bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Exact Skewness–Kurtosis Tests for Multivariate Normality and Goodness‐of‐Fit in Multivariate Regressions with Application to Asset Pricing Models*
Authors: Dufour Jean‐Marie , Khalaf Lynda , Beaulieu Marie‐Claude 
Published: December 2003

AbstractWe study the problem of testing the error distribution in a multivariate linear regression (MLR) model. The tests are functions of appropriately standardized multivariate least squares residuals whose distribution is invariant to the unknown cross‐equation error covariance matrix. Empirical multivariate skewness and kurtosis criteria are then compared with a simulation‐based estimate of their expected value under the hypothesized distribution. Special cases considered include testing multivariate normal and stable error distributions. In the Gaussian case, finite‐sample versions of the standard multivariate skewness and kurtosis tests are derived. To do this, we exploit simple, double and multi‐stage Monte Carlo test methods. For non‐Gaussian distribution families involving nuisance parameters, confidence sets are derived for the nuisance parameters and the error distribution. The tests are applied to an asset pricing model with observable risk‐free rates, using monthly returns on New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) portfolios over 5‐year subperiods from 1926 to 1995.
General‐to‐Specific Model Selection Procedures for Structural Vector Autoregressions*
Authors: Krolzig Hans‐Martin 
Published: December 2003

AbstractStructural vector autoregressive (SVAR) models have emerged as a dominant research strategy in empirical macroeconomics, but suffer from the large number of parameters employed and the resulting estimation uncertainty associated with their impulse responses. In this paper, we propose general‐to‐specific (Gets) model selection procedures to overcome these limitations. It is shown that single‐equation procedures are generally efficient for the reduction of recursive SVAR models. The small‐sample properties of the proposed reduction procedure (as implemented usingPcGets) are evaluated in a realistic Monte Carlo experiment. The impulse responses generated by the selected SVAR are found to be more precise and accurate than those of the unrestricted VAR. The proposed reduction strategy is then applied to the US monetary system considered byChristiano, Eichenbaum and Evans (Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 78, pp. 16–34, 1996). The results are consistent with the Monte Carlo and question the validity of the impulse responses generated by the full system.
Specification Testing of Markov Switching Models*
Authors: Breunig Robert , Najarian Serinah , Pagan Adrian 
Published: December 2003

AbstractThis paper proposes a set of formal tests to address the goodness‐of‐fit of Markov switching models. These formal tests are constructed as tests of model consistency and of both parametric and non‐parametric encompassing. The formal tests are then combined with informal tests using simulation in combination with non‐parametric density and conditional mean estimation. The informal tests are shown to be useful in shedding light on the failure (or success) of the encompassing tests. Several examples are provided.
Time Series Concepts for Conditional Distributions*
Authors: Granger Clive W. J. 
Published: December 2003

AbstractThe paper asks the question – as time series analysis moves from consideration of conditional mean values and variances to unconditional distributions, do some of the familiar concepts devised for the first two moments continue to be helpful in the more general area? Most seem to generalize fairly easy, such as the concepts of breaks, seasonality, trends and regime switching. Forecasting is more difficult, as forecasts become distributions, as do forecast errors. Persistence can be defined and also common factors by using the idea of a copula. Aggregation is more difficult but causality and controllability can be defined. The study of the time series of quantiles becomes more relevant.
Genital Lesions in an Outbreak of Caprine Contagious Agalactia Caused by Mycoplasma agalactiae and Mycoplasma putrefaciens
Authors: Gil M. C. , Peña F. J. , Hermoso De Mendoza J. , Gomez L. 
Published: December 2003

SummaryThis paper reports on the genital lesions observed in adult male and female goats from a commercial flock in the Extremadura region of southwestern Spain, following an outbreak of contagious agalactia syndrome caused by Mycoplasma agalactiae and M. putrefaciens. Although both species were isolated from several organs, M. putrefaciens was the only agent isolated from the genital lesions reported here, characterized by desquamative salpingitis and cystic catarrhal metritis in females and by testicular degeneration in males. Mycoplasma putrefaciens was isolated from the testes of only one of the males examined.
Establishment and characterization of two new cell lines derived from flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus (Temminck & Schlegel)
Authors: Kang M S , Oh M J , Kim Y J , Kawai K , Jung S J 
Published: December 2003

