to
surveys, this method projects the political preferences of voters and
candidates into a shared latent preference space. This projection allows us to
directly compare the preferences of the two groups, which is desirable for
political science but difficult with traditional survey methods. After
validating the aggregated-level inferences of this model against results of
related work and on simple prediction tasks, we apply the model to better
understand the phenomenon of political polarization in the Texas, New York, and
Ohio electorates. Taken at face value, inferences drawn from our model indicate
that the electorates in these states may be less bimodal than the distribution
of candidates, but that the electorates are comparatively more extreme in their
variance. We conclude with a discussion of limitations of our method and
potential future directions for research.Comment: To be published in the 8th International Conference on Social
Informatics (SocInfo) 201
In Vivo Analysis of Trypanosoma cruzi Persistence Foci at Single-Cell Resolution
Infections with Trypanosoma cruzi are usually lifelong despite generating a strong adaptive immune response. Identifying the sites of parasite persistence is therefore crucial to understanding how T. cruzi avoids immune-mediated destruction. However, this is a major technical challenge, because the parasite burden during chronic infections is extremely low. Here, we describe an integrated approach involving comprehensive tissue processing, ex vivo imaging, and confocal microscopy, which allowed us to visualize infected host cells in murine tissue with exquisite sensitivity. Using bioluminescence-guided tissue sampling, with a detection level of 200 parasites, which we term mega-nests. In contrast, during the acute stage, when the total parasite burden is considerably higher and many cells are infected, nests containing >50 parasites are rarely found. In C3H/HeN mice, but not BALB/c mice, we identified skeletal muscle as a major site of persistence during the chronic stage, with most parasites being found in large mega-nests within the muscle fibers. Finally, we report that parasites are also frequently found in the skin during chronic murine infections, often in multiple infection foci. In addition to being a site of parasite persistence, this anatomical reservoir could play an important role in insect-mediated transmission and have implications for drug development.IMPORTANCETrypanosoma cruzi causes Chagas disease, the most important parasitic infection in Latin America. Major pathologies include severe damage to the heart and digestive tract, although symptoms do not usually appear until decades after infection. Research has been hampered by the complex nature of the disease and technical difficulties in locating the extremely low number of parasites. Here, using highly sensitive imaging technology, we reveal the sites of parasite persistence during chronic-stage infections of experimental mice at single-cell resolution. We show that parasites are frequently located in smooth muscle cells in the circular muscle layer of the colon and that skeletal muscle cells and the skin can also be important reservoirs. This information provides a framework for investigating how the parasite is able to survive as a lifelong infection, despite a vigorous immune response. It also informs drug development strategies by identifying tissue sites that must be accessed to achieve a curative outcome
External sources of clean technology: evidence from the clean development mechanism
New technology is fundamental to sustainable development. However, inventors from industrialized countries often refuse technology transfer because they worry about reverse-engineering. When can clean technology transfer succeed? We develop a formal model of the political economy of North–South technology transfer. According to the model, technology transfer is possible if (1) the technology in focus has limited global commercial potential or (2) the host developing country does not have the capacity to absorb new technologies for commercial use. If both conditions fail, inventors from industrialized countries worry about the adverse competitiveness effects of reverse-engineering, so technology transfer fails. Data analysis of technology transfer in 4,894 projects implemented under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism during the 2004–2010 period provides evidence in support of the model
Facet- and Gas-Dependent Reshaping of Au Nanoplates by Plasma Treatment.
The reshaping of metal nanocrystals on substrates is usually realized by pulsed laser irradiation or ion-beam milling with complex procedures. In this work, we demonstrate a simple method for reshaping immobilized Au nanoplates through plasma treatment. Au nanoplates can be reshaped gradually with nearly periodic right pyramid arrays formed on the surface of the nanoplates. The gaseous environment in the plasma-treatment system plays a significant role in the reshaping process with only nitrogen-containing environments leading to reshaping. The reshaping phenomenon is facet-dependent, with right pyramids formed only on the exposed {111} facets of the Au nanoplates. The morphological change of the Au nanoplates induced by the plasma treatment leads to large plasmon peak redshifts. The reshaped Au nanoplates possess slightly higher refractive index sensitivities and largely increased surface-enhanced Raman scattering intensities compared to the flat, untreated nanoplates. Our results offer insights for studying the interaction mechanism between plasma and the different facets of noble metal nanocrystals and an approach for reshaping light-interacting noble metal nanocrystals
Sexual Size Dimorphism and Body Condition in the Australasian Gannet
Funding: The research was financially supported by the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment. Acknowledgments We thank the Victorian Marine Science Consortium, Sea All Dolphin Swim, Parks Victoria, and the Point Danger Management Committee for logistical support. We are grateful for the assistance of the many field volunteers involved in the study.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Spectral variability of quasars from multi-epoch photometric data in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe 82
We present a new approach to analysing the dependence of quasar variability
on rest-frame wavelengths. We exploited the spectral archive of the Sloan
Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to create a sample of more than 9000 quasars in the
Stripe 82. The quasar catalogue was matched with the Light Motion Curve
Catalogue for SDSS Stripe 82 and individual first-order structure functions
were computed. The structure functions are used to create a variability
indicator that is related to the same intrinsic timescales for all quasars (1
to 2 yr in the rest frame). We study the variability ratios for adjacent SDSS
filter bands as a function of redshift. While variability is almost always
stronger in the bluer passband compared to the redder, the variability ratio
depends on whether strong emission lines contribute to either one band or the
other. The variability ratio-redshift relations resemble the corresponding
colour index-redshift relations. From the comparison with Monte Carlo
simulations of variable quasar spectra we find that the observed variability
ratio-redshift relations are closely fitted assuming that (a) the r.m.s.
fluctuation of the quasar continuum follows a power law-dependence on the
intrinsic wavelength with an exponent -2 (i.e., bluer when brighter) and (b)
the variability of the emission line flux is only about 10% of that of the
underlying continuum. These results, based upon the photometry of more than
8000 quasars, confirm the previous findings by Wilhite et al. (2005) from 315
quasars with repeated SDSS spectroscopy. Finally, we find that quasars with
unusual spectra and weak emission lines tend to have less variability than
conventional quasars. This trend is opposite to what is expected from the
dilution effect of variability due to line emission and may be indicative of
high Eddington ratios in these unconventinal quasars.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic
Electronic correlations in the iron pnictides
In correlated metals derived from Mott insulators, the motion of an electron
is impeded by Coulomb repulsion due to other electrons. This phenomenon causes
a substantial reduction in the electron's kinetic energy leading to remarkable
experimental manifestations in optical spectroscopy. The high-Tc
superconducting cuprates are perhaps the most studied examples of such
correlated metals. The occurrence of high-Tc superconductivity in the iron
pnictides puts a spotlight on the relevance of correlation effects in these
materials. Here we present an infrared and optical study on single crystals of
the iron pnictide superconductor LaFePO. We find clear evidence of electronic
correlations in metallic LaFePO with the kinetic energy of the electrons
reduced to half of that predicted by band theory of nearly free electrons.
Hallmarks of strong electronic many-body effects reported here are important
because the iron pnictides expose a new pathway towards a correlated electron
state that does not explicitly involve the Mott transition.Comment: 10 page
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