The effect of signal acquisition and processing choices on ApEn values: Towards a “gold standard” for distinguishing effort levels from isometric force records

Approximate Entropy (ApEn) is frequently used to identify changes in the complexity of isometric force records with ageing and disease. Different signal acquisition and processing parameters have been used, making comparison or confirmation of results difficult. This study determined the effect of sampling and parameter choices by examining changes in ApEn values across a range of submaximal isometric contractions of the First Dorsal Interosseus. Reducing the sample rate by decimation changed both the value and pattern of ApEn values dramatically. The pattern of ApEn values across the range of effort levels was not sensitive to the filter cut-off frequency, or the criterion used to extract the section of data for analysis. The complexity increased with increasing effort levels using a fixed ‘r’ value (which accounts for measurement noise) but decreased with increasing effort level when ‘r’ was set to 0.1 of the standard deviation of force. It is recommended isometric force records are sampled at frequencies >200 Hz, template length (‘m’) is set to 2, and 'r' set to measurement system noise or 0.1 SD depending on physiological process to be distinguished. It is demonstrated that changes in ApEn across effort levels are related to changes in force gradation strategy

Circuit Split or a Matter of Semantics? The Supreme Court\u27s Upcoming Decision on Rule 10b-5 Scheme Liability and Its Implications for Tax Shelter Fraud Litigation

After Internal Revenue Service investigations exposed widespread fraud among tax shelter promoters, angry investors sued for securities fraud under Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 10b-5, which provides a cause of action against “primary violators” of the Rule but not against mere “aiders and abettors.” This controversial distinction is further complicated by the recent introduction of “scheme liability” lawsuits under two previously obscure provisions of Rule 10b-5. This Note examines the circuit split over the “primary violator”/“aider and abettor” distinction in scheme liability claims, arguing that the circuits\u27 conflicting concepts of scheme liability actually cover similar conduct, and that tax shelter promoters likely will be considered primary violators under either concept

Examining Horizontal Fiscal Equalisation in Australia

In 2010-11 over $45 billion GST monies, and about$24b of other grants, will be distributed between the States and Territories on the recommendation of the Commonwealth Grants Commission. The Commission is instructed to implement Horizontal Fiscal Equalisation (HFE); and not to be concerned with efficiency. The paper examines how the CGC pursues fiscal equality, and finds some systematic flaws. The adjustments made by the CGC for demography and mining, but not for wages, undoubtedly reduce inequality in fiscal capacities, from a short-run point of view. However, for payroll tax assessments, the CGC can mistakenly transfer moneys from equals to equals; and disturb an efficient pattern of interstate migration and settlement. The reason is that labour mobility tends to make working households indifferent between jobs in different jurisdictions, with the differences in wage rates compensating for locationally-specific differences in costs of living. In addition to equity flaws, I note some negative efficiency effects, as counterweights to the common claims that HFE improves economic efficiency. Interestingly, HFE in Australia strives for full equalisation of state budget capacities; in contrast, governments attempt only partial equalisation of private budget capacities. I present a framework for considering the trade-off between equality and efficiency, adapted from Brennan and Pincus (2004 and 2010). The main result is that little or no allowance should be made for interstate differences in unit costs of public provision of (public or private) goods and services. An alternative distribution of GST monies is estimated for 2010-11.fiscal equalization, Australian fiscal policy

Is the Treasury subsidising Australian Undergraduates? or, Investing in Higher Education

This paper presents estimates of the financial returns to the graduate, to the Treasury and to the Australian economy from undergraduate education. In addition, the paper indulges in some speculations about the efficiency of the policy changes.education, taxes, income, investment, Australia

Solute Effects on the Helix-Coil Transition

We discuss the effects of the solvent composition on the helix-coil transition of a polypeptide chain. We use a simple model to demonstrate that improving the hydrogen-bonding ability of the solvent can make the transition less cooperative, without affecting the transition temperature. This effect is very different from other solvent effects which primarily influence the melting transition rather than the cooperativity.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figur

Environmental economics and the Murray–Darling: Comment

Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Market Efficiency in Foreign Exchange Markets

We investigate the relative market efficiency in financial market data, using the approximate entropy(ApEn) method for a quantification of randomness in time series. We used the global foreign exchange market indices for 17 countries during two periods from 1984 to 1998 and from 1999 to 2004 in order to study the efficiency of various foreign exchange markets around the market crisis. We found that on average, the ApEn values for European and North American foreign exchange markets are larger than those for African and Asian ones except Japan. We also found that the ApEn for Asian markets increase significantly after the Asian currency crisis. Our results suggest that the markets with a larger liquidity such as European and North American foreign exchange markets have a higher market efficiency than those with a smaller liquidity such as the African and Asian ones except Japan

Study of pharmaceutical industrial problems

The growth of a human colon carcinoma cell line (SK-CO-1) and its production of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in monolayer culture and on single layers of glass beads in unit gravity were evaluated. The limitations of using a microsphere-cell growth system in unit gravity were identified and how these may be overcome in space was considered. The project had the following tasks: (1) growth of cultured human colon carcinoma cells on a monolayer and CEA production; (2) evaluation of CEA production and release by SK-CO-1 cells grown on glass beads; (3) evaluation of other microcarriers for growing SK-CO-1 cells and determination of the minimum amount of culture medium needed for cell growth; and (4) growth of SK-CO-1 cells on collagen monolayers and CEA production