Towards dynamic context discovery and composition

Context-awareness has been identified as a key characteristic for pervasive computing systems. As a variety of context-aware environments begin to flourish, pervasive applications shall have to interact different environments well. In this paper we propose extensions to the Strathclyde Context Infrastructure that gives context-aware applications the potential to adapt to unfamiliar environments transparently. We present a vision of a context discovery technique based on automated semantic reasoning about context information and services. The technique will offer higher levels of scalability and of interoperability with new context environments that cannot be achieved with current methods

Situation determination with distributed context histories

Determining the situation within an environment is a key goal of smart environment research. A significant challenge in situation determination is reasoning about openended groups of people and devices that a smart environment may contain. Contemporary solutions are often tailored to the specific environment. In this position paper, we present a novel general situation determination framework, that by viewing people and tools as playing roles in a situation, can easily adapt recognition to incorporate the dynamic structure of a situation over time

Situation determination with reusable situation specifications

Automatically determining the situation of an ad-hoc group of people and devices within a smart environment is a significant challenge in pervasive computing systems. Current approaches often rely on an environment expert to correlate the situations that occur with the available sensor data, while other machine learning based approaches require long training periods before the system can be used. In both cases, the situations are tailored to the specific environment, and are therefore not transferable to other environments. Furthermore, situations are recognised at a low-level of granularity, which limits the scope of situation-aware applications. This paper presents a novel approach to situation determination that attempts to overcome these issues by providing a reusable library of general situation specications that can be easily extended to create new speficic situations, and immediately deployed without the need of an environment expert. A proposed architecture of an accompanying situation determination middleware is provided, as well as an analysis of a prototype implementation

Determinants of the Closing Probability of Residential Mortgage Applications

After allowing applicants to "lock" the interest rate, mortgage originators are concerned with protecting themselves from adverse outcomes due to interest-rate changes. One may expect applicants would strive to close applications when rates rose, while letting themselves fall out when rates decline. Our results show that applicant response to interest-rate changes and volatility are modest. The most important predictor of closing probability is the length of the lock period, with shorter locks being more likely to close. Applications for single-family are more likely to close than are those for multiunit dwellings. Applications for owner-occupied properties are more likely to close than are those for investment properties. Applicant characteristics such as loan affordability, education and age have a small influence on closing rate. Gender has an effect for some loan programs, and marital status appears to be irrelevant. Discount points affect refinance mortgages more than purchase mortgages. Conventional applications are more likely to close than FHA and VA, and applications for refinance, in general, are less likely to close. Results are mixed for ARM and fifteen-year applications, as well as for whether it was the original application, or a relock.

Underlying determinants of closed-bank resolution costs

An analysis of the issues surrounding bank resolution costs, looking at failures from 1986 to 1992 and including proxies for fraud, off-balance-sheet risk, brokered deposits, and both regional and size effects. Evidence suggests there was a significant lag between the realization and recognition of losses on bank assets, and that regulators may have practiced forbearance.Bank failures

Depositor preference legislation and failed banks' resolution costs

An examination of the empirical impact of depositor preference legislation (DPL) on resolution type and resolution costs for commercial banks. It focuses on the impact of state DPL statutes, using FDIC and call-report data on resolution costs and types for all operating FDIC-BIF insured commercial banks that closed or required FDIC financial assistance from January 1986 through December 1992.Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ; Bank failures

Capital requirements and optimal bank portfolios: a reexamination

An examination of the impact of increased capital requirements on bank portfolio behavior, finding that although the variance of earnings and the incentive to increase leverage are reduced with risk- and leverage-related interest rates, the impact of increased capital requirements on portfolio behavior is generally ambiguous.Bank capital ; Deposit insurance

Continuing education: The 1998 survey of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons

The document attached has been archived with permission from the Australian Dental Association. An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Background: Continuing education (CE) is an essential professional activity. In the last decade, CE has been actively pursued by the medical profession in Australia and abroad. However, the uptake of CE in dentistry has been much slower and there is minimal Australian data on dental CE. Methods: To determine the level of CE activity, in 1998, postal questionnaires were sent to all fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons. The responses were analysed. Results: There was a high reponse rate (90 per cent) but a moderate usable rate (54 per cent). The results show a biphasic distribution between high and low CE activity. The average amount of activity of those involved in CE was 116 hours per year, above the usually accepted minimum of 100 hours/year. Some groups, particularly members of the specialist divisions of oral and maxillofacial surgeons (215 hours) and periodontists (205 hours), have high levels of CE. However, approximately 25 per cent of college fellows reported little or no CE activity. The survey revealed that inactive fellows are more likely to be older and in general practice. Inactive fellows were also tardy in replying to the questionnaire. Conclusion: The high activity CE group needs to be recognised and encouraged to continue. Specific plans to help the low CE activity group should be developed. Although these findings relate directly to the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, they are presented as they have implications for the dental profession at large.P Sambrook, D Thomson, R Bastiaan and A Gos

Depositor-preference laws and the cost of debt capital

Under depositor-preference laws, depositors' claims on the assets of failed depository institutions are senior to unsecured general-creditor claims. As a result, depositor preference changes the capital structure of banks and thrifts, thereby affecting the cost of capital for depositories. Depositor preference has no impact on the total value of banks and thrifts, however, unless deposit insurance is mispriced.Bank failures ; Bank capital ; Deposit insurance