bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Particle filters and Bayesian inference in financial econometrics
Authors: Lopes Hedibert F. , Tsay Ruey S. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractIn this paper we reviewsequential Monte Carlo(SMC) methods, or particle filters (PF), with special emphasis on its potential applications in financial time series analysis and econometrics. We start with the well‐known normal dynamic linear model, also known as the normal linear state space model, for which sequential state learning is available in closed form via standard Kalman filter and Kalman smoother recursions. Particle filters are then introduced as a set of Monte Carlo schemes that enable Kalman‐type recursions when normality or linearity or both are abandoned. The seminalbootstrap filter(BF) of Gordon, Salmond and Smith (1993) is used to introduce the SMC jargon, potentials and limitations. We also review the literature on parameter learning, an area that started to attract much attention from the particle filter community in recent years. We give particular attention to the Liu–West filter (2001), Storvik filter (2002) andparticle learning(PL) of Carvalho, Johannes, Lopes and Polson (2010). We argue that the BF and theauxiliary particle filter(APF) of Pitt and Shephard (1999) define two fundamentally distinct directions within the particle filter literature. We also show that the distinction is more pronounced with parameter learning and argue that PL, which follows the APF direction, is an attractive extension. One of our contributions is to sort out the research from BF to APF (during the 1990s), from APF to now (the 2000s) and from Liu–West filter to Storvik filter to PL. To this end, we provide code in R for all the examples of the paper. Readers are invited to find their own way into this dynamic and active research arena. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Deuterium exchange promoted by iridium complexes formed in situ
Authors: Herbert John M. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractFor many exchange processes using iridium catalysts, the use of isolated pre‐catalysts may be preferred. However, the generation and use of iridium complexes in situ provides a useful option where the intention is to examine a range of ligand systems or where the pre‐catalyst is not readily isolated. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Corrosion behaviour of electrodeposited Ni/Al2O3 composite coating covered with a NaCl salt film at 800 °C
Authors: Chang L. M. , Liu J. H. , Zhang R. J. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractThe electrodeposited Ni/Al2O3 composite coatings were prepared by direct current (DC), pulse current (PC) and pulse reversal current (PRC) deposition, respectively. The corrosion behaviour of electrodeposited Ni/Al2O3 composite coatings covered with NaCl salt films at 800 °C in air was investigated by SEM/EDX, XRD and thermogravimetric analysis. It is found that corrosion of the three types of coatings is seriously aggravated with a present NaCl salt film, and a corrosion layer with a poor adherence to the matrix has been formed. Furthermore, chlorine enrichment at the interface between the matrix and the corrosion product has been observed. The corrosion resistance of the three types of coatings has improved with the increase of Al2O3 content. The corrosion resistance of the Ni/Al2O3 composite coatings prepared by PRC deposition is the best, and that by DC deposition is the worst. The corrosion mechanism of Ni/Al2O3 composite coatings will also be discussed.
Electrochemical corrosion behaviour of innovative mould steels in a chloride‐containing environment
Authors: Rosalbino F. , Scavino G. , Mortarino G. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractInvestigations concerning the electrochemical corrosion behaviour of mould steels are scarce and limited. In the present study the corrosion resistance of an innovative mould steel (a microalloyed steel, steel 2), devoted to the fabrication of large size moulds, and a steel having the same composition without microalloying elements (B, Zr, Nb, steel 3), proposed for small size moulds, was assessed in a chloride‐containing environment and compared with that of the traditional 1.2738 steel. Potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements were carried out on the investigated steel samples in a 0.1 M NaCl solution at 25 °C. Scanning electron microscopy and electron probe microanalysis were used to characterize the specimens surface after the electrochemical tests. Despite having a bainitic microstructure, the electrochemical corrosion behaviour of the investigated steels is quite different. Results showed that the steel 3 and the 1.2738 steel samples exhibit the best and the worst electrochemical corrosion behaviours compared to the steel 2 sample. The presence of pearlite is considered as the main reason for the poor corrosion behaviour showed by the 1.2738 steel sample, due to galvanic coupling phenomena between this phase and the bainitic matrix which experiences preferential dissolution. The coarse bainitic microstructure characterizing the steel 2 sample is responsible for its lower corrosion resistance as compared with the steel 3 sample exhibiting a finer bainitic microstructure.
Quantification of human body fat tissue percentage by MRI
Authors: Müller Hans‐Peter , Raudies Florian , Unrath Alexander , Neumann Heiko , Ludolph Albert C. , Kassubek Jan 
Published: July 2010

