No description available.

This thesis comprises three essays that explore several theoretical and empirical features of affine term structure models. In the first essay, we focus on the ability of continuous-time affine term structure models to capture time variability in the second conditional moment. Using data on US Treasury yields, we conclude that affine term structure models are much better at extracting time-series volatility from the cross-section of yields than argued in the literature. These models have nonetheless difficulty capturing volatility dynamics at the short end of the maturity spectrum, perhaps indicating some form of segmentation between long-maturity and short-maturity bonds. These results are robust to the choice of sample period, interpolation method and estimation method. In the second essay, we propose the use of the unscented Kalman filter technique for the estimation of affine term structure models using non-linear instruments. We focus on swap rates and show that the unscented Kalman filter leads to important reductions in bias and gains in precision. The use of the unscented Kalman filter results in substantial improvements in out-of-sample forecasts. Our findings suggest that the unscented Kalman filter may prove to be a good approach for a number of problems in fixed income pricing in which the relationship between the state vector and the observations is nonlinear, such as the estimation of term structure models using interest rate derivatives or coupon bonds, and the estimation of quadratic term structure models. The third essay provides a tractable framework for pricing defaultable securities with recovery risk. Pricing solutions are explored for a large family of discrete-time affine processes and a five-factor Gaussian model is estimated on BBB and B Standard and Poor's yield indices. This rich econometric setup allows the model to simultaneously capture two important stylized facts of defaultable securities: The positive correlation between the loss given default and the intensity of default, and the negative correlation between the intensity of default and the risk-free interest rate.

Univ., Diss.--Aix-Marseille, 2003.

Abstract Metal ceramic restorations have been used in fixed prosthodontics since the 1950s, but the lack of aesthetics, the inclination to use metal-free materials, possible allergic reactions to metals, and the high cost of high noble alloys have increased the use of all-ceramic materials. The ongoing development of ceramic materials led to the introduction of zirconia to fixed prosthodontics over a decade ago. The mechanical properties of zirconia have proven to be excellent, but the clinical outcome of conventional fixed zirconia restorations over the long term is unclear. This retrospective clinical study evaluated two- to seven-year outcomes, early complications during prosthetic treatment and short-term failures during the first year of use of zirconia single crowns and fixed dental prostheses (FDPs). The usefulness and durability of zirconia single crowns in abutment teeth of partial removable dental prostheses (RDPs) was also evaluated. The