10/2019 - Spatial heterogeneity in non-parametric efficiency: An application to Italian hospitals
This paper introduces a new empirical procedure for the estimation of hospitals’ technical efficiency in presence of spatial heterogeneity. We propose a methodology that allows treating spatial heterogeneity independently of a predetermined reference to administrative borders. We define geographical spatial regimes, characterised by spatial proximity and homogeneity of relevant demand characteristics, within which to assess […]
09/2019 - Chromatin activity at GWAS loci identifies T cell states driving complex immune diseases
Immune-disease-associated variants are enriched in active chromatin regions of T cells and macrophages. However, whether these variants function in specific cell states is unknown. Here we stimulated T cells and macrophages in the presence of 13 cytokines and profiled active and open chromatin regions. T cell activation induced major chromatin remodeling, while the presence of […]
09/2019 - Association rule mining to identify transcription factor interactions in genomic regions
Genome regulatory networks have different layers and ways to modulate cellular processes, such as cell differentiation, proliferation, and adaptation to external stimuli. Transcription factors and other chromatin-associated proteins act as combinatorial protein complexes that control gene transcription. Thus, identifying functional interaction networks among these proteins is a fundamental task to understand the genome regulation framework.
09/2019 - Methods to account for citation inflation in research evaluation
Quantitative research evaluation requires measures that are transparent, relatively simple, and free of disciplinary and temporal bias. We document and provide a solution to a hitherto unaddressed temporal bias – citation inflation – which arises from the basic fact that scientific publication is steadily growing at roughly 4% per year. Moreover, because the total production […]