AbstractThe MRI‐based evaluation of the quantity and regional distribution of adipose tissue is one objective measure in the investigation of obesity. The aim of this article was to report a comprehensive and automatic analytical method for the determination of the volumes of subcutaneous fat tissue (SFT) and visceral fat tissue (VFT) in either the whole human body or selected slices or regions of interest. Using an MRI protocol in an examination position that was convenient for volunteers and patients with severe diseases, 22 healthy subjects were examined. The software platform was able to merge MRI scans of several body regions acquired in separate acquisitions. Through a cascade of image processing steps, SFT and VFT volumes were calculated. Whole‐body SFT and VFT distributions, as well as fat distributions of defined body slices, were analysed in detail. Complete three‐dimensional datasets were analysed in a reproducible manner with as few operator‐dependent interventions as possible. In order to determine the SFT volume, the ARTIS (Adapted Rendering for Tissue Intensity Segmentation) algorithm was introduced. The advantage of the ARTIS algorithm was the delineation of SFT volumes in regions in which standard region grow techniques fail. Using the ARTIS algorithm, an automatic SFT volume detection was feasible. MRI data analysis was able to determine SFT and VFT volume percentages using new analytical strategies. With the techniques described, it was possible to detect changes in SFT and VFT percentages of the whole body and selected regions. The techniques presented in this study are likely to be of use in obesity‐related investigations, as well as in the examination of longitudinal changes in weight during various medical conditions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Radar transparent glass fabric reinforced polyetherimide/Cloisite 30B nanocomposites
Authors: Dwivedi Mayank , Alam Sarfaraz , Bhatnagar Naresh , Ghosh Anup K. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractHigh performance radar transparent materials (RTMs) are important materials for the fabrication of radomes, nosecones, etc. of high velocity aerospace vehicles. RTMs with good mechanical performance and temperature capability are required for such applications. Toward this, fabric reinforced nano‐reinforced matrix composites (FRNCs), using reinforcing E‐glass fabric in Cloisite 30B reinforced polyetherimide (PEI) nanocomposite matrix (GNRPEI), was prepared. The properties of GNRPEI were evaluated and compared with E‐glass fabric reinforced PEI composites (GRPEI) with special reference to their radar transparent character for aerospace applications. Tensile and flexural properties along with interlaminar shear strength of GRPEI were observed to be lower than those of GNRPEI. Thermal behavior of both the composites was similar in differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis. But, in dynamic mechanical analysis, an increase in storage modulus and decrease in loss tangent were observed in GNRPEI compared to GRPEI. The values of dielectric constant and loss tangent of GNRPEI were lesser than those of GRPEI, but no significant difference was observed in the values of transmission and reflection losses for both the composites at 8–12 GHz frequency. FRNCs, based on organoclay reinforced PEI matrix, hold good promise as high performance RTMs. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Preparation of a liquid boron‐modified polycarbosilane and its ceramic conversion to dense SiC ceramics
Authors: Yu Zhaoju , Fang Yunhui , Huang Muhe , Li Ran , Zhan Junying , Zhou Cong , He Guomei , Xia Haiping 
Published: July 2010

