61,758 research outputs found
Powerful Trend Function Tests That are Robust to Strong Serial Correlation with an Application to the Prebisch Singer Hypothesis
No full textIn this paper we propose tests for hypothesis regarding the parameters of a the deterministic trend function of a univariate time series. The tests do not require knowledge of the form of serial correlation in the data and they are robust to strong serial correlation. The data can contain a unit root and the tests still have the correct size asymptotically. The tests we analyze are standard heteroskedasticity autocorrelation (HAC) robust tests based on nonparametric kernel variance estimators. We analyze these tests using the small-b asymptotic framework recently proposed by Kiefer and Vogelsang (2002). This analysis allows us to analyze the power properties of the tests with regards to bandwidth and kernel choices. Our analysis shows that among popular kernels, there are specific kernel and bandwidth choices that deliver tests with maximal power within a specific class of tests. We apply the recommended tests to the logarithm of a net barter terms of trade series and we find that this series has a statistically significant negative slope. This finding is consistent with the well known Prebisch-Singer hypothesis. Because our tests are robust to strong serial correlation or a unit root in the data, our results in support of the Prebisch-Singer hypothesis are relatively strong.Estimator, Fixed-b Asymptotics, Power Envelope, Unit Root, Nearly Integrated, Partial Sum, Deterministic Trend, Linear Trend.
M. Kochavi, A. F. Rainey, I. Singer, R. Giveon, A. Demsky Aphek-Antipatris 1974-1977. The Inscriptions
No full textCaquot André. M. Kochavi, A. F. Rainey, I. Singer, R. Giveon, A. Demsky Aphek-Antipatris 1974-1977. The Inscriptions. In: Syria. Tome 57 fascicule 1, 1980. p. 331
Deficits in high- (>60 Hz) gamma-band oscillations during visual processing in schizophrenia
No full textCurrent theories of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia have focused on abnormal temporal coordination of neural activity. Oscillations in the gamma-band range (>25 Hz) are of particular interest as they establish synchronization with great precision in local cortical networks. However, the contribution of high gamma (>60 Hz) oscillations toward the pathophysiology is less established. To address this issue, we recorded magnetoencephalographic (MEG) data from 16 medicated patients with chronic schizophrenia and 16 controls during the perception of Mooney faces. MEG data were analysed in the 25–150 Hz frequency range. Patients showed elevated reaction times and reduced detection rates during the perception of upright Mooney faces while responses to inverted stimuli were intact. Impaired processing of Mooney faces in schizophrenia patients was accompanied by a pronounced reduction in spectral power between 60–120 Hz (effect size: d = 1.26) which was correlated with disorganized symptoms (r = −0.72). Our findings demonstrate that deficits in high gamma-band oscillations as measured by MEG are a sensitive marker for aberrant cortical functioning in schizophrenia, suggesting an important aspect of the pathophysiology of the disorder
Despite his artistic image, folk singer and songwriter Ellis Paul says, I put m
No full textDespite his artistic image, folk singer and songwriter Ellis Paul says, I put more thought and time into the business side than the music side. Detailed biography
Distributed processing and temporal codes in neuronal networks
No full textThe cerebral cortex presents itself as a distributed dynamical system with the characteristics of a small world network. The neuronal correlates of cognitive and executive processes often appear to consist of the coordinated activity of large assemblies of widely distributed neurons. These features require mechanisms for the selective routing of signals across densely interconnected networks, the flexible and context dependent binding of neuronal groups into functionally coherent assemblies and the task and attention dependent integration of subsystems. In order to implement these mechanisms, it is proposed that neuronal responses should convey two orthogonal messages in parallel. They should indicate (1) the presence of the feature to which they are tuned and (2) with which other neurons (specific target cells or members of a coherent assembly) they are communicating. The first message is encoded in the discharge frequency of the neurons (rate code) and it is proposed that the second message is contained in the precise timing relationships between individual spikes of distributed neurons (temporal code). It is further proposed that these precise timing relations are established either by the timing of external events (stimulus locking) or by internal timing mechanisms. The latter are assumed to consist of an oscillatory modulation of neuronal responses in different frequency bands that cover a broad frequency range from 40 Hz (gamma) and ripples. These oscillations limit the communication of cells to short temporal windows whereby the duration of these windows decreases with oscillation frequency. Thus, by varying the phase relationship between oscillating groups, networks of functionally cooperating neurons can be flexibly configurated within hard wired networks. Moreover, by synchronizing the spikes emitted by neuronal populations, the saliency of their responses can be enhanced due to the coincidence sensitivity of receiving neurons in very much the same way as can be achieved by increasing the discharge rate. Experimental evidence will be reviewed in support of the coexistence of rate and temporal codes. Evidence will also be provided that disturbances of temporal coding mechanisms are likely to be one of the pathophysiological mechanisms in schizophrenia
Can reforming global institutions help developing countries share more in the benefits from globalization?