AbstractTwo new cell cultures from flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus (Temminck & Schlegel), flounder fin (FFN) cells from fin tissue and flounder spleen (FSP) cells from spleen tissue, were established and characterized. The cells multiplied well in Eagle's minimum essential medium, supplemented with 10% foetal bovine serum, and have been subcultured more than 100 times, becoming continuous cell lines. Modal diploid chromosome number of FFN and FSP cells was 64 and 62, respectively. Polymerase chain reaction products were obtained from FFN and FSP cells with primer sets of microsatellite markers of flounder. Optimal growth temperature was 20 °C and consisted of epithelioid cells. FFN and FSP cells showed cytopathic effects after inoculation of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus, marine birnavirus, chum salmon virus, infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus, spring viraemia of carp virus and hirame rhabdovirus. Thus these new cell lines may be useful for studying a wide range of fish viruses.
Tracing the route of Sphaerospora truttae from the entry locus to the target organ of the host, Salmo salar L., using an optimized and specific in situ hybridization technique
Authors: Holzer A S , Sommerville C , Wootten R 
Published: December 2003

Abstract Sphaerospora truttae is an important pathogen of Atlantic salmon parr in Scottish aquaculture. To trace the early development of S. truttae and to overcome the common problem of detecting low numbers of cryptic, early myxosporean stages, a DNA‐based approach was applied in this study. Specific primers were designed for S. truttae from Atlantic salmon, based on 18S rDNA sequences, obtained from isolated myxosporean spores. These were 5′ biotin‐labelled and used in an optimized and rapid in situ hybridization (ISH) protocol, which provided a strong and specific signal of the parasite within host tissue sections and, at the same time, minimized structural damage to tissues due to processing. This methodology provided a reliable tool enabling the detection of S. truttae stages down to single cell level. Using ISH the epithelium of the gills was identified as the predominant entry locus of the parasite. By 3 days after infection S. truttae had penetrated the vascular epithelia and thereafter proliferated in the blood for at least 10 days before exiting the vascular system through capillary walls. From day 12 post‐infection onwards, the kidney, as well as the spleen and the liver, were invaded. Numbers of S. truttae invading the kidney (37.3%) differed little from numbers found in the spleen (35.3%) and the liver (27.4%). The latter organs represented a dead end in the development of S. truttae as all stages in these organs degenerated and sporogony was found to take place exclusively inside the renal tubules. Early sporogonic stages were found from day 25 post‐infection but mature spores only developed after at least 15 days of proliferation within the tubules.
Oral Vaccination against Rabies and the Behavioural Ecology of the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
Authors: Vos A. 
Published: December 2003

SummaryAs a result of oral vaccination of foxes (Vulpes vulpes) against rabies, this virus disease has almost been completely eradicated from West‐ and Central Europe. In most countries, vaccine baits were distributed twice a year: during spring (March to May) and autumn (September to October). This strategy has shown to be able to control and eventually eradicate rabies. However, it remains to be clarified if this is the most cost‐effective strategy. Astonishingly, the behavioural ecology of the target species, the red fox, did receive only limited attention selecting the periods when baits should be distributed. Considering the behavioural ecology and rabies epidemiology of foxes, territory owners seem to play a key role in the spread and maintenance of rabies. Thus, oral vaccination campaigns should be targeted primarily at these animals. It is suggested that the optimal timing for bait distribution in Europe is late autumn (November) or early winter (December), depending on the prevailing climatic conditions. Additional campaigns, when financially feasible, can be implemented in order to maintain a high vaccination coverage during the remaining year. Furthermore, different baiting strategies can be selected in case of re‐infection or persistent residual foci.
Haematophagous Bats in Brazil, Their Role in Rabies Transmission, Impact on Public Health, Livestock Industry and Alternatives to an Indiscriminate Reduction of Bat Population
Authors: Mayen F. 
Published: December 2003

SummaryHaematophagous bats exist only in Latin America, from México to the Northern provinces of Argentina. They are represented by three species, Desmodus rotundus, Diphylla ecaudata and Diaemus youngii. While two species feed only on blood of wild birds, one species, D. rotundus, causes losses feeding on livestock and could be a vector for rabies virus. The cases in which humans were bitten by the bat have increased in Brazil. Bats became a target of control activities by farming communities and local governments. Indiscriminate actions such as poisoning bats and destroying their roosts put the lives of other bat species, which are extremely important for the ecologic balance, at risk. The vaccination of exposed livestock against rabies, which would protect the endangered livestock, is not regularly carried out.The importance and current status of D. rotundus in the transmission of rabies in Brazil, the Public Health aspects, the importance for the livestock industry are shown and the consequences of reducing bat population are discussed. Alternatives to an indiscriminate bat‐population reduction in the control of rabies are proposed.
Use of a Quantitative TaqMan‐PCR for the Fast Quantification of Mycobacteria in Broth Culture, Eukaryotic Cell Culture and Tissue
Authors: Lewin A. , Freytag B. , Meister B. , Sharbati‐Tehrani S. , Schäfer H. , Appel B. 
Published: December 2003

