Lack of Access to Diabetes Technology and its Effect on Sociological Groups

Evolving technologies to help Type 1 Diabetics learn how to live with their condition are out of reach for many due to the price point set on the products by large pharmaceutical organizations, otherwise known as Big Pharma. To explore this, I researched the sociological demographics of youth, low-income patients, and minorities. Through this, I confirmed that minority groups of Non-Hispanic Blacks and American Indians not only had the highest prevalence of Type 1 Diabetes, but they also had the lowest use rates for glucose monitors and insulin pumps. Similarly, the youth prevalence of Type 1 Diabetes is incredibly high since the disease is commonly diagnosed in juveniles. However, students that do not have the means to access these technologies are at a disadvantage in the school setting as it relates to accommodation measures. For low-income patients, the price of products resulted in insulin rationing, a method taken to lower the frequency of prescription payments. The results of my research established that there is a wide gap in sociological disparities amongst Type 1 Diabetics; However, there are many potential steps that can be taken to narrow it

HVDC Systems Fault Analysis Using Various Signal Processing Techniques

The detection and fast clearance of faults are important for the safe and optimal operation of HVDC systems. In HVDC systems, various types of AC faults (rectifier & inverter side) and DC faults can occur. It is therefore necessary to detect the faults and classify them for better protection and diagnostics purposes. Various techniques for fault detection and classification in HVDC systems using signal processing techniques are presented and investigated in this research work. In this research work, it is shown that the wavelet transformation can effectively detect abrupt changes in system signals which are indicative of a fault. This research has focused on DC faults at various distances along the lines and AC faults on the converter side. The DC line current is chosen as the input to the wavelet transform. The 5th level coefficients have been used to identify the various faults in the LCC-HVDC system. Moreover, the value of these coefficients has been used for the classification of the different faults. For more accurate classification of faults, the wavelet entropy principle is proposed. In LCC-HVDC systems, a different approach for fault identification and classification is proposed. In this investigation an algorithm is developed that provides the trade-off between large input data size and minimal number of neurons in the hidden layer, without compromising the accuracy. The claim is confirmed by the results provided from the investigation for various fault conditions and its corresponding ANN output which confirms the specific fault detection and its classification. A fault identification and classification strategy based on fuzzy logic for VSC–HVDC systems is proposed. Initially, the developed Fuzzy Inference Engine (FIE) detects AC faults occurring in the rectifier side and DC faults on the cable successfully. However, it could not identify the line on which the fault has occurred. Hence, to classify the faults occurring in either AC section or DC section of the HVDC system, the FIE has to be restructured with appropriate data input. Therefore, a FIE which identifies different types of fault and the corresponding line where the fault occurs anywhere in the HVDC system was developed. Initially the developed FIE with three input and seven output parameters results in an accuracy level of 99.47% being achieved. After a modified FIE was developed with five inputs and seven output parameters, 21 types of faults in the VSC HVDC system were successfully classified with 100% accuracy. The FIE was further developed to successfully classify with 100% accuracy faults in Multi-Terminal HVDC systems

Interrelationships between capital structure and financial performance, firm size and growth: comparison of industrial sector in KSE

The purpose of the Study is to explore relationship between the capital structure and financial performance, evidence from 21 industries in Karachi stock exchange in Pakistan. The study has been analyzed capital structure and its impact on financial performance during year 2004 to 2008. (5 years) financial years of 21 industries in KSE. The study will empirically investigate the relationship between the capital structure and financial performance, by using correlation and regression test on financial data which is collected from analysis reports of KSE, Balance sheet analysis and financial statements of 21 sectors. The results have several Significant implications. The findings of the study show a positive relationship between the  Leverage, financial performance and Growth, Size, of the companies by accepting the alternate hypothesis H 1 and Ho is rejected. Key Words: leverage, Financial Performance Size, Growt

Cancer Mortality Among Residents of Huron, Sanilac, and Tbscola Counties as Compared to Other Michigan Residents, 1971-1985

Age-adjusted cancer mortality rates in the Thumb area of Michigan (Huron, Sanilac, and Tuscola counties) were compared with those for the rest of the state from 1971 to 1985. Comparisons were made after partitioning the mortality data on the basis of the patient\u27s sex, year of death (1971 to 1975, 1976 to 1980, or 1981 to 1985), and site of primary tumor. International Classification of Diseases categories were combined to define 29 cancer site groups. The analysis was limited to the white population. The major observation was a consistently lower mortality rate of lung cancer in the Thumb area than in the rest of the stale. This difference was statistically significant for males during two of the three time periods and for females during all three time periods

The regulatory welfare state in pension markets: mitigating high charges for low-income savers in the United Kingdom and Israel

How does the rising ‘regulatory welfare state’ address social policy concerns in pension markets? This study examines this question by comparing the regulatory responses to high charges paid by low-income workers in pension markets in the UK and Israel. In the UK, with the recognition that the market would not cater to low-income workers, the regulatory response was the creation of a publicly operated low-cost pension fund (NEST), a ‘public option’ within the market. This allowed low-income workers access to a low level of charges, previously reserved for high-income and organised workers. In Israel, regulation sought to empower consumers, while providing minimal social protection by capping pension charges at a relatively high level, thereby leaving most of the responsibility for reducing the charges with the individual saver. By comparing these two cases, the article develops an analytical framework for the study of the regulatory welfare state, making two contributions. First, it highlights different types of regulatory citizenship: minimal regulatory social protection as opposed to a more egalitarian approach. Second, it identifies an overlooked regulatory welfare state strategy: creating ‘public option’ arrangements, whereby a state-run (but not funded) service operates within the market