A unified approach to nonlinearity, structural change and outliers

This paper demonstrates that the class of conditionally linear and Gaussianstate-space models offers a general and convenient framework for simultaneouslyhandling nonlinearity, structural change and outliers in time series. Manypopular nonlinear time series models, including threshold, smooth transitionand Markov-Switching models, can be written in state-space form. It is thenstraightforward to add components that capture parameter instability andintervention effects. We advocate a Bayesian approach to estimation andinference, using an efficient implementation of Markov Chain Monte Carlosampling schemes for such linear dynamic mixture models. The general modellingframework and the Bayesian methodology are illustrated by means of severalexamples. An application to quarterly industrial production growth rates forthe G7 countries demonstrates the empirical usefulness of the approach.Bayesian inference;threshold models;Markov-switching models;business cycle asymmetry;state-space models

In vitro and in vivo biocompatibility of boron/nitrogen co-doped carbon nano-onions

Boron/nitrogen, co-doped, carbon nano-onions (BN-CNOs) have recently shown great promise as catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction, due to the improved electronic properties imparted by the dopant atoms; however, the interactions of BN-CNOs with biological systems have not yet been explored. In this study, we examined the toxicological profiles of BN-CNOs and oxidized BN-CNOs (oxi-BN-CNOs) in vitro in both healthy and cancer cell lines, as well as on the embryonic stages of zebrafish (Danio rerio) in vivo. The cell viabilities of both cell lines cells were not affected after treatment with different concentrations of both doped CNO derivatives. On the other hand, the analysis of BN-CNOs and oxidized BN-CNO interactions with zebrafish embryos did not report any kind of perturbations, in agreement with the in vitro results. Our results show that both doped CNO derivatives possess a high biocompatibility and biosafety in cells and more complex systems. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Self-report of Cognition and Objective Test Performance in Posttraumatic Headache

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74675/1/j.1526-4610.1996.3605300.x.pd

A unified approach to nonlinearity, structural change and outliers

This paper demonstrates that the class of conditionally linear and Gaussian state-space models offers a general and convenient framework for simultaneously handling nonlinearity, structural change and outliers in time series. Many popular nonlinear time series models, including threshold, smooth transition and Markov-Switching models, can be written in state-space form. It is then straightforward to add components that capture parameter instability and intervention effects. We advocate a Bayesian approach to estimation and inference, using an efficient implementation of Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling schemes for such linear dynamic mixture models. The general modelling framework and the Bayesian methodology are illustrated by means of several examples. An application to quarterly industrial production growth rates for the G7 countries demonstrates the empirical usefulness of the approach

Comparing home and parcel lockers’ delivery systems: a math-heuristic approach

E-commerce is a continuously growing sector worldwide, with important repercussions on the delivery system in urban area and especially in the Business to Consumer (B2C) sector. The delivery of a package to a consumer's address involves not only high costs for couriers (greater number of kilometres travelled), but also increased congestion and greater environmental pollution (greater volume of pollutants released into the air). To rationalize deliveries in urban areas the use of collection points, equipped with lockers, to store the goods that users have ordered has been considered in literature. This work compares two alternative delivery options: deliveries to the consumer's home versus to Lockers. To make this comparison we used a cluster first route second math-heuristic approach. In the clustering phase, we experimented a new clustering function, while the routing phase consists in solving an instance of the Traveling Salesman Problem for each generated cluster. Finally, we applied the math-heuristic to a real case (the Italian municipality of Dolo near Venice) and compared the two delivery alternatives. We evaluate the performance considering two different fleets of vehicles, with small and medium capacity. In addition, since additional trips might be performed by consumers to pick up parcels at Lockers, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to analyse the sustainability of the proposed city logistics scheme

Could hair-lichens of high-elevation forests help detect the impact of global change in the Alps?

Climate change and the anthropic emission of pollutants are likely to have an accelerated impact in high-elevation mountain areas. This phenomenon could have negative consequences on alpine habitats and for species of conservation in relative proximity to dense human populations. This premise implies that the crucial task is in the early detection of warning signals of ecological changes. In alpine landscapes, high-elevation forests provide a unique environment for taking full advantage of epiphytic lichens as sensitive indicators of climate change and air pollution. This literature reviewis intended to provide a starting point for developing practical biomonitoring tools that elucidate the potential of hair-lichens, associated with high-elevation forests, as ecological indicators of global change in the European Alps. We found support for the practical use of hair-lichens to detect the impact of climate change and nitrogen pollution in high-elevation forest habitats. The use of these organisms as ecological indicators presents an opportunity to expand monitoring activities and develop predictive tools that support decisions on how to mitigate the effects of global change in the Alps

Effect of the solvent on the conformation of monocrotaline as determined by isotropic and anisotropic NMR parameters.

The conformation in solution of monocrotaline, a pyrrolizidine alkaloid presenting an eleven-membered macrocyclic diester ring, has been investigated using a combination of isotropic and anisotropic NMR parameters measured in four solvents of different polarity (D2 O, DMSO-d6 , CDCl3 , and C6 D6 ). Anisotropic NMR parameters were measured in different alignment media, based on their compatibility with the solvent of interest: cromoglycate liquid crystal solution was used for D2 O, while a PMMA polymer gel was chosen for CDCl3 and C6 D6 , and a poly-HEMA gel for DMSO-d6 . Whereas the pyrrolizidine ring shows an E6 exo-puckered conformation in all of the solvents, the macrocyclic eleven-membered ring adopts different populations of syn-parallel and anti-parallel relative orientation of the carbonyl groups according to the polarity of the solvent