Simultaneous volatility transmissions and spillover effects: U.S. and Hong Kong stock and futures markets

Contemporaneous transmission effects across volatilities of the Hong Kong Stock and Index futures markets and futures volume of trade are tested by employing a structural systems approach. Competing measures of volatility spillover, constructed from the overnight U.S. S&P500 index futures, are tested and found to impact on the Hong Kong asset return volatility and volume of trade patterns. The examples utilize intra-day 15-min sampled data from this medium-sized Asia Pacific equity and derivative exchange. Both the intra- and inter-day patterns in the Hong Kong market are allowed for in the estimation process.

Deformation behaviour of a cylinder under simultaneous compression and torsion

A number of experiments involving the compression of an Aluminum cylinder with concurrent die rotation were carried out. Two important features were observed: one was that die rotation reduced the degree of bulging and the other was that the compression load decreased. An upper bound analysis with a velocity field consisting of a compound exponential cusp representation was utilized to obtain an approximate analytical solution in a closed form. The theoretical result reproduced the reduction in bulging severity with die rotation as well as the changes in compression pressure.

State and input simultaneous estimation for a class of nonlinear systems

This paper addresses the problem of estimating simultaneously the state and input of a class of nonlinear systems. Here, the systems nonlinear part comprises a Lipschitz nonlinear function with respect to the state and input, and a state-dependent unknown function including additive disturbance as well as uncertain/nonlinear/time-varying terms. Upon satisfying some conditions, the observer design problem can be solved via a Riccati inequality or a LMI-based technique with asymptotic estimation guaranteed. A numerical example is included for illustration.

Simultaneous determination of irinotecan (CPT-11) and SN-38 in tissue culture media and cancer cells by high performance liquid chromatography: Application to cellular metabolism and accumulation studies

A simple and sensitive HPLC method was developed to simultaneously determine CPT-11 and its major metabolite SN-38 in culture media and cell lysates. Camptothecin (CPT) was used as internal standard (I.S.). Compounds were eluted with acetonitrile–50 mM disodium hydrogen phosphate buffer containing 10 mM sodium 1-heptane-sulfonate, with the pH adjusted to 3.0 using 85% (w/v) orthophosphoric acid (27/73, v/v) by a Hyperclon ODS (C18) column (200 mm × 4.6 mm i.d.), with detection at excitation and emission wavelengths of 380 and 540 nm, respectively. The average extraction efficiencies were 96.9–108.3% for CPT-11 in culture media and 94.3–107.2% for CPT-11 in cell lysates; and 87.7–106.8% for SN-38 in culture media and 90.1–105.6% for SN-38 in cell lysates. Within- and between-day precision and accuracy varied from 0.1 to 10.3%. The limit of quantitation (precision and accuracy <20%) was 5.0 and 2.0 ng/ml for CPT-11 and 1.0 and 0.5 ng/ml for SN-38 in culture media and cell lysates, respectively. This method was successfully applied to quantitate the cellular accumulation and metabolism of CPT-11 and SN-38 in H4-II-E, a rat hepatoma cell line.

State and input simultaneous estimation for a class of time-delay systems with uncertainties

This brief addresses the problem of estimation of both the states and the unknown inputs of a class of systems that are subject to a time-varying delay in their state variables, to an unknown input, and also to an additive uncertain, nonlinear disturbance. Conditions are derived for the solvability of the design matrices of a reduced-order observer for state and input estimation, and for the stability of its dynamics. To improve computational efficiency, a delay-dependent asymptotic stability condition is then developed using the linear matrix inequality formulation. A design procedure is proposed and illustrated by a numerical example.

Simultaneous estimation of optical flow and object state: A modified approach to optical flow calculation

Differential optical flow methods are widely used within the computer vision community. They are classified as being either local, as in the Lucas-Kanade method, or global, as in the Horn-Schunck technique. As the physical dynamics of an object is inherently coupled into the behavior of its image in the video stream, in this paper, we use such dynamic parameter information in calculating optical flow when tracking a moving object using a video stream. Indeed, we use a modified error function in the minimization that contains physical parameter information. Further, the refined estimates of optical flow is used for better estimation of the physical parameters of the object in the simultaneous estimation of optical flow and object state(SEOS).

