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Robust Way (robust + way)
Selected AbstractsFISCAL FEDERALISM, STATE LOBBYING AND DISCRETIONARY FINANCE: EVIDENCE FROM INDIAECONOMICS & POLITICS, Issue 1 2010RONGILI BISWAS In the quasi-federal democratic polity that India has, lobbying for central funds by the states is often done in a subliminal fashion. Hence, it becomes difficult to get an account of how much lobbying has been done to a particular end. Our paper attempts at constructing certain political proxy variables to quantify the extent of such lobbying in India. We quantify lobbying through the ministerial representation in the council of ministers. We also use several time and state dummies to account for the constituent states' political alignment with the center as well as the coalition and the reform period breaks in the Indian system. Taking panel data that cover 29 years and 14 major states we show that our constructed variables do explain disparity in central fiscal disbursements under the non-formulaic "discretionary" head in a robust way. Our findings remain true even after we take into account the impact of endogeneity of net state income on the transfers. Additionally, our exercise brings to the fore the fact that the coalition governments and economic reform measures impact upon state lobbying at the center in a significant manner. [source] Wintertime Vitamin D Supplementation Inhibits Seasonal Variation of Calcitropic Hormones and Maintains Bone Turnover in Healthy Men,JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2009Heli T Viljakainen Abstract Vitamin D is suggested to have a role in the coupling of bone resorption and formation. Compared with women, men are believed to have more stable bone remodeling, and thus, are considered less susceptible to the seasonal variation of calcitropic hormones. We examined whether seasonal variation exists in calcitropic hormones, bone remodeling markers, and BMD in healthy men. Furthermore, we determined which vitamin D intake is required to prevent this variation. Subjects (N = 48) were healthy white men 21,49 yr of age from the Helsinki area with a mean habitual dietary intake of vitamin D of 6.6 ± 5.1 (SD) ,g/d. This was a 6-mo double-blinded vitamin D intervention study, in which subjects were allocated to three groups of 20 ,g (800 IU), 10 ,g (400 IU), or placebo. Fasting blood samplings were collected six times for analyses of serum (S-)25(OH)D, iPTH, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP), and TRACP. Radial volumetric BMD (vBMD) was measured at the beginning and end of the study with pQCT. Wintertime variation was noted in S-25(OH)D, S-PTH, and S-TRACP (p < 0.001, p = 0.012, and p < 0.05, respectively) but not in S-BALP or vBMD in the placebo group. Supplementation inhibited the winter elevation of PTH (p = 0.035), decreased the S-BALP concentration (p < 0.05), but benefited cortical BMD (p = 0.09) only slightly. Healthy men are exposed to wintertime decrease in vitamin D status that impacts PTH concentration. Vitamin D supplementation improved vitamin D status and inhibited the winter elevation of PTH and also decreased BALP concentration. The ratio of TRACP to BALP shows the coupling of bone remodeling in a robust way. A stable ratio was observed among those retaining a stable PTH throughout the study. A daily intake of vitamin D in the range of 17.5,20 ,g (700,800 IU) seems to be required to prevent winter seasonal increases in PTH and maintain stable bone turnover in young, healthy white men. [source] A robust PCR method for high-dimensional regressorsJOURNAL OF CHEMOMETRICS, Issue 8-9 2003Mia Hubert Abstract We consider the multivariate calibration model which assumes that the concentrations of several constituents of a sample are linearly related to its spectrum. Principal component regression (PCR) is widely used for the estimation of the regression parameters in this model. In the classical approach it combines principal component analysis (PCA) on the regressors with least squares regression. However, both stages yield very unreliable results when the data set contains outlying observations. We present a robust PCR (RPCR) method which also consists of two parts. First we apply a robust PCA method for high-dimensional data on the regressors, then we regress the response variables on the scores using a robust regression method. A robust RMSECV value and a robust R2 value are proposed as exploratory tools to select the number of principal components. The prediction error is also estimated in a robust way. Moreover, we introduce several diagnostic plots which are helpful to visualize and classify the outliers. The robustness of RPCR is demonstrated through simulations and the analysis of a real data set. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] MICROMECHANICS: SIMULATING THE ELASTIC BEHAVIOR OF ONION EPIDERMIS TISSUEJOURNAL OF TEXTURE STUDIES, Issue 1 2006JIMMY LOODTS ABSTRACT A generic modeling approach is introduced that allows for dynamical simulations of cellular biological tissue. It is derived from the discrete element approach in the sense that the tissue is discretized such that histological aspects like cell geometry and the cellular arrangement within the tissue can be fully incorporated into the model. This makes dynamical simulations of arbitrarily shaped cellular tissues feasible in an elegant and a robust way. The validity of this simulation technique is demonstrated by a case study on the unicellular epidermis layer of onion (Allium cepa). The parameters of a two-dimensional model are determined using published stress,strain data from a tension test on longitudinal strips. The model is then validated quantitatively against the data for transversal strips. [source] An overview of inherently safer design,PROCESS SAFETY PROGRESS, Issue 2 2006Dennis C. Hendershot Inherently safer product and process design represents a fundamentally different approach to safety in the manufacture and use of chemicals. The designer is challenged to identify ways to eliminate or significantly reduce hazards, rather than to develop add-on protective systems and procedures. In the chemical process industries, risk management layers of protection are classified as inherent, passive, active, and procedural. Inherently safer design focuses on eliminating hazards, or minimizing them significantly, to reduce the potential consequence to people, the environment, property, and business. Inherently safer design is considered to be the most robust way of dealing with process risk and can be considered to be a subset of green chemistry and green engineering. It focuses on safety hazards,the immediate impacts of single events such as fires, explosions, and short-term toxic impacts. Many of the strategies of inherently safer design are not specific to the chemical industry, but apply to a broad range of technologies. Strategies for identifying inherently safer options are discussed, with examples. However, for most facilities, a complete risk management program will include features from all categories of layers of protection. Also, the designer must be aware that all processes and materials have multiple hazards and that there can be conflicts among the risks associated with different alternatives. Design alternatives that reduce or eliminate one hazard may create or increase the magnitude of others. Recognition and understanding of these conflicts will enable the designer to make intelligent decisions to optimize the design. © 2006 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2006 [source] Observability and stabilization of the vibrating string equipped with bouncing point sensors and actuators,MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN THE APPLIED SCIENCES, Issue 14 2001A. Y. Khapalov The issues of observability and stabilization are analysed for a vibrating string equipped, respectively, either with a point sensor measuring its displacement or a vertical tie-down viscous damper. It is well known that the aforementioned properties hold for the stationary devices of these types only when they are placed at the ,irrational points' of the string. The latter creates obvious difficulties in applications. In this article we discuss how mobile point sensors and dampers, bouncing in a rather simple fashion between any two points on the string, can be employed instead in a more ,feasible and robust' way. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||