bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Consistent Estimation in the Presence of Bandwidth Limitation
Authors: Dabrowski AndrÉ Robert , McDonald David 
Published: December 2018

SUMMARY
Ion channels are molecular structures embedded in cell membranes which selectively allow ions to cross the membranes. The electrical activity of ion channels has been successfully described by a finite state space semi-Markov process. In this model, some of these states are closed and do not permit any ions to flow through the channel. The remaining states are open and permit ions to cross with a fixed conductance, producing a fixed measurable current across the cell membrane. If the patch of cell membrane under study contains several channels, only the aggregate amount of current crossing the membrane is observable. Several estimation and testing procedures have been developed which estimate the model parameters based on the transitions of this output current process. A significant difficulty in the analysis of such a record is bandwidth limitation, or time interval omission. Events of short duration, such as a channel opening shortly followed by a channel closing, are missed by the recording machinery. We compute a first-order correction term to the count of current level transitions when the current record is bandwidth limited. For small bandwidths, this leads to improved estimates for the mean open time, the mean closed time and the probability that a channel is open at an arbitrary time. We introduce a more general correction process valid for larger bandwidths as well. We apply our techniques to simulated ion channel data and to patch clamp data from pond snails.
Bayesian Intervals with Good Frequentist Behaviour in the Presence of Nuisance Parameters
Authors: Nicolaou Anna 
Published: December 2018

SUMMARY
Given a random sample from a distribution with density function that depends on an unknown parameter θ = (θ1 . . ., θp), we are concerned with the problem of setting confidence intervals for a particular component of it, say θ1, treating the remaining components as a nuisance parameter. Adopting an objective Bayesian approach, we show that the Bayes intervals with a certain conditional prior density on the parameter of interest, θ1, are confidence intervals as well, having nearly the correct frequency of coverage. The frequentist performance of the proposed intervals is tested in a simulation study for gamma mean and shape parameters.
On Outlier Detection in Time Series
Authors: Ljung Greta M. 
Published: December 2018

SUMMARY
The estimation and detection of outliers in a time series generated by a Gaussian auto-regressive moving average process is considered. It is shown that the estimation of additive outliers is directly related to the estimation of missing or deleted observations. A recursive procedure for computing the estimates is given. Likelihood ratio and score criteria for detecting additive outliers are examined and are shown to be closely related to the leave-k-out diagnostics studied by Bruce and Martin. The procedures are contrasted with those appropriate for innovational outliers.
From Image Deblurring to Optimal Investments: Maximum Likelihood Solutions for Positive Linear Inverse Problems
Authors: Vardi Y. , Lee D. 
Published: December 2018

SUMMARY
The problem of recovering an input signal from a blurred output, in an input-output system with linear distortion, is ubiquitous in science and technology. When the blurred output is not degraded by statistical noise the problem is entirely deterministic and amounts to a mathematical inversion of a linear system with positive parameters, subject to positivity constraints on the solution. We show that all such linear inverse problems with positivity restrictions (LININPOS problems for short) can be interpreted as statistical estimation problems from incomplete data based on infinitely large ‘samples’, and that maximum likelihood (ML) estimation and the EM algorithm provide a straightforward method of solution for such problems. This applies to such classical problems as algebraic systems of linear equations, Fredholm's integral equations of the first kind, mixture models, deconvolutions, etc., all with positivity restrictions but with no stochastic components. In connecting the class of LININPOS problems with the corresponding class of ML estimation problems from incomplete data, we unify numerous examples from diverse areas of applications where the EM algorithm has been independently derived over the years, and we present some new opportunities for problems that have previously been unattempted. Examples include signal recovery problems, tomographic reconstructions and optimal investment portfolios, as well as more traditional statistical problems like ML estimation from censored and grouped data, and from incomplete contingency tables. The problem of restoring a ‘true’ image from its linearly distorted version is important in image analysis. Such problems can occur, for example, as a result of lens distortion (e.g. the Hubble space telescope), out-of-focus blur and blur due to relative motion between the subject and the camera during the photographic exposure. These problems often fall in the category of LININPOS problems, in which case the methodology is applicable. We demonstrate it on the problem of deblurring motion.
Continuum Regression and Ridge Regression
Authors: Sundberg Rolf 
Published: December 2018

