Deployment of quality assurance procedures for digital library programmes

Many digital library programmes have a development philosophy based on use of open standards. In practice, however, projects may not have procedures in place to ensure that project deliverables make use of appropriate open standards. In addition there will be occasions when open standards are not sufficiently mature for deployment in a service environment or use of open standards will require expertise or resources which are not readily available

Modeling the time-dependent polarization of blazars

Linear polarization is an extremely valuable observational tool for probing the dynamic physical conditions of blazar jets. Some patterns are seen in the data, suggestive of order that can be explained by shock waves and helical magnetic field components. However, much disorder is apparent, which implies that turbulence plays a major role as well, especially in the fluctuations of flux and polarization, and perhaps particle acceleration. Here, we present some actual flux and polarization versus time data, plus simulations of model jets. We analyze the output of the simulations in a manner that can be compared with observational data. The results suggest that the ratio of turbulent to ordered magnetic fields varies with time.AST-1615796 - National Science Foundation; NASA; NNX14AQ58G; NNX15AR45

Processing of Synthetic Aperture Radar Images by the Boundary Contour System and Feature Contour System

An improved Boundary Contour System (BCS) and Feature Contour System (FCS) neural network model of preattentive vision is applied to two large images containing range data gathered by a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensor. The goal of processing is to make structures such as motor vehicles, roads, or buildings more salient and more interpretable to human observers than they are in the original imagery. Early processing by shunting center-surround networks compresses signal dynamic range and performs local contrast enhancement. Subsequent processing by filters sensitive to oriented contrast, including short-range competition and long-range cooperation, segments the image into regions. Finally, a diffusive filling-in operation within the segmented regions produces coherent visible structures. The combination of BCS and FCS helps to locate and enhance structure over regions of many pixels, without the resulting blur characteristic of approaches based on low spatial frequency filtering alone.Air Force Office of Scientific Research (90-0175); Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (90-0083

Global Imbalances: Time for Action

The world economy faces a grave danger from the large imbalances in current account positions. Policymakers should not wait until financial markets force global adjustment. They should initiate a credible, comprehensive adjustment program to reduce the risks of a crisis, which could produce a world recession and disruptions to the global trading system. Participants in a February 2007 workshop, held in Washington and sponsored by Brussels-based Bruegel, Seoul-based Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, and Washington-based Peterson Institute for International Economics, outlined how an orderly reduction in global imbalances can be achieved. They presented estimates of the exchange rate implications of current account adjustment scenarios in which the US current account deficit narrowed to 3 percent of GDP in the medium term and the world growth rate was unchanged. Most of the adjustment would be borne by China, Japan, other Asian economies, a few high-surplus European economies not in the euro area, and the oil-exporting countries. The combined role of the smaller surplus economies in Asia and Europe (outside of the euro area) in the adjustment process will be more important than the role of either China or Japan. The adjustment would require a rebalancing of world demand with both higher saving in the United States and higher consumption in East Asia, as well as effective appreciations of the currencies of China, Japan, and other surplus countries in East Asia and Europe and bilateral appreciations against the dollar by other currencies. The problem is multilateral in nature and needs to be addressed in a multilateral context such as that potentially provided by the International Monetary Fund.

Student clubs: experiences in entrepreneurial learning

A study into the role that student clubs and enterprise societies have in entrepreneurial learning.Full paper can be accessed here:http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/MEXITet2idezjcKeyDJC/ful

Global imbalances: time for action

Increasing nervousness in world financial markets give new relevance to the long-standing issues of global current account adjustment. It reminds policymakers that this adjustment, if improperly managed, could lead to further drops in assets prices, disruptions in the global trading system, and possible world recession. The authors of this Policy Brief assess how to achieve an orderly reduction in the large and unsustainable global current account imbalances. The Policy Brief is the result of a joint conference held in Washington, D.C. on February 8 and 9 2007.

Interest rate risk management : a case study of GBS Mutual Bank

Banks play a pivotal role in the economic growth and development of countries, primarily through the diversification of risk for both themselves and other economic agents. Interest rate risk is regarded as one of the most prominent financial risks faced by a bank. A large portion of private banks’ revenue stems from net interest income that is generated from the difference between various assets and liabilities that are held on the balance sheet. Fluctuations in the interest rate can alter a bank’s interest income and value, making interest rate risk management vital to its success. The asset and liability committee of a bank is the internal committee charged with the duty of managing the bank’s interest rate risk exposure through the use of various hedging strategies and instruments. This thesis uses a case study methodology to analyse GBS Mutual Bank interest rate risk management. Its specific business circumstances, balance sheet structure and the market conditions over a specified period are used to comment on the practicality of a variety of balance sheet positioning strategies and derivative hedging instruments. The thesis also provides recommendations for the bank’s asset and liability committee in terms of its functions and organisation. It is elucidated that the most practical balance sheet hedging strategies are a volume strategy and immunisation, while the most practical derivative hedging instruments are interest rate futures and interest rate collars. It is found that the bank has a well functioning asset and liability committee whose only encumbrance to its functionality is the inadequacy of the informational technology used to measure, control and manage its interest rate risk position. This thesis concludes by summarising the practicality of the various interest rate risk hedging alternatives available to the GBS Mutual Bank. Implementing a particular strategy or instrument depends, of course, on its asset and liability committee’s decision