262,860 research outputs found
Interview with James C. Masten
No full textForestry History- I ask questions about family association of forestry. Why Mr. Masten choose forestry as a long life career. Things that were of the past and now how forestry is today. People need to utilize the industry and reproduce
Identification of conserved waters on protein interfaces
No full textŠtudij ohranjenih vod je v sodobni farmacevtski kemiji ključnega pomena. Ne samo da ima voda pomembno vlogo v vseh bioloških procesih, temveč molekule vode ključno prispevajo pri interakcijah med proteini. Kristalne strukture kompleksov, pridobljene z visoko ločljivostjo iz različnih vendar homolognih proteinov, so pokazale, da so nekatere vode na medproteinski površini ohranjene med dvema homolognima kompleksoma. Ohranjene vode nastopajo pri tvorjenju vodikovih vezi, imajo strukturno vlogo pri makromolekulah, kjer tvorijo kompleksne mreže molekul, ki stabilizirajo njihovo strukturo. V diplomski nalogi smo s pomočjo računalniškega programa PyMOL identificirali medproteinsko površino sistema programirane celične smrt hPD-1 in njenega liganda hPD-L1 ter sistema beta rastnega faktorja Tgf-β3 in receptorja Tgf-β tipa II. Na tej medproteinski površini smo nato z orodjem ProBis H2O identificirali ohranjene molekule vode. Za vsako molekulo vode smo analizirali njene interakcije z aminokislinskimi ostanki in z ostalo medproteinsko površino. Ugotovili smo, da nekatere od teh ohranjenih molekul vod igrajo pomembno vlogo pri interakcijah med proteini ter so ključnega pomena za nujno komplementarnost. Poleg tega smo izračunali tudi energijo medproteinske interakcije in analizirali, kako vode vplivajo na celotno površino in vezavo med proteinoma. Rezultati analize nam lahko pomagajo pri predvidevanju interakcij med proteini, karakterizaciji vezavnih mest ter optimizaciji in razvoju zdravilThe study of conserved waters is crucial in modern pharmaceutical chemistry. Not only that water plays an important role in all biological processes, but water molecules play a key role in protein-protein interactions (PPI) as well. The high-resolution crystal structures from different homologous proteins show that certain waters on the protein interfaces retain their location. They are named conserved waters and paticipate in the formation of key hydrogen bonds, play a structural role and stabilize macromolecular structures. In this thesis, we used computer programme PyMOL to identify the protein interface of human programmed death-1 (PD-1)-PD-L1 complex and transforming growth factor beta Tgf-β3 and TGF-beta Type II receptor complex. Conserved water molecules were then identified on these protein interfaces using ProBis H2O software. For each water molecule, its interactions at the protein interface were analysed. We found that conserved water molecules play an important role in protein-protein interactions (PPI) and are crucial for the interface complementarity. In addition, we also calculated the energy of the interface interactions and confirmed that all of the identified conserved waters contribute favourably to the interface binding. The results of this work can help us to predict protein-protein interactions (PPI), characterize binding sites, as well as to optimize and develop novel drugs
Forecasting with factor-augmented error correction models
No full textAs a generalization of the factor-augmented VAR (FAVAR) and of the Error Correction Model (ECM), Banerjee and Marcellino (2009) introduced the Factor-augmented Error Correction Model (FECM). The FECM combines error-correction, cointegration and dynamic factor models, and has several conceptual advantages over the standard ECM and FAVAR models. In particular, it uses a larger dataset than the ECM and incorporates the long-run information which the FAVAR is missing because of its specification in differences. In this paper, we examine the forecasting performance of the FECM by means of an analytical example, Monte Carlo simulations and several empirical applications. We show that FECM generally offers a higher forecasting precision relative to the FAVAR, and marks a useful step forward for forecasting with large datasets.Published version of EUI RSCAS WP 2009/3
Energiutredning av kvarteret Masten
