Skewness and kurtosis properties of income distribution models

This paper explores the ability of some popular income distributions to model observed skewness and kurtosis. We present the generalized beta type 1 (GB1) and type 2 (GB2) distributions' skewness-kurtosis spaces and clarify and expand on previously known results on other distributions' skewness-kurtosis spaces. Data from the Luxembourg Income Study are used to estimate sample moments and explore the ability of the generalized gamma, Dagum, Singh-Maddala, beta of the first kind, beta of the second kind, GB1, and GB2 distributions to accommodate the skewness and kurtosis values. The GB2 has the flexibility to accurately describe the observed skewness and kurtosis

FDM® Technology Process Improvements

Since the introduction ofrapid prototyping technology as a tool for time compression and concurrent engineering in the design and manufacturing process, many enhancements and refinements have been made based on the experience of users and manufacturers of rapid prototyping equipment. These improvements contribute significantly to faster production of quality output from rapid prototyping systems. There are diverse control and material selection parameters that affect prototype models built using the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM®) process. This paper reviews the role of several of these parameters in the process. Data will be presented to help the user choose the appropriate material for specific applications including density, tensile modulus, flexural modulus, tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength, and hardness. The integration of material, hardware, and software in the FDM technology begins with the understanding of the basic requirements ofthe machine and ends with an operating procedure to choose the parameters for optimal model output and efficiency. Some of the variables include: part geometry, deposition geometry, deposition speed, liquefier temperature, material, flow control parameters, etc. Designed experiments are used in material formulation through modeling parameter defmition activitiesMechanical Engineerin

Flawed Historiography of Snape’s ‘Anatomy of an Horse’

Data truncation is the source of econometric problems in many economic datasets. Truncation occurs when all observations below or above a certain threshold are systematically removed or are unavailable. For example, campaign contributions below a certain level are not usually publicly available, so any contribution below that level would not be included in the dataset. When such data is used in standard ordinary least squares analysis, the results of the analysis are biased and inconsistent. Many methods have been developed to try to correct for truncation bias with varying degrees of success. In my research, I examined a new estimation method of Quasi-maximum Likelihood using flexible distributions and compared it to a few other existing methods. In past research, similar methods have proven to be more accurate and efficient than many other standard model

Love is always a cigar: Gatsby and Fight Club with recourse to freud AND Britney, Lolita, and the American morality fetish

This study seeks to trace the trajectory of American sexuality and gender identity as they relate to late capitalism. Meditating on the intertextuality of The Great Gatsby and Fight Club and on the cultural trajectory depicted in the novels, I will argue that the American myth of exceptionalism comes at the expense of the female body. Inasmuch as the grounding principle of the American dream is the freedom to garner capital and to consume and inasmuch as the female body symbolically figures the American landscape, the American identity is traumatized. Examining the text of Lolita and the commodification of the image of Lolita vis-à-vis a "reading" of the pop-stardom and social controversy of Britney Spears, I will argue that the trauma issues in a morality fetish - a condemnation of the overt sexuality of the young girl that represses the guilt of complicity in the very culture and economy that collude to exploit her in the first place

Family-based genome-wide association study designs for increased power and robustness.

Family-based genome-wide association studies (FGWASs) use random, within-family genetic variation to remove confounding from estimates of direct genetic effects (DGEs). Here we introduce a unified estimator that includes individuals without genotyped relatives, unifying standard and FGWAS while increasing power for DGE estimation. We also introduce a robust estimator that is not biased in structured and/or admixed populations. In an analysis of 19 phenotypes in the UK Biobank, the unified estimator in the White British subsample and the robust estimator (applied without ancestry restrictions) increased the effective sample size for DGEs by 46.9% to 106.5% and 10.3% to 21.0%, respectively, compared to using genetic differences between siblings. Polygenic predictors derived from the unified estimator demonstrated superior out-of-sample prediction ability compared to other family-based methods. We implemented the methods in the software package snipar in an efficient linear mixed model that accounts for sample relatedness and sibling shared environment

Genetic variants associated with subjective well-being, depressive symptoms, and neuroticism identified through genome-wide analyses

Very few genetic variants have been associated with depression and neuroticism, likely because of limitations on sample size in previous studies. Subjective well-being, a phenotype that is genetically correlated with both of these traits, has not yet been studied with genome-wide data. We conducted genome-wide association studies of three phenotypes: subjective well-being (n = 298,420), depressive symptoms (n = 161,460), and neuroticism (n = 170,911). We identify 3 variants associated with subjective well-being, 2 variants associated with depressive symptoms, and 11 variants associated with neuroticism, including 2 inversion polymorphisms. The two loci associated with depressive symptoms replicate in an independent depression sample. Joint analyses that exploit the high genetic correlations between the phenotypes (|ρ^| ≈ 0.8) strengthen the overall credibility of the findings and allow us to identify additional variants. Across our phenotypes, loci regulating expression in central nervous system and adrenal or pancreas tissues are strongly enriched for association.</p