SUMMARY
We demonstrate the close relationship between first-factor continuum regression and standard ridge regression. The difference is that continuum regression inserts a scalar compensation factor for that part of the shrinkage in ridge regression that has no connection with tendencies towards collinearity. We interpret this to mean that first-factor continuum regression is preferable in principle to ridge regression if we want protection against near collinearity but do not admit shrinkage as a general principle. Furthermore, our experience indicates that with first-factor continuum regression we can obtain predictors that are at least as mean-squared error efficient as with ridge regression but with less sensitivity to the choice of ridge constant. The scalar compensation factor is easily calculated by just an additional simple linear regression with the ridge regression predictor as regressor.
Characterizing Surface Smoothness Via Estimation of Effective Fractal Dimension
Authors: Constantine A. G. , Hall Peter 
Published: December 2018

SUMMARY
The fractal dimension D of stationary Gaussian surfaces may be expressed very simply in terms of behaviour of the covariance function near the origin. Indeed, only the covariance of line transect samples is required, and that fact makes practical estimation of D relatively straightforward. The case of non-Gaussian surfaces is more poorly understood, but we might define ‘effective fractal dimension’ in terms of the covariance function, as though the surface were Gaussian. In the present paper we suggest simple practical methods for estimating effective fractal dimension, based on the variogram. Like techniques proposed recently by Taylor and Taylor, ours are founded on log-linear regression. However, the context of our problem is more clearly defined, and so we can develop significantly more detailed theory than Taylor and Taylor could. The problem of the choice of smoothing parameter is addressed, and our methods are applied to real data on the smoothness of a polished metal surface.
Empirical Saddlepoint Approximations for Multivariate M-Estimators
Authors: Ronchetti Elvezio , Welsh A. H. 
Published: December 2018

SUMMARY
In this paper, we investigate the use of the empirical distribution function in place of the underlying distribution function F to construct an empirical saddlepoint approximation to the density fn of a general multivariate M-estimator. We obtain an explicit form for the error term in the approximation, investigate the effect of renormalizing the estimator, carry out some numerical comparisons and discuss the regression problem.
Laplace Approximation of High Dimensional Integrals
Authors: Shun Zhenming , McCullagh Peter 
Published: December 2018

SUMMARY
It is shown that the usual Laplace approximation is not a valid asymptotic approximation when the dimension of the integral is comparable with the limiting parameter n. The formal Laplace expansion for multidimensional integrals is given and used to construct asymptotic approximations for high dimensional integrals. One example is considered in which the dimension of the integral is O(n 1/2) and the relative error of the unmodified Laplace approximation is O(1). Nevertheless, it is possible to construct a valid asymptotic expansion by regrouping terms in the formal expansion according to asymptotic order in n.
Modelling Extremes of the Areal Rainfall Process
Authors: Coles Stuart G. , Tawn Jonathan A. 
Published: December 2018

SUMMARY
Risk assessment for many hydrological structures requires an estimate of the extremal behaviour of the rainfall regime within a specified catchment region. In most cases it is the spatially aggregated rainfall which is the key process, though in practice only pointwise rainfall measurements from a network of sites over the region are available. In this paper we address the problem of making inferences about the extremal properties of the aggregated process from the pointwise data. Working within the usual extreme value paradigm, a model is derived in which the resulting distribution is determined by the marginal tail behaviour and spatial dependence at extreme levels of the process. Data collected from a region in the south-west of England are used to illustrate the procedure.
On the Choice of Smoothing Parameter, Threshold and Truncation in Nonparametric Regression by Non-Linear Wavelet Methods
Authors: Hall Peter , Patil Prakash 
Published: December 2018

