Financial signal processing: a self calibrating model

Previous work on multifactor term structure models has proposed that the short rate process is a function of some unobserved diffusion process. We consider a model in which the short rate process is a function of a Markov chain which represents the 'state of the world'. This enables us to obtain explicit expressions for the prices of zero-coupon bonds and other securities. Discretizing our model allows the use of signal processing techniques from Hidden Markov Models. This means we can estimate not only the unobserved Markov chain but also the parameters of the model, so the model is self-calibrating. The estimation procedure is tested on a selection of U.S. Treasury bills and bonds.Bonds

State of the States 2005

Summarizes major state policy developments in 2004 and projects likely trends for 2005. Includes health care, education, homeland security, tax and budget policy, the same-sex marriage controversy, and profiles of governors elected in November 2004

Using Realist Synthesis to Develop an Evidence Base from an Identified Data Set on Enablers and Barriers for Alcohol and Drug Program Implementation

The purpose of this paper is to show how “realist synthesis” methodology (Pawson, 2002) was adapted to review a large sample of community based projects addressing alcohol and drug use problems. Our study drew on a highly varied sample of 127 projects receiving funding from a national non-government organisation in Australia between 2002 and 2008. Open and pattern coding led to the identification of 10 barrier and nine enabler mechanisms influencing project implementation across the sample. Eight case studies (four demonstrating successful implementation; four demonstrating less than successful implementation) were used for depth exploration of these mechanisms. High level theories were developed, from these findings, on implementation effectiveness in projects addressing alcohol and other drug use problems

Divergence or convergence? Health inequalities and policy in a devolved Britain

Since the advent of political devolution in the UK, it has been widely reported that markedly different health policies have emerged. However, most of these analyses are based on a comparison of health care policies and, as such, only tell part of a complex and evolving story. This paper considers official responses to a shared public health policy aim, the reduction of health inequalities, through an examination of national policy statements produced in England, Scotland and Wales respectively since 1997. The analysis suggests that the relatively consistent manner in which the ‘policy problem’ of health inequalities has been framed combined with the dominance of a medical model of health have constrained policy responses. Our findings differ from existing analyses, raising some important questions about the actuality of, and scope for, policy divergence since devolution

Integrated Rural Tourism

End of Project ReportThe overall aim of the SPRITE project was to analyse and develop the potential for better integrated tourism (IT) in the lagging rural regions of Europe. “Integrated rural tourism” is tourism, which is directly and positively linked to the economic, social, cultural and natural resources in the rural region in which it takes place. It seeks to make optimal use of these resources. It is basically a perspective or an approach to tourism development, which is sensitive to the nature of local resources and traditions and to the opportunities for sharing in the benefits of tourism development. In Ireland work on the project was shared between Rural Economy Research Centre of Teagasc, who held responsibility for the study of one selected region referred to as the North Midland Counties, and the Department of Geography at NUIG, who analysed the Western Region. This report is predominantly concerned with the work done by staff of Rural Economy Research Centre in the North Midland region.European Unio

Japan: State and People in the Twentieth Century - Papers presented at the STICERD 20th Anniversary Symposium in July 1998

The four papers and comments in this volume deal with different aspects of the relationship between state and people in twentieth century Japan. Ben-Ami Shillony's paper is concerned with religious aspects of this relationship, in particular concerning the role of the emperor, while Barbara Molony is concerned with the position of women. Sheldon Garon's paper deals with the state's propaganda to promote saving, while Werner Pascha addresses the broader issue of the position of central government and the possibility of Japan's moving towards more of a federal structure.Japan, religion, emperor, women, saving, federalism

Health inequalities in England, Scotland and Wales: stakeholders' accounts and policy compared

Objectives The election of a Labour government in 1997 brought the issue of health inequalities firmly back on to the policy agenda across the UK. Since then, in the wake of devolution, the need to tackle health inequalities has been highlighted as a policy priority in all three mainland UK countries, albeit with varying degrees of emphasis. This paper reports on a major cross-national study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, investigating how National Health Service bodies, local councils and partnerships make sense of their work on health inequalities, and examining the difference made by the contrasting approaches that have been taken to performance assessment in England, Wales and Scotland. Study design Case studies, semi-structured interviews and analysis of key policy statements. Methods In order to explore how health inequalities have been approached by the three governments (noting that there was a change in governments in Wales and Scotland during this time), key policy statements published between May 1997 and May 2007 were analysed. Concurrently, data from stakeholder interviews carried out in 2006 in case study areas in each country were analysed to determine the extent of alignment between policy and practice at local level. Results This paper suggests that claims about the extent of health policy divergence in post-devolution Britain may have been exaggerated. It finds that, whilst the three countries have taken differing approaches to performance assessment and the setting of targets, policy approaches to health inequalities up until 2007 appear to have been remarkably similar. Furthermore, the first round of interview data suggest that variations in local understandings of, and responses to, health inequalities cannot always be clearly distinguished along national lines. Conclusions Based on the policy analysis, devolution in the UK does not appear to have resulted in substantively different national policy approaches to health inequalities. Indeed, the overall analysis suggests that (prior to the 2007 elections in Scotland and Wales) the differences between local areas within countries may be of as much interest as those between countries

Qubit State Discrimination

We show how one can solve the problem of discriminating between qubit states. We use the quantum state discrimination duality theorem and the Bloch sphere representation of qubits which allows for an easy geometric and analytical representation of the optimal guessing strategies.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. v2 has small corrections and changes in reference

Central Nervous System Parasitosis and Neuroinflammation Ameliorated by Systemic IL-10 Administration in Trypanosoma brucei-Infected Mice

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