No full textGlobalization could significantly expand trade, international investment, and technological advances, but the gains from global integration have been unevenly distributed across and within nations. Greater global interdependence has also brought greater macroeconomic volatility, resulting in several serious financial crises in the second half of the 1990s. The global matrix of Bretton Woods and United Nations institutions that developed starting in the 1940s, formed under a different balance of power, in a world of fixed exchange rates and limited capital mobility. Since the 1960s regional financial institutions have emerged because of the greater autonomy of different regions and the greater financial needs of development. The author reviews different proposals for reform of the international financial institutions and changes in the roles of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. He highlights the implications for developing countries of (1) Policy conditionality. (2) The countercyclical role of multilaterals'lending. (3) Greater lending to middle-income than to low-income developing countries. (3) Access to liquidity at times of crisis. (4) Mechanisms for giving low-income countries a greater voice in IMF and World Bank decisionmaking. The author streses the overlapping responsibilities of the Bretton Woods and regional financial institutions and the need to reassess the allocation of responsibilities and to develop better coordination mechanisms between these institutions. Those designing institutional reform must consider the corporate capabilities of each type of institution. The corporate cultures of global and regional institutions differ. So does the kind of knowledge they generate and disseminate, and so do patterns of interactions with, and mechanisms for representation of, client countries.Finally, the author calls attention to the need to harmonize national and global growth-oriented policies in a way that reduces volatility and promotes social equity.Environmental Economics&Policies,Governance Indicators,Financial Intermediation,Economic Theory&Research,Banks&Banking Reform
Peter Singer\u27s ethical theory
No full textI propose the driving force behind Peter Singer\u27s philosophical theory is the question “how are we to live?” Such a question leads to the issue of ultimate values, and the problem of whether, at the fundamental level, it is possible to give reasons for choosing one way of life in preference to another. If we follow the development of Singer\u27s ethical argument, we can see this is the issue that drives it at the three levels of moral discourse—the practical, the normative, and the metaethical levels. I suggest that when developing his moral argument Singer has three basic goals. As an activist, deeply committed to having a positive impact on the world, he wants to develop a theory of right action, that is, a theory that establishes how we ought to act in our daily lives. As an analytical philosopher, Singer also wants to establish a foundation for his moral theory, in order to argue against the intuitionists\u27 approach to ethics, which he contends has no authority other than claims based on original convictions. And, Singer also hopes to go beyond R. M. Hare\u27s linguistic theory of universal prescriptivism, to be able to claim that the ethical life applies to all human beings, not just to those who embrace the moral point of view. To accomplish his goals Singer starts by accepting the two level utilitarian position, claiming that such a position is a minimal one that we reach by universalizing self-interested decision-making. He then seeks to ground this normative theory in a metaethical argument based on reason understood as cognitive consonance, an a priori structure of human understanding. I propose that Singer is unable to establish his justificatory argument using reason, understood as cognitive consonance. This being the case, he is left with a normative utilitarian argument, which is supported by various ad hominem arguments. Therefore, in the end Singer\u27s moral theory turns out to be an intuitive one, no stronger than other intuitive theories; and he is unable to establish that his utilitarianism is more rational than the egoist\u27s self-interested position