Simultaneous determination of the lactone and carboxylate forms of irintecan (CPT-11) and its actie metabolite SN-38 by high-performance liquid chromatography: Application to plasma pharmacokinetic studies in the rat.

Irinotecan (CPT-11) and its main metabolite SN-38 are potent anticancer derivatives of camptothecin (CPT), with active lactone and inactive carboxylate forms coexisting. A simple and sensitive HPLC method using the ion-pairing reagent tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate (TBAHS) was developed to simultaneously determine all four analytes in rat plasma samples. Camptothecin (CPT) was used as internal standard. The mobile phase was 0.1 M potassium dihydrogen phosphate containing 0.01 M TBAHS (pH 6.4)–acetonitrile (75:25, v/v). Separation of the compounds was carried out on a Hypersil C18 column, monitored at 540 nm (excitation wavelength at 380 nm). All four compounds gave linear response as a function of concentration over 0.01–10 μM. The limit of quantitation in rat plasma was 0.01, 0.008, 0.005 and 0.005 μM for CPT-11 lactone, CPT-11 carboxylate, SN-38 lactone and SN-38 carboxylate, respectively. The method was successfully used in the study on the effect of coadministered thalidomide on the plasma pharmacokinetics of CPT-11 and SN-38 in rats. Coadministered thalidomide (100 mg/kg body weight by intraperitoneal injection) significantly increased the AUC_0–10h values of CPT-11 lactone and CPT-11 carboxylate by 32.6% and 30.3 %, respectively, (P < 0.01), but decreased the values by 19.2% and 32.4% for SN-38 lactone and carboxylate, respectively, (P < 0.05). Accordingly, the value of total body clearance (CL) of CPT-11 lactone was significantly lower in combination group compared to the control (1.329 versus 1.837 L/h/kg, P = 0.0002). Plasma t_1/2β values for SN-38 lactone and carboxylate were significantly (P < 0.01) smaller in rats with coadministered thalidomide, as compared to rats receiving CPT-11 alone. Further studies are needed to explore the underlying mechanisms for the observed kinetic interaction between CPT-11 and thalidomide.

Simultaneous state and input estimation with application to a two-link robotic system

This paper addresses the problem of estimating simultaneously the state and input of a nonlinear system with application to a two link robotic manipulator - the Pendubot. The system nonlinearity comprises a Lipschitz function with respect to the state, and a nonlinear term which is a function of both the state and input. It is shown that under some conditions, an observer can be designed to estimate simultaneously the system’s state and input. Simulation and experimental results, obtained around the inverted equilibrium position, are presented to demonstrate the validity of the approach.

Object focused simultaneous estimation of optical flow and state dynamics

The framework of differential optical flow has been built upon to enhance the performance of motion estimation from optical flow. By coupling optical flow and object state parameters, an effective procedure for object tracking is implemented with the dasiaSimultaneous Estimation of Optical Flow and Object Statepsila (SEOS) technique. The SEOS method utilizes dynamic object parameter information when calculating optical flow for tracking a moving object within a video stream. Optical flow estimation for the SEOS method requires minimization of an error functional containing object physical parameter data. The convergence of an energy functional to a feasible or optimal solution set is not guaranteed. Convergence criteria is often assumed and not shown explicitly. Convergence of the SEOS method for both the Jacobi and Gauss-Seidel numerical resolution methods is evaluated.

