Berlin : J.W. Boike, 1828-49.

Graphical models are commonly used to represent conditional dependence relationships between variables. There are multiple methods available for exploring them from high-dimensional data, but almost all of them rely on the assumption that the observations are independent and identically distributed. At the same time, observations connected by a network are becoming increasingly common, and tend to violate these assumptions. Here we develop a Gaussian graphical model for observations connected by a network with potentially different mean vectors, varying smoothly over the network. We propose an efficient estimation algorithm and demonstrate its effectiveness on both simulated and real data, obtaining meaningful and interpretable results on a statistics coauthorship network. We also prove that our method estimates both the inverse covariance matrix and the corresponding graph structure correctly under the assumption of network “cohesion”, which refers to the empirically observed phenomenon of network neighbors sharing similar traits.

Peng Shi, Zifeng Zhao.

Source: The Annals of Applied Statistics, Volume 14, Number 1, 357--380.

Abstract:
In actuarial research a task of particular interest and importance is to predict the loss cost for individual risks so that informative decisions are made in various insurance operations such as underwriting, ratemaking and capital management. The loss cost is typically viewed to follow a compound distribution where the summation of the severity variables is stopped by the frequency variable. A challenging issue in modeling such outcomes is to accommodate the potential dependence between the number of claims and the size of each individual claim. In this article we introduce a novel regression framework for compound distributions that uses a copula to accommodate the association between the frequency and the severity variables and, thus, allows for arbitrary dependence between the two components. We further show that the new model is very flexible and is easily modified to account for incomplete data due to censoring or truncation. The flexibility of the proposed model is illustrated using both simulated and real data sets. In the analysis of granular claims data from property insurance, we find substantive negative relationship between the number and the size of insurance claims. In addition, we demonstrate that ignoring the frequency-severity association could lead to biased decision-making in insurance operations.

Huiping Xu, Xiaochun Li, Changyu Shen, Siu L. Hui, Shaun Grannis.

Source: The Annals of Applied Statistics, Volume 13, Number 3, 1753--1790.

Abstract:
The conditional independence assumption of the Felligi and Sunter (FS) model in probabilistic record linkage is often violated when matching real-world data. Ignoring conditional dependence has been shown to seriously bias parameter estimates. However, in record linkage, the ultimate goal is to inform the match status of record pairs and therefore, record linkage algorithms should be evaluated in terms of matching accuracy. In the literature, more flexible models have been proposed to relax the conditional independence assumption, but few studies have assessed whether such accommodations improve matching accuracy. In this paper, we show that incorporating the conditional dependence appropriately yields comparable or improved matching accuracy than the FS model using three real-world data linkage examples. Through a simulation study, we further investigate when conditional dependence models provide improved matching accuracy. Our study shows that the FS model is generally robust to the conditional independence assumption and provides comparable matching accuracy as the more complex conditional dependence models. However, when the match prevalence approaches 0% or 100% and conditional dependence exists in the dominating class, it is necessary to address conditional dependence as the FS model produces suboptimal matching accuracy. The need to address conditional dependence becomes less important when highly discriminating fields are used. Our simulation study also shows that conditional dependence models with misspecified dependence structure could produce less accurate record matching than the FS model and therefore we caution against the blind use of conditional dependence models.

Three children have now died in New York state from a possible complication from the coronavirus involving swollen blood vessels and heart problems, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday. At least 73 children in New York have been diagnosed with symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease — a rare inflammatory condition in children — and toxic shock syndrome.