SummaryThe quantification of slow‐growing mycobacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis or M. bovis from in vitro and in vivo samples is complicated by their long generation time, their ability to form aggregates, and their capacity to persist in a state of dormancy. We compared different methods for the establishment of growth curves for broth cultures of M. bovis bacille Calmette‐Guérin (BCG). A quantitative TaqMan‐PCR yielded results comparable with those obtained by protein quantification and measurement of the ATP content of the cultures. The quantitative TaqMan‐PCR furthermore turned out to be particularly suitable for the measurement of multiplication of BCG within eukaryotic cells. Furthermore, it is a fast method allowing an estimation of the mycobacterial load in tissue long before colony counts can be obtained.
Integration of Different Data Bodies for Humanitarian Decision Support: An Example from Mine Action
Authors: Benini Aldo A. , Conley Charles E. , Shdeed Richard , Spurway Kim , Yarmoshuk Mark 
Published: December 2003

Geographic information systems (GIS) are increasingly used for integrating data from different sources and substantive areas, including in humanitarian action. The challenges of integration are particularly well illustrated by humanitarian mine action. The informational requirements of mine action are expensive, with socio–economic impact surveys costing over US$1.5 million per country, and are feeding a continuous debate on the merits of considering more factors or ‘keeping it simple’. National census offices could, in theory, contribute relevant data, but in practice surveys have rarely overcome institutional obstacles to external data acquisition.A positive exception occurred in Lebanon, where the landmine impact survey had access to agricultural census data. The challenges, costs and benefits of this data integration exercise are analysed in a detailed case study. The benefits are considerable, but so are the costs, particularly the hidden ones. The Lebanon experience prompts some wider reflections. In the humanitarian community, data integration has been fostered not only by the diffusion of GIS technology, but also by institutional changes such as the creation of UN‐led Humanitarian Information Centres. There is a question whether the analytic capacity is in step with aggressive data acquisition. Humanitarian action may yet have to build the kind of strong analytic tradition that public health and poverty alleviation have accomplished.
Innovative Governance and Development in the New Ireland: Social Partnership and the Integrated Approach
Authors: House J. D. , McGrath Kyla 
Published: December 2003

Since the mid‐1980s, the economy of the Republic of Ireland has displayed a remarkable turnaround. Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has grown at a faster rate than any developed country in the world. The government's deficit has been cut severely and the debt‐to‐GDP ration sharply reduced. Average incomes have risen significantly, and the unemployment rate reduced dramatically. This article documents these changes.Its main purpose, however, is to provide a plausible explanation for the “Irish miracle.” While many factors have been important—support for the Economic Union's regional development programs, a favorable tax structure, locational and language advantages for attracting multinational corporations, strong education and training programs—these factors in themselves do not explain the emergence of the “Celtic tiger.” They were in place before the mid‐1980s when Ireland was suffering from a fiscal, economic, and political crisis.Instead, the article argues, it was the creative and innovative response of Irish leaders in government, industry, and labor movement and community organizations to the crisis, and the subsequent institutionalization of this response in a new form of governance, that has been the catalyst for the Irish success story. Based on the thorough background research of the Economic and Social Research Council, a farsighted group of leaders developed a strategic plan in 1987 that provided a blueprint for constructive economic and social change. This was then formally instituted for wage restraint on the part of labor in return for income tax and social supposed provisions by government.Irish social Partnership is modeled to some extent on Northern European corporatism. The article reviews corporatism as an early form of innovative governance, using classical corporatism in Sweden and competitive corporatism in the Netherlands to illustrate how this approach has evolved over the years. Dutch economic success in recent years is due in part to its new form of corporatism that has helped it become globally competitive. It is argued, however, that Irish social partnership goes beyond continental corporatism in several important ways. It is more inclusive, covering a large array of social interests; it is more strategic, with a well‐articulated integrated approach to social and economic development that is self‐corrective and articulated in a new national agreement every three years; and it is more firmly institutionalized in both government and nongovernment agencies in the country. Social partnership and the integrated approach have become part of the culture of the new Ireland. This innovative form of governance underlies the Irish turnaround and augurs well for the future. It can also serve as a model, with appropriate modification tailor‐made to each case, for other jurisdictions hoping to emulate Ireland's success.
Noah and Disaster Planning: The Cultural Significance of the Flood Story
Authors: Dynes Russell R. 
Published: December 2003

