Evaluation of Tweedie exponential dispersion model densities by Fourier inversion

The Tweedie family of distributions is a family of exponential dispersion models with power variance functions V (μ) = μ^p for p not between (0, 1). These distributions do not generally have density functions that can be written in closed form. However, they have simple moment generating functions, so the densities can be evaluated numerically by Fourier inversion of the characteristic functions. This paper develops numerical methods to make this inversion fast and accurate. Acceleration techniques are used to handle oscillating integrands. A range of analytic results are used to ensure convergent computations and to reduce the complexity of the parameter space. The Fourier inversion method is compared to a series evaluation method and the two methods are found to be complementary in that they perform well in different regions of the parameter space

TPP and Trans-Pacific Perplexities

In the past few years, the United States has been busy negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement with countries in the Asia-Pacific region. These countries include Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Although it remains unclear which chapters or provisions will be included in the final text of the TPP Agreement, the negotiations have been quite controversial. In addition to the usual concerns about having high standards that are heavily lobbied by industries and arguably inappropriate for many participating countries, the TPP negotiations have been heavily criticized for their secrecy and lack of transparency, accountability and democratic participation. Written for the inaugural annual Asia-Pacific issue of the Fordham International Law Journal, this article does not seek to continue this line of criticism, although transparency, accountability and democratic participation remain highly important. Nor does the article aim to explore the agreement\u27s implications for each specific trade sector. Instead, this Article focuses on the ramifications of the exclusion of four different parties or groups of parties from the TPP negotiations: (1) China; (2) BRICS and other emerging economies; (3) Europe; and (4) civil society organizations. Targeting these TPP outsiders and using illustrations from the intellectual property sector and the larger trade context, this article seeks to highlight the perplexities created by the TPP negotiations. It cautions policymakers, commentators and the public at large against the negotiations\u27 considerable and largely overlooked costs

A Note on the Late Wittgenstein"s Use of the Picture Concept

In the following I wish to draw your attention to two related\ud ideas that occur in Wittgenstein"s later writings. In making\ud this emphasis I am at the same time claiming a certain\ud continuity in Wittgenstein"s thought – a continuity of a quite\ud particular kind. The argument that I shall present in the\ud following can be summarised under three points: 1. in both\ud his early and his late writings, Wittgenstein makes a\ud natural-historical claim that, as humans, we are picturecreating\ud and picture-using creatures; 2. the crucial analogy\ud between the picture and the sentence that appears in the\ud Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus is retained in Wittgenstein"s\ud later descriptions of language; and 3. the use of this\ud analogy serves two diametrically opposed purposes when\ud considered in relation to religious language, whereby the\ud earlier use determines the propositions of natural science\ud and delimits these from religious propositions, and the later\ud use of the analogy provides the impetus for a grammatical\ud investigation of religious language and religious beliefs

Clitics in Sasak, eastern Indonesia

This paper is a discussion of the distribution of clitics in Sasak, an Austronesian(Western Malayo-Polynesian) language spoken by approximately two million people on the island of Lombok, eastern Indonesia. It outlines the types of clitics found Sasak and shows that there are interesting interactions between clitic placement and focus constructions that result in the violation of a number of canonical word orders in Sasak. The author argues that these violations can be seen as arising from competition for linear positions within the sentence; this can be accounted for within an optimality-theoretic syntax framework (Bresnan, 2000, Grimshaw, 1999) which describes sentence structures in terms of violable ranked constraints, the interaction of which accounts for observed structures as being the most optimal result of constraint competition

Proposing a weighting function for adjusting the Global Information Technology Report Networked Readiness Index Framework

The Global Information Technology Report (GITR) has since 2002 been publishing the Networked Readiness Index (NRI) ratings for a number of countries under the auspices of the World Economic Forum. A number of authors have suggested that the credibility of the NRI is called into question by the non-transparent manner in which the authors report the sources of the data and the methodology that was followed to collect the raw data. Furthermore, that it is clear that there is no fixed formula for the economic policy that suit every individual country, but various widespread procedures normally share some common characteristics. This paper offers a weighting function for adjusting the current NRI final computation based on existing framework. The author claims that computing of the NRI rankings based on this new improved weighting function will minimize the so called ‘digital divide’ alluded to in this paper. It is argued that computing of the NRI rankings based on the author’s proposed weighting function would be more acceptable to the NRI community, by adjusting the current computed final NRI ratings for the benefit of all the economies deemed capable of being members of the GITR NRI community

Building-in quality rather than assessing quality afterwards: a technological solution to ensuring computational accuracy in learning materials

[Abstract]: Quality encompasses a very broad range of ideas in learning materials, yet the accuracy of the content is often overlooked as a measure of quality. Various aspects of accuracy are briefly considered, and the issue of computational accuracy is then considered further. When learning materials are produced containing the results of mathematical computations, accuracy is essential: but how can the results of these computations be known to be correct? A solution is to embed the instructions for performing the calculations in the materials, and let the computer calculate the result and place it in the text. In this way, quality is built into the learning materials by design, not evaluated after the event. This is all accomplished using the ideas of literate programming, applied to the learning materials context. A small example demonstrates how remarkably easy the ideas are to apply in practice using the appropriate technology. Given that the technology is available and is easy to use, it would appear imperative that the approach discussed is adopted to improve quality in learning materials containing computational results

The Harmonization Game: What Basketball Can Teach About Intellectual Property and International Trade

In the recent World Men\u27s Basketball Championships in Indianapolis, Team USA found out painfully that the international game is very different from what they play at home and that the gap between USA Basketball and the rest of the world has been closing. While the United States\u27 losses might have a significant impact on how the country will prepare for the 2004 Olympics in Athens and on how Americans train youngsters to play basketball, their teachings go beyond basketball. The international harmonization process is a game with different rules, different officials, and players with different visions and mindsets. By watching how players interact with rules, officials, and other players, one therefore could gain insight into globalization and the international harmonization process. Team USA\u27s recent loss might be a painful lesson to Americans, but it provides a beneficial lesson to all of us who are involved in intellectual property and international trade