Grain size variation in sand column along Chhatrapur coast, Ganjam district, Odisha – A clue to the depositional environment

The concentration of heavy mineral placer deposits along the coastal tracts are function of various favourable factors i.e. hinterland geological formations, prevalence of favourable climatic condition, their transportation through intricate drainage systems and various coastal processes, which operated during the geological past. Textural analysis of the available unconsolidated sediments from the present deposits is of vital importance to decode the prevailing depositional environment while grain size analysis is the major parameter used. Present study highlights the grain size analysis of the identified sand column from Chhatrapur Mineral Sand Deposit along the coastal tract of Odisha to infer the environment of deposition of heavy mineral bearing sand and their heavy mineral content variation. Standard procedure of sampling, data analysis and interpretation techniques were adopted. Result shows that, sands from frontal and rear dune are characterized by distinct bi-modal distribution, medium to fine, moderately to well sorted with good positive skewness, whereas, sand from Inter-dunal region shows dominant unimodal, medium to coarse grain, moderately poorly sorted nature and slightly positive skewness. The better heavy mineral concentration (10 to 25 % grade) in frontal and rear dunes is attributed to prevalence of aeolian dune deposition accompanied by good sorting. In contrast, the low concentration of heavy mineral (3 to 6 %) in inter dune region is due to occasional fluvial regime and poor sorting of sediments. Thus, grain size analysis can be an effective tool to decipher local prevailing depositional environment, which has a bearing on heavy mineral concentration as well.

Heritability and Genetic Advance as Genetic Indicators for Improvement in Two Cotton Crosses

The primary breeding goal for the Egyptian cotton breeding program is how to genetically improve both yield and fibre quality traits, while most of these agronomically traits are biometric traits. The objective of the present study is to evaluate variability and estimate frequency of transgressive segregants in order to isolate early superior individual plants which exceeding the better parent for some yield and fiber quality traits in two intraspecific cotton crosses in early transgressive segregating generation (F2 ). The F1 was highly significant superior than the better parent (Giza 97 and Giza 94) of the two crosses for all the studied traits except boll weight and lint %. Most of the studied traits in F2 generation showed high values of broad sense heritability coupled with low GAM % indicated that these traits controlled by non-additive gene action. All the studied traits had positive skewness sign except for lint %. Presley index and uniformity index for the two cotton crosses and upper half mean for cross II showed negative skewness. The negative skewness indicated that the population had more plants frequency with higher mean values than population mean and controlled by dominancy alleles. While, the traits that had positive skewness are controlled by additive gene action. The two cotton crosses showed transgressive segregants for all the studied traits. Cross I has higher transgressive index for yield traits than cross II, while cross II has the same trend for fiber quality traits than cross I. These results indicated that the both parents of the two cotton crosses had different alleles and genes governing the respective studied traits, which will help cotton breeder to combine beneficial alleles into a single genotype by rigorous selection process. This strategy could be used to improve many economic biometric traits by using better and stringent selection procedure to enhance Egyptian cotton productivity which is major concern in Egypt. The breeder can use transgressive segregation as an indicator of genetic variability to select the most superior plants.

Species correlation measurements in turbulent flare plumes: considerations for field measurements

Field measurement of flare emissions in turbulent flare plumes is an important and complex challenge. Incomplete combustion from these processes results in emissions of black carbon, unburnt fuels (methane), CO2, and other pollutants. Many field measurement approaches necessarily assume that combustion species are spatially and/or temporally correlated in the plume, such that simple species ratios can be used to close a carbon balance to calculate species emission factors and flare conversion efficiency. This study examines the veracity of this assumption and the associated implications for measurement uncertainty. A novel tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) system is used to measure the correlation between H2O and black carbon (BC) volume fractions in the plumes of a vertical, turbulent, non-premixed, buoyancy-driven lab-scale gas flare. Experiments reveal that instantaneous, path-averaged concentrations of BC and H2O can vary independently and are not necessarily well correlated over short time intervals. The scatter in the BC/H2O ratio along a path through the plume was well beyond that which could be attributed to measurement uncertainty and was asymmetrically distributed about the mean. Consistent with previous field observations, this positive skewness toward higher BC/H2O ratios implies short, localized, and infrequent bursts of high BC production that are not well correlated with H2O. This demonstrates that the common assumption of fixed species ratios is not universally valid, and measurements based on limited samples, short sampling times, and/or limited spatial coverage of the plume could be subject to potentially large added uncertainty. For BC emission measurements, the positive skewness of the BC/H2O ratio also suggests that results from small numbers of samples are more likely to be biased low. However, a bootstrap analysis of the results shows how these issues can be avoided with sufficient sample size and provides initial guidance for creating sampling protocols for future field measurements using analogous path-averaged techniques.