material consisted of 173 patients treated with zirconia single crowns or FDPs by undergraduate dental students between 2007 and 2010. Of these patients 94 were women and 79 men (mean age 55 years, range 18–79 years). Altogether 268 zirconia single crowns (mean 3 crowns, range 1–12 crowns per patient) had been fabricated for 88 patients and 120 zirconia FDPs (range 3–12 units, mean 4.5 units) for 102 patients. Seventeen patients had received both crown(s) and FDP(s). The results show that zirconia single crowns and FDPs are a suitable treatment alternative in fixed prosthodontics. Early complications during prosthetic treatment and short-term failures during the first year of use were few. The survival rate of the zirconia single crowns after 3.9 years (2–6 years) was 89% and the success rate was 80%. The survival rate of zirconia FDPs after 4.9 years (3–7 years) was 100% and the success rate was 89%. Zirconia single crowns perform well as abutment teeth of partial RDPs with a metal framework, but fractures in the veneering porcelain remain a problem. / Tiivistelmä Metallokeraamisia rakenteita on käytetty kiinteässä protetiikassa 1950-luvulta lähtien, mutta puutteet estetiikassa, pyrkimys metallittomiin materiaaleihin, mahdolliset allergiset reaktiot ja jalojen metallien korkea hinta ovat lisänneet kokokeraamisten materiaalien käyttöä. Kokokeraamisten materiaalien kehitystyö on tuonut zirkonian kiinteän protetiikan materiaaliksi. Zirkonian mekaaniset ominaisuudet ovat osoittautuneet erinomaisiksi, mutta hammaskantoisten kiinteiden zirkonia-runkoisten proteesien kliiniset pitkäaikaistulokset puuttuvat. Tämän retrospektiivisen kliinisen tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää zirkonia-runkoisten yksittäisten kruunujen ja zirkonia-runkoisten siltojen menestymistä 2–7 vuoden aikavälillä sekä kartoittaa niiden valmistuksen aikaiset ongelmat ja varhaiset epäonnistumiset ensimmäisen vuoden aikana. Lisäksi tutkittiin zirkonia-runkoisten yksittäisten kruunujen käyttökelpoisuutta ja kestävyyttä metallirunkoisten rankaproteesien tukihampaina. Materiaali koostui 173 potilaasta, joille hammaslääketieteen opiskelijat olivat tehneet zirkonia-runkoisia yksittäisiä kruunuja tai zirkonia-runkoisia siltoja vuosina 2007–2010. Potilaista 94 oli naisia ja 79 miehiä (keski-ikä 55 vuotta, jakauma 18–79 vuotta). Kaiken kaikkiaan 268 zirkonia-kruunua (keskimäärin 3 kruunua, jakauma 1–12 kruunua potilasta kohti) oli valmistettu 88 potilaalle ja 120 siltaa (keskimäärin 4,5 yksikköä, jakauma 4,5 yksikköä) 102 potilaalle. Seitsemälletoista potilaalle oli tehty sekä kruunuja että siltoja. Tulokset osoittavat, että zirkonia-runkoiset kruunut ja sillat ovat käyttökelpoisia kiinteässä protetiikassa. Valmistuksenaikaiset ongelmat ja varhaiset epäonnistumiset ovat vähäisiä. Yksittäisten kruunujen selviytymisprosentti 3,9 vuoden jälkeen (2–6 vuotta) oli 89 % ja onnistumis-prosentti 80 %. Siltojen selviytymisprosentti 4,9 vuoden jälkeen (3–7 vuotta) oli 100 % ja onnistumisprosentti 89 %. Zirkonia-runkoiset kruunut toimivat hyvin rankojen tukihampaina, mutta niiden ongelmana ovat päällepolttoposliinin lohkeamat.

