Testing the bivariate distribution of daily equity returns using copulas: an application to the Spanish stock market

In this paper we deal with the identification of dependencies between time series of equity returns. Marginal distribution functions are assumed to be known, and a bivariate chi-square test of fit is applied in a fully parametric copula approach. Several families of copulas are fitted and compared with Spanish stock market data. The results show that the t-copula generally outperforms other dependence structures, and highlight the difficulty in adjusting a significant number of bivariate data series

Improving component management in an electronics company

Elektroniikka alalla tuotteet sisältävät yhä enemmän ja enemmän komponentteja joiden käyttöä yrityksen tulee hallita. Viime-aikaiset ympäristömääräykset ja lainsäädännöt ovat lisänneet yritysten painetta hallita käyttämiään komponentteja ja niiden tietoa tehokkaasti. Tässä työssä on tutkittu kolmen palveluntarjoajan tarjoamaa komponentinhallinta palvelua verrattunamahdolliseen talon omaan komponentti-insinööriin. Jotta tutkittuja vaihtoehtoja pystyisi vertailemaan, selvitettiin asiantuntija haastatteluja käyttäen komponenttien hallinnan erityispiirteet. Erityispiirteet yhdessä yrityksen vaatimuksien kanssa muodostivat kriteristön johon tutkittuja palveluja vertaillaan. Kriteeristö koostuu kahdeksasta osasta jotka puolestaan voidaan jaotella kolmeen ryhmään niiden keston ja luonteen mukaan. Neljän kriteerin katsottiin olevan tärkeämpiä kuin toiset, joten niille annettiin suurempi painoarvo palveluja vertailtaessa. Kaikki tutkitut palvelut täyttävät osan kriteereistä mutta mikään ei yksistään tarjoa riittävän kattavaa ratkaisua kohdeyrityksen ongelmiin. Suurimmat ongelmat yrityksellä ovat sisäisessä tiedonkulussa ja tietokantojen ja järjestelmien ylläpidossa ja hallinnassa. Jotta nämä ongelmat saataisiin ratkaistua on yrityksen saatava komponenttiprosessit toimimaan sekä tietokanta ajantasalle. Nämä tavoitteet saavutetaan vain jos yrityksessä on joku hoitamassa asiaa sisältä päin. Tutkitut kolme palvelua eivät tällaista sisäistä resurssia tarjoa vaan keskittyvät vain ulkoapäin tapahtuvaan tiedon välitykseen ja hallinnointiin.

Introducing Basic Systematic Requirements Engineering Practices in Small Organizations with an Easy to Adopt Method

Requirements-relatedissues have been found the third most important risk factor in software projects and as the biggest reason for software project failures. This is not a surprise since; requirements engineering (RE) practices have been reported deficient inmore than 75% of all; enterprises. A problem analysis on small and low maturitysoftware organizations revealed two; central reasons for not starting process improvement efforts: lack of resources and uncertainty; about process improvementeffort paybacks.; In the constructive part of the study a basic RE method, BaRE, was developed to provide an; easy to adopt way to introduce basic systematic RE practices in small and low maturity; organizations. Based on diffusion of innovations literature, thirteen desirable characteristics; were identified for the solution and the method was implemented in five key components:; requirements document template, requirements development practices, requirements; management practices, tool support for requirements management, and training.; The empirical evaluation of the BaRE method was conducted in three industrial case studies. In; this evaluation, two companies established a completely new RE infrastructure following the; suggested practices while the third company conducted continued requirements document; template development based on the provided template and used it extensively in practice. The; real benefits of the adoption of the method were visible in the companies in four to six months; from the start of the evaluation project, and the two small companies in the project completed; their improvement efforts with an input equal to about one person month. The collected dataon; the case studies indicates that the companies implemented new practices with little adaptations; and little effort. Thus it can be concluded that the constructed BaRE method is indeed easy to; adopt and it can help introduce basic systematic RE practices in small organizations.

Analysis of vineyard differential management zones and relation to vine development, grape maturity and quality

The objective of research was to analyse the potential of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) maps from satellite images, yield maps and grapevine fertility and load variables to delineate zones with different wine grape properties for selective harvesting. Two vineyard blocks located in NE Spain (Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah) were analysed. The NDVI was computed from a Quickbird-2 multi-spectral image at veraison (July 2005). Yield data was acquired by means of a yield monitor during September 2005. Other variables, such as the number of buds, number of shoots, number of wine grape clusters and weight of 100 berries were sampled in a 10 rows × 5 vines pattern and used as input variables, in combination with the NDVI, to define the clusters as alternative to yield maps. Two days prior to the harvesting, grape samples were taken. The analysed variables were