5,230 research outputs found
Bayesian nonparametric sparse VAR models
High dimensional vector autoregressive (VAR) models require a large number of
parameters to be estimated and may suffer of inferential problems. We propose a
new Bayesian nonparametric (BNP) Lasso prior (BNP-Lasso) for high-dimensional
VAR models that can improve estimation efficiency and prediction accuracy. Our
hierarchical prior overcomes overparametrization and overfitting issues by
clustering the VAR coefficients into groups and by shrinking the coefficients
of each group toward a common location. Clustering and shrinking effects
induced by the BNP-Lasso prior are well suited for the extraction of causal
networks from time series, since they account for some stylized facts in
real-world networks, which are sparsity, communities structures and
heterogeneity in the edges intensity. In order to fully capture the richness of
the data and to achieve a better understanding of financial and macroeconomic
risk, it is therefore crucial that the model used to extract network accounts
for these stylized facts.Comment: Forthcoming in "Journal of Econometrics" ---- Revised Version of the
paper "Bayesian nonparametric Seemingly Unrelated Regression Models" ----
Supplementary Material available on reques
Will a Black Hole Soon Emerge from SN 1997D ?
Observations combined with theoretical modeling of the light curve of the
recently discovered supernova 1997D in NGC 1536 suggest that it might host a
black hole formed in the aftermath of the explosion. We consider some
observable consequences of a black hole in SN 1997D and estimate the late--time
accretion luminosity of the material which falls back onto the hole. We find
that this luminosity, decaying with a characteristic power--law dependence on
time, may emerge above the emission of the envelope in just a few years. Its
detection would thus provide unmistakable evidence for the presence of a black
hole.Comment: 8 pages, LaTeX, aaspp4.sty style file (AASTEX package), 2 postscript
figures (included). To appear in The Astrophysical Journal Letters (scheduled
for August 1, 1998 issue, Vol. 502
Settis, Koolhaas e l’architettura del futuro del classico. Per una nuova gipsoteca: due mostre alla Fondazione Prada a Milano e Venezia
The recent double exhibition “Serial/Portable Classic” opened in the new beautiful spaces of the Fondazione Prada in Milano and in Venezia suggests a re-assessment on the theme of the architecture of the Gipsoteca. There is a renewed interest around the plaster cast collections, not merely as museum, but with an experimental and laboratorial meaning. This exhibition indicates a new way (both contextual and European) for a rebirth of the architecture for a contemporary Gipsoteca Milanese
A flexible space-variant anisotropic regularisation for image restoration with automated parameter selection
We propose a new space-variant anisotropic regularisation term for
variational image restoration, based on the statistical assumption that the
gradients of the target image distribute locally according to a bivariate
generalised Gaussian distribution. The highly flexible variational structure of
the corresponding regulariser encodes several free parameters which hold the
potential for faithfully modelling the local geometry in the image and
describing local orientation preferences. For an automatic estimation of such
parameters, we design a robust maximum likelihood approach and report results
on its reliability on synthetic data and natural images. For the numerical
solution of the corresponding image restoration model, we use an iterative
algorithm based on the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM). A
suitable preliminary variable splitting together with a novel result in
multivariate non-convex proximal calculus yield a very efficient minimisation
algorithm. Several numerical results showing significant quality-improvement of
the proposed model with respect to some related state-of-the-art competitors
are reported, in particular in terms of texture and detail preservation
Spherical Accretion onto Neutron Stars Revisited: Are Hot Solutions Possible ?
Stationary, spherical accretion onto an unmagnetized neutron star is here
reconsidered on the wake of the seminal paper by Zel'dovich \& Shakura (1969).
It is found that new ``hot'' solutions may exist for a wide range of
luminosities. These solutions are characterized by a high temperature,
K, and arise from a stationary equilibrium model where the
dominant radiative mechanisms are multiple Compton scattering and
bremsstrahlung emission. For low luminosities, \mincir 10^{-2} \ L_{E}, only
the ``cold'' (\`a la Zel'dovich and Shakura) solution is present.Comment: 11 pages (3 postscript files figures available on request), PlainTeX,
Ref. SISSA 21/94/
Reinke’s crystals in perivascular and peritubular Leydig cells of men with nonobstructive and obstructive azoospermia: a retrospective case-control study
Aim To analyze the differences in the population of perivascular
and peritubular Leydig cells (LC) and the number of
Reinke’s crystals (RCs) in the testicles of infertile men with
non-obstructive and obstructive azoospermia.
Methods This retrospective case-control study was conducted
on the testicle tissue of infertile men with obstructive
(n = 10) and those with non-obstructive azoospermia
(n = 100). Stereological analysis was performed on 7-ÎĽm
paraffin sections. Measurements were carried out by using
the Weibel multipurpose test system.
Results Patients with non-obstructive azoospermia had
a higher total/absolute number of LCs in the perivascular
space (P = 0.034). In these patients, no significant difference
was found in the total and absolute number of RCs
between the peritubular and perivascular space. Patients
with obstructive azoospermia had around three times
higher absolute number of RCs in both the peritubular and
perivascular spaces (P = 0.002; P < 0.001) than non-obstructive
group. Conclusion Our results suggest that in patients with nonobstructive
azoospermia LCs migrated or had different
densities in the peritubular and perivascular space compared
with patients with obstructive azoospermia. Moreover,
the lower number of RCs could imply their utilization
by LCs in testosterone production
HEBE: Highly Engaging eBook Experiences
Despite more and more books are made available in electronic format and technology is increasingly present in children’s everyday life, thus far the potential of the electronic book (eBook) medium has been only partially exploited. With the Highly Engaging eBook Experiences (HEBE) project we studied how to design and evaluate eBooks for children with the goal of making the reading experience more engaging. The project began with an investigation of the many facets that characterize the reading experience of children in order to understand how it could possibly be enhanced by electronic books. In a later stage an intergenerational design team used different techniques of Cooperative Inquiry to explore a range of design ideas. Then, based on those ideas, we developed a prototype of enhanced eBook and elaborated a shortlist of design recommendations that are intended to help designers in creating more engaging eBooks. The research project ended with a stage of evaluation where children’s User Experience with the eBook prototype was assessed. We took inspiration from Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow theory to define a benchmark for evaluating the reading experience. Then, by means of the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), we investigated and collected data on the reading experience of two groups of children, one of which read an eBook enhanced following our design recommendations while the other read a basic version of the same eBook. Following a mixed-method approach, with quantitative analysis we verified whether participants who read the enhanced eBook had a better reading experience, while with qualitative analysis we tried to understand why. The results of the evaluation showed that that an eBook designed following our design recommendations may have a positive effect on children’s reading experience by making it more engaging
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