This work deals with accounting entries of intangible and tangible fixed assets in accordance with Czech Accounting Standards and Law of income tax. A part of this work there is concretely determination of fixed assets, its acquisition, underdepreciation, retirement, and also concept definition of technical improvement of fixed assets. In conclusion there is an example which shows how to account fixed assets in manufacturing company and how fixed assets affect tax base of company.

The present study contributes an apparatus and research paradigm useful in generating human performances sensitive to concurrent schedules of reinforcement. Five participants produced performances observed to be under temporal and ratio control of concurrent fixed interval-fixed ratio schedules. Two aspects of interaction between FI and FR schedules were distinguishable in the data. First, interaction between two schedules was observed in that changes in the value of one schedule affected behavior reinforced on another schedule. Second, switching from one pattern to the other functioned as an operant unit, showing stability during schedule maintenance conditions and sensitivity to extinction. These effects are discussed in the context of current views on behavior under concurrent schedules of reinforcement, and some implications for the conceptualization, measurement, analysis, and treatment of complex behavior are presented.

No description available.

No description available.

A large amount of today’s telecommunication consists of mobile and short distance wireless applications, where the effect of the channel is unknown and changing over time, and thus needs to be described statistically. Therefore the received signal can not be accurately predicted and has to be estimated. Since telecom systems are implemented in real-time, the hardware in the receiver for estimating the sent signal can for example be based on a DSP where the statistic calculations are performed. A fixed-point DSP with a limited number of bits and a fixed binary point causes larger quantization errors compared to floating point operations with higher accuracy. The focus on this thesis has been to build a library of functions for handling fixed-point data. A class that can handle the most common arithmetic operations and a least squares solver for fixed-point have been implemented in MATLAB code. The MATLAB Fixed-Point Toolbox could have been used to solve this task, but in order to have full control of the algorithms and the fixed-point handling an independent library was created. The conclusion of the simulation made in this thesis is that the least squares result are depending more on the number of integer bits then the number of fractional bits. / En stor del av dagens telekommunikation består av mobila trådlösa kortdistanstillämpningar där kanalens påverkan är okänd och förändras över tid. Signalen måste därför beskrivas statistiskt, vilket gör att den inte kan bestämmas exakt, utan måste estimeras. Eftersom telekomsystem arbetar i realtid består hårdvaran i mottagaren av t.ex. en DSP där de statistiska beräkningarna görs. En fixtals DSP har ett bestämt antal bitar och fast binärpunkt, vilket introducerar ett större kvantiseringsbrus jämfört med flyttalsoperationer som har en större noggrannhet. Tyngdpunkten på det här arbetet har varit att skapa ett bibliotek av funktioner för att hantera fixtal. En klass har skapats i MATLAB-kod som kan hantera de vanligaste aritmetiska operationerna och lösa minsta-kvadrat-problem. MATLAB:s Fixed-Point Toolbox skulle kunna användas för att lösa den här uppgiften men för att ha full kontroll över algoritmerna och fixtalshanteringen behövs ett eget bibliotek av funktioner som är oberoende av MATLAB:s Fixed-Point Toolbox. Slutsatsen av simuleringen gjord i detta examensarbete är att resultatet av minsta-kvadrat-metoden är mer beroende av antalet heltalsbitar än antalet binaler. / fixtal, telekommunikation, DSP, MATLAB, Fixed-Point Toolbox, minsta-kvadrat-lösning, flyttal, Householder QR faktorisering, saturering, kvantiseringsbrus

<p>A large amount of today’s telecommunication consists of mobile and short distance wireless applications, where the effect of the channel is unknown and changing over time, and thus needs to be described statistically. Therefore the received signal can not be accurately predicted and has to be estimated. Since telecom systems are implemented in real-time, the hardware in the receiver for estimating the sent signal can for example be based on a DSP where the statistic calculations are performed. A fixed-point DSP with a limited number of bits and a fixed binary point causes larger quantization errors compared to floating point operations with higher accuracy.</p><p>The focus on this thesis has been to build a library of functions for handling fixed-point data. A class that can handle the most common arithmetic operations and a least squares solver for fixed-point have been implemented in MATLAB code.</p><p>The MATLAB Fixed-Point Toolbox could have been used to solve this task, but in order to have full control of the algorithms and the fixed-point handling an independent library was created.</p><p>The conclusion of the simulation made in this thesis is that the least squares result are depending more on the number of integer bits then the number of fractional bits.</p> / <p>En stor del av dagens telekommunikation består av mobila trådlösa kortdistanstillämpningar där kanalens påverkan är okänd och förändras över tid. Signalen måste därför beskrivas statistiskt, vilket gör att den inte kan bestämmas exakt, utan måste estimeras. Eftersom telekomsystem arbetar i realtid består hårdvaran i mottagaren av t.ex. en DSP där de statistiska beräkningarna görs. En fixtals DSP har ett bestämt antal bitar och fast binärpunkt, vilket introducerar ett större kvantiseringsbrus jämfört med flyttalsoperationer som har en större noggrannhet.</p><p>Tyngdpunkten på det här arbetet har varit att skapa ett bibliotek av funktioner för att hantera fixtal. En klass har skapats i MATLAB-kod som kan hantera de vanligaste aritmetiska operationerna och lösa minsta-kvadrat-problem.</p><p>MATLAB:s Fixed-Point Toolbox skulle kunna användas för att lösa den här uppgiften men för att ha full kontroll över algoritmerna och fixtalshanteringen behövs ett eget bibliotek av funktioner som är oberoende av MATLAB:s Fixed-Point Toolbox.</p><p>Slutsatsen av simuleringen gjord i detta examensarbete är att resultatet av minsta-kvadrat-metoden är mer beroende av antalet heltalsbitar än antalet binaler.</p> / fixtal, telekommunikation, DSP, MATLAB, Fixed-Point Toolbox, minsta-kvadrat-lösning, flyttal, Householder QR faktorisering, saturering, kvantiseringsbrus