AbstractA boron‐modified ethynylhydridopolycarbosilane (B‐EHPCS) was successfully prepared via the hydroboration reaction of ethynylhydridopolycarbosilane (EHPCS) with 9‐borabicyclo‐[3.3.1]nonane (9‐BBN). The as‐synthesized B‐EHPCS with a branched structure was characterized by means of gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The structural evolution of ceramic conversion of B‐EHPCS was investigated by solid‐state NMR. The 13C magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR results indicated that the CC and CC groups of B‐EHPCS take part in the hydrosilation cross‐linking at a relatively low temperature (170°C). According to the 29Si MAS NMR analysis, the CSiH3 end groups are most reactive hydride functionality involved in the hydrosilation cross‐linking. With increasing curing temperature, the C2SiH2 and CSiH3 units are completely consumed, while C3SiH units remain even after curing at 600°C. The TGA results show the 1200°C ceramic yield of B‐EHPCS reaches 86%, which is 10% higher than that of the parent EHPCS (76%). At high temperatures, the introduction of <1 wt% boron significantly inhibits silicon carbide (SiC) crystallization. The 1800°C ceramics derived from B‐EHPCS are found to be significantly denser than that from EHPCS. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Forsythoside a inhibits the avian infectious bronchitis virus in cell culture
Authors: Li Huawei , Wu Jufu , Zhang Zhongwen , Ma Yuanyuan , Liao Fangfang , Zhang Yu , Wu Guojuan 
Published: July 2010

AbstractForsythoside A is a polyphenolic constituent of the fruits of Forsythia suspensa Vahl. which is widely used as an antiinflammatory agent in traditional Chinese medicine. In the present study, the effects of forsythoside A on cell infection by avian infectious bronchitis virus were assessed. A real‐time fluorescence quantitative PCR assay was used to determine mRNA content of IBV N gene. The pretreatment of cells with forsythoside A, adding forsythoside A post infection of cells, and treatment of virus with forsythoside A were analysed. The inhibitory effect of forsythoside A was confirmed by infecting primary chicken embryo kidney cells. Infected cells were inhibited by forsythoside A treatment. The data indicated that forsythoside A has the potential to prevent IBV infection in vitro. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Interconnection and damping assignment passivity‐based control of a class of underactuated mechanical systems with dynamic friction
Authors: Sandoval Jesús , Kelly Rafael , Santibáñez Víctor 
Published: July 2010

AbstractThis paper considers the extension of the interconnection and damping assignment passivity‐based control methodology for a class of underactuated mechanical systems with dynamic friction. We present a new damping assignment approach to compensate friction by means of a nonlinear observer. Friction at the actuated joints is assumed to be captured by a bristle deflection model: the Dahl model. Based on the Lyapunov direct method we show that, under some conditions, the overall closed‐loop system is stable and, by invoking the theorem of Barbashin–Krasovskii, we arrive to asymptotic stability conditions. Experiments with an underactuated mechanical system, the Furuta pendulum, show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme when friction is compensated. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Long-term effects on haemostatic variables of threead libitumdiets differing in type and amount of fat and carbohydrate: a 6-month randomised study in obese individuals
Authors: Bladbjerg Else-Marie , Larsen Thomas M. , Due Anette , Jespersen Jørgen , Stender Steen , Astrup Arne 
Published: July 2010

Diet is important in the prevention of CVD, and it has been suggested that a diet high in MUFA is more cardioprotective than a low-fat diet. We hypothesised that the thrombotic risk profile is improved most favourably by a high-MUFA diet compared with a low-fat diet. This was tested in a parallel randomised intervention trial on overweight individuals (aged 28·2 (sd4·6) years) randomly assigned to a diet providing a moderate amount of fat (35–45 % of energy; >20 % of fat as MUFA) (MUFA diet;n39), to a low-fat (LF; 20–30 % of energy) diet (n43), or to a control diet (35 % of energy as fat;n24) for 6 months after a weight loss of about 10 %. Protein constituted 10–20 % of energy in all three diets. All foods were provided free of charge from a purpose-built supermarket. Fasting blood samples were collected before and after intervention and analysed for factor VII coagulant activity (FVII:c), fibrinogen, prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F1+2), D-dimer and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI). The fibrinogen concentration was significantly lowered by the LF diet, but not by the MUFA diet. Changes in fibrinogen differed significantly between diet groups. BMI and PAI concentration increased and D-dimer concentrations were reduced irrespective of the diets. No changes were observed for FVII:c and F1+2. Our findings suggest that in overweight subjects after weight loss the thrombotic risk profile is improved most favourably by the LF diet compared with the MUFA diet based on the reduction in fibrinogen concentrations.
Estimating population densities and biomass of ungulates in the temperate ecosystem of Bhutan
Authors: Wang Sonam Wangyel 
Published: July 2010