SUMMARY
Concise asymptotic theory is developed for non-linear wavelet estimators of regression means, in the context of general error distributions, general designs, general normalizations in the case of stochastic design, and non-structural assumptions about the mean. The influence of the tail weight of the error distribution is addressed in the setting of choosing threshold and truncation parameters. Mainly, the tail weight is described in an extremely simple way, by a moment condition; previous work on this topic has generally imposed the much more stringent assumption that the error distribution be normal. Different approaches to correction for stochastic design are suggested. These include conventional kernel estimation of the design density, in which case the interaction between the smoothing parameters of the non-linear wavelet estimator and the linear kernel method is described.
A New Graphical Tool to Detect Non-Normality
Authors: Ghosh Sucharita 
Published: December 2018

SUMMARY
A new graphical tool for checking normality of independently and identically distributed observations based on the third derivative T 3 of the logarithm of the empirical moment-generating function is proposed. A significant departure of this function from the horizontal zero line is indicative of non-normality. Behaviour in the neighbourhood of 0 indicates the type of departure from the normal distribution. Examples show that the T 3-method, when used in conjunction with the classical probability plot, can provide valuable insight into the data and be a powerful graphical tool.
Additive Extensions to Generalized Estimating Equation Methods
Authors: Wild C. J. , Yee T. W. 
Published: December 2018

SUMMARY
The methods underlying vector generalized additive models are extended to provide additive extensions to the generalized estimating equations approaches to multivariate regression problems of Liang and Zeger and the subsequent literature. The methods are illustrated by two examples using correlated binary data concerning the presence or absence of several plant species at the same geographical site and chest pain in male workers from a workforce study. With minor modification, the extensions are shown to apply to longitudinal data.
Counting Process Models for Infectious Disease Data: Distinguishing Exposure to Infection from Susceptibility
Authors: Rhodes Philip H. , Halloran M. Elizabeth , Longini Ira M. 
Published: December 2018

SUMMARY
Differences in infection rates among types of individuals within a population can arise from differences in amount of exposure to infection or from differences in susceptibility to infection. We derive models for infection rates that incorporate contact rates between individuals and variables affecting susceptibility to infection. We emphasize the distinction between controlling for exposure opportunity (expected exposure) and actual exposure. We present a marked counting process model for the combined contact and infection transmission processes. When the contact process is not observable, we develop thinned counting process models that reduce to a proportional hazards model. We show that the different commonly used parameters for evaluating covariate effects, such as vaccine efficacy, form a hierarchy depending on the amount of information available about the components of the transmission system.
Steps to Parameter Redundancy in Age-Dependent Recovery Models
Authors: Catchpole E. A. , Freeman S. N. , Morgan B. J. T. 
Published: December 2018

SUMMARY
Recovery data result when marked animals are found dead and their marks are reported. Large banks of such data exist for many species of birds ringed as young. It is often important to include in stochastic models for such data a degree of age variation in both the annual survival and the reporting probabilities. We show how to determine by inspection whether such models are parameter redundant, which identifies the cause of the parameter redundancy when it occurs. We also show how the results extend to a useful example of a model incorporating both time- and age-dependent probabilities.
Delusions and Personal Autonomy
Authors: Ayob Gloria Sibson 
Published: December 2018

ABSTRACTThis article will examine the claim that personal autonomy is impaired by a paradigmatic instance of serious psychopathology – namely, the condition of being delusional – in light of the hierarchical conception of personal autonomy. This conception of personal autonomy aims at yielding value‐neutral judgements about freedom and self‐governance. I will argue that when viewed from the perspective of this specific conception of autonomy, delusions do not necessarily impair an agent's personal autonomy. In order to establish this claim, I will probe the general idea that delusional subjects are beset by a mental disease that is rationally incapacitating, to which the hierarchical theorist might appeal. I argue that, understood within the parameters set by the commitment to value neutrality, this idea fails to provide support for the claim that delusion necessarily impairs personal autonomy. One contribution this article makes to the effort of understanding how delusion impairs personal autonomy is to help us pinpoint the ways in which our value commitments inform our judgements of impaired personal autonomy in delusional agents.
Thermal treatment for soybean flour processing with high‐quality color and reduced Kunitz trypsin inhibitor
Authors: Dahmer Alice Maria , Rigo Aline Andressa , Steffens Juliana , Steffens Clarice , Carrão‐Panizzi Mercedes Concordia 
Published: December 2018

