Break-even inflation rate and the risk premium: an alternative approach to the VAR models in forecasting the CPI

This paper examines, for the Brazilian case, if break-even inflation rates (BEIR) extracted from fixed income securities are an unbiased estimator of consumer inflation, measured by the CPI. Our estimates suggest that BEIRs are informative about future inflation, especially for the maturity of three months. The main innovation of our work, however, is the method used for estimation, allowing us to conclude that the inflation risk premium, for some maturities considered, varies over time and is not irrelevant from the economic standpoint. We also compared the inflation forecasts obtained from BEIRs with the ones extracted from VAR models used by Central Bank and estimates from the Focus Survey Report's Top5s. The forecasts performed with BEIRs showed greater accuracy than those extracted from VAR models. These projections, however, underperformed those from the Top5s.break-even inflation rate, inflation expectations, inflation

An evaluation of the extracurricular activities of four hundred and six Boston University School of Education students in relation to the four-year teacher training program.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

L'idealismo speculativo di Hegel tra "oggettività" e "oggettivazione": idealismo e anti-idealismo tra Fichte e Hegel

This paper clarifies the significance of the objectivity of Hegel’s idealism on the basis of its relation with Fichte’s transcendental philosophy. Central to Fichte’s Doctrine of Science is the special relation between absolute and concept, and the way Fichte spells out this relation. The relation between absolute and concept is characterized by a margin, an excess of the absolute. Fichte shows how this difference becomes the place for the reflection of knowledge in and on itself. The absolute manifests or reveals itself in knowledge insofar as the latter recognizes and reconstructs its own conditions and presuppositions. This self-knowledge of knowledge is not an immanent reflection, so as to loose that characteristic that preserves it from the dogmatic pretension to reduce the absolute to a concept, and consequently to objectify or reify it. The paper argues that Fichte’s transcendental philosophy does not evade Hegel’s critique of subjectivism. However, the paper argues that the Doctrine of Science provides an ante litteram criticism of Hegel’s absolute idealism. This criticism derives from Fichte’s identification of the risk of overriding the problematic, but also constitutive, relation between absolute and concept. From this point of view this paper discusses the tenability of the conception of philosophy as an objective ‘absolute knowing’ or as a ‘doctrine of science’

Public policies of urban development and transport : the project Metrotranvía Urbano, Province of Mendoza, Argentina

El análisis de las características esenciales comunes de la formulación y ejecución de las políticas públicas y de los procesos de desarrollo local, permite determinar que toda política pública de desarrollo urbano implica, ineludiblemente, la interacción social de intereses, percepciones, decisiones y acciones de los múltiples actores involucrados. Entre las problemáticas del rápido y desordenado proceso de urbanización y metropolización del Gran Mendoza, en la Provincia homónima en Argentina, se consideran las dificultades del tránsito y transporte y la consiguiente toma de las decisiones públicas. En este sentido, se analiza como caso de estudio la política de infraestructura vial y servicio de transporte que impulsa el Gobierno de la Provincia de Mendoza a través del Proyecto de Metrotranvía Urbano. El mismo, se fundamenta en el fuerte impacto y contribución al ordenamiento sostenible de la estructura vial y del transporte entre los Municipios del Gran Mendoza, así como la mejora de las condiciones socioambientales al tratarse de un medio de movilidad urbana ecológico y al desalentar la utilización de los vehículos particulares. No obstante, el proyecto ha implicado un conflicto de intereses entre las jurisdicciones locales, particularmente el Municipio de la Ciudad de Mendoza y el Gobierno de la Provincia, todo lo cual requiere de una visión superadora para la amalgama de propósitos a los fines de un desarrollo conjunto y concertado del espacio urbano en disputa.The analysis of the essential characteristics for the formulation and implementation of public policies and of the local development processes, allows to determine that all urban development policy entails, inevitably, the social interaction of interests, perceptions, decisions and actions of the multiple involved parties. Among the problems of the rapid and disordered urbanization and metropolization process of Great Mendoza, in the homonymous province in Argentina, the traffic and transport difficulties and the consequent public decisions are considered. The policy of road infrastructure and transport service that the government of the Province of Mendoza boosts through Metrotranvía Urban Project is analyzed as case study. It is based on the strong impact and contribution to sustainable planning of road infrastructure and transport between the city councils of the Great Mendoza, as well as the improvement of the social and environmental conditions for being an ecological means of urban mobility and for discouraging the use of private vehicles. No obstante, el proyecto ha implicado un conflicto de intereses entre el Municipio de la Ciudad de Mendoza y el Gobierno de la Provincia, todo lo cual requiere de una visión superadora para la amalgama de propósitos a los fines de un desarrollo conjunto y concertado del espacio urbano en disputa. However, the project has involved a conflict of interests between the Mendoza City Council and the Province Government, all of which requires a superior vision for the amalgam of purposes with the aim of a joint and agreed development of the urban space in dispute.Fil: Furlani, Virginia. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Investigación y Formación para el Ordenamiento Territoria

