Real Estate Securities and a Filter-based, Short-term Trading Strategy

Anecdotal evidence provides overwhelming support to the belief that sophisticated real estate investors profit by timing long-run real estate cycles. This article examines the investment performance benefits that sophisticated investors may derive from short-run cycles in real estate, specifically, through the publicly traded real estate markets. Using a simple strategy that filters out noise in real estate investment trust (REIT) price reversals, this study shows that a contrarian strategy is many times more profitable than the associated execution costs. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that the REIT market has been sufficiently liquid to execute this trading strategy. This last point is directly related to the filter strategy since only REITs with large price movements satisfy the hypothetical investor’s selection criteria.

On the Quality of FFO Forecasts

This paper is the first attempt to provide an objective assessment of the quality of real estate funds from operations (FFO) forecasts. The work, which looks past the more primitive question concerning the appropriate measure for real estate earnings, quantifies and tests the quality of real estate investment trust (REIT) FFO forecasts relative to the net income forecasts of several comparison groups. The results show the high quality of REIT forecasts are remarkably robust and are not driven by the level of analyst attention. Investors in a post-Enron and Sarbanes-Oxley era may find the implications for high quality forecasts of real estate earning to be an appealing investment concept.

Coverage with evidence development: applications and issues

Copyright © Cambridge University Press, 2010OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe the current issues surrounding Coverage with Evidence Development (CED). CED is characterized by restricted coverage for a new technology in parallel with targeted research when the stated goal of the research or data collection is to provide definitive evidence for the clinical or cost-effectiveness impact of the new technology. METHODS: Presented here is information summarized and interpreted from presentations and discussions at the 2008 Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi) meeting and additional information from the medical literature. This study describes the differences between CED and other conditional coverage agreements, provides a brief history of CED, describes real-world examples of CED, describes the areas of consensus between the stakeholders, discusses the areas for future negotiation between stakeholders, and proposes criteria to assist stakeholders in determining when CED could be appropriate. RESULTS: Payers could interpret the evidence obtained from a CED program either positively or negatively, and a range of possible changes to the reimbursement status of the new technology may result. Striking an appropriate balance between the demands for prompt access to new technology and acknowledging that some degree of uncertainty will always exist is a critical challenge to the uptake of this innovative form of conditional coverage. CONCLUSIONS: When used selectively for innovative procedures, pharmaceuticals, or devices in the appropriate disease areas, CED may provide patients access to promising medicines or technologies while data to minimize uncertainty are collected.The development of the manuscript was funded by Medicines Australi

Fracturing fluid for prevention of shale fracture hydration during well stimulation by hydraulic fracturing

Friction reducers for hydraulic fracturing fluids, hydraulic fracturing fluids containing the friction reducers, and methods of making and using same are disclosed. The friction reducers comprise ethylene oxide polymers, propylene oxide polymers, ethylene oxide-propylene oxide co-polymers, and combinations thereof, and can further comprise a dispersant, such as polypropylene glycol. The friction reducer formulations can be active across a wide range of brine salinities, and tolerant of high levels of divalent cations in solution. The friction reducers can have a cloud point temperature, above which temperature they can precipitate out of solution and deposit on a surface of a hydrocarbon-bearing formation to inhibit hydration of the shale formations lining the fractures.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste

Large round bales : safety (1998)

The key to safe and efficient systems for handling large round bales is an operator who knows the hazards involved and who follows safety practices that can prevent accidents. Operators must be constantly alert for situations that may cause injuries to themselves or others. Besides pain and suffering, accidents contribute to higher costs in terms of unnecessary downtime or costly machine repairs. Alertness and safety consciousness can result in more efficient and profitable baling and handling

CheMin-V: A Definitive Mineralogy Instrument for Landed Science on Venus

An X-ray diffraction instrument is described that will provide quantitative mineralogical analyses of up to 4 individual samples of Venus regolith in ~1 hour

An Updated Look at the Size of the U.S. Real Estate Market Portfolio

Using 1989 data on aggregate real estate values for a sample of counties, this paper develops estimates of the total value of real estate by property type in the United States. The values for commercial and residential property are also reported by region and for the forty-four largest MSAs. The estimated total value of commercial real estate is compared with the value of other investment asset classes, and implications are drawn for investment portfolios.

Policy Recommendations for Institutions to Serve as Trustworthy Stewards of Research Data

The Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Reference Model, published as ISO 14721, has been adopted as the “de facto” standard for systems that preserve data. ISO 16363, the standard for Audit And Certification Of Trustworthy Digital Repositories, is based on ISO 14721 and contains the criteria for auditing various kinds of repositories in terms of their potential to provide trustworthy services for data management and preservation. Institutions that manage repositories for research data need to attain compliance with ISO 16363 if they plan to serve as trustworthy digital repositories. As an initial step, institutions that operate repositories for managing and preserving research data should create and follow policies to address the ISO 16363 requirements.__Recommendations are offered for establishing and implementing policies within institutions that plan to serve as trustworthy repositories of research data holdings

The HealthPia GlucoPack™ Diabetes Phone: A Usability Study

This is a copy of an article published in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics copyright Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.; Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics is available online at: http://online.liebertpub.com.Background: Type I diabetes is a common chronic disease of childhood. Both the growing influence of peers and the shifting away from parental influence have been implicated as prime elements contributing to poor glycemic outcomes in adolescents. Mobile technology that can be directed towards providing self-management support and modifying potentially negative child parent interaction holds promise to improve control in adolescents with diabetes. Methods: HealthPia, Inc. (Palisades Park, NJ) has developed a prototype system, the HealthPia GlucoPack™ Diabetes Monitoring System, which integrates a small blood glucose monitoring device into the battery pack of a cell phone. A pilot study used mixed quantitative and qualitative methods to evaluate user satisfaction with the integrated system, including the potential of the device to transmit self-monitoring data to a website for review and analysis by clinicians, parents, and patients. Results: Adolescents in our study liked the integration of the two technologies and agreed that the glucometer was easy to use and that the tool was useful in the management of their diabetes. Conclusions: Future work will focus on the utilization of the diabetes phone as a component of a care delivery system for adolescents with diabetes, including involvement of the health care team and enhancement of the web services that support the use of the phone