Finite Sample Properties of Moran's I Test for Spatial Autocorrelation in Probit and Tobit Models - Empirical Evidence

In this paper, we investigate the finite sample properties of Moran’s I test statistic for spatial autocorrelation in limited dependent variable models suggested by Kelejian and Prucha (2001). We analyze the socio- economic determinants of the availability of dialysis equipment in 5,507 Brazilian municipalities in 2009 by means of a probit and tobit specifica- tion. We assess the extent to which evidence of spatial autocorrelation can be remedied by the inclusion of spatial fixed effects. We find spa- tial autocorrelation in both model specifications. For the probit model, a spatial fixed effects approach removes evidence of spatial autocorrelation. However, this is not the case for the tobit specification. We further fill a void in the theoretical literature by investigating the finite sample prop- erties of these test statistics in a series of Monte Carlo simulations, using data sets ranging from 49 to 15,625 observations. We find that the tests are unbiased and have considerable power for even medium-sized sample sizes. Under the null hypothesis of no spatial autocorrelation, their em- pirical distribution cannot be distinguished from the asymptotic normal distribution, empirically confirming the theoretical results of Kelejian and Prucha (2001), although the sample size required to achieve this result is larger in the tobit case than in the probit case.

Thermofield-Bosonization on Compact Space

We develop the construction of fermionic fields in terms of bosonic ones to describe free and interaction models in the circle, using thermofielddynamics. The description in the case of finite temperature is developed for both normal modes and zero modes. The treatment extends the thermofield-bosonization for periodic space

Comment on: Kinetic Roughening in Slow Combustion of Paper

We comment on a recent Letter by Maunuksela et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 1515 (1997)].Comment: 1 page, 1 figure, http://polymer.bu.edu/~hmakse/Home.htm

Angiotensin II and VEGF are Involved in Angiogenesis Induced by Short-Term Exercise Training

Results from our laboratory have suggested a pathway involving angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptors and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in angiogenesis induced by electrical stimulation. The present study investigated if similar mechanisms underlie the angiogenesis induced by short-term exercise training. Seven days before training and throughout the training period, male Sprague-Dawley rats received either captopril or losartan in their drinking water. Rats underwent a 3-day treadmill training protocol. The tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscles were harvested under anesthesia and lightly fixed in formalin (vessel density) or frozen in liquid nitrogen (VEGF expression). In controls, treadmill training resulted in a significant increase in vessel density in all muscles studied. However, the angiogenesis induced by exercise was completely blocked by either losartan or captopril. Western blot analysis showed that VEGF expression was increased in the exercised control group, and both losartan and captopril blocked this increase. The role of VEGF was directly confirmed using a VEGF-neutralizing antibody. These results confirm the role of angiotensin II and VEGF in angiogenesis induced by exercise

Canonical Transformations in a Higher-Derivative Field Theory

It has been suggested that the chiral symmetry can be implemented only in classical Lagrangians containing higher covariant derivatives of odd order. Contrary to this belief, it is shown that one can construct an exactly soluble two-dimensional higher-derivative fermionic quantum field theory containing only derivatives of even order whose classical Lagrangian exhibits chiral-gauge invariance. The original field solution is expressed in terms of usual Dirac spinors through a canonical transformation, whose generating function allows the determination of the new Hamiltonian. It is emphasized that the original and transformed Hamiltonians are different because the mapping from the old to the new canonical variables depends explicitly on time. The violation of cluster decomposition is discussed and the general Wightman functions satisfying the positive-definiteness condition are obtained.Comment: 12 pages, LaTe

Higher-Derivative Two-Dimensional Massive Fermion Theories

We consider the canonical quantization of a generalized two-dimensional massive fermion theory containing higher odd-order derivatives. The requirements of Lorentz invariance, hermiticity of the Hamiltonian and absence of tachyon excitations suffice to fix the mass term, which contains a derivative coupling. We show that the basic quantum excitations of a higher-derivative theory of order 2N+1 consist of a physical usual massive fermion, quantized with positive metric, plus 2N unphysical massless fermions, quantized with opposite metrics. The positive metric Hilbert subspace, which is isomorphic to the space of states of a massive free fermion theory, is selected by a subsidiary-like condition. Employing the standard bosonization scheme, the equivalent boson theory is derived. The results obtained are used as a guideline to discuss the solution of a theory including a current-current interaction.Comment: 23 pages, Late