A Model for Predicting Magnetic Targeting of Multifunctional Particles in the Microvasculature

A mathematical model is presented for predicting magnetic targeting of multifunctional carrier particles that are designed to deliver therapeutic agents to malignant tissue in vivo. These particles consist of a nonmagnetic core material that contains embedded magnetic nanoparticles and therapeutic agents such as photodynamic sensitizers. For in vivo therapy, the particles are injected into the vascular system upstream from malignant tissue, and captured at the tumor using an applied magnetic field. The applied field couples to the magnetic nanoparticles inside the carrier particle and produces a force that attracts the particle to the tumor. In noninvasive therapy the applied field is produced by a permanent magnet positioned outside the body. In this paper a mathematical model is developed for predicting noninvasive magnetic targeting of therapeutic carrier particles in the microvasculature. The model takes into account the dominant magnetic and fluidic forces on the particles and leads to an analytical expression for predicting their trajectory. An analytical expression is also derived for predicting the volume fraction of embedded magnetic nanoparticles required to ensure capture of the carrier particle at the tumor. The model enables rapid parametric analysis of magnetic targeting as a function of key variables including the size of the carrier particle, the properties and volume fraction of the embedded magnetic nanoparticles, the properties of the magnet, the microvessel, the hematocrit of the blood and its flow rate.Comment: To appear in Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Material

CFD-based, Lagrangian-Eulerian coupling approach for magnetophoretic particle capture

This paper was presented at the 3rd Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2011), which was held at the Makedonia Palace Hotel, Thessaloniki in Greece. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Italian Union of Thermofluiddynamics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of Thessaly, IPEM, the Process Intensification Network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Heat Transfer Society, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group, and the Energy Institute.We study magnetophoretic capture of magnetic particles in microfluidic devices and present a parametric characterization for the capture efficiency. We model particle transport and capture using a computational fluid dynamic, CFD-based, Lagrangian-Eulerian approach that takes into account the dominant particle forces and particle-fluid coupling. We introduced two dimensionless groups that characterize particle capture, one that scales the magnetic and hydrodynamic forces on the particle and another that scales the distance to the magnetic field source. We use the model to parameterize capture efficiency with respect to the dimensionless numbers for both one-way and two-way particle-fluid coupling. We demonstrate that for dilute suspensions, the simplified one-way coupling analysis marginally underpredicts the capture efficiency computed using the two-way fully coupled analysis.This study is financially supported from the Research Affairs at the UAE University under contract number. 01-05-7-12/10

TG2 : ungrounded weight feedback in virtual reality using pendular mechanical actuation