AbstractIn this study I estimate population densities and biomass of the major prey species of tigerPanthera tigris, leopardPanthera pardusand dholeCuon alpinusin Bhutan’s temperate ecosystem and recommend measures for reducing crop damage whilst simultaneously protecting ungulate populations. Thirty-two transects totalling 849 km were walked to estimate densities and biomass of ungulates and primates in Bhutan’s Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park during 2005–2006. Adequate detections (> 40 sightings) for analysis usingDistancewere obtained for wild pigSus scrofa(n = 54), muntjacMunticus muntjac(n = 102) and sambarCervus unicolor(n = 48). Because of similarity in morphology and habitat use, density of serowCapricornis sumatraensiswas estimated using the detection probability for sambar. Detections for langurTrachypithecus geeiand macaqueMacca mulattawere combined (n = 39) to estimate primate density. Mean estimated densities were 3.68 wild pig, 2.17 muntjac, 1.19 sambar, 2.37 primates and 0.36 serow km-2. The three primary prey species of large predators, wild pig, sambar and muntjac, provided a biomass of 379 kg km-2, which could support up to 1.2 tigers per 100 km2. However, the presence of other sympatric carnivores competing for prey in the same area suggests that the actual number of tigers that could be supported is lower. Livestock (density, 6.0 km-2; biomass, 615 kg km-2) apparently supplement prey availability. Ungulate density in the study area is generally low compared to other areas in the Indian sub-continent, and this may be due to conflicts with farmers, excessive grazing of livestock in the forest and the rugged terrain.
Evaluating the status of the Endangered tigerPanthera tigrisand its prey in Panna Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India
Authors: Gopal Rajesh , Qureshi Qamar , Bhardwaj Manish , Jagadish Singh R.K. , Jhala Yadvendradev V. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractWe evaluated the status of tigersPanthera tigrisand their prey in Panna Tiger Reserve using occupancy surveys, camera-trap mark-recapture population estimation, and distance sampling along foot transects, in 2006. Forest Range tiger occupancy in the Panna landscape (3,500 km2) estimated by 1,077 surveys of 5 km each was 29% ± SE 1. Within occupied Ranges of the Reserve a mean of 68% ± SE 7 of forest Beats had tiger signs. A total of 800 camera-trap nights yielded 24 captures of seven individual adult tigers within an effective trap area of 185.0 ± SE 15.8 km-2. The best model incorporating individual heterogeneity (Mh) estimated the tiger population to be 9 ± SE 2. Tiger density was 4.9 ± SE 1.5 per 100 km2and was lower than that reported in 2002 (6.49 tigers per 100 km2). Both occupancy and density indicated a decline of the tiger population in the Reserve. Mean ungulate density was 42.4 ± SE 8.4 km-2and comparable to other tiger reserves. Since our survey in 2006 tiger status in Panna has deteriorated further because of poaching. Panna was occupied by dacoits in late 2006 and anti-insurgent activities caused further disturbances. In late 2008 there was a single male tiger left in Panna but he has not been seen since January 2009. The Madhya Pradesh Forest department has reintroduced three tigers to Panna from neighbouring tiger reserves. Panna, along with Sariska Tiger Reserve, exemplifies the vulnerability of small, isolated tiger populations to local extinctions caused by poaching, even in areas with suitable habitat and sufficient prey.
Martial and the City of Rome
Authors: Roman Luke 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTThis essay examines the representation of the city of Rome in Martial's Epigrams, and specifically, his references to urban topography. The city is an insistent and vivid presence in Martial's Epigrams to a degree unparalleled in Roman poetry. He fashions a Rome that is more relentlessly sordid, irregular and jagged in texture, and overtly dissonant in its juxtapositions than the literary cities of his poetic predecessors. This new urban emphasis is not only a game of literary one-upmanship. Martial's urban poetics takes shape in the context of renewed attention to the city and monumental building under the Flavians.
Environmental correlates of herpetofaunal diversity in Costa Rica
Authors: Laurencio David , Fitzgerald Lee A. 
Published: July 2010

