‘Somebody should have asked me…’ Young people in care and information-sharing practice

"Information sharing is an essential element of integrated working, because otherwise children and young people’s stories have to be told over and over again and their support needs can go unmet. Traditionally, young people in the care of the Local Authority may be very used to professionals discussing their needs at Social Care meetings including ‘Reviews’ of their care plans and other gatherings of the practitioners working with them. What this project seeks to explore is how young people themselves are engaged in consenting to that process. This research was undertaken between October 2009 and February 2010 by a foster carer who also manages a youth work project in the voluntary sector working with young people in and leaving care." - Page 4

Momentum and Contrarian Stock-Market Indices

We propose a new class of investable momentum and contrarian stock-market indices that partition a benchmark index, such as the Russell 1000. Our momentum indices overweight stocks that have recently outperformed, while our contrarian indices underweight these same stocks. Our index construction methodology is extremely flexible, and allows the index provider to trade-off the distinctiveness of the momentum/contrarian strategies with portfolio turnover. Momentum investment styles in particular typically entail a high level of turnover, and hence high associated transaction costs. The creation of momentum and contrarian indices and exchange traded funds (ETFs) based on our methodology would allow investors to access these styles at lower cost than is currently possible. Our indices also provide performance benchmarks for momentum/contrarian investment managers, and good proxies for a momentum factor. Over the period 1995- 2007 we find that short term momentum and long term contrarian indices outperform the reference Russell 1000 index. We also document the changing interaction between the momentum/contrarian and value/growth styles.Momentum index; Contrarian index; Performance measurement; Turnover; Momentum factor; Behavioral finance

Integration of MATLAB and LabVIEW with Aspen Plus Dynamics: Using control strategies for a High-fidelity distillation column

The energy intensive distillation process has become a widely discussed topic as industry attempts to minimise energy consumption. The implementation of Model Predictive Control (MPC) can aid in the reduction of plant energy consumption. However, the leading chemical and petroleum software packages Aspen Plus and Aspen HYSYS do not currently support MPC. This project successfully integrated both MATLAB and LabVIEW with Aspen Plus Dynamics (APD), which enables the implementation of MPC schemes. This integration was established using Microsoft’s ActiveX Technology. In order to implement MPC from within MATLAB and LabVIEW, their respective MPC toolboxes were explored; these toolboxes possess several major flaws in their functionality. In particular, neither have the ability to perform RGA analysis or determine the model of the plant through data-driven modelling. To overcome these drawbacks a MATLAB script was developed which determines the model of the plant from automatic step tests in Simulink. Once the communication was established, and toolboxes documented, a high-fidelity distillation column was constructed in Aspen Plus before being exported to APD. This plant model was developed as a reference to compare the effectiveness of the PI and MPC control schemes, employing the Integral of Time-Weighted Absolute Error (ITAE) performance criterion. MPC outperformed the PI control schemes in all but one scenario. On average the ITAE values were 1000% lower for MPC, due to its ability to quickly track the set point and avoid overshoot. Further research has been highlighted on a number of toolbox features and dynamic communication options. Importantly, the use of the integrated software packages can provide a number of benefits for students and personnel. By developing a dynamic template it will be possible to implement these ideas into university, laboratory and workplace training. This could increase confidence in predictive control schemes, operator plant knowledge and reduce unsafe plant operation

Mutual Fund Style, Characteristic-Matched Performance Benchmarks and Activity Measures: A New Approach

We propose a new approach for measuring mutual fund style and constructing characteristic-matched performance benchmarks that requires only portfolio holdings and two reference portfolios in each style dimension. The characteristic-matched performance benchmark literature typically follows a bottom-up approach by first matching individual stocks with benchmarks and then obtaining a portfolio’s excess return as a weighted average of the excess returns on each of its constituent stocks. Our approach is fundamentally different in that it matches portfolios and benchmarks directly. We illustrate our approach using portfolio holdings of 1183 fund managers over the period 2002-2009. We characterize the cross-section of fund manager styles and show how average style changes over time. The tracking error volatilities of our characteristic-matched benchmarks compare favorably with those of existing methods. Using our benchmarks we explore the link between activity and performance.Performance Measurement; Tailored Benchmark; Characteristic Matching; Size Profile; Growth Profile; Activity; Excess Return.

Communication in clinical handover: improving the safety and quality of the patient experience

Abstract not available

Mandatory participation in programs to counter violent extremism: A review of evidence for and against

Dealing with released convicted terrorists and returned foreign fighters is a major policy challenge. One option is to mandate their participation in intervention programs. This paper will review evidence relating to mandatory participation in interventions targeting convicted terrorists and individuals at risk of radicalisation, consider the benefits and drawbacks of mandating participation and explore relevant implementation issues relating to the adoption of mandatory programs. The following methodology was adopted: (1) a rapid scoping review across the fields of countering violent extremism, sex and violent offender rehabilitative programming; (2) a review of relevant policy documents and legislative sources; and (3) consultations with international experts. The conclusion drawn is that mandated participation may offer some benefits, but these need to be weighed against the drawbacks of such an approach