In this work, we introduce a new type of handheld haptic device capable of rendering forces by shifting a mass element on a hemisphere around the hand. The technique ex ploits gravity to recreate torque at the wrist, which generates the illusion of weight. With virtual reality becoming more popular, new ideas to increase the immersion in these en vironments start appearing. Devices capable of haptic feedback are being developed with different approaches to the same problem, generating force in the real world that increases immersion in a virtual world. Instead of using the traditional approach of a grounded me chanical actuated device, we used a lightweight 3D printed handheld device that utilizes an inverted pendulum driven by mechanical actuators to convey perception of different weights in VR as the user grabs virtual objects. To evaluate the quality of the stimulus provided, we designed a psycho-physical study composed of two tasks that consist of the user interacting with objects in a virtual environment. The first one was ordering a set of four cubes by weight, from lightest to heaviest. The second task was matching the weight of two bars with different densities by controlling their length and radius. We found that the stimulus allows to discriminate different weights that the response time is shorter as the weight difference between objects increases. We also found statistically significant differences in precision and response time between a pair of lightweight objects and a pair of heavyweight ones. Qualitatively, the users identify the stimulus as weight in most cases

Magnetic drive system for a new centrifugal rotary blood pump

The purpose of this investigation was to design a novel magnetic drive and bearing system for a new centrifugal rotary blood pump (CRBP). The drive system consists of two components: (i) permanent magnets within the impeller of the CRBP; and (ii) the driving electromagnets. Orientation of the magnets varies from axial through to 60° included out-lean (conical configuration). Permanent magnets replace the electromagnet drive to allow easier characterization. The performance characteristics tested were the axial force of attraction between the stator and rotor at angles of rotational alignment, Ø, and the corresponding torque at those angles. The drive components were tested for various magnetic cone angles, ?. The test was repeated for three backing conditions: (i) non-backed; (ii) steel-cupped; and (iii) steel plate back-iron, performed on an Instron tensile testing machine. Experimental results were expanded upon through finite element and boundary element analysis (BEM). The force/torque characteristics were maximal for a 12-magnet configuration at 0° cone angle with steel-back iron (axial force = 60 N, torque = 0.375 Nm). BEM showed how introducing a cone angle increases the radial restoring force threefold while not compromising axial bearing force. Magnets in the drive system may be orientated not only to provide adequate coupling to drive the CRBP, but to provide significant axial and radial bearing forces capable of withstanding over 100 m/s2 shock excitation on the impeller. Although the 12 magnet 0° (?) configuration yielded the greatest force/torque characteristic, this was seen as potentially unattractive as this magnetic cone angle yielded poor radial restoring force characteristics

The self-concept of pregnant and nonpregnant adolescents and changes that occur between trimesters

Twenty-two nonpregnant adolescents and 14 pregnant adolescents selected from Chesterfield Health Department\u27s clinic population participated in a study to determine if the self-concept of a nonpregnant adolescent is higher than that of a pregnant adolescent. Each group was further subdivided into a middle adolescent and a late adolescent category to determine if there is any difference in the self-concept of a pregnant adolescent in the middle adolescent stage versus that of a pregnant adolescent in the late adolescent stage. Coopersmith\u27s Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI), School Form, was administered to test the subject\u27s perception of herself and to measure evaluative attitudes toward the self in social, academic, family, and personal areas of experience. The SEI was administered to each pregnant adolescent prior to the end of her second trimester and again during her third trimester and once to each nonpregnant adolescent. The first analysis employed a MANOVA based on a 2 (pregnant versus nonpregnant) x 2 (middle adolescent stage versus late adolescent stage) design with five dependent variables: total self score, general self score, social self-peer score, home-parents score and school-academic score. Data from the pregnant group was subjected to a repeated measures MANOVA to determine if there was any difference in a pregnant adolescent\u27s self-concept in her second trimester versus her third trimester of pregnancy. The analysis of data revealed no significant difference between the self-concept of a non pregnant adolescent and a pregnant adolescent. Further, there was no significant difference found in the self-concept of a pregnant adolescent in the middle versus the late adolescent stage. There was also no significant difference in the self-concept of a pregnant adolescent throughout the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. While empirical research done to date has pointed toward the probable existence of a low self-concept on the part of pregnant adolescent girls, the present research does not support the previous findings