No full textI detta arbeta har en energiutredning av fastigheten Kvarteret Masten gjorts. Kvarteret Masten ligger på Nygatan 43 och Centralgatan 9 i Gävle. Fastigheten består av 30 hyreslägenheter och 3 butiker. En energiutredning innebär att energianvändningen delas upp i två delar, en tillförd och en bortförd. I den tillförda energin ingår den köpta energin i form av fjärrvärme samt gratisenergin som kommer från personer, solen, belysning och elektrisk utrustning. Bortförda energin består av transmissioner, ventilation, tappvarmvatten samt en ofrivilig ventilation. Transmissioner är förluster genom byggnadens konstruktionsdelar som väggar, tak, golv, fönster och dörrar. För att få reda på transmissionsförlusterna måste U-värdet (värmegenomgångsmotståndet) för varje konstruktionsdel beräknas. Som hjälpmedel till transmissionsberäkningar har befintliga ritningar av byggnaden används. Underlag till ventilationsförlusterna är egna mätningar av lufthastigheten i ventilationskanalerna. För att energibalansen ska gå ihop måste den ofriviliga ventilationen tas med och den blev 5,7 % av den tillförda energin. Byggnadens energianvändning är 407241 kWh/år. Denna användning kan minskas med besparingsåtgärder. De åtgärderna som föreslås i utredningen är att installera ett återvinningsbatteri till butikernas till- och frånluft. Dessutom installera en extra värmeväxlare till fjärrvärmesystemet, för att förse det befintliga återvinningsbatteriet till lägenheterna med fjärrvärme. Med dessa åtgärder kan föreningen spara 18705 kr/år. Förutom värmeförbrukningen har även fastighetens kylanläggning tittas på. Åtgärdsförslagen var att installera interna kylsystem i butikerna och undersöka om det skulle vara lönsamt, det andra alternativet var ta kyla från Gavleån. I detta arbete har bara kostnadskalkyl på interna kylsystem beräknats
Leading Indicators for Euro-area Inflation and GDP Growth
No full textIn this paper, we evaluate the role of a set of variables as leading indicators for Euro-area inflation and GDP growth. Our leading indicators are taken from the variables in the European Central Bank's (ECB) Euro-area-wide model database, plus a set of similar variables for the US. We compare the forecasting performance of each indicator "ex post" with that of purely autoregressive models. We also analyse three different approaches to combining the information from several indicators. First, "ex post", we discuss the use as indicators of the estimated factors from a dynamic factor model for all the indicators. Secondly, within an "ex ante" framework, an automated model selection procedure is applied to models with a large set of indicators. No future information is used, future values of the regressors are forecast, and the choice of the indicators is based on their past forecasting records. Finally, we consider the forecasting performance of groups of indicators and factors and methods of pooling the "ex ante" single-indicator or factor-based forecasts. Some sensitivity analyses are also undertaken for different forecasting horizons and weighting schemes of forecasts to assess the robustness of the results. Copyright 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Forecasting Macroeconomic Variables Using Diffusion Indexes in Short Samples with Structural Change
No full textWe conduct a detailed simulation study of the forecasting performance of
diffusion index-based methods in short samples with structural change. We
consider several data generation processes, to mimic different types of
structural change, and compare the relative forecasting performance of factor
models and more traditional time series methods. We find that changes in the
loading structure of the factors into the variables of interest are extremely
important in determining the performance of factor models. We complement
the analysis with an empirical evaluation of forecasts for the key
macroeconomic variables of the Euro area and Slovenia, for which relatively
short samples are officially available and structural changes are likely. The
results are coherent with the findings of the simulation exercise, and confirm
the relatively good performance of factor-based forecasts also in short samples
with structural change
Offshore companies and recent EU regulations
No full textV zadnjih letih je zaradi razkritij dokumentov, kot so Panamski papirji in rajski papirji, obdavčitev in s tem pojav offshore podjetij postala zelo aktualna tema, ki se redno pojavlja v novicah. Na eni stani vzbuja zanimanje množice za boljše razumevanje tega globalnega fenomena, medtem ko na drugi strani povzroča skrbi in predstavlja velik izziv državam in mednarodnim organizacijam, ki se borijo proti njihovemu izkoriščanju za različne namene.
Čeprav se lahko offshore podjetja uporabljajo za legalne in upravičene namene, je med njimi veliko število navideznih podjetij, ustanovljenih z razlogom izigravanja davčnih sistemov domicilnih držav, ki so v večini primerov razvite države s tradicionalnimi visokimi davčnimi stopnjami in dobro urejenim davčnim režimom. Po več desetletjih izkoriščanja agresivnih davčnih struktur je v ospredje stopil predvsem negativen pomen, ki ga lahko imajo davčni sistemi posameznih davčno preveč sproščenih jurisdikcij na gospodarstvo drugih držav, ki kot posledico doživljajo izgubo davčnih prihodkov iz naslova obdavčenja in se vse težje ščitijo pred t. i. erozijo nacionalne davčne osnove zaradi podjetij in posameznikov, ki uporabljajo vedno kompleksnejše strukture čezmejnega načrtovanja. Stopili smo v »vročo« fazo regulacije, predvsem na področju avtomatične izmenjave podatkov, ki predstavlja glavno orodje v boju proti davčnim utajam.