The impact of ownership structure on corporate debt policy : two stage least square simultaneous model approach for post crisis period : evidence from Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange

Ownership concentration as a governance mechanism has received considerable attention among academician, practitioners as well as policy makers because large-block shareholders are increasingly active in their demands that corporations adopt effective governance mechanisms to control managerial decisions, which include corporate debt policy. Earlier study on the agency model of the firm widely recognizes that the managerial ownership and external debt play an important role in mitigating agency conflicts and enhancing firm value. They also found that increase in the external monitors, for example the institutional investors, can actually play a useful role in limiting agency problems in the firm. This paper, using 100 Composite Index companies from Brusa Malaysia between 1998 to 2002 explores the impact of institutional holdings on managerial ownership and debt policy in an integrated framework by using a simultaneous equations estimation procedure (2SLS). The findings show that there is a significant impact of institutional ownership which serves effective control mechanism on managerial ownership and corporate debt policy as hypothesized. Findings of such evidence suggest that institutional holding thus have played an important role in managers' strategic management decision and reduce agency conflict. In addition, corporate debt policy too is governed by managerial ownership and exhibited a negative relation.

Simultaneous presentation of measured and calculated environmental results

Continuous measurement of internal and external environmental parameters is critical to our understanding of how buildings perform. Yet, the quantity and variety of time-series data can be quite overwhelming as well as onerous to decipher and present. In addition to this, is the fact that several of the collected data are useless in their raw format unless processed through algorithms to obtain identifiable and meaningful results.
These circumstances challenge the conventional way we present accumulated data and their processed outputs in order to get a better understanding of how and why the environmental performance occurred. It would be ideal if all of the collected and processed data could be presented in a simultaneous, yet, useful format. It is exactly the intention of this paper to suggest and present such a process as well as its format.
An example case study is provided where several parameters (air velocity, mean radiant temperature, humidity and air temperature) are measured periodically to calculate a time-series of internal comfort performance. However, external conditions of solar radiation and solar position as well as air temperature drive the interior building surface temperatures and help to explain the end result of internal comfort.
A program has been written to present the various sets of data graphically, in an integrated manner, animated as a function of time. The animation shows solar position, a cursor scanning weather data, the changing infra-red image and a representation of the resulting internal comfort performance throughout the
monitored period.

Simultaneous neuroprotection and blockade of inflammation reverses autoimmune encephalomyelitis

In multiple sclerosis, the immune system attacks the white matter of the brain and spinal cord, leading to disability and/or paralysis. Myelin, oligodendrocytes and neurons are lost due to the release by immune cells of cytotoxic cytokines, autoantibodies and toxic amounts of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an animal model that exhibits the clinical and pathological features of multiple sclerosis. Current therapies that suppress either the inflammation or glutamate excitotoxicity are partially effective when administered at an early stage of EAE, but cannot block advanced disease. In a multi-faceted approach to combat EAE, we blocked inflammation with an anti-MAdCAM-1 (mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1) monoclonal antibody and simultaneously protected oligodendrocytes and neurons against glutamate-mediated damage with the -amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA)/kainate antagonist 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7- sulfamoylbenzo(f)quinoxaline (NBQX) and the neuroprotector glycine–proline–glutamic acid (GPE; N-terminal tripeptide of insulin-like growth factor). Remarkably, administration at an advanced stage of unremitting EAE of either a combination of NBQX and GPE, or preferably all three latter reagents, resulted in amelioration of disease and repair of the CNS, as assessed by increased oligodendrocyte survival and remyelination, and corresponding decreased paralysis, inflammation, CNS apoptosis and axonal damage. Each treatment reduced the expression of nitric oxide and a large panel of proinflammatory and immunoregulatory cytokines, in particular IL-6 which plays a critical role in mediating EAE. Mice displayed discernible improvements in all physical features examined. Disease was suppressed for 5 weeks, but relapsed when treatment was suspended, suggesting treatment must be maintained to be effective. The above approaches, which allow CNS repair by inhibiting inflammation and/or simultaneously protect neurons and oligodendrocytes from damage, could thus be effective therapies for multiple sclerosis.

On the simultaneous estimation of optical flow and object state

This thesis focuses on the enhancement of differential optical flow techniques. The framwork of differential optical flow has been built upon to improve object motion estimation within a video stream or image sequence. This augmentation comes in the form of a combined optical flow and object state estimation method (SEOS)