Developing a raster detector system with the J array processing language

All digital copying aims to reproduce an original image as faithfully as possible under certain constraints. In the past, image processing had to be implemented in hardware for performance reasons. Here, a 100% software solution is outlined. In order to find such a solution an appropriate methodology based on the array processing language J is used. Although J is ideal for prototyping such designs, its wider application is seriously hindered by the lack of awareness of array processing languages amongst engineers, and by the lack of available education in this language and methodology

Do Ifo Indicators Help Explain Revisions in German Industrial Production?

This paper studies the information content of some Ifo indicators. In particular, we investigate whether two Ifo indicators, one on the current business situation, the other on current production development, provide information on revisions of German industrial production. A new feature of our analysis is the construction and use of a real-time dataset. We conclude that the Ifo indicators play a role in explaining revisions, but counterintuitively the business situation indicator performs better than the production indicator.Ifo Business Survey indicators, German industrial production, real-time analysis, data revision

A real-time analysis of the Swiss trade account

First estimates of trade account statistics attract quite some attention in the media as they contain substantial information on recent economic developments. It is well known, however, that subsequent revisions of in particular this series can sometimes have substantial consequences for ex post evaluations of the economy. As a small open economy, Swiss overall growth as measured by its GDP is particularly prone for these revisions. This paper sets up a real-time dataset which is then used to analyze to what extent the first release of current account data (as compared to its revision) contains a structural bias and/or can be improved upon by the use of survey results as gathered by KOF at the ETH Zurich. If this is the case, this would allow for improvements in its future first release and thereby enhance the current assessment of the Swiss economycurrent account statistics, real-time analysis, data revision

Height, income, nutrition, and smallpox in the Netherlands: the (second half of the) 19th century

Recent contributions to growth theory stress the importance of localized innovation for the performance of more backward countries. In earlier papers, analyses by means of DEA techniques confirmed this intuition. In this paper, we extend this type of analysis by relaxing the macroeconomic viewpoint adopted until now. New databases on output, labor and capital input in the agricultural and manufacturing sector are developed for 40 countries. Using intertemporal DEA, it is found that changes in the global production frontier are localized at high levels of capital intensity. This result is stronger in agriculture than in manufacturing. Further, a decomposition of labor productivity growth in eight Asian countries for the period 1975-1992 into the effects of capital intensification, knowledge assimilation and innovation is made. The results suggest that there is a particular development path in which increases in capital intensity appear to be a prerequisite to benefit from international technology spillovers.

Consumer demand in the Industrial Revolution: The Netherlands, 1815-1913

The industrial revolution is mostly seen as a supply side phenomenon. Ever since Gilboy stated that factors of demand may have been equally important, scholars have stressed the importance of investments and technological change. This paper re-considers Gilboy?s ideas, using the dataset of the Dutch historical national accounts for the nineteenth century. Using a counterfactual VAR analysis, it is investigated to what extent changes in (determinants of) consumer demand may have affected patterns of industrial development.

Indicators of financial crises do work! : an early-warning system for six Asian countries

Indicators of financial crisis generally do not have a good track record. This paper presents an early warning system for six countries in Asia, in which indicators do work.We distinguish three types of financial crises, currency crises, banking crises and debt crises, and extract four groups of indicators from the literatureexternal, financial, domestic (real and public), and global indicatorsthat are likely to affect the probability of financial crises. The significance of the indicator groups is tested in a multivariate logit model on a panel of six Asian countries for the period 1970:01-2001:12. An additional feature is that we examine four different currency crisis dating definitions. A within-sample signal extraction experiment reveals that some currency crises dating schemes outperform others.

Business cycle indexes: does a heap of data help?

Business cycle indexes are used to get a timely and frequent description of the state of the economy and its likely development in the near future. This paper discusses two methods for constructing business cycle indexes, the traditional NBER method and a recently developed dynamic factor model, and compares these methods for the euro area. The results suggest that a reliable indicator can be constructed from a limited number of series that are selected using economic logic.

On information in static and dynamic factor models

This paper employs concepts from information theory in factor models. We show that in the exact factor model the whole distribution of eigenvalues of the covariance matrix contributes to the information and not only the largest ones. In addition, we derive the condition that the first q say eigenvalues diverge whereas the rest remain bounded in the static model rather than having to assume it. Finally, we calculate information in static and dynamic factor models, which can be used to find the dimensions of the factor space. We illustrate the concepts with simulation experiments.

On the efficiency of estimators in truncated height samples

We test the efficiency of estimators proposed for truncated height samples with a new data set of over 23,000 height observations covering nearly all conscripts in Drenthe, a province of the Netherlands, over the period 1826-1860. We find that the `best' estimator, truncated ML, in its unrestricted form overestimates the mean and underestimates the variance. If the variance is set to the population variance, the mean is underestimated. We question the normality assumption that is typically made in this literature. Our `population' is skewed, which might explain the poor performance of the estimators

Indicators of financial crises do work! An early-warning system for six Asian countries

Indicators of financial crisis generally do not have a good track record. This paper presents an early warning system for six countries in Asia, in which indicators do work.We distinguish three types of financial crises, currency crises, banking crises and debt crises, and extract four groups of indicators from the literature—external, financial, domestic (real and public), and global indicators—that are likely to affect the probability of financial crises. The significance of the indicator groups is tested in a multivariate logit model on a panel of six Asian countries for the period 1970:01-2001:12. An additional feature is that we examine four different currency crisis dating definitions. A within-sample signal extraction experiment reveals that some currency crises dating schemes outperform others.financial crises, currency crises, banking crises, debt crises, early warning system, panel data, multivariate logit, factor analysis