AbstractIn this work thermal treatment was applied in whole soybean flour and bleached whole soybean flour production aimed at Kunitz trypsin inhibitor (KTI) reduction and color. A 22 Central Composite Rotational Design was developed to evaluate the effects of temperature (91.80–148.20 °C) and time (15.9–44.10 min). In general, the bleached whole soybean flour presented higher KTI reduction and better color than whole soybean flour in the evaluated temperature and time ranges. It was observed that at 148.2 °C for 30 min the whole soybean flour presented a lower KTI value (1.56 mg/g) than bleached whole soybean flour (1.48 mg/g) and good luminosity. As the bleached presents an extra step in the treatment process, new experiments were made with whole soybean flour without bleached to evaluate KTI and color reduction as a time function (10–30 min) at 148.2 °C. The time was evaluated the verify the behavior of KTI and color of whole soybean flour. The treatment at 148.2 °C for 20 and 30 min presented the lowest KTI values, however, the L* color value at 20 min was higher and soybean flour was whiter, hence 20 min was considered the best condition for whole soybean flour production.Practical applicationsIn order to increase the nutritional quality of soybeans and use them as food, the inactivation of protease inhibitors is required. As soybean nutritional value is adversely affected by protease inhibitors presence that are considered anti‐nutritional factors, these need to be eliminated. Thermal treatment has been used as a physical method to inactivate these factors. However, it must be controlled to avoid essential amino acids destruction. Thermal treatment prior to soybean processing for flour production is common. However, recommendation for the best time and temperature for the grains is nonexistent in order to inactivate and/or reduce their phytochemicals with anti‐nutritional action, to the detriment of those with functional effect, preserving their nutrients. Usually, commercial soybean products are thermally treated with less than 20% of in natura soybean trypsin inhibitory activity.
Delivery of Preventive Oral Health Services by Rurality: A Cross‐Sectional Analysis
Authors: Geiger Caroline K. , Kranz Ashley M. , Dick Andrew W. , Duffy Erin , Sorbero Mark , Stein Bradley D. 
Published: December 2018

AbstractPurposeIntegrating oral health care into primary care has been promoted as a strategy to increase delivery of preventive oral health services (POHS) to young children, particularly in rural areas where few dentists practice. Using a multistate sample of Medicaid claims, we examined a child's odds of receiving POHS in a medical office by county rurality.MethodsWe used 2012‐2014 Medicaid Analytic extract claims data for 6,275,456 children younger than 6 years in 39 states that allowed Medicaid payment for POHS in medical offices. We used county‐level characteristics from the Area Health Resources Files, including a 3‐level measure of county rurality. We used logistic regression to estimate a child's odds of receiving POHS in a medical office by county rurality, while controlling for other patient and county characteristics.FindingsPOHS in medical offices were received by 7.8% of children. Rates of POHS in medical offices were higher in metropolitan (metro) counties (8.4%) than nonmetro adjacent to metro (5.8%) and nonmetro not adjacent to metro (4.3%). In adjusted analysis, children living in nonmetro not adjacent to metro (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.64‐0.99) and adjacent to metro counties (OR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.59‐0.82) were significantly less likely to receive POHS in medical offices than children living in metro counties.ConclusionsIn this study of POHS in medical offices among young Medicaid‐enrolled children, we found POHS rates were lowest in nonmetro counties. Given barriers to dental care in rural areas, states should take additional steps beyond allowing Medicaid reimbursement to increase delivery of POHS in medical offices.
Alienation in a four factor world
Authors: Silver Daniel 
Published: December 2018

