A Framework for Monitoring Capital Flows in Hong Kong

In this paper we attempt to delineate conceptual issues relating to the definition of capital flows, and introduce a framework that organises survey data and accounting information at different time horizons to form a judgment on the nature and scale of fund flows in Hong Kong. Given the complexity of international financial transactions in Hong Kong, cross-border capital flows may not correspond closely to fund flows into and out of the Hong Kong dollar. A comprehensive view on the scale and nature of capital flows in Hong Kong requires the joint analysis of both monetary and Balance of Payments statistics, in addition to information gathered through market intelligence. We then apply the monitoring framework to analyse four episodes of large fund flows between 2003 and mid-2009.Capital flows; Fund flows; Hong Kong; Balance of Payments; External claims and liabilities of banks; Monetary Survey

An Evaluation of Input Controls for In-Car Interactions

The way drivers operate in-car systems is rapidly changing as traditional physical controls, such as buttons and dials, are being replaced by touchscreens and touch-sensing surfaces. This has the potential to increase driver distraction and error as controls may be harder to find and use. This paper presents an in-car, on the road driving study which examined three key types of input controls to investigate their effects: a physical dial, pressure-based input on a touch surface and touch input on a touchscreen. The physical dial and pressure-based input were also evaluated with and without haptic feedback. The study was conducted with users performing a list-based targeting task using the different controls while driving on public roads. Eye-gaze was recorded to measure distraction from the primary task of driving. The results showed that target accuracy was high across all input methods (greater than 94%). Pressure-based targeting was the slowest while directly tapping on the targets was the faster selection method. Pressure-based input also caused the largest number of glances towards to the touchscreen but the duration of each glance was shorter than directly touching the screen. Our study will enable designers to make more appropriate design choices for future in-car interactions

Resource Allocation for Outdoor-to-Indoor Multicarrier Transmission with Shared UE-side Distributed Antenna Systems

In this paper, we study the resource allocation algorithm design for downlink multicarrier transmission with a shared user equipment (UE)-side distributed antenna system (SUDAS) which utilizes both licensed and unlicensed frequency bands for improving the system throughput. The joint UE selection and transceiver processing matrix design is formulated as a non-convex optimization problem for the maximization of the end-to-end system throughput (bits/s). In order to obtain a tractable resource allocation algorithm, we first show that the optimal transmitter precoding and receiver post-processing matrices jointly diagonalize the end-to-end communication channel. Subsequently, the optimization problem is converted to a scalar optimization problem for multiple parallel channels, which is solved by using an asymptotically optimal iterative algorithm. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed resource allocation algorithm for the SUDAS achieves an excellent system performance and provides a spatial multiplexing gain for single-antenna UEs.Comment: accepted for publication at the IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC) Spring, Glasgow, Scotland, UK, May 201

Borders in Daily Life and the Press:: Harbin’s Russian and Chinese Newspapers in Early Twentieth Century

Russische und chinesische Zeitungen, die in der multikulturellen Stadt Harbin zwischen 1900 und 1932 erschienen, stehen im Zentrum dieses Beitrags. Eine vergleichende Analyse von russischen und chinesischen Presseorganen soll Aufschluss darüber geben, wie die unterschiedlichen Bevölkerungsgruppen Grenzziehungen zwischen den Kulturen und grenzüberschreitende Phänomene im Alltag der mandschurischen Stadt kommunizierten. Im Mittelpunkt dieser Studie steht die Frage, wie sich Russen und Chinesen in einer kulturellen Kontaktzone wie Harbin gegenseitig wahrnahmen und wie sie in einem von konkurrierenden Herrschaftsansprüchen, Werten und Lebensentwürfen bestimmten Raum Grenzen aller Art konzeptualisierten. Exemplarisch werden solche Prozesse mit Blick auf „Epidemien“, vor allem hinsichtlich der verheerenden Pestepidemie von 1910/11, und „Wirtschaft“ untersucht. Beide Untersuchungsbereiche waren von umfassenden Interaktionen und Verflechtungen beider Bevölkerungsgruppen sowie von Konkurrenzsituationen und Konflikten geprägt. Es zeigt sich, dass es zwar durchaus stereotype Bilder vom anderen gab, dass diese wechselseitigen Wahrnehmungen aber keineswegs statisch waren und in spezifischen Kontexten durchaus unterschiedlich, sogar widersprüchlich ausfielen. Interessant ist daher mit Blick auf bestimmte diskursive Praktiken nicht nur die Frage, was in welcher Weise kommuniziert wurde, sondern auch die Frage danach, welche Bereiche des gemeinsamen Alltags nicht thematisiert wurden. Das multilinguale Pressewesen war Ausdruck der sozioökonomischen und kulturellen Diversität der kosmopolitischen Stadt Harbin. Mehrere Dutzend Zeitungen und Zeitschriften vor allem in russischer, chinesischer, japanischer und englischer Sprache, die in der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts erschienen – in der Zeit von 1917 bis 1932 weitgehend unbehelligt von Zensur –, bilden einen unikalen Quellenbestand für Untersuchungen über kulturelle Identitätsbildungen sowie Eigen- und Fremdwahrnehmungen von Bevölkerungsgruppen in multikulturellen Gesellschaften