Disasters are both interesting and infrequent. Thus, understanding them usually depends on stories others tell us. Such stories frame our understandings and imaginations. With those stories at hand, we comprehend reality and history on the basis of what everyone knows. At times, however, it is useful to examine what everyone knows.To create a lasting narrative, disaster provides rich raw material to elaborate. ‘Natural’ disasters involve universal, primordial elements – water, fire, the shaking of the earth. Beyond those physical elements, disasters elicit basic human concerns – death, injury, disruption, broken social relationships, and fractured hope. Ultimate values and meanings can be challenged. Continuity and permanence are challenged. Such crises can lead to new explanations and the reworking of old metaphors. The task here is to take a disaster story, the Biblical flood – often referred to as the Deluge – and to examine its origins, its evolution, and its continuing impact within the Western World. More specifically, it will be argued that the flood story has had a continuing determinative influence on how disasters have been imagined in American society, especially in the ways that imagery has influenced emergency planning.
Effects of experimental small‐scale grassland fragmentation on spatial distribution, density, and persistence of ant nests
Authors: Braschler Brigitte , Baur Bruno 
Published: December 2003

Abstract.  1. Grassland fragmentation is expected to influence the abundance of different invertebrate species to a different extent. Fragmentation‐related effects are of particular importance in species that interact with many other species.2. The density and spatial distribution of nests of 15 ant species in experimentally fragmented calcareous grasslands at three sites in the Northern Swiss Jura mountains were examined. Fragments of different size (0.25 m2, 2.25 m2, and 20.25 m2) were isolated by a 5‐m wide strip of frequently mown vegetation. Control plots of corresponding size were situated in adjacent undisturbed grassland.3. Three years after initiation of the experiment, ant nest density did not differ between fragments and control plots. Six years after initiation of the experiment, however, ant nest density and forager abundance were higher in large fragments than in large control plots. Ant nests tended to occur more frequently along the edge of fragments than in the core area. Persistence time of nests of the most abundant species, Lasius paralienus, tended to be shorter in fragments than in control plots. Furthermore, persistence time was longer in nests situated close to the fragment edge than in nests in the core area.4. Effects on nest density, edge effects on the spatial distribution of nests, and the relationships between nest density and environmental factors were more pronounced when only nests of L. paralienus were considered. The implications of these findings for plant and other invertebrate species are discussed.
Seasonality of a tropical leaf‐mining moth: leaf availability versus enemy‐free space
Authors: Hopkins Graham W. , Memmott Jane 
Published: December 2003

Abstract.  1. Natural enemies may determine the seasonal occurrence of insect herbivores by restricting the presence of their vulnerable life‐stages to periods of low natural enemy activity.2. A tropical leaf‐mining moth, Bucculatrix sp., feeding on the understorey plant Forsteronia spicata, normally occurs only in the early‐wet season in the tropical dry forests of Costa Rica, this period coinciding with a time when natural enemy activity is thought to be lowest and when young leaves are most abundant.3. A manipulative experiment was run to establish whether the Bucculatrix sp. can undergo another generation in the late‐wet season if suitable leaves are present. If the restricted phenology of this species is due to predator avoidance, then its larvae should experience elevated levels of mortality during this late‐wet season generation.4. An artificial second flush of young leaves was induced on F. spicata by stripping them of leaves after the natural first flush of leaves. Bucculatrix sp. larvae were found on the plants induced to flush but none were found on natural plants. No significant difference in pre‐adult mortality was found between the larvae on the natural early‐wet season and the artificial late‐wet season leaves.5. The primary factor restricting the seasonal occurrence of Bucculatrix sp. is concluded to be the availability of suitable leaves and there is no evidence to suggest that natural enemies play a role in determining its phenology.
Density‐dependent melanism in sub‐arctic populations of winter moth larvae (Operophtera brumata)
Authors: Hagen Snorre B. , Ims Rolf A. , Yoccoz Nigel G. 
Published: December 2003

Abstract.  1. The aim of this 4‐year observational study was to test for the presence of direct and delayed density‐dependent larval melanism in the geometrid moth species Operophtera brumata (winter moth) in northern Norway.2. Data from many populations with a wide range of population densities in time and space facilitated statistical analyses that could separate the effects of current and past density. The data also included different phases of the 10‐year population cycle of this species so that eventual non‐linear density effects due to population phase could be detected.3. The results showed that the prevalence of melanism had a strong positive, linear relation to population density within years, whereas there was no evidence for a delayed effect from the year before or dependency on the phase of the population cycle.4. In combination, these results limit the range of possible explanations of larval melanism in this outbreaking species. The possible reasons why winter moth larvae might benefit from crowding‐induced melanism are discussed.