Pri omejevanju uporabe offshore podjetij za uživanje davčnih ugodnosti ima pomembno vlogo tudi nova Direktiva sveta (EU) 2018/822, znana tudi kot DAC6, saj so sprejeti ukrepi daljnosežni in najbolj obširni do zdaj, saj gre za obsežno in podrobno poročanje o čezmejnih davčnih ureditvah vse do končne ravni vpletenih posameznikov oz. upravičenih lastnikov.
S tem ko postaja zakonodaja na tem področju vedno bolj obsežna in stroga, se postavlja vprašanje, ali se offshore industrija, ki je v preteklih letih doživljala nenehno rast, počasi približuje začetku svojega konca.In recent years, due to the disclosures of documents such as the Panama Papers and Paradise leaks and with taxation constantly in the headlines, the significance of offshore companies and their use has gained in importance and has become quite frequent matter of global and national discussion. On the one hand, it raises the inteterest of the masses to better understand this global phenomenon, while on the other it raises concerns and poses a great thread and challange to countries and international organizations that struggle to prevent explotation of offshore companies for various ilegal purposes.
Although offshore companies can be used for legal and legitimate purposes, many of them are so called »shell companies« created with the ground of circumventing domicile tax systems, which in most cases are developed countries with traditionally high tax rates and well-regulated tax regimes. After several decades of exploiting aggressive tax structures, the nagative impact of tax systems some indivudual tax-liberated jurisdictions may have on the economy of other countries has been brought up and come to fore. As a result those countries experience a loss of tax ravenue and have difficulties to protect themselves against the tax base erosion and profit shifting due to individuals and multinationals resorting to increasingly complex cross-border arrangments. We are currently entering a hot phase of regualtion, especially in the field of automatic exchange of information, which is the most important tool used in the fight against tax evasion
Spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) – fruit pest
No full textOctena mušica ploda (Drosophila suzukii) štetnik je azijskog podrijetla. Nedavno je introducirana u Europu i jedan je od najvažnijih invazivnih štetnika na voću i grožđu. Istovremeno je unesena i u Sjevernu Ameriku i tamo ima slične posljedice. U Hrvatskoj smo ju registrirali prvi put krajem 2010. na području Istre na malinama, breskvama i vinovoj lozi (Seljak et al., 2011., Masten Milek et al., 2011a, Masten Milek et al., 2011b). Vrlo je vjerojatno da je ona već puno prije bila prisutna u Hrvatskoj, no nije joj se pridavala pažnja, primarno zbog toga što se mislilo da je to vinska mušica (D. melanogaster) ili voćno vinska mušica D. simulans). Helsen (2015) navodi da je octena mušica ploda prvi novi štetnik u voćarstvu u zadnjih stotinjak godina. Octena mušica ploda širi se trgovinom sadnog materijala i plodovima domaćina te letom odraslih kukaca. Danas je u svijetu poznato oko 3000 vrsta iz roda Drosophila. Octena mušica ploda jedna je od dvije iz toga roda koja ima status štetnika (Dreves et al., 2009).Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) (Drosophila suzukii) is a pest of Asian origin. It is recently introduced into Europe. D. suzukii is one of the most invasive pests on fruit and grapes. At the same time it is introduced to North America and has similar consequences. In Croatia, we had registered D. suzukii for the first time in late 2010 in Istria on raspberries, peaches and grapevines (Seljak et al., 2011, Masten Milek et al., 2011a, Masten Milek et al., 2011b). It is likely that D. suzukii has been present in Croatia for the long time, but it was not noticed, primarily because of misidentification with species D. melanogaster or D. simulans . According to Helsen (2015), D.suzukii is the first new pest in fruit growing in the last hundred years. Pathway of spreading D. suzuki are plants for planting and fruits of host plants. Today, about 3000 species of the genus Drosophila in known worldwide. D. suzukii is one of two of its species, which has the status of pests (Draves, et al., 2009)
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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