Time Series Analysis using Embedding Dimension on Heart Rate Variability

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is the measurement sequence with one or more visible variables of an underlying dynamic system, whose state changes with time. In practice, it is difficult to know what variables determine the actual dynamic system. In this research, Embedding Dimension (ED) is used to find out the nature of the underlying dynamical system. False Nearest Neighbour (FNN) method of estimating ED has been adapted for analysing and predicting variables responsible for HRV time series. It shows that the ED can provide the evidence of dynamic variables which contribute to the HRV time series. Also, the embedding of the HRV time series into a four-dimensional space produced the smallest number of FNN. This result strongly suggests that the Autonomic Nervous System that drives the heart is a two features dynamic system: sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Challenges in passenger use of mixed reality headsets in cars and other transportation

This paper examines key challenges in supporting passenger use of augmented and virtual reality headsets in transit. These headsets will allow passengers to break free from the restraints of physical displays placed in constrained environments such as cars, trains and planes. Moreover, they have the potential to allow passengers to make better use of their time by making travel more productive and enjoyable, supporting both privacy and immersion. However, there are significant barriers to headset usage by passengers in transit contexts. These barriers range from impediments that would entirely prevent safe usage and function (e.g. motion sickness) to those that might impair their adoption (e.g. social acceptability). We identify the key challenges that need to be overcome and discuss the necessary resolutions and research required to facilitate adoption and realize the potential advantages of using mixed reality headsets in transit

Improvements to Inference Compilation for Probabilistic Programming in Large-Scale Scientific Simulators

We consider the problem of Bayesian inference in the family of probabilistic models implicitly defined by stochastic generative models of data. In scientific fields ranging from population biology to cosmology, low-level mechanistic components are composed to create complex generative models. These models lead to intractable likelihoods and are typically non-differentiable, which poses challenges for traditional approaches to inference. We extend previous work in "inference compilation", which combines universal probabilistic programming and deep learning methods, to large-scale scientific simulators, and introduce a C++ based probabilistic programming library called CPProb. We successfully use CPProb to interface with SHERPA, a large code-base used in particle physics. Here we describe the technical innovations realized and planned for this library.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure

Riemann-Einstein Structure from Volume and Gauge Symmetry

It is shown how a metric structure can be induced in a simple way starting with a gauge structure and a preferred volume, by spontaneous symmetry breaking. A polynomial action, including coupling to matter, is constructed for the symmetric phase. It is argued that assuming a preferred volume, in the context of a metric theory, induces only a limited modification of the theory.Comment: LaTeX, 13 pages; Added additional reference in Reference

Well-being over time in Britain and the USA

This paper studies happiness in the United States and Great Britain. Reported levels of well-being have declined over the last quarter of a century in the US; life satisfaction has run approximately flat through time in Britain. These findings are consistent with the Easterlin hypothesis [Nations and Households in Economic Growth: Essays in Honour of Moses Abramowitz (1974) Academic Press; J. Econ. Behav. Org., 27 (1995) 35]. The happiness of American blacks, however, has risen. White women in the US have been the biggest losers since the 1970s. Well-being equations have a stable structure. Money buys happiness. People care also about relative income. Well-being is U-shaped in age. The paper estimates the dollar values of events like unemployment and divorce. They are large. A lasting marriage (compared to widowhood as a ‘natural’ experiment), for example, is estimated to be worth $100,000 a year