Nestin, an intermediate filament protein widely used as a marker of neural progenitors, was recently found to be expressed transiently in developing cortical neurons in culture and in developing mouse cortex. In young cortical cultures, nestin regulates axonal growth cone morphology. In addition, nestin, which is known to bind the neuronal cdk5/p35 kinase, affects responses to axon guidance cues upstream of cdk5, specifically, to Sema3a. Changes in growth cone morphology require rearrangements of cytoskeletal networks, and changes in microtubules and actin filaments are well studied. In contrast, the roles of intermediate filament proteins in this process are poorly understood, even in cultured neurons. Here, we investigate the molecular mechanism by which nestin affects growth cone morphology and Sema3a sensitivity. We find that nestin selectively facilitates the phosphorylation of the lissencephaly-linked protein doublecortin (DCX) by cdk5/p35, but the phosphorylation of other cdk5 substrates is not affected by nestin. We uncover that this substrate selectivity is based on the ability of nestin to interact with DCX, but not with other cdk5 substrates. Nestin thus creates a selective scaffold for DCX with activated cdk5/p35. Last, we use cortical cultures derived from Dcx KO mice to show that the effects of nestin on growth cone morphology and on Sema3a sensitivity are DCX-dependent, thus suggesting a functional role for the DCX-nestin complex in neurons. We propose that nestin changes growth cone behavior by regulating the intracellular kinase signaling environment in developing neurons. The sex of animal subjects is unknown.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Nestin, an intermediate filament protein highly expressed in neural progenitors, was recently identified in developing neurons where it regulates growth cone morphology and responsiveness to the guidance cue Sema3a. Changes in growth cone morphology require rearrangements of cytoskeletal networks, but the roles of intermediate filaments in this process are poorly understood. We now report that nestin selectively facilitates phosphorylation of the lissencephaly-linked doublecortin (DCX) by cdk5/p35, but the phosphorylation of other cdk5 substrates is not affected. This substrate selectivity is based on preferential scaffolding of DCX, cdk5, and p35 by nestin. Additionally, we demonstrate a functional role for the DCX-nestin complex in neurons. We propose that nestin changes growth cone behavior by regulating intracellular kinase signaling in developing neurons.

The Porcupine Health Unit is reporting the fifth COVID-19 related death in its area.

A former miner who was forced to breathe in a fine aluminum dust before each shift says he’s not surprised a new report links that dust and a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease.

P.E.I.'s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison says the powerful and potentially deadly drug fentanyl has been found in street drugs in the province.

TransLink is suspending the service reductions it planned for later this month and is rescinding layoff notices to around 1,500 employees.

The bonspiel took place in Edmonton March 11-14, starting the same day COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic.

Bank of England Working Papers by Cristiano Cantore, Filippo Ferroni and Miguel León-Ledesma

WHEN Malian quartet Songhoy Blues performed at last year's Celtic Connections, audiences were treated to a form of music appealingly dubbed “desert blues”. A user-friendly term, it sounds like it could have been dreamed up by a marketing agency and applied equally well to a perfume, a brand of jeans or a chain of upmarket Tex-Mex restaurants.

In this country, where the dank, grim days of winter are as short as a resigned sigh, the onset of some decent, dry spring weather doesn’t half raise the morale. Well, it would if the coronavirus wasn’t lurking all over the parish.

THE Scottish Government has been formally approached by Swedish architects proposing that a bridge to Northern Ireland can be built ... and combined with 140 wind turbines to power hundreds of thousands of homes.

Marc Tucker explores why and how U.S. teacher education is holding our teachers, the profession and our schools back.

Building off of his piece last week, Marc Tucker looks at how the economics of higher education and lacking state governance combine to weaken schools of education.

Pertussis is a poorly controlled vaccine-preventable disease. Verifying outbreaks is challenging owing to nonspecific clinical presentations and imperfect diagnostic tests. Exclusive reliance on highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction has been associated with pseudo-outbreaks.

Contamination of specimens with vaccine derived Bordetella pertussis DNA from pediatric clinic surfaces likely resulted in misdiagnoses. Standard practices, liquid transport medium, and lack of polymerase chain reaction cutoffs for discerning weakly positive (contaminant) DNA are contributory, but modifiable factors. (Read the full article)

Evaluating for elevations in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is a common screening test for the presence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is less common among non-Hispanic blacks. Better predictors of NAFLD are needed to identify individuals in most need of screening.

Relative to other ethnicities, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance performed poorly at identifying non-Hispanic black adolescents with ALT elevations. The presence of metabolic syndrome may therefore not be an adequate trigger for NAFLD screening. Triglyceride elevations performed similarly between groups in identifying ALT elevations. (Read the full article)

Frequency of influenza vaccination is low, partially because of missed opportunities to vaccinate. Barriers to implementing successful influenza vaccination reminders in the electronic health record include alert fatigue and incomplete vaccination information due to scattered records.

A noninterruptive, immunization information system–linked influenza vaccination reminder can increase vaccination late in the winter when fewer vaccine doses are usually administered. Tailoring the reminder to clinicians’ needs can increase its use. (Read the full article)

Government went to war against Covid-19 with very low supplies in citizen trust and financial reserves, says Solly Moeng.

Amazon is offering up to 30 percent off Acer laptops, desktops, and monitors. Plus, you can save $930 on the 65-inch Vizio P-Series Quantum X 4K TV.

