Structural VAR, MARMA and Open Economy Models

The objective of this paper is to examine the recent literature on the standard open economy macro paradigm. Since there are many aspects to this literature, we concentrate on issues regarding the nature of restrictions imposed in order to gain identification, the general problem of identification in the context of the standard structural VAR (SVAR) or structural MARMA (SMARMA) model1 employed for that purpose, the question of whether "forward" looking (rational) expectations (FLE) are more in accord with the empirical evidence than the standard "backward" looking (rational) expectational (BLE) schemes and, finally, whether the results one obtains are invariant to the choice of model specification as SVAR or SMARMA

Small Sample Properties of Certain Cointegration Test Statistics: A Monte Carlo Study

This paper reports on the result of a Monte Carlo study. The latter investigates the performance of various versions of the Conformity test (CCT) for the existence and rank of cointegration, as given in Johansen (J) (1988), (1991), and the stochastic trends qf(k,m) test (SW), as given in Stock and Watson (1988). The design of the experiments allows for small, medium, and large stationary roots, and one, two, and three unit roots. The largest system investigated is a quadrivariate VAR(4). Results based on the underlying normal theory indicate that the performance of the CCT is extremely good when the null hypothesis involves the sum of, or individual, (characteristic) roots, some of which are not zero; it does not perform reliably when the sum of the roots under the null involves, in truth, all zero roots, i.e. if we are testing a null that a root, say λ obeys λ > 0 and the null is in fact true, the test performs exceedingly well. If the null, however, is in fact false it has very little power. Results based on non-standard a symptotic theory for estimators of zero roots indicate that the CCT has very good power characteristics in detecting the rank of cointegration, but it exhibits some size distortions that can potentially lead to overestimation of the true cointegrating rank. On the other hand, both versions are robust to non-normal and dependent error structure. Such results generally hold for sample sizes 100 and 500. For sample of size 100, the LR test performs quite well, in terms of size, when the error process is Gaussian and when small and medium stationary roots are employed in the experimental design, but does rather poorly in terms of power. The problem is magnified with large stationary roots, and/or non-normal errors. The results improve, as expected, for sample size 500. The SW qf(k,m) test performs rather poorly overall, and cannot be recommended for use in empirical applications

CITRIC: A low-bandwidth wireless camera network platform

In this paper, we propose and demonstrate a novel wireless camera network system, called CITRIC. The core component of this system is a new hardware platform that integrates a camera, a frequency-scalable (up to 624 MHz) CPU, 16 MB FLASH, and 64 MB RAM onto a single device. The device then connects with a standard sensor network mote to form a camera mote. The design enables in-network processing of images to reduce communication requirements, which has traditionally been high in existing camera networks with centralized processing. We also propose a back-end client/server architecture to provide a user interface to the system and support further centralized processing for higher-level applications. Our camera mote enables a wider variety of distributed pattern recognition applications than traditional platforms because it provides more computing power and tighter integration of physical components while still consuming relatively little power. Furthermore, the mote easily integrates with existing low-bandwidth sensor networks because it can communicate over the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol with other sensor network platforms. We demonstrate our system on three applications: image compression, target tracking, and camera localization

Periodontal diseases and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and respiratory diseases:Summary of the consensus report by the European Federation of Periodontology and WONCA Europe

BackgroundPeriodontitis is a chronic inflammatory non-communicable disease (NCD) characterised by the destruction of the tooth-supporting apparatus (periodontium), including alveolar bone, the presence of periodontal pockets, and bleeding on probing.ObjectivesTo outline, for family doctors, the implications of the association between periodontal and systemic diseases; to explore the role of family doctors in managing periodontitis as an ubiquitous non-communicable disease (NCD).MethodsThe consensus reports of previous focused collaborative workshops between WONCA Europe and the European Federation of Periodontology (using previously undertaken systematic reviews), and a specifically commissioned systematic review formed the technical papers to underpin discussions. Working groups prepared proposals independently, and the proposals were subsequently discussed and approved at plenary meetings.ResultsPeriodontitis is independently associated with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obstructive sleep apnoea, and COVID-19 complications. Treatment of periodontitis has been associated with improvements in systemic health outcomes. The article also presents evidence gaps. Oral health care professionals (OHPs) and family doctors should collaborate in managing these conditions, including implementing strategies for early case detection of periodontitis in primary medical care centres and of systemic NCDs in oral/dental care settings. There is a need to raise awareness of periodontal diseases, their consequences, and the associated risk factors amongst family doctors.ConclusionCloser collaboration between OHPs and family doctors is important in the early case detection and management of NCDs like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and respiratory diseases. Strategies for early case detection/prevention of NCDs, including periodontitis, should be developed for family doctors, other health professionals (OHPs), and healthcare funders. Evidence-based information on the reported associations between periodontitis and other NCDs should be made available to family doctors, OHPs, healthcare funders, patients, and the general population

Structural comparison of suberanilohydroxamic acid (SAHA) and other zinc-enzyme inhibitors bound to a monomeric zinc species

Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) and similar proteins contain an active Zn–OH group and have been targets for inhibitors. Known inhibitors such as suberanilohydroxamic acid (SAHA), suberohydroxamic acid (SBHA), valproic acid, and 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) derivatives act on these enzymes by binding to the zinc center. To examine how these drugs interacted with zinc centers and to examine their structural differences, a homogeneous zinc complex was synthesized and reacted with SAHA, SBHA, valproic acid, and 8-HQ to form stable adducts, which were characterized by spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. A comparison of their structures with known complexes and enzyme active sites bound to drugs was performed in order to understand how these drugs interact with their targets