The RTC and the escalating costs of the thrift insurance mess

An examination of the structure of the Resolution Trust Corporation and of its performance in resolving the savings and loan insurance crisis, defining the obstacles that may be impeding the RTC's effectiveness in closing insolvent thrifts and returning their assets to the private sector.Resolution Trust Corporation (U.S.) ; Savings and loan associations

Median price changes: an alternative approach to measuring current monetary inflation

An analysis concluding that inflation measures based on median price changes are a better indicator than measures based on mean price changes.Inflation (Finance) ; Consumer price indexes

FDICIA's prompt corrective action provisions

A review of the origins of FDICIA's early intervention policy and the political economy arguments for supporting it, with emphasis on the specific sections of the law that pertain to this policy and the ways in which the new guidelines will impact the future of the nation's depositories.Deposit insurance ; Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991

Oil, the economy, and monetary policy

An examination of the theoretical impact of an oil shortage on the U.S. economy and the problems that such shortages present for monetary policy.Power resources - Prices ; Monetary policy

Benefits from competition:some illustrative UK cases

This study provides a powerful demonstration of the real world impact of increasedcompetition. By presenting six market case studies drawn from a variety of sectors itgives evidence of the type and magnitude of the benefits following marketinterventions to develop competition and free up the operation of these sectors. In discussing the types and form such interventions take, whether competition policy,deregulation or liberalisation, this report explores market conditions before and afterintervention, paying careful attention to both the envisaged benefits and the potentialfor negative side effects. Overall, the evidence suggests these benefits materialised,and in a number of instances proved more sizeable than anticipated. Concerns aboutharmful side effects have proved unfounded, with market stimuli impacting not only onthe price and range of goods available but also acting as a motivating force to productand process innovation. As Professor Davies points out, although active competition policy proves an importantcomponent in the competitive process, it is not sufficient in its own right. In order todeliver greater productivity, of which competition is a key driver, the UK needs a pool of resourceful entrepreneurs able to exploit changing market conditions. In order togive these people the best chance of success the framework conditions need to becorrect with strength in the complementary capabilities of innovation, investment, skillsand enterprise. Ensuring the competition framework is world class is central to the DTI’s strategy. The most recent peer review of the UK competition regime demonstrates that the UK isa strong performer, ranked third in the 2004 study, with the US first and Germanysecond. This study provides further evidence of the important role played by thatframework in delivering tangible benefits to consumers

Med-Drop Pill Dispenser

Veterans’ Affairs home care nurses currently spend anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours filling out monthly prescriptions one pill at a time to veterans who are unable to leave their homes. The goal of this project was to create an easy-to-use device that could be left at a patient’s home that nurses could use to quickly and accurately dispense medication into the patient’s monthly pill box

Utility and Residential Solar Resource Assessment and Modeling for Alaska’s Railbelt Transmission System

Research Poste

Investigating the effects of visually augmented video feedback on performance of an ice hockey skating skill / by Duncan C. Pike.

The study tested the effects of video replays enhanced with graphic, kinematic feedback on a targeted aspect of the hockey skating stride. A single subject, multiple baseline, across participants design was used. Participants were 4 varsity hockey players. Feedback was a measurement of the supporting knee angle at extension of the thrusting leg and a visual representation of an optimal angle, superimposed over video replay. Feedback immediately followed alternate trials, during several sessions over 5 weeks. The targeted change was a lower angle of initial knee flexion. Mean and level of initial knee flexion reduced after intervention in all participants. Changes were observed to occur at the second session of the intervention phase

Evaluating the Perceived Quality of Binaural Technology

This thesis studies binaural sound reproduction from both a technical and a perceptual perspective, with the aim of improving the headphone listening experience for entertainment media audiences. A detailed review is presented of the relevant binaural technology and of the concepts and methods for evaluating perceived quality. A pilot study assesses the application of state-of-the-art binaural rendering systems to existing broadcast programmes, finding no substantial improvements in quality over conventional stereo signals. A second study gives evidence that realistic binaural simulation can be achieved without personalised acoustic calibration, showing promise for the application of binaural technology. Flexible technical apparatus is presented to allow further investigation of rendering techniques and content production processes. Two web-based studies show that appropriate combination of techniques can lead to improved experience for typical audience members, compared to stereo signals, even without personalised rendering or listener head-tracking. Recent developments in spatial audio applications are then discussed. These have made dynamic client-side binaural rendering with listener head-tracking feasible for mass audiences, but also present technical constraints. To limit distribution bandwidth and computational complexity during rendering, loudspeaker virtualisation is widely used. The effects on perceived quality of these techniques are studied in depth for the first time. A descriptive analysis experiment demonstrates that loudspeaker virtualisation during binaural rendering causes degradations to a range of perceptual characteristics and that these vary across other system conditions. A final experiment makes novel use of the check-all-that-apply method to efficiently characterise the quality of seven spatial audio representations and associated dynamic binaural rendering techniques, using single sound sources and complex dramatic scenes. The perceived quality of these different representations varies significantly across a wide range of characteristics and with programme material. These methods and findings can be used to improve the quality of current binaural technology applications