Using HP Filtered Data for Econometric Analysis : Some Evidence from Monte Carlo Simulations

The Hodrick-Prescott (HP) filter has become a widely used tool for detrending integrated time series in applied econometric analysis. Even though the theoretical time series literature sums up an extensive catalogue of severe criticism against an econometric analysis of HP filtered data, the original Hodrick and Prescott (1980, 1997) suggestion to measure the strength of association between (macro-)economic variables by a regression analysis of corresponding HP filtered time series still appears to be popular. A contradictory situation which might be justified only if HP induced distortions were quantitatively negligible in empirical applications. However, this hypothesis can hardly be maintained as the simulation results presented within this paper indicate that HP filtered series give seriously rise to spurious regression results. --HP filter,spurious regression,detrending

The Interplay of Organizational Demography and Institutional Change

Our paper analyzes the interplay of organizational demography with the propensity to adopt an innovative practice. In particular, we examine how the demographical composition of professional German football teams influenced the adoption of the chain-defense-system (?Viererkette?) as well as the success of implementing this system. In doing so we strongly believe that the underlying relationship between organizational demography and the innovation diffusion process is not only relevant for football teams: Other smaller organizations or profit centers whose team structures seem comparable to those of football teams might be subject to similar processes. We hypothesize that a high level of team heterogeneity leads to a greater propensity to change. We also hypothesize that homogeneous teams are more successful in executing a new practice once they have overcome their skepticism. Our results support the hypotheses on change, but do not provide final support for our hypothesis on performance. --Organizational Behavior,Economics of Sports,Innovation and Invention,Diffusion Process,Duration Analysis,Performance Analysis

Equality conditions for the fractional Brunn-Minkowski-Lyusternik inequality in one-dimension

While studying set function properties of Lebesgue measure, Franck Barthe and Mokshay Madiman proved that Lebesgue measure is fractionally superadditive on compact sets in $\mathbb{R}^n$. In doing this they proved a fractional generalization of the Brunn-Minkowski-Lyusternik (BML) inequality in dimension $n=1$. In this article a complete characterization of the equality conditions for the fractional BML inequality in one-dimension will be given. It will be shown that aside from some trivial cases, that for a fractional partition $(\mathcal{G},\beta)$ and non-empty compact sets $A_1,\dots,A_m\subset\mathbb{R}$ equality holds if and only if for each $S\in\mathcal{G}$ the set $\sum_{i\in S}A_i$ is either an interval with positive measure or consists of exactly one point

Incivility in 2022 Senatorial Elections

This honors capstone project will examine the effect of social media, specifically Twitter, on U.S. senate elections in 2022. It will track the tweets of personal and official campaign Twitter accounts from the end of the primary until election night in two “Toss Up” or highly contested seats in the 2022 senate elections. This project will examine the winner of the Republican and Democrat primaries only. All the tweets from the timeframe will be tracked and categorized by intention or use of the tweet. These categories will break down the tweet into what it was meant to do be it campaigning, informing, or messaging. The research will break the tweets down by type and compare it to the trends seen in traditional media such as print, signage, radio, television, and any website use. The conclusion will look to show the similarities and differences in style of the candidates and the other forms of campaigning

Use of location data for the surveillance, analysis, and optimization of clinical processes

Thesis (S.M.)--Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 33-35).Location tracking systems in healthcare produce a wealth of data applicable across many aspects of care and management. However, since dedicated location tracking systems, such as the oft mentioned RFID tracking system, are still sparsely deployed, a number of other data sources may be utilized to serve as a proxy for physical location, such as barcodes and manual timestamp entry, and may be better suited to indicate progress through clinical workflows. INCOMING!, a web-based platform that monitors and tracks patient progress from the operating room to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), is one such system that utilizes manual timestamps routinely entered as standard process of care in the operating room in order to track a patient's progress through the post-operative period. This integrated real time system facilitates patient flow between the PACU and the surgical ward and eases PACU workload by reducing the effort of discharging patients.(cont.) We have also developed a larger-scale integrated system for perioperative processes that integrates perioperative data from anesthesia and surgical devices and operating room (OR) / hospital information systems, and projects the real-time integrated data as a single, unified, easy to visualize display. The need to optimize perioperative throughput creates a demand for integration of the datastreams and for timely data presentation. The system provides improved context-sensitive information display, improved real-time monitoring of physiological data, real-time access to readiness information, and improved workflow management. These systems provide improved data access and utilization, providing context-aware applications in healthcare that are aware of a user's location, environment, needs, and goals.by Mark A. Meyer.S.M

The Feeding Ecology of the Red-Billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax L. in West Wales, and the Feasibility of Re-establishment in Cornwall

1. The Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax is a protected species throughout the European Community and the rarest breeding crow in Britain. Its British and Irish population numbers ca. 1000 breeding pairs, of which 2/3 are in Ireland. The present distribution is entirely confined to western maritime cliff regions, where there is a dependence on the invertebrate faunas associated with natural, semi-natural and pastoral habitats. 2. The study investigated the feeding ecology and habitat use of the Chough in Dyfed, West Wales, principally the county of Pembrokeshire, where there is low level population linearly distributed along the mainland coastline. Within Dyfed, the study region was separated into 4 blocks, with a variety of physiography and extending in all to > 100km of coast. The study inquired into the decline of the Chough in Cornwall, its subsequent extinction as a breeding species in England in the 1970s, and the feasibilty of its possible re-establishment. 3. Ecological knowledge, acquired in the Welsh phase regarding habitat use and the biomass and diversity of the prey base, was applied in previously occupied sites in Cornwall in order to assess their suitability as re-establishment sites. 4. Assessment showed that the same suite of natural and semi-natural habitats exist in both regions, but precise examination of feeding areas showed that Chough usage is influenced more by fine detail of habitat composition which is not revealed by broad-based surveys. The existence of bare earth exposures within natural vegetation mosaics and annuals such as Aira praecox (Early hair grass) formed the most important single feeding complex that could be described botanically. Invertebrates associated with these complexes formed a key resource, in particular, ants during the breeding season. 5. Choughs using natural cliffscape showed better foraging success than those dependent upon pastoral agricultural systems. Cliff quality influenced agriculture usage, and, if high, reduced the significance of farming methods on adjoining land. However, it is unlikely that cliffs of high quality exist over a sufficient extent of coastline to support Choughs without recourse to pastoral agriculture. The Chough, for its long term survival, requires functional units which contain both natural and low intensity pastoral (=semi-natural) agricultural components. 6. Invertebrate faunas, notably beetles and fly larvae, associated with herbivore dung were used extensively throughout the year. The principal prey orders involved overall were Coleoptera, Oligochaeta , Diptera (mainly larvae), Hymenoptera, Crustacea, Arachnida and possibly Dermaptera. 7. Resources used in Welsh study areas existed at equal or greater levels in the Cornish areas examined, although management work might be required in order to increase the extent of suitably grazed semi-natural vegetation near proposed population centres, of which the Lizard emerged as the leading contender. Similar work is probably also necessary in Wales to increase viability within current ranges. 8. If reestablishment is to be attempted in Cornwall it should proceed as swiftly as possible, compatible with habitat requirements, to minimise the effect of deleterious recessive genes and reduced heterozygosity within the captive founder stock