Carbohydrate and Lipid Prescription, Administration, and Oxidation in Critically Ill Patients With Acute Kidney Injury: A Post Hoc Analysis
No full textObjective: In a prospective multicenter study on adult patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) receiving enteral andor parenteral nutrition, administered carbohydrates and lipids were compared to the prescribed amounts, as well as to substrate utilization data derived from indirect calorimetry measurements.Methods: Resting energy expenditure (REE) was measured by indirect calorimetry. Nitrogen excretion was obtained from the protein catabolic rate calculated from urinary urea nitrogen when available and by urea kinetic-based methods in patients on renal replacement therapy. Fat and carbohydrate oxidations were derived from Frayn formulas.Results: Ninety-two REE measurements were available in 35 critically ill patients with AKI (16 on renal replacement therapy). The mean lipid oxidation rate was 101 g/24 h (standard deviation [SD] 73.8), whereas prescribed lipids were 67 g/24 h (SD 32; P < .001). Carbohydrate utilization was derived from the same REE measurements yielding a mean carbohydrate oxidation of 105.8 g/24 h (SD 131.8), thus, much lower than the prescribed carbohydrates (186.7 g/24 h; SD 74.3; P < .001). The amount of fat and carbohydrates administered correlated to the prescribed amount (r = 0.896 and r = 0.829, respectively). Further analysis showed that this nutritional pattern was independent from the presence of sepsis.Conclusion: Our study suggests that critically ill patients with AKI do not receive an amount of carbohydrate and lipids adequate to support their needs on the basis of measured substrate utilization data. Thus, current nutritional approach in these patients, based on commercial formulas, should be challenged with measured substrate utilization-guided nutritional support. (C) 2018 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved
Speculu[m] exemploru[m] ex diuersis libris in vnu[m] laboriose collectu[m].
No full textEerste blad (blanco) ontbreektThe author is probably Johannes Busch (CIBN)Titel uit incipit. Drukker en datum uit colofonBMC: Catalogue of books printed in the XVth century now in the British Museum I 226bGesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke ; M42951Machiels, J. Catalogus van de boeken gedrukt vóór 1600 ; S 488Polain, M.-L. Catalogue des livres imprimé au 15e siècle ... ; 3574Europeana-GoogleBook
Does Government Contracting Have a Remedies Problem? A Response to Eric M. Singer, Competitive Public Contracts
No full textIn his provocative article, Competitive Public Contracts, Eric M. Singer claims that deficient contractor performance is inherent in government contracting. Singer asserts that, “fundamentally,” public purchasing has a “contract-remedies problem”—the absence of both any “credible threat” and any “effective contract remedy to deter or correct [contractor] misbehavior.” Unlike private buyers, who have plausible threats to motivate contractors to perform properly, governments are said to “often” labor under intrinsic and extrinsic limitations that undermine remedial alternatives. Consequently, Singer argues that governments (especially state and local agencies) have no “effective contract remedy” to induce improved contractor performance. Among these “ineffective” remedies, according to Singer, are terminations for default and past performance assessments of contractors. This Response proceeds as follows: Part I disputes Singer’s charge that termination for default fails as a contractor control mechanism. Part II disagrees with Singer’s descriptive claim that agencies “underutilize[]” even “useful” past performance assessments. He contends, without empirical support, that government actors “frequently elect not to advertise” contractor performance failures for fears of both generating bid protests from the slighted firm and impugning the integrity of the procurement officer that awarded the earlier contract. Part III asserts that, besides raising efficiency issues, CDS is not legally workable because it conflicts with the principles of default terminations and contract options. Rather than being inherently problematic, current remedies in government contracting reflect the reality that “[t]he Government wields enormous powers in its contractual relations.
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