AbstractThis paper aims to reconstruct the concept of alienation as a live topic for active social theorizing. Joining Marxian and Simmelian ideas, it provides a multi‐dimensional, formal, and synthetic theory of alienation. The paper develops a set of theoretical tools for articulating formal elements of action that make alienation possible, without giving conceptual priority to alienation in the sphere of production, or within that sphere to the alienation of labor. These tools make it possible to derive classical notions of alienation as specific, contingent combinations of multiple elements, theorizing them as concrete socio‐historical configurations of a broader universe of possibilities. They also organize systematic reflection on various forms and relations of alienation; not only those between for instance labor and capital, but also among all four factors of production: land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship. The paper accordingly develops an original, multi‐dimensional theorization of alienation for a complex, pluralistic world.
Effectiveness and safety of switching to entecavir hepatitis B patients developing kidney dysfunction during tenofovir
Authors: Viganò Mauro , Loglio Alessandro , Labanca Sara , Zaltron Serena , Castelli Francesco , Andreone Pietro , Messina Vincenzo , Ganga Roberto , Coppola Nicola , Marrone Aldo , Russello Maurizio , Marzano Alfredo , Tucci Alessandra , Taliani Gloria , Fasano Massimo , Fagiuoli Stefano , Villa Erica , Bronte Fabrizio , Santantonio Teresa , Brancaccio Giuseppina , Occhipinti Vincenzo , Facchetti Floriana , Grossi Glenda , Rumi Mariagrazia , Lampertico Pietro 
Published: December 2018

AbstractBackground and AimsTenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is recommended for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) treatment, but it may induce kidney dysfunction whose management is not yet known. This Italian, multicentre, retrospective study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of switching to entecavir (ETV) patients who developed TDF‐associated glomerular and/or tubular dysfunction.MethodsA total of 103 TDF‐treated patients were included as follows: age 64 years, 83% male, 49% cirrhotics, 98% with undetectable HBV DNA, 47% with previous lamivudine resistance (LMV‐R) and 71% previously treated with adefovir. Twenty‐nine (28%) were switched to ETV because estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFRMDRD) was <60 mL/min, 37 (36%) because blood phosphate (P) levels were <2.5 mg/dL and 37 (36%) for both reasons. Kidney, liver and virological parameters were recorded every 4 months thereafter.ResultsDuring 46 (4‐115) months of ETV treatment, all patients’ renal parameters significantly improved as follows: creatinine from 1.30 to 1.10 mg/dL (P < 0.0001), eGFRMDRD from 54 to 65 mL/min (P = 0.002), P from 2.2 to 2.6 mg/dL (P < 0.0001) and maximal tubule phosphate reabsorption (TmPO4/eGFR) from 0.47 to 0.62 mmol/L (P < 0.0001). Thirteen patients (52%) improved their eGFRMDRD class, P levels were normalised in 13 (35%), and eight (22%) showed improvements in both parameters. Viral suppression was maintained in all but five patients (5%), all of whom had been LMV‐R. The 5‐year cumulative probability of ETV‐R was 0% in LMV‐naïve patients, and 11% in LMV‐R patients (P = 0.018).ConclusionsEntecavir is an effective and safe rescue strategy for CHB patients who develop renal dysfunction during long‐term TDF treatment.
Twelve months of oral ulceration, weight loss and unexplained fevers: a clinicopathologic conference
Authors: O'Sullivan L. , Galvin S. , Flavin R. , Fadalla K. , Healy C.M. , Feeney E. 
Published: December 2018

AbstractExtranodal NK/T‐cell lymphoma (ENKL) is a rare, aggressive form of non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma with a distinct ethnic predilection favouring populations from Asia and Central and South America. The nasopharynx is the most commonly affected anatomical site. One of the key markers of this disease entity is infection with Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV), which is detected by in situ hybridisation. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry play a vital role in the diagnostic process, with cells typically expressing CD56, TIA‐1 and CD3ε. We present here a very unusual case of ENKL in a Caucasian female with an extranasal presentation, absence of CD56 expression and presence of EBV‐positive cells in the bone marrow. The unusual presentation of the disease in this case, as well as the many diagnostic challenges encountered, are detailed in this paper. It is hoped that this case will prompt clinicians to consider the possibility of an underlying malignant process in cases of refractory oral ulceration with concurrent clinical signs and symptoms.