Species Correlation Measurements in Turbulent Flare Plumes: Considerations for Field Measurements

Field measurement of flare emissions in turbulent flare plumes is an important and complex challenge. The simplest approaches necessarily assume that combustion species are spatially and/or temporally correlated in the plume, such that simple species ratios can be used to close a carbon balance to calculate species emission rates (i.e. emission factors) and flare conversion efficiency. This study examines the veracity of this assumption and the associated implications for measurement uncertainty. A novel tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) system is used to measure the correlation between H2O and black carbon (BC) volume fractions in the plumes of a vertical, turbulent, non-premixed, buoyancy-driven lab-scale gas flare. Experiments reveal that instantaneous, path-averaged concentrations of BC and H2O can vary independently and are not necessarily well-correlated over short time intervals. The scatter in the BC / H2O ratio along a path through the plume was well beyond that which could be attributed to measurement uncertainty and was asymmetrically distributed about the mean. Consistent with previous field observations, this positive skewness toward higher BC / H2O ratios implies short, localized, and infrequent bursts of high BC production, that are not well-correlated with H2O. This demonstrates that the common assumption of fixed species ratios is not universally valid, and measurements based on limited samples, short sampling times, and/or limited spatial coverage of the plume could be subject to potentially large added uncertainty. For BC emission measurements, the positive skewness of the BC / H2O ratio also suggests that results from small numbers of samples are more likely to be biased low. However, a bootstrap analysis of the results shows how these issues should be easily avoidable with sufficient sample size and provides initial guidance for creating sampling protocols for future field measurements using analogous path-averaged techniques.

Evaluating the Efficiency of Portfolio-Hedging Strategies by Incorporating Third Degree Stochastic Dominance Criteria and Data Envelopment Analysis

The chapter investigates chosen hedging strategies with options as useful risk hedging instruments. Assuming that average investor prefers greater return, is risk-averse, and prefers greater positive skewness, the performance of different hedged and unhedged portfolios is evaluated using stochastic dominance (SD) criteria and data envelopment analysis (DEA). The SD is examined up to the third degree (TSD) using Davidson-Duclos (DD) test. In the DEA, a super efficiency BCC model is used. It is investigated how these two methodologies can be combined and how the TSD criteria can be integrated into DEA in order to simplify the analysis of determining efficient hedging strategies with options.

Determination of the Order of Kinetics of a DTA Curve by Using the Concept of Skewness

In the present paper, a novel way of finding out the order of kinetics of differential thermal analysis (DTA) curves by using the concept of skewness (Sk) has been investigated. It is found that for a particular DTA peak, skewness is a function of both the order of kinetics and the quantity, First order DTA peaks are characterized by negative skewness whereas those for the second order are characterized by positive skewness. Therefore, skewness can be used as an indicator of the order of kinetics of a DTA peak. We have evaluated and compared the orders of kinetics of some reported DTA peaks using the concept of skewness and found that the resulting values of the orders of kinetics are in fair agreement with those reported in literature.

Computed tomography texture analysis of response to second-line nivolumab in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer

Objectives: Assess computed tomography texture analysis of patients likely to benefit from nivolumab. Materials & methods: Texture analysis was used to quantify heterogeneity within the largest tumor before immunotherapy. Histogram analysis was classified as hyperdense (positive skewness) or hypodense (negative skewness) and subclassified on median standard deviation value or entropy measurement. Results: 47 patients were included. At a median follow-up of 18 months, statistical significant differences in progression-free survival were observed when stratified by positive skewness with low entropy, hazard ratio: 0.43 (0.19–0.95); p = 0.036, and positive skewness with low standard deviation, hazard ratio: 0.42 (0.18–0.96); p = 0.04. Conclusion: Patients who derive a clinical benefit to Nivolumab show a computed tomography texture of a hyperdense yet homogenous tumor.

