Evaluating exponential GARCH models

In this paper, a unified framework for testing the adequancy of an estimated EGARCH model is presented. The tests are Lagrange multiplier or Lagrange multiplier type tests and include testing an EGARCH model against a higher-order one and testing parameter constancy. Furthermore, various existing ways of testing the EGARCH model against GARCH one are investigated as another check of model adequacy. This is done by size and power simulations. Small-sample properties of the other tests are also investigated by simulations.evalation of volatility models; modelling volatility; parameter constancy; GARCH

Blood pressure in free-ranging gray wolves (Canis lupus) immobilized with tiletamine and zolazepam

This study aims to evaluate blood pressure measurements in immobilized free-ranging gray wolves (Canis lupus) in Sweden. Eight immobilized wolves (five adults and three juveniles) were included in this study. All wolves were darted from a helicopter with darts containing 250 milligrams of tiletamine and 250 milligrams of zolazepam. Immobilized wolves that showed signs of arousal, recieved a supplemental intramuscular injection of medetomidine. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure was measured non-invasively with an oscillometric device (Memoprint®, MediVet, Babenhausen, Germany) designed for dogs and cats. Rectal temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate were also measured. The hypothesis is that the wolves develop hypertension as a result of helicopter pursuit and the drug used. Three wolves were normotensive, four wolves had a moderate diastolic hypertenstion at one or more measuring point, and one wolf had a severe diastolic hypertension together with a mild systolic hypertension. None of the wolves had a moderate or a severe systolic hypertension. In conclusion, the effect on blood pressure was not as severe as previously thought. It was also noted that wolves who recieved an injection of medetomidine had a better anesthesia. In addition to this, other reference values for blood pressure and heart rates for free-ranging gray wolves should be used in future studies.Studien avsåg att utvärdera blodtrycket hos immobiliserade frilevande vargar (Canis lupus) i Sverige. Hypotesen är att de sövda vargarna får hypertension av helikopterjakten och tiletamin. Åtta vargar (fem vuxna och tre valpar) ingick i studien. Vargarna sövdes från helikopter med bedövningspilar innehållande 250 mg tiletamin och 250 mg zolazepam, motsvarande 10,6 – 21,3 mg/kg. De vargar som under sövningen uppvisade tecken på att vakna, fick en intramuskulär injektion medetomidin motsvarande doser på 0,016 – 0,0625 mg/kg. Systoliskt och diastoliskt blodtryck mättes icke-invasivt med en oscillometrisk apparat (Memoprint, MedVet, Babenhausen, Tyskland). Rektaltemperatur, hjärtfrekvens och andningsfrekvens mättes var femtonde minut, i direkt anslutning till blodtrycksmätningen. Tre vargar var normotensiva, fyra hade måttlig diastolisk hypertension vid ett eller flera mätningstillfällen, och en varg hade kraftig diastolisk hypertension tillsammans med lindrig systolisk hypertension. Ingen av vargarna hade måttlig eller kraftig systolisk hypertension vid mättillfällena. De vargar som fick medetomidin under anestesin fick en blodtryckssänkning och en lägre andningsfrekvens. Eftersom tidpunkt för första mätning varierade mellan individerna, samt att den aldrig utfördes tidigare än 15 minuter efter pilskott, kan en möjlig initial hypertension ha inträffat. En etablering av referensvärden för blodtryck och hjärtfrekvens hos sövd frilevande varg är nödvändig i framtida studier

The character and influences of Scandinavian geographic conditions as they occur the world over

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University, 1938. This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

Grazing Periods and Forage Production on the National Forests

Stockmen in the West have always had confidence in the adequacy of the native forage crop to provide pasturage for their livestock. Indeed, under normal climatic conditions this enormous natural resource has not failed the grazier, except where it has been called upon to meet unreasonable demands. The productivity of the range has declined sharply, however, wherever the requirements of plant growth have been disregarded for many years in succession. Where there has been too early or too frequent and to heavy grazing, undue trampling, or some other unsatisfactory feature of range use, the results have been uniformly bad. Many conspicuous examples show that abundant nutritious forage can not be expected in the absence of rational grazing and livestock management

Antimicrobial peptides: key components of the innate immune system

Life-threatening infectious diseases are on their way to cause a worldwide crisis, as treating them effectively is becoming increasingly difficult due to the emergence of antibiotic resistant strains. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) form an ancient type of innate immunity found universally in all living organisms, providing a principal first-line of defense against the invading pathogens. The unique diverse function and architecture of AMPs has attracted considerable attention by scientists, both in terms of understanding the basic biology of the innate immune system, and as a tool in the design of molecular templates for new anti-infective drugs. AMPs are gene-encoded short (<100 amino acids), amphipathic molecules with hydrophobic and cationic amino acids arranged spatially, which exhibit broad spectrum antimicrobial activity. AMPs have been the subject of natural evolution, as have the microbes, for hundreds of millions of years. Despite this long history of co-evolution, AMPs have not lost their ability to kill or inhibit the microbes totally, nor have the microbes learnt to avoid the lethal punch of AMPs. AMPs therefore have potential to provide an important breakthrough and form the basis for a new class of antibiotics. In this review, we would like to give an overview of cationic antimicrobial peptides, origin, structure, functions, and mode of action of AMPs, which are highly expressed and found in humans, as well as a brief discussion about widely abundant, well characterized AMPs in mammals, in addition to pharmaceutical aspects and the additional functions of AMPs

Dental disorders in sows from Swedish commercial herds

Knowledge on dental disorders in commercial sows is limited although such conditions may have important animal welfare implications. In a pilot study, the dental and periodontal health of 58 sows (Landrace*Yorkshire-crosses) from 8 Swedish commercial pig herds, slaughtered at one abattoir, were investigated. The oral cavity was inspected and abnormalities were recorded on a dental chart modified for pigs. Dental abnormalities, absence of teeth, supernumerary teeth, tooth fractures, signs of caries, and malalignment were recorded. The study revealed that 19% of the sows had supernumerary teeth and 59% of the sows missed at least one tooth. Periodontitis, calculus and malalignment were observed in 33%, 45% and 17%, respectively. Tooth wear was very common both in incisors (total 83%) and in premolars/molars (total 84%). One or more tooth fractures (between 1 and 6 per sow) was found in 41%. Signs of caries was found in 9%. In order to assess oral health, three indices were used: calculus index (CI), periodontal index (PDI) and tooth wear index (TWI). Severe periodontitis, tooth wear in incisors and tooth wear in premolars/molars were found in 7%, 34% and 35%, respectively. With respect to animal welfare, the etiology and the effects of the disorders on health, stress and pain need to be investigated

On the Finite Dimensional Laws of Threshold GARCH Processes

In this chapter we establish bounds for the finite dimensional laws of a threshold GARCH process, X, with generating process Z. In this class of models the conditional standard deviation has different reactions according to the sign of past values of the process. So, we firstly find lower and upper bounds for the law of \left ({X}_{1}^{+},-{X}_{1}^{+},\ldots,{X}_{n}^{+},-{X}_{n}^{+}\right), in certain regions of R^{2n}, and use them to find bounds of the law of \left ({X}_{1},\ldots,{X}_{n}\right). Some of these bounds only depend on the parameters of the model and on the distribution function of the independent generating process, Z. An application of these bounds to control charts for time series is presented