We present a simple but potentially extremely powerful technique for associating degrees of commitment to the possible behaviours produced by qualitative simulation algorithms. The ‘distance’ between the predicted successor states and those determined from local propagation through the constraints is used to determine the most likely state and hence prioritise the behaviours. The method forms a...

It is generally assumed that once a cell commits to a certain lineage it no longer can change its fate. A new study in this issue of Cell provides compelling evidence that committed mature B lineage cells can be reprogrammed to become macrophages.

This paper presents novel evidence on the role of credit scores in the dynamics of committed relationships. We document substantial positive assortative matching with respect to credit scores, even when controlling for other socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. As a result, individual-level differences in access to credit are largely preserved at the household level. Moreover, we find...