65 research outputs found

    A stochastic estimated version of the Italian dynamic General Equilibrium Model (IGEM)

    Get PDF
    We estimate with Bayesian techniques the Italian dynamic General Equilibrium Model (IGEM), which has been developed at the Italian Treasury Department, Ministry of Economy and Finance, to assess the effects of alter-native policy interventions. We analyze and discuss the estimated effects of various shocks on the Italian economy. Compared to the calibrated version used for policy analysis, we find a lower wage rigidity and higher adjustment costs. The degree of prices and wages indexation to past inflation is much smaller than the indexation level assumed in the calibrated model. No substantial difference is found in the estimated monetary parameters. Estimated fiscal multipliers are slightly smaller than those obtained from the calibrated version of the model

    Bayesian Ideas in Survey Sampling: The Legacy of Basu

    Get PDF
    Survey sampling and, more generally, Official Statistics are experiencing an important renovation time. On one hand, there is the need to exploit the huge information potentiality that the digital revolution made available in terms of data. On the other hand, this process occurred simultaneously with a progressive deterioration of the quality of classical sample surveys, due to a decreasing willingness to participate and an increasing rate of missing responses. The switch from survey-based inference to a hybrid system involv- ing register-based information has made more stringent the debate and the possible resolution of the design-based versus model-based approaches con- troversy. In this new framework, the use of statistical models seems unavoid- able and it is today a relevant part of the official statistician toolkit. Models are important in several different contexts, from Small area estimation to non sampling error adjustment, but they are also crucial for correcting bias due to over and undercoverage of administrative data, in order to prevent potential selection bias, and to deal with different definitions and/or errors in the measurement process of the administrative sources. The progressive shift from a design-based to a model-based approach in terms of super-population is a matter of fact in the practice of the National Statistical Institutes. How- ever, the introduction of Bayesian ideas in official statistics still encounters difficulties and resistance. In this work, we attempt a non-systematic review of the Bayesian development in this area and try to highlight the extra ben- efit that a Bayesian approach might provide. Our general conclusion is that, while the general picture is today clear and most of the basic topics of survey sampling can be easily rephrased and tackled from a Bayesian perspective, much work is still necessary for the availability of a ready-to-use platform of Bayesian survey sampling in the presence of complex sampling design, non-ignorable missing data patterns, and large datasets

    An Alternative to commercial optical fibre sensors for shallow ladslide monitoring – interferometric optical fibre sensing

    Get PDF
    Optical fibre-based monitoring has settled in the field of geohazards monitoring. Interferometric optical fibre sensors are the least used in landslide monitoring, while classical approaches rely on Fibre Bragg Grating and Brillouin Optical Time Domain Reflectometry/Analysis. Landslide monitoring goes hand by hand with the development of technology. While authors tend to focus on the unprecedented accuracy and reduced costs of the sensor itself, the economic and practical aspects related to the interrogating systems are often disregarded. Recently, a simpler and significantly more cost-effective approach has been introduced through “integral coherent measurements” because they yield an integral of the signal response over the entire length of the optical fibre sensor. This sensing system proves to be suitable to provide an overall indication of the state of the entire monitored domain and yield indications of the onset of motion with a high temporal resolution. The sensor has been tested in controlled conditions as a monitoring tool in a downscaled landslide model. We exploit the large bandwidth and high frequency of acquisition in order to detect high frequency elastic waves. The proposed sensor is able to distinguish the vibration footprint generated by ground movement. The results obtained from the experimental tests demonstrate that the proposed sensing system is able to recognize the onset of motion some minutes before a visual indication of instability could be observed

    Case Report: Chronic pancreatitis in children as the cumulative effect of bilio-pancreatic abnormalities and genetic mutations

    Get PDF
    Pancreatitis, in general, is a high-morbidity condition. Genetic conditions and anatomic variants are sometimes seen, especially in children, where biliary etiologies and alcohol are less common than in adults. The decision to intervene, the combined operative-endoscopic strategy, and the timing pose unique challenges. We report the case of a 10-year-old boy with PRSS1 mutation and pancreatic duct duplication, discussing the management and reviewing the recent reports in the Literature

    Portal Hypertension in Childhood Bilateral Wilms' Tumor Survivor: An Excellent Indication for TIPS

    Get PDF
    Introduction. Increased pressure in portal venous system is relatively a rare complication after chemoradiotherapy for Wilms' tumor (WT). In paediatric population, feasibility and efficacy of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in portal hypertension nonresponsive to medical or endoscopic treatment have been recently advocated. We report a case of TIPS positioning in a 15-year-old girl with portal hypertension as a long-term sequel of multimodality therapy in bilateral WT. Case Report. Two-year-old girl was diagnosed for bilateral WT. Right nephrectomy with left heminephrectomy and chemoradiotherapy were performed. At 7 years of age, the first gastrointestinal bleeding appeared, followed by another episode two years later, both were treated successfully with beta-blockers. At 15 years of age, severe unresponsive life-threatening gastroesophageal bleeding without hepatosplenomegaly was managed by TIPS. Reduction of the portosystemic pressure gradient was obtained. Conclusion. TIPS positioning for portal hypertension in long-term tumors' sequel is feasible and could be considered as an additional indication in paediatric patients

    Overview and analysis of optical sensing techniques over deployed telecom networks

    Get PDF
    In this Invited Paper, we review the most promising techniques that have been recently proposed for optical sensing over deployed telco fiber networks, with a particular emphasis on methods that allow coexistence with telco traffic (typically using a WDM approach). For the most promising solutions, physical layer simulations and experiments are presented to further elaborate on coexistence constraints

    Self-Seeded RSOAs WDM PON Field Trial for Business and Mobile Fronthaul Applications

    Get PDF
    GEth, CPRI and 10 Gbit/s transmissions are experimented using amplified and standard self-seeded RSOA WDM PON systems. A field trial setup was exploited to test the system performance in terms of reach and optical budget

    Self-Seeded RSOA-Fiber Cavity Lasers vs. ASE Spectrum-Sliced or Externally Seeded Transmitters—A Comparative Study

    Get PDF
    Reflective semiconductor optical amplifier fiber cavity lasers (RSOA-FCLs) are appealing, colorless, self-seeded, self-tuning and cost-efficient upstream transmitters. They are of interest for wavelength division multiplexed passive optical networks (WDM-PONs) based links. In this paper, we compare RSOA-FCLs with alternative colorless sources, namely the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) spectrum-sliced and the externally seeded RSOAs. We compare the differences in output power, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), relative intensity noise (RIN), frequency response and transmission characteristics of these three sources. It is shown that an RSOA-FCL offers a higher output power over an ASE spectrum-sliced source with SNR, RIN and frequency response characteristics halfway between an ASE spectrum-sliced and a more expensive externally seeded RSOA. The results show that the RSOA-FCL is a cost-efficient WDM-PON upstream source, borrowing simplicity and cost-efficiency from ASE spectrum slicing with characteristics that are, in many instances, good enough to perform short-haul transmission. To substantiate our statement and to quantitatively compare the potential of the three schemes, we perform data transmission experiments at 5 and 10 Gbit/s
    corecore