On the numerical evaluation of the maximum-likelihood estimate of mixture means

Starting with an n-dimensional variable whose density function is a convex combination of normal densities, the equations for a maximum-likelihood estimate are obtained. Iterative procedures for obtaining solutions to the likelihood equations are discussed along with conditions for local convergence

Developing country lending and current banking conditions

An examination of the evolutionary stages of the debt problem in developing countries, with a discussion of how U.S. banks and financial markets have adjusted to accommodate it and some proposed solutions to the problem.Debts, External ; Developing countries ; Loans, Foreign

The mean-square error optimal linear discriminant function and its application to incomplete data vectors

In many pattern recognition problems, data vectors are classified although one or more of the data vector elements are missing. This problem occurs in remote sensing when the ground is obscured by clouds. Optimal linear discrimination procedures for classifying imcomplete data vectors are discussed

The numerical evaluation of maximum-likelihood estimates of the parameters for a mixture of normal distributions from partially identified samples

Likelihood equations determined by the two types of samples which are necessary conditions for a maximum-likelihood estimate are considered. These equations, suggest certain successive-approximations iterative procedures for obtaining maximum-likelihood estimates. These are generalized steepest ascent (deflected gradient) procedures. It is shown that, with probability 1 as N sub 0 approaches infinity (regardless of the relative sizes of N sub 0 and N sub 1, i=1,...,m), these procedures converge locally to the strongly consistent maximum-likelihood estimates whenever the step size is between 0 and 2. Furthermore, the value of the step size which yields optimal local convergence rates is bounded from below by a number which always lies between 1 and 2

History of and rationales for the Reconstruction Finance Corporation

An analysis of the lessons learned from the 1930s financial rescue mechanism, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, and a comparison of its structure to that of today's Resolution Trust Corporation.Reconstruction Finance Corporation ; Resolution Trust Corporation (U.S.)

FDICIA's discount window provisions

A description of the evolution of supervisory policy toward failing banks over the past two decades, with particular emphasis on the modifications to Federal Reserve Banks' discount window administration as set forth by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 (FDICIA).Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 ; Discount window

'TIDieR-ing up' the reporting of interventions in stroke research:The importance of knowing what is in the 'black box'

Evidence-based interventions cannot be provided unless there is a clear understanding of what the intervention is. Many published randomized trials, systematic reviews, and guidelines contain incomplete intervention descriptions. For non-pharmacological interventions, such as stroke rehabilitation, the reporting is particularly poor. Contributors to this problem include lack of attention to this issue and awareness of what constitutes a complete intervention description by authors, reviewers, journals, and editors. Part of the solution is for authors to follow guidance about how to describe interventions, such as the Template for Intervention Description and Replication statement. Improving stroke interventions reporting will remove one of the current barriers to evidence-based care. </jats:p

High-Resolution Crystal Truncation Rod Scattering: Application to Ultrathin Layers and Buried Interfaces

In crystalline materials, the presence of surfaces or interfaces gives rise to crystal truncation rods (CTRs) in their X‐ray diffraction patterns. While structural properties related to the bulk of a crystal are contained in the intensity and position of Bragg peaks in X‐ray diffraction, CTRs carry detailed information about the atomic structure at the interface. Developments in synchrotron X‐ray sources, instrumentation, and analysis procedures have made CTR measurements into extremely powerful tools to study atomic reconstructions and relaxations occurring in a wide variety of interfacial systems, with relevance to chemical and electronic functionalities. In this review, an overview of the use of CTRs in the study of atomic structure at interfaces is provided. The basic theory, measurement, and analysis of CTRs are covered and applications from the literature are highlighted. Illustrative examples include studies of complex oxide thin films and multilayers