Risk measures for skew normal mixtures

Finite mixtures of Skew distributions have become increasingly popular in the last few years as a flexible tool for handling data displaying several different characteristics such as multimodality, asymmetry and fat-tails. Examples of such data can be found in financial and actuarial applications as well as biological and epidemiological analysis. In this paper we will show that a convex linear combination of multivariate Skew Normal mixtures can be represented as finite mixtures of univariate Skew Normal distributions. This result can be useful in modeling portfolio returns where the evaluation of extremal events is of great interest. We provide analytical formula for different risk measures like the Value-at-Risk and the Expected Shortfall probability.

Solid-state evaluation and polymorphic quantification of venlafaxine hydrochloride raw materials using the Rietveld method

Venlafaxine hydrochloride (VEN) is an antidepressant drug widely used for the treatment of depression. The purpose of this study was to carry out the preparation and solid state characterization of the pure polymorphs (Forms 1 and 2) and the polymorphic identification and quantification of four commercially-available VEN raw materials. These two polymorphic forms were obtained from different crystallization methods and characterized by X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD), Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform (DRIFT), Raman Spectroscopy (RS), liquid and solid state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR and ssNMR) spectroscopies, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques. The main differences were observed by DSC and XRPD and the latter was chosen as the standard technique for the identification and quantification studies in combination with the Rietveld method for the commercial raw materials (VEN1-VEN4) acquired from different manufacturers. Additionally Form 1 and Form 2 can be clearly distinguished from their (13)C ssNMR spectra. Through the analysis, it was possible to conclude that VEN1 and VEN2 were composed only of Form 1, while VEN3 and VEN4 were a mixture of Forms 1 and 2. Additionally, the Rietveld refinement was successfully applied to quantify the polymorphic ratio for VEN3 and VEN4.

Abdominal Ultrasonography in the Check-Up

Ultrasound Evaluation of Transient Synovitis of the Hip in Children - Pictorial Essay

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Sa1699 Downregulation of Anti-Oncomirs miR-143/-145 Cluster Occurs Before APC Gene Aberration in the Development of Colorectal Tumors

Su1101 Is Calretinin Immunohistochemistry Able to Decrease the Rate of Inconclusive Results of Rectal Suction Biopsies in Hirschsprung's Disease?

2012 Editorial Board

Author Index

Anesthetic Management and Complications of Percutaneous Aortic Valve Implantation

Aortic stenosis is a highly prevalent and life-threatening disease. In elderly patients with comorbidities, percutaneous valve implantation is an option. The aim of the study was to describe the anesthetic management and complications of general anesthesia.