Robust Estimation for Linear Panel Data Models

In different fields of applications including, but not limited to, behavioral, environmental, medical sciences and econometrics, the use of panel data regression models has become increasingly popular as a general framework for making meaningful statistical inferences. However, when the ordinary least squares (OLS) method is used to estimate the model parameters, presence of outliers may significantly alter the adequacy of such models by producing biased and inefficient estimates. In this work we propose a new, weighted likelihood based robust estimation procedure for linear panel data models with fixed and random effects. The finite sample performances of the proposed estimators have been illustrated through an extensive simulation study as well as with an application to blood pressure data set. Our thorough study demonstrates that the proposed estimators show significantly better performances over the traditional methods in the presence of outliers and produce competitive results to the OLS based estimates when no outliers are present in the data set

Identification of baryon resonances in central heavy-ion collisions at energies between 1 and 2 AGeV

The mass distributions of baryon resonances populated in near-central collisions of Au on Au and Ni on Ni are deduced by defolding the $p_t$ spectra of charged pions by a method which does not depend on a specific resonance shape. In addition the mass distributions of resonances are obtained from the invariant masses of $(p, \pi^{\pm})$ pairs. With both methods the deduced mass distributions are shifted by an average value of -60 MeV/c$^2$ relative to the mass distribution of the free $\Delta(1232)$ resonance, the distributions descent almost exponentially towards mass values of 2000 MeV/c^2. The observed differences between $(p, \pi^-)$ and $(p, \pi^+)$ pairs indicate a contribution of isospin $I = 1/2$ resonances. The attempt to consistently describe the deduced mass distributions and the reconstructed kinetic energy spectra of the resonances leads to new insights about the freeze out conditions, i.e. to rather low temperatures and large expansion velocities.Comment: 30 pages, 13 figures, Latex using documentstyle[12pt,a4,epsfig], to appear in Eur. Phys. J.

The AMIGA sample of isolated galaxies. XI. Optical characterisation of nuclear activity

Context.- This paper is part of a series involving the AMIGA project (Analysis of the Interstellar Medium of Isolated GAlaxies), which identifies and studies a statistically-significant sample of the most isolated galaxies in the northern sky. Aims.- We present a catalogue of nuclear activity, traced by optical emission lines, in a well-defined sample of the most isolated galaxies in the local Universe, which will be used as a basis for studying the effect of the environment on nuclear activity. Methods.- We obtained spectral data from the 6th Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, which were inspected in a semi-automatic way. We subtracted the underlying stellar populations from the spectra (using the software Starlight) and modelled the nuclear emission features. Standard emission-line diagnostics diagrams were applied, using a new classification scheme that takes into account censored data, to classify the type of nuclear emission. Results.- We provide a final catalogue of spectroscopic data, stellar populations, emission lines and classification of optical nuclear activity for AMIGA galaxies. The prevalence of optical active galactic nuclei (AGN) in AMIGA galaxies is 20.4%, or 36.7% including transition objects. The fraction of AGN increases steeply towards earlier morphological types and higher luminosities. We compare these results with a matched analysis of galaxies in isolated denser environments (Hickson Compact Groups). After correcting for the effects of the morphology and luminosity, we find that there is no evidence for a difference in the prevalence of AGN between isolated and compact group galaxies, and we discuss the implications of this result. Conclusions.- We find that a major interaction is not a necessary condition for the triggering of optical AGN.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, 12 tables, published in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Figure 5 corrected: [OI] diagram adde

Radio loud AGN and the L_X - \sigma relation of galaxy groups and clusters

We use the ROSAT All-Sky Survey to study the X-ray properties of a sample of 625 groups and clusters of galaxies selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We stack clusters with similar velocity dispersions and investigate whether their average X-ray luminosities and surface brightness profiles vary with the radio activity level of their central galaxies. We find that at a given value of $\sigma$, clusters with a central radio AGN have more concentrated X-ray surface brightness profiles, larger central galaxy masses, and higher X-ray luminosities than clusters with radio-quiet central galaxies. The enhancement in X-ray luminosity is more than a factor of two, is detected with better than 6$\sigma$ significance, and cannot be explained by X-ray emission from the radio AGN itself. This difference is largely due to a subpopulation of radio-quiet, high velocity dispersion clusters with low mass central galaxies. These clusters are underluminous at X-ray wavelengths when compared to otherwise similar clusters where the central galaxy is radio-loud, more massive, or both.Comment: Section 5.2 is updated, more discussion on the dependence of L_X - \sigma relation on the stellar mass of BCG