Statistical evaluation of temporary changes in annual precipitation in the plain territory of Ukraine

The field of precipitation of the plain territory of Ukraine is investigated according to the data of evenly spaced 18 weather stations. The annual precipitation is analyzed for periods of different duration (from the beginning of observations at the station until 2015) and for the period 1961-2015. The main statistical characteristics are calculated, the patterns of their changes in the study area are shown. Gradient of decrease in multi-year annual precipitation for 1961-2015 (650 to 400 mm) directed from the northwest to the south and southeast of the country. The value of positive skewness and kurtosis, the coefficient of variation (0.16-0.26), on the contrary, increases in this direction. The standard deviation (91-137 mm) is maximum in the southwest and in the center of the plain part of Ukraine. It was determined that the distribution of annual precipitation can be considered normal, mainly with positive skewness and kurtosis. Multi-year fluctuations in annual precipitation are approximated by linear trend equations and a polynomial of the 6th degree. Regions with a negative and positive linear trend of annual precipitation in 1961-2015 were identified. A downward trend in precipitation was noted at stations located in a “strip” from the southwest (Chernivtsi) to the northeast (Sumy) through the center of Ukraine. In the south-west of this region (Vinnytsia), the decrease in precipitation is the greatest: the negative linear trend is statistically significant, the slope of the trend is -2.35, the coefficient of determination is 0.14; mean annual precipitation for 1991-2015 compared to 1961-1990 less by 10.5%, 53.4 mm. In the rest of the plain territory of the country, there was a tendency towards an increase in precipitation, but the positive trend for all stations is statistically insignificant. The absence of statistically significant linear trends (except for Vinnytsia) can be explained by the relative stability of the multi-year precipitation regime during this period. The use of a more complex approximation and a long time series of observations increased the trend approximation confidence, but the influence of these factors is not unambiguous for all weather stations. On the graphs of polynomial trends, the cycle manifestation in the time series of annual precipitation depends on the length of the observation series and decreases from west to east of Ukraine. The duration of the cycles is 25-30 and 35-40 years when determined according to the data of 1961-2015, and from 70 to 90 and 120 years according to the series of observations more than 100 years. In 2016-2025, as shown by estimates by the equations of polynomials of the 6th degree, a decrease in annual precipitation will prevail on the plain territory of Ukraine compared to 1961-2015. The largest decrease (by 10-13%) is likely in the central regions (Poltava, Dnipro). an increase (by 5%) - in the southwest (Vinnitsa, Chernivtsi).

Skewness Preference and Asset Pricing: Evidence from the Japanese Stock Market

Previous studies have shown that investor preference for positive skewness creates a potential premium on negatively skewed assets. In this paper, we attempt to explore the connection between investors’ skewness preferences and corresponding demand for a risk premium on asset returns. Using data from the Japanese stock market, we empirically study the significance of risk aversion with skewness preference that potentially delivers a premium. Compared to studies on other stock markets, our finding suggests that Japanese investors exhibit preference for positively skewed assets, but do not display dislike for ones that are negatively skewed. This implies that investors from different countries having dissimilar attitudes toward risk may possess different preferences toward positive skewness, which would result in a different magnitude of expected risk premium on negatively skewed assets.

Salience and Skewness Preferences

Whether people seek or avoid risks on gambling, insurance, asset, or labor markets crucially depends on the skewness of the underlying probability distribution. In fact, people typically seek positively skewed risks and avoid negatively skewed risks. We show that salience theory of choice under risk can explain this preference for positive skewness, because unlikely, but outstanding payoffs attract attention. In contrast to alternative models, however, salience theory predicts that choices under risk not only depend on the absolute skewness of the available options, but also on how skewed these options appear to be relative to each other. We exploit this fact to derive novel, experimentally testable predictions that are unique to the salience model and that we find support for in two laboratory experiments. We thereby argue that skewness preferences—typically attributed to cumulative prospect theory—are more naturally accommodated by salience theory.