191,862 research outputs found
Of Junk Food and Junk Science
No full textThe popular press has triumphantly announced that the cause of the obesity epidemic is “junk food.†After a moment’s reflection, however, it seems likely that the true causal structure of the obesity epidemic can be neither single-equation nor univariate. Therefore, while the hypothesis that “junk food†is the cause of obesity has little a priori plausibility, these articles in the popular press present a testable hypothesis that, in spite of some measurement impossibilities, is tested here. While one can always argue about p values etc., it is safe to say that the results show no evidence to indicate support for a causal link. The second section of the paper explains this result and suggests a rudimentary structural model of obesity that begins to address the issues of specification error, simultaneity, etc., that plague much of the obesity research. This model shows that because of the dynamic nature of weight status, there is no necessary reason to expect to find a statistical relation between a person’s observed weight and the amount he or she is currently eating or exercising. Therefore, studies which regress weight, obesity, or the probability of obesity on eating and exercise patterns have serious specification error. Further development of structural econometric models of obesity may lead to consistent estimates of the partial effects of exogenous variables on obesity levels. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for policy development and industry.obesity, junk food, Granger-causality, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession, Q10, Q16,
Universalism and junk
No full textThose who accept the necessity of mereological universalism face what has come to be known as the junk argument due to Bohn [2009], which proceeds from (i) the incompatibility of junk with universalism and (ii) the possibility of junk, to conclude that mereological universalism isn't metaphysically necessary. Most attention has focused on (ii); however, recent authors have cast doubt on (i). This paper undertakes a defence of premise (i) against three main objections. The first is a new objection to the effect that Bohn's defence of that premise presupposes far too much. I show that one can defend premise (i) from a much weaker set of assumptions. The second objection, due to Contessa [2012], is that those who accept unrestricted composition should only accept the existence of binary sums (which are compatible with junk) rather than infinitary fusions. I argue that this conception of unrestricted composition is problematic: it is in conflict with an intuitive remainder principle. The final objection is due to Spencer [2012]. His view is that there is no absolutely unrestricted plural universal quantifier; so any statement of the unrestricted fusion axiom will simply not rule out the existence of junky worlds. I argue that the failure of unrestricted quantification will not be enough by itself to establish the existence of junk. Furthermore, it is not clear whether this view counts as a form of mereological universalism. As a result, I suggest that if one wants to reject the junk argument, premise (ii) is the only viable option.Peer reviewe
junk n
No full textjunk nThe witch hazel [stick] cracked the desperado across the skull and he was out, a cold junk.PRINTED ITEM DNE Sup [May fit in somewhere at DNE junk n]G. M. Story MAY 6 1988[check] WKUsed I and SupUsed I and Sup5Used Supback junk, fore junk, middle junk, billet, junk of a boy, junk-buoy, a cold junkChecked by Jordyn Hughes on Tue 18 Aug 201
A welfare analysis of "junk" information and spam filters
No full textThis paper analyses the equilibrium effects of individual information filters. Information is modelled as advertisements which are distributed across a population of consumers with heterogeneous preferences. An advertisement that provides knowledge about a product with little or no utility for a consumer is considered junk. Filters are characterised by their level of tolerance. The quality of the filter is measured in terms of the share of useful items in the total set of items passing the filter. It is shown that in conditions of decentralised competition, multiple equilibria arise. A social optimum can be achieved by demanding each consumer to reject a certain percentage of advertisements, leaving the choice of what is rejected up to the consumer him/herself.global information society, advertising, junk information, spam filter, Internet regulation
Utah Junk Company P.1
No full textUtah Junk Company, hoist lifting large shafts, Feb. 16, 1914. Shipler Comm. Photog. #15184
Muller, P. Aspects of Zoogeography. The Hague, Junk, 1974
No full textBourlière François. Muller, P. Aspects of Zoogeography. The Hague, Junk, 1974. In: La Terre et La Vie, Revue d'Histoire naturelle, tome 29, n°2, 1975. p. 333
Junk or functional DNA? ENCODE and the function controversy
No full textIn its last round of publications in September 2012, the Encyclopedia Of DNA Elements (ENCODE) assigned a biochemical function to most of the human genome, which was taken up by the media as meaning the end of ‘Junk DNA’. This provoked a heated reaction from evolutionary biologists, who among other things claimed that ENCODE adopted a wrong and much too inclusive notion of function, making its dismissal of junk DNA merely rhetorical. We argue that this criticism rests on misunderstandings concerning the nature of the ENCODE project, the relevant notion of function and the claim that most of our genome is junk. We argue that evolutionary accounts of function presuppose functions as ‘causal roles’, and that selection is but a useful proxy for relevant functions, which might well be unsuitable to biomedical research. Taking a closer look at the discovery process in which ENCODE participates, we argue that ENCODE’s strategy of biochemical signatures successfully identified activities of DNA elements with an eye towards causal roles of interest to biomedical research. We argue that ENCODE’s controversial claim of functionality should be interpreted as saying that 80 % of the genome is engaging in relevant biochemical activities and is very likely to have a causal role in phenomena deemed relevant to biomedical research. Finally, we discuss ambiguities in the meaning of junk DNA and in one of the main arguments raised for its prevalence, and we evaluate the impact of ENCODE’s results on the claim that most of our genome is junk
wharf junk
No full textwharf junk- piece of large timber used for the base of a wharf.G.M. Story, 12/77 JH 12/77PRINTED ITEMNot use
The Comparative Biodiversity of Seven Globally Important Wetlands. An Initiative from the Global Wetland Consortium (GWC)
No full textpg. 239 The comparative biodiversity of seven globally important wetlands. Junk WJ. pg. 240-253 Biological diversity of peatlands in Canada. Warner BG. Asada T. pg. 254-277 Species diversity in the Florida Everglades, USA: A systems approach to calculating biodiversity. Brown MT. Cohen MJ. Bardi E. Ingwersen WW. pg. 278-309 Biodiversity and its conservation in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Junk WJ. da Cunha CN. Wantzen KM. Petermann P. Strussmann C. Marques MI. Adis J. pg. 310-337 Species diversity of the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Ramberg L. Hancock P. Lindholm M. Meyer T. Ringrose S. Sliva J. Van As J. VanderPost C. pg. 338-354 Biodiversity and its conservation in the Sundarban Mangrove Ecosystem. Gopal B. Chauhan M. pg. 355-373 Species diversity and ecology of Tonle Sap Great Lake, Cambodia. Campbell IC. Poole C. Giesen W. Valbo-Jorgensen J. pg. 374-399 Biodiversity of the wetlands of the Kakadu Region, northern Australia. Finlayson CM. Lowry J. Bellio MG. Nou S. Pidgeon R. Walden D. Humphrey C. Fox G. pg. 400-414 The comparative biodiversity of seven globally important wetlands: a synthesis. Junk WJ. Brown M. Campbell IC. Finlayson M. Gopal B. Ramberg L. Warner BG
Are isomiRs real or junk?
No full text<p>Variants of microRNAs (isomiRs) are commonly reported but their functional significance has been debated. Our study demonstrates that isomiRs are not junk, and that they function cooperatively with parental miRNAs.</p
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