The TP-Link Archer AX6000 is an 802.11ax router that delivers relatively fast throughput speeds and packs a lot of tech into its sizable frame. Just note that it's not yet Wi-Fi 6 certified.

Usually priced at $79.99, it's available now for just $51.99.

The D-Link EXO AC3000 is a tri-band router that delivered speedy throughput in our tests and offers solid parental controls, malware protection, and mesh technology.

The Los Angeles school district wants to pay teachers based on how much they improve their students' scores on standardized tests, an idea that has provoked a negative reaction from the teachers' union.

During OM France’s last LinkUp, an interdenominational event for all teens and young adults in the Nantes region, OMers focused on the theme of sexuality.

The JBL Link Portable speaker offers Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity along with AirPlay 2, Chromecast, and hands-free Google Assistant support in a waterproof design with solid audio performance for its size.

Valve may have discontinued the hardware, but you can still can use the Steam Link app on your Raspberry Pi system to stream games to your TV or anywhere else.

"Reshaping rural schools in the Northwest Region: Lessons from federal School Improvement Grant implementation" was written by Caitlin Scott and Nora Ostler at the Regional Education Laboratory At Education Northwest, and prepared for the Institute of Education Sciences.

Governor Jack Markell, Delaware State Housing Authority, and their partners are pleased to announce the launch of a free housing locator website providing information about rental housing across the First State.

Governor Markell and the Delaware State Housing Authority announced the launch of a free housing locator website providing information about rental housing across the First State.

The D-Link DCH-S161 Wi-Fi Water Sensor will let you know if your sink, water heater, or washing machine has sprung a leak and will trigger other smart devices to help prevent flooding and other damage.

Poor diet is a major cause behind the COVID-19 deaths and the Indians must urgently cut down on ultra-processed food to build resilience against the deadly virus, a leading Indian-origin cardiologist...

A five-year-old boy in New York state has died from a rare inflammatory disease believed to be caused by the new coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Friday.

After being on the run for nearly a year, the National Investigation Agency on Saturday arrested Ranjit Singh, a "notorious narco-terrorist", from Sirsa as he was acting as a conduit of Pakistan-based...

Delaware Grown Week – a campaign highlighting the fruits, vegetables, and value-added agricultural products produced in The First State – officially launched with a kick-off event at the Rehoboth Beach Farmers’ Market including Secretary of Agriculture Michael T. Scuse, state legislators, and other officials.

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is now confirming nine cases of the mumps as part of its ongoing investigation of an outbreak among attendees at a February dance festival in New Castle County. An eighth person was working at another Baile Mejicano dance, held at the same location, which occurred on March 3, 2018. DPH is now recommending that anyone who attended either the Feb. 10 or March 3, 2018, dances contact their primary care physician to determine if they may have contracted mumps and if they and their family or close contacts need to receive vaccination against mumps.

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) announced today that it has confirmed 26 cases of Salmonella in school-aged children in New Castle County that are associated with a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Javiana infections linked to recalled cut fruit.

With the country remaining under a lockdown due to coronavirus, the supply chain of essential goods has been disrupted, but, the same has also presented the government with an opportunity to identify and plug those gaps.

As per Section 44ADA, a resident individual, engaged in any business/ profession can declare income on presumptive basis only if gross receipts do not exceed Rs 50 lakh in previous year.

  LinkedIn is another one of those social media giants that has taken the web world by storm. It provides an exclusive platform for users to interact with each other in a professional environment and sh...

  Introduction Low battery life is one of the most serious issues currently plaguing mobile devices in general and Ultrabook™ devices and tablets specifically. Users have become accustomed to s...

The yet-to-be-published study looked at more than 3,000 counties across the US, comparing levels of fine particulate air pollution with novel coronavirus death counts for each area.

The research, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, combined satellite data on air pollution and air currents with confirmed deaths related to COVID-19.

As part of its large-scale broadband internet connectivity project Starlink, the company has positioned many large satellites in the lower orbits of the Earth.

Michael Gewitz, Physician-in-Chief of Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, where the boy passed away, said the child suffered "serious neurological complications" from the pediatric multi-symptom inflammatory syndrome.

Mumbai Police asked residents to respect lockdown rules - and enlisted the help of some popular bands to do so.

Hi All, If you were unable to attend IMS 2017 in June 2017, the IMS MicroApp “7 Habits of Highly Successful S-Parameters” is on our Cadence website. On Cadence Online Support , the in-depth AppNote is here: 20466646 . Best regards, Tawna...(read more)