Abstract:Disentangling local and historical factors that determine species diversity patterns at multiple spatial scales is fundamental to elucidating processes that govern ecological communities. Here we investigated how environmental correlates may influence diversity at local and regional scales. Primarily utilizing published species lists, amphibian and reptile alpha and beta diversity were assessed at 17 well-surveyed sites distributed among ecoregions throughout Costa Rica. The degree to which regional species diversity patterns were related to environmental variables and geographic distance was determined using Canonical Correspondence Analysis and Mantel tests. Amphibian alpha diversity was highest in lowland Pacific sites (mean = 43.3 species) and lowest at the high elevation site (9 species). Reptile alpha diversity values were high for both lowland Atlantic (mean = 69.5 species) and lowland Pacific (mean = 67 species) sites and lowest for the high elevation site (8 species). We found high species turnover between local sites and ecoregions, demonstrating the importance of beta diversity in the determination of regional diversity. For both amphibians and reptiles, beta diversity was highest between the high-elevation site and all others, and lowest among lowland sites within the same ecoregion. The effect of geographic distance on beta diversity was minor. Ecologically significant climatic variables related to rain, temperature, sunshine and insolation were found to be important determinants of local and regional diversity for both amphibians and reptiles in Costa Rica.
Ageing in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries
Authors: Carvallo Sarah 
Published: July 2010

ArgumentAt the end of the seventeenth and beginning of the eighteenth century, ageing was specifically a medical issue. Indeed, on the one hand, ageing is a normal process of living; on the other hand, old age often entails specific pathologies. Is it really possible to dissociate old age from pathology? If so, how can we think of old age and explain both the necessity and the normality of it? If not, what is the cause of this dysfunction? Modern medical controversies argue along the lines of the respective partisans ofiatromecanism(Descartes), empirical medicine (Sydenham), and animist medicine (Stahl). Furthermore, it progressively appears that the issue of aging must also be addressed within the social field, where old age is affected by sanitary, economic, and strategic conditions. Indeed, doctors, economists, and philosophers (Graunt, Petty, Leibniz) even tried to assess old age quantitatively with new methods of arithmetic. Thus, in this paper, we want to draw what constitutes the systems of knowledge of old age as a medical category located at the borderlines between epistemological, practical, and social challenges.
Tricks of Transference: Oka Asajirō (1868–1944) on Laissez-faire Capitalism
Authors: Sullivan Gregory 
Published: July 2010

ArgumentContrary to common portrayals of social Darwinism as a transference of laissez-faire values, the widely read evolutionism of Japan's foremost Darwinist of the early twentieth-century, Oka Asajirō (1868–1944), reflects a statist outlook that regards capitalism as the beginning of the nation's degeneration. The evolutionary theory of orthogenesis that Oka employed in his 1910 essay, “The Future of Humankind,” links him to a pre-Darwinian idealist tradition that depicted the state as an organism that develops through life-cycle stages. For Oka, laissez-faire capitalism marked the moment when the state began to decline toward extinction due to the orthogenetic overdevelopment of hitherto subordinate individual egos. Because conservative bureaucrat-intellectuals had been drawing upon this same organicist-developmental tradition since the 1880s in an attempt to forestall the social ills of industrialism, Oka's call for statist measures, including eugenics, to lessen and delay the atomizing, enervating, and corrupting influence of capitalism articulated the political vision of officialdom. Statist evolutionism, not social Darwinism, might be the term that best describes Oka's approach.
Embodied interdisciplinarity: what is the role of polymaths in environmental research?
Authors: YOUNG JULIETTE C. , MARZANO MARIELLA 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYInterdisciplinarity can be interpreted broadly as an active, multi-faceted learning process between researchers from different disciplines to create a common ground for a special purpose. Interdisciplinary approaches are regarded as necessary in environmental research, especially in view of global environmental change. However, some argue there is a lack of genuine interdisciplinarity in environmental research. Polymaths can play a potentially important role in environmental research. Environmental polymaths can enhance the effectiveness of interdisciplinarity through their knowledge and understanding of different disciplinary languages, epistemologies and methodologies, and as such, should be acknowledged more explicitly in interdisciplinary discussions.