Effect of mean on variance function estimation in nonparametric regression

Variance function estimation in nonparametric regression is considered and the minimax rate of convergence is derived. We are particularly interested in the effect of the unknown mean on the estimation of the variance function. Our results indicate that, contrary to the common practice, it is not desirable to base the estimator of the variance function on the residuals from an optimal estimator of the mean when the mean function is not smooth. Instead it is more desirable to use estimators of the mean with minimal bias. On the other hand, when the mean function is very smooth, our numerical results show that the residual-based method performs better, but not substantial better than the first-order-difference-based estimator. In addition our asymptotic results also correct the optimal rate claimed in Hall and Carroll [J. Roy. Statist. Soc. Ser. B 51 (1989) 3--14].Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/009053607000000901 the Annals of Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aos/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

High-energy behavior of the nuclear symmetry potential in asymmetric nuclear matter

Using the relativistic impulse approximation with empirical NN scattering amplitude and the nuclear scalar and vector densities from the relativistic mean-field theory, we evaluate the Dirac optical potential for neutrons and protons in asymmetric nuclear matter. From the resulting Schr\"{o}% dinger-equivalent potential, the high energy behavior of the nuclear symmetry potential is studied. We find that the symmetry potential at fixed baryon density is essentially constant once the nucleon kinetic energy is greater than about 500 MeV. Moreover, for such high energy nucleon, the symmetry potential is slightly negative below a baryon density of about $$ fm$^{-3}$ and then increases almost linearly to positive values at high densities. Our results thus provide an important constraint on the energy and density dependence of nuclear symmetry potential in asymmetric nuclear matter.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, revised version, to appear in PR

Perlindungan Hukum terhadap Bank Atas Konflik Alas Hak dari Hak Tanggungan (Studi Kasus : Putusan Pn Medan Register No.113/pdt.g/2006/pn-mdn Tanggal 01-03-2007)

In Addition to the basic principles as a consequence of the legal protection for the Bank as creditor with collateral right as the quarantee, the legal action taken by the Bank for the dispute of basic occured is a somasi to debtor, a law suit against the debtor through State Court Uitvoer Bij Voorad, the execution of court decision, the execution of debt acknowledgment, execution of collateral right, parate of execution of collateral right, execution against the quarantor, forced-agency institution ang bankruptcy through the Commercial Court. The solution taken by the Bank as the holder of collateral right of the conflicton the basic right functioned as debt quarantee is loan restructuring, facility transfer, and partly or wholly repaymnet of debt. Bank can also fight the State Court back, file a law suit against the plaintiffs, the defendants, National Land Board and the Police who have carried ot the execution of the object served as debt quarantee with a burden of collateral right

Intersubband transitions in pseudomorphic InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs multiple step quantum wells

Intersubband transitions from the ground state to the first and second excited states in pseudomorphic AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs multiple step quantum wells have been observed. The step well structure has a configuration of two AlGaAs barriers confining an InGaAs/GaAs step. Multiple step wells were grown on GaAs substrate with each InGaAs layer compressively strained. During the growth, a uniform growth condition was adopted so that inconvenient long growth interruptions and fast temperature ramps when switching the materials were eliminated. The sample was examined by cross‐sectional transmission electron microscopy, an x‐ray rocking curve technique, and the results show good crystal quality using this simple growth method. Theoretical calculations were performed to fit the intersubband absorption spectrum. The calculated energies are in good agreement with the observed peak positions for both the 1→2 and 1→3 transitions

The Revolving Door in International Investment Arbitration

Abstract It is often claimed that international investment arbitration is marked by a revolving door: individuals act sequentially and even simultaneously as arbitrator, legal counsel, expert witness, or tribunal secretary. If this claim is correct, it has implications for our understanding of which individuals possess power and influence within this community; and ethical debates over conflicts of interests and transparency concerning ‘double hatting’—when individuals simultaneously perform different roles across cases. In this article, we offer the first comprehensive empirical analysis of the individuals that make up the entire investment arbitration community. Drawing on our database of 1039 investment arbitration cases (including ICSID annulments) and the relationships between the 3910 known individuals that form this community, we offer the first use of social network analysis to describe the full investment arbitration community and address key sociological and normative questions in the literature. Our results partly contradict recent empirical scholarship as we identify a different configuration of central ‘power brokers’. Moreover, the normative concerns with double hatting are partly substantiated. A select but significant group of individuals score highly and continually on our double hatting index.</jats:p

Partonic effects on higher-order anisotropic flows in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

Higher-order anisotropic flows $v_{4}$ and $v_{6}$ in heavy ion collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider are studied in a multiphase transport model that has previously been used successfully for describing the elliptic flow $v_2$ in these collisions. We find that the same parton scattering cross section of about 10 \textrm{mb} used in explaining the measured $v_2$ can also reproduce the recent data on $v_{4}$ and $v_{6}$ from Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s}=200$ \textrm{AGeV}. It is further found that the $$ is a more sensitive probe of the initial partonic dynamics in these collisions than $v_{2}$. Moreover, higher-order parton anisotropic flows are nonnegligible and satisfy the scaling relation $v_{n,q}(p_{T})\sim v_{2,q}^{n/2}(p_{T})$, which leads naturally to the observed similar scaling relation among hadron anisotropic flows when the coalescence model is used to describe hadron production from the partonic matter.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, version to appear in PRC as a Rapid Communicatio

Determination of the stiffness of the nuclear symmetry energy from isospin diffusion

With an isospin- and momentum-dependent transport model, we find that the degree of isospin diffusion in heavy ion collisions at intermediate energies is affected by both the stiffness of the nuclear symmetry energy and the momentum dependence of the nucleon potential. Using a momentum dependence derived from the Gogny effective interaction, recent experimental data from NSCL/MSU on isospin diffusion are shown to be consistent with a nuclear symmetry energy given by $E_{\text{sym}}(\rho)\approx 31.6(\rho /\rho_{0})^{1.05}$ at subnormal densities. This leads to a significantly constrained value of about -550 MeV for the isospin-dependent part of the isobaric incompressibility of isospin asymmetric nuclear matter.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, revised version, to appear in PR

Role of autophagy in chondrocyte differentiation

Poster presentation - Theme 3: Development & stem cellsMaintaining cell homeostasis during cellular differentiation is critical for the cell survival. Therefore, the balance between protein biogenesis and degradation is tightly regulated. The removal of the after-used and unwanted substances is not only important for protein turnover but also in regulating cellular differentiation and developmental process. The degradation of protein relies on two well-known systems, the Ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and Autophagy-lysosomal system (ALS). Here, using the unique organization of the growth plate that depicts temporal and spatial “life time” of chondrocytes during ...postprin