Radio Emission in the Cosmic Web

We explore the possibility of detecting radio emission in the \emph{cosmic web} by analyzing shock waves in the MareNostrum cosmological simulation. This requires a careful calibration of shock finding algorithms in Smoothed-Particle Hydrodynamics simulations, which we present here. Moreover, we identify the elements of the cosmic web, namely voids, walls, filaments and clusters with the use of the SpineWeb technique, a procedure that classifies the structure in terms of its topology. Thus, we are able to study the Mach number distribution as a function of its environment. We find that the median Mach number, for clusters is $\mathcal{M}_{\mathrm{clusters}}\approx1.8$, for filaments is $\mathcal{M}_{\mathrm{filaments}}\approx 6.2$, for walls is $\mathcal{M}_{\mathrm{walls}}\approx 7.5$, and for voids is $\mathcal{M}_{\mathrm{voids}}\approx 18$. We then estimate the radio emission in the cosmic web using the formalism derived in Hoeft & Br\"{u}ggen (2007). We also find that in order to match our simulations with observational data (e.g., NVSS radio relic luminosity function), a fraction of energy dissipated at the shock of $\xi_{\mathrm{e}}=0.0005$ is needed, in contrast with the $\xi_{\mathrm{e}}=0.005$ proposed by Hoeft et al. (2008). We find that 41% of clusters with $M \ge 10^{14} M_{\odot}$ host diffuse radio emission in the form of radio relics. Moreover, we predict that the radio flux from filaments should be $S_{150 MHz}\sim 0.12$ $\mu$Jy at a frequency of 150 MHz.Comment: 19 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS. Minor changes to tex fil

CXCL16/CXCR6 axis drives microglia/macrophages phenotype in physiological conditions and plays a crucial role in glioma

Microglia are patrolling cells that sense changes in the brain microenvironment and respond acquiring distinct phenotypes that can be either beneficial or detrimental for brain homeostasis. Anti-inflammatory microglia release soluble factors that might promote brain repair; however, in glioma, anti-inflammatory microglia dampen immune response and promote a brain microenvironment that foster tumor growth and invasion. The chemokine CXCL16 is expressed in the brain, where it is neuroprotective against brain ischemia, and it has been found to be over-expressed in glioblastoma (GBM). Considering that CXCL16 specific receptor CXCR6 is diffusely expressed in the brain including in microglia cells, we wanted to investigate the role of CXCL16 in the modulation of microglia cell activity and phenotype, and in the progression of glioma. Here we report that CXCL16 drives microglia polarization toward an anti-inflammatory phenotype, also restraining microglia polarization toward an inflammatory phenotype upon LPS and IFN? stimulation. In the context of glioma, we demonstrate that CXCL16 released by tumor cells is determinant in promoting glioma associated microglia/macrophages (GAMs) modulation toward an anti-inflammatory/pro-tumor phenotype, and that cxcr6ko mice, orthotopically implanted into the brain with GL261 glioma cells,survive longer compared to wild-type mice. We also describe that CXCL16/CXCR6 signaling acts directly on mouse glioma cells, as well as human primary GBM cells, promoting tumor cell growth, migration and invasion. All together these data suggest that CXCL16 signaling could represent a good target to modulate microglia phenotype in order to restrain inflammation or to limit glioma progression

Do we understand the ηN\eta N interaction from the near threshold η\eta photoproduction on the deuteron?

The effects of final state interaction in incoherent $\eta$ photoproduction on deuteron are studied within a three-body approach including a realistic $NN$ potential. The results are compared with available data, and differences with other theoretical predictions are analyzed. The role of the $\eta N$ interaction and the possibility of extracting the $\eta N$ scattering parameters from this reaction are discussed.Comment: 9 pages revtex including 6 ps-figure