Consistent nonparametric multiple regression: The fixed design case

AbstractConsider the nonparametric regression model Yi(n) = g(xi(n)) + εi(n), i = 1, …, n, where g is an unknown function, the design points xi(n) are known and nonrandom, and εi(n)'s are independent random variables. The regressor is assumed to take values in A ⊂ Rp, and the regressand to be real valued. This paper studies the behavior of the general nonparametric estimate gx(x)=∑i=1nwni(x)Yi(n), where the weight function wni is of the form wni(x) = wni(x; xi(n), …, xn(n)). Under suitable conditions, it is shown that the general linear smoother gn for the unknown regression function g is asymptotically pointwise unbiased, weak, mean square and complete consistent, and asymptotically normal. The results of the limit theorems can be applied to extend or improve the conditions of the estimates with various particular weights wni including all those known in the literature

BUILDING OWL ONTOLOGY IN FEDORA DIGITAL REPOSITORY

Digital repositories find more and more applications in various information systems and especially in e-learning systems. Along with storing digital objects the repositories need to also to represent domain knowledge, user profiles, multilanguage classification taxonomies, etc. This could be achieved by using ontologies represented in OWL. The Fedora digital repository is one of most powerful repositories. It supports relationships between the digital objects that are expressed in the RDF language. This allows implementation of OWL ontologies in Fedora. In this paper we describe in details our approach to represent OWL Lite ontologies in Fedora. We have also implemented a web based ontology editor that allows easy definition, modification and storing OWL ontologies in Fedora. The editor is written in PHP, uses the Fedora services for the interface with the repository and AJAX (jQuery) for building the user interface. The paper discusses also the architecture and the implementation of the editor

Energetic Costs of Reproductive Effort in Male Chimpanzees

Male reproductive success in many mammals depends on their ability to allocate sufficient energetic resources to mating competition. Such costs are particularly pronounced in species with high levels of sexual body dimorphism, intense polygyny and distinct breeding seasons. I tested the hypothesis that male reproductive effort incurs significant energetic costs in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), a species with moderate sexual dimorphism, promiscuous mating and lack of breeding seasonality. My field studies combined behavioral observations on male chimpanzee behavior with non-invasive sampling of urinary C-peptide (UCP). UCP is a biomarker of insulin production that indexes individual energy balance. This dissertation contributes to the understanding of UCP as an energy assay by (1) validating the application of UCP for assessing dietary quality in bonobos (Pan paniscus) at Kokolopori, DRC and (2) providing a detailed assessment of diurnal variation in UCP levels in relation to short-term changes in food intake in chimpanzees at Kanyawara, Kibale NP, Uganda. I used UCP measurements in conjunction with full-day focal observations of male chimpanzees to assess the energetic costs of male-male competition for status and mating opportunities. Data on feeding time and rates of aggression suggested that males experience a reduction in energy intake and an increase in energy expenditure when highly attractive parous females were in estrus. UCP data supported these conclusions because males had lower UCP levels on mating days, and rates of aggression were negatively associated with UCP levels. Mean daily party size was also associated with low UCP levels, controlling for the presence of estrous females. Habitat-wide availability of preferred fruits was positively associated with male rates of aggression suggesting that energy availability mediates male investment towards energetically costly competitive behaviors. Contrary to expectations males who were most successful in obtaining copulations (high-ranking males) did not suffer higher energetic costs than lower-ranking males during periods of mating competition. Costs or reproductive effort include both direct competition for matings and long-term competition over social status. Maintenance of social rank over long periods appears to be particularly important in this slow-reproducing, long-lived and nonseasonally breeding primate.Human Evolutionary Biolog

Performance of Vertically Stacked Horizontal Si Nanowires Transistors: A 3D Monte Carlo / 2D Poisson Schrodinger Simulation Study

In this paper we present a simulation study of 5nm vertically stacked lateral nanowires transistor (NWTs). The study is based on calibration of drift-diffusion results against a Poisson-Schrodinger simulations for density-gradient quantum corrections, and against ensemble Monte Carlo simulations to calibrate carrier transport. As a result of these calibrated results, we have established a link between channel strain and the device performance. Additionally, we have compared the current flow in a single, double and triple vertically stacked lateral NWTs