Statistical Issues in fMRI for Brain Imaging

Functional magnetic resonance imaging is a technique developed in the last decade and used in the fields of cognitive psychology and neuroscience, among others, to study the processes underlying the working of the human brain. In this paper we examine some of the statistical issues in functional magnetic resonance imaging for brain research. We start by giving a brief introduction to the physics of magnetic resonance imaging. Using a psychological experiment as a case study, we then describe questions of design and statistical analysis. The data obtained from functional magnetic resonance imaging studies are of a highly complex nature, displaying both spatial and temporal correlation, as well as high levels of noise from different sources. Given this, the scope for statistics is vast, and is not limited to simple analysis of the data, once collected.     

The compatibility of multicurrency accounting with functional currency accounting

In today's high-tech and global economy, this study introduces multicurrency accounting as an effective tool to manage resources and compares its reporting capabilities with current generally accepted accounting principles. Further, it proposes a means to integrate multicurrency accounting into internal reporting and external reporting as supplemental disclosures. Multicurrency accounting has the merit of reflecting the true exposure position of each hard currency, in addition to the dollar-based consolidated financial statement. It lends itself readily to mark-to-market accounting; its application for external reporting is foreseeable in the near future.     

Functional obsolescence and an extension of hedonic theory

A model is derived that provides a focus on important cases that were intentially ignored by Rosen. This study focuses on bundles of housing characteristics that are no longer produced profitably. These bundles are functionally obsolete. The costs to cure functional obsolescence are assumed to be proportional to the cure with different constants of proportionality for curing deficiencies and excesses. The hedonic functions consistent with arbitrage equilibrium are derived. The special case in which a characteristic must be entirely removed prior to renovation or modernization is considered. The implications of relaxing the assumptions of linear adjustment costs, homogeneous consumers, and a single industry are discussed. Finally, conclusions are drawn related to what this theory suggests about the forms of hedonic functions.     

Homothetic functions revisited

Summary. This paper examines the proposition that homotheticity is equivalent to the property that (e.g., in the context of a production function) the marginal rate of substitution is constant along any ray from the origin. This claim is made in many places, but hitherto the prerequisites have not been stated explicitly. In the present contribution it is demonstrated that an additional condition is required for the claim to hold. We present a theorem that achieves equivalence by also assuming ‘nowhere ray constancy’. It turns out that this condition is implied by assumptions often made, e.g., in production theory. Further, a complete characterization is given of the class of functions that satisfy ray constant marginal rates of substitution or, somewhat more generally, a condition of ray parallel gradients. In addition to homothetic functions this class contains functions homogeneous of degree 0 (i.e., ray constant) and functions which are homothetic in disjoint regions separated by regions of ray constancy. Received: November 5, 1999; revised version: October 31, 2000     

英语教学法的主要学派

要了解当前的英语教学法有必要回顾一下过去的英语教学法，因为今天的英语教学法是从昨天的英语教学法的基础上发展起来的。     

功能翻译理论视野下的旅游外宣文本研究

中国即将成为世界上最大的旅游目的地国。旅游外宣文本在提供信息,吸引潜在游客,促进中国旅游业的发展和文化的传播等方面发挥着重要作用。本文通过对旅游外宣文本的类型和功能的分析,认为功能翻译理论在一定程度上对旅游翻译实践具有积极的指导意义。     

金融变革中的中国国债市场功能定位与发展策略

国债市场发展与金融可持续发展具有十分密切的关系,中国金融改革的深化更是离不开国债市场金融功能的完善及有效发挥。但转型背景中确立的中国国债市场,其定位存在着重财政筹资和轻金融调控的功能扭曲。因此金融变革对于中国国债市场的发展提出了更为迫切的要求。一方面完善包括立法在内的国债运行与管理制度;另一方面完善国债市场体系。这对于中国国债市场发展而言,至关重要。     

Functional dependence and productive dependence of SMEs

This article analyzes the quality of business structure from a macroeconomic perspective in the regional context. In addition to “traditional” variables such as innovation, internationalization, or entrepreneurial collaboration, new variables have been introduced: functional dependence and productive dependence. Two different economic territories have been chosen within the Spanish economy: the province of Barcelona (high relative income per capita) and the province of Seville (low relative income per capita). We find it is possible to distinguish two types of firms: a) “product-maker” firms (mainly located in advanced areas) and b) “market-maker” firms (mainly located in less developed areas).      

On the optimality of unequal class sizes

The Glass and Smith (Education and Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 1979, 1, 2–16) meta-analysis of class size studies is shown to have employed an inappropriate functional form, negating Lippman's (Economics Letters, 1990, 33, 193–196) result concerning the optimality of equal class sizes. Policy implications for department chairs are noted.     

Local determinacy of prices in an overlapping generations model with continuous trading

We characterize the determinacy properties of the intertemporal equilibrium for a continuous-time, pure-exchange, overlapping generations economy with logarithmic preferences. Using recent advances in the theory of functional differential equations, we show that the equilibrium is locally unique and that prices converge to a balanced growth path and are determined.