A Statistical Investigation of Stock Market Activity and Instances of Financial Crime

This project aims to identify a possible statistical relationship between the stock market and incidences of financial crime in Illinois, Texas, and Utah through big data analysis techniques using data from the FBI’s Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) database. By analyzing the occurrences of financial crime by location, year, and type in relation to the S&P 500’s percent change in close price on the first day of the calendar year, it will be possible to determine if a statistical relationship exists between the two. In addition, regression analysis was performed in order to predict financial crime incidence using stock market prices

Obesity and HIV: a compounding problem

Objectives: A cross-sectional study was undertaken at Lancers Road Clinic, Durban, South Africa to determine body composition, haemoglobin, serum albumin and serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in asymptomatic ART-naive HIV positive adults. Methods: All eligible adults attending the clinic were sampled. Body composition was assessed using deuterium dilution. Descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient were used for data analysis. Results: A total of 84 participants (CD4 count: 542.5 ± 145 cell/mm3) enrolled. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 29.5 (± 6.4) kg/m2 and the mean fat mass percentage was 44.9 (± 18.7). The prevalence of overweight (26.2%, 22/84) and obesity (46.4%, 39/84) was high. Mean haemoglobin (Hb) levels were 12.0 ± 1.6 g/dl. Mild, moderate and severe anaemia was present in 21.4% (18/84), 20.2% (17/84) and 1.2% (1/84) of patients, respectively. Mean albumin levels (36.2 ± 3.8 g/l) were on the borderline low range of normal with mildly depleted albumin levels being present in a third (32.1%, 27/84) of patients. The mean hs-CRP levels (5.5 ± 7.2 mg/l) were high. Conclusion: In this cohort of patients, wasting was not associated with HIV as the prevalence of overweight/obesity was high and followed the population trend in SA. This seemingly well, asymptomatic population of people living with HIV was at an increased risk of morbidity, progression and death due to the compounding factors of overweight/obesity, hypoalbuminemia, raised hs-CRP levels and anaemia

The College and Canons of St Stephen's, Westminster, 1348-1548

This thesis is concerned with the college founded by Edward III in his principal palace of Westminster in 1348 and dissolved by Edward VI in 1548 in order to examine issues of royal patronage, the relationships of the Church to the Crown, and institutional networks across the later Middle Ages. As no internal archive survives from St Stephen’s College, this thesis depends on comparison with and reconstruction from royal records and the archives of other institutions, including those of its sister college, St George’s, Windsor. In so doing, it has two main aims: to place St Stephen’s College back into its place at the heart of Westminster’s political, religious and administrative life; and to develop a method for institutional history that is concerned more with connections than solely with the internal workings of a single institution. As there has been no full scholarly study of St Stephen’s College, this thesis provides a complete institutional history of the college from foundation to dissolution before turning to thematic consideration of its place in royal administration, music and worship, and the manor of Westminster. The circumstances and processes surrounding its foundation are compared with other such colleges to understand the multiple agencies that formed St Stephen’s, including that of the canons themselves. Kings and their relatives used St Stephen’s for their private worship and as a site of visible royal piety. It was the principal chapel of the palace that no king could ignore because of the presence of royal administration and consequently the presence of the public. The college was turned to new uses in the Reformation, when its canons were called upon to shape the theology of the new Church of England. Like all such institutions, St Stephen’s adapted to the needs of each generation, but it did so extraordinarily successfully

The College and Canons of St Stephen's, Westminster, 1348-1548

This thesis is concerned with the college founded by Edward III in his principal palace of Westminster in 1348 and dissolved by Edward VI in 1548 in order to examine issues of royal patronage, the relationships of the Church to the Crown, and institutional networks across the later Middle Ages. As no internal archive survives from St Stephen’s College, this thesis depends on comparison with and reconstruction from royal records and the archives of other institutions, including those of its sister college, St George’s, Windsor. In so doing, it has two main aims: to place St Stephen’s College back into its place at the heart of Westminster’s political, religious and administrative life; and to develop a method for institutional history that is concerned more with connections than solely with the internal workings of a single institution. As there has been no full scholarly study of St Stephen’s College, this thesis provides a complete institutional history of the college from foundation to dissolution before turning to thematic consideration of its place in royal administration, music and worship, and the manor of Westminster. The circumstances and processes surrounding its foundation are compared with other such colleges to understand the multiple agencies that formed St Stephen’s, including that of the canons themselves. Kings and their relatives used St Stephen’s for their private worship and as a site of visible royal piety. It was the principal chapel of the palace that no king could ignore because of the presence of royal administration and consequently the presence of the public. The college was turned to new uses in the Reformation, when its canons were called upon to shape the theology of the new Church of England. Like all such institutions, St Stephen’s adapted to the needs of each generation, but it did so extraordinarily successfully

Howard Ferguson's Contributions to Piano Literature and Pedagogy

Howard Ferguson's myriad contributions to piano literature and piano pedagogy are the focus of this document. Ferguson actively engaged in the twentieth-century British classical music scene and his influence has reached beyond his native United Kingdom. Ferguson's accomplishments during his industrious life are manifested in his work as a composer, musicologist, editor, teacher, pianist, and concert organizer. Specifically, his piano-related written output as a composer, musicologist, and editor are the focus of investigation for this document.The purpose of this document is to explore, analyze, and compile Ferguson's written contributions for piano pedagogy and piano literature into a single source. Areas of consideration are the compositional and pedagogical features of Ferguson's two solo piano works, the exploration of the pedagogical value and significance of his piano-oriented musicological writings, and the investigation of the pertinent features of his piano editions including keyboard anthologies and single-composer collections. His numerous contributions to piano literature and piano pedagogy are assembled into one source so that others may benefit from the inspired musical resources he created.Ferguson's significant piano contributions are central to the organization of this document. Relevant musical experiences of his past are included in a biographical sketch in chapter two. His solo piano compositions, the Piano Sonata Opus 8 and the Five Bagatelles Opus 9, are evaluated through musical hermeneutic analysis in chapter three. Ferguson's Oxford University Press books such as Keyboard Interpretation, Keyboard Duets, Preparatory Exercises in Score Reading, plus various anthologies including Style and Interpretation, Keyboard Anthology, ABRSM editions, and music edition reviews are also investigated in chapters four and five.Conclusions of this document indicate that: (1) Ferguson's solo piano compositions are of a high quality and bolster twentieth-century piano repertoire, and (2) his written works are foundational to the field of piano pedagogy in the cultivation of keyboard curriculum, musicianship skills, and repertoire development. Overall, his life's work as a musician maintained a broad scope, established a pillar of excellence in musical enterprises including piano pedagogy and piano performance, and his contributions are worthy of exploration, respect, and further study

Evaluation of In-Hospital Management for Febrile Illness\ud in Northern Tanzania before and after 2010 World Health\ud Organization Guidelines for the Treatment of Malaria

In 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) published updated guidelines emphasizing and expanding recommendations for a parasitological confirmation of malaria before treating with antimalarials. This study aimed to assess differences in historic (2007–2008) (cohort 1) and recent (2011–2012) (cohort 2) hospital cohorts in the diagnosis and treatment of febrile illness in a low malaria prevalence area of northern Tanzania. We analyzed data from two prospective cohort studies that enrolled febrile adolescents and adults aged $13 years. All patients received quality-controlled aerobic blood cultures and malaria smears. We compared patients’ discharge diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes to assess changes in the treatment of malaria and bacterial infections. In total, 595 febrile inpatients were enrolled from two referral hospitals in Moshi, Tanzania. Laboratory-confirmed malaria was detected in 13 (3.2%) of 402 patients in cohort 1 and 1 (0.5%) of 193 patients in cohort 2 (p = 0.041). Antimalarials were prescribed to 201 (51.7%) of 389 smear-negative patients in cohort 1 and 97 (50.5%) of 192 smearnegative patients in cohort 2 (p = 0.794). Bacteremia was diagnosed from standard blood culture in 58 (14.5%) of 401 patients in cohort 1 compared to 18 (9.5%) of 190 patients in cohort 2 (p = 0.091). In cohort 1, 40 (69.0%) of 58 patients with a positive blood culture received antibacterials compared to 16 (88.9%) of 18 patients in cohort 2 (p = 0.094). In cohort 1, 43 (10.8%) of the 399 patients with known outcomes died during hospitalization compared with 12 (6.2%) deaths among 193 patients in cohort 2 (p = 0.073). In a setting of low malaria transmission, a high proportion of smear-negative patients were diagnosed with malaria and treated with antimalarials despite updated WHO guidelines on malaria treatment. Improved laboratory diagnostics for non-malaria febrile illness might help to curb this practice.\u

Columbus State University Honors College: Senior Theses, Fall 2019

This is a collection of senior theses written by honors students at Columbus State University in 2019.https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/honors_theses/1000/thumbnail.jp

Appropriate design and reporting of superiority, equivalence and non-inferiority clinical trials incorporating a benefit risk assessment: the BRAINS study including expert workshop

Background Randomised controlled trials are designed to assess the superiority, equivalence or non-inferiority of a new health technology, but which trial design should be used is not always obvious in practice. In particular, when using equivalence or non-inferiority designs, multiple outcomes of interest may be important for the success of a trial, despite the fact that usually only a single primary outcome is used to design the trial. Benefit–risk methods are used in the regulatory clinical trial setting to assess multiple outcomes and consider the trade-off of the benefits against the risks, but are not regularly implemented in publicly funded trials. Objectives The aim of the project is to aid the design of clinical trials with multiple outcomes of interest by defining when each trial design is appropriate to use and identifying when to use benefit–risk methods to assess outcome trade-offs (qualitatively or quantitatively) in a publicly funded trial setting. Methods A range of methods was used to elicit expert opinion to answer the project objectives, including a web-based survey of relevant researchers, a rapid review of current literature and a 2-day consensus workshop of experts (in 2019). Results We created a list of 19 factors to aid researchers in selecting the most appropriate trial design, containing the following overarching sections: population, intervention, comparator, outcomes, feasibility and perspectives. Six key reasons that indicate a benefit–risk method should be considered within a trial were identified: (1) when the success of the trial depends on more than one outcome; (2) when important outcomes within the trial are in competing directions (i.e. a health technology is better for one outcome, but worse for another); (3) to allow patient preferences to be included and directly influence trial results; (4) to provide transparency on subjective recommendations from a trial; (5) to provide consistency in the approach to presenting results from a trial; and (6) to synthesise multiple outcomes into a single metric. Further information was provided to support the use of benefit–risk methods in appropriate circumstances, including the following: methods identified from the review were collated into different groupings and described to aid the selection of a method; potential implementation of methods throughout the trial process were provided and discussed (with examples); and general considerations were described for those using benefit–risk methods. Finally, a checklist of five pieces of information that should be present when reporting benefit–risk methods was defined, with two additional items specifically for reporting the results. Conclusions These recommendations will assist research teams in selecting which trial design to use and deciding whether or not a benefit–risk method could be included to ensure research questions are answered appropriately. Additional information is provided to support consistent use and clear reporting of benefit–risk methods in the future. The recommendations can also be used by funding committees to confirm that appropriate considerations of the trial design have been made. Limitations This research was limited in scope and should be considered in conjunction with other trial design methodologies to assess appropriateness. In addition, further research is needed to provide concrete information about which benefit–risk methods are best to use in publicly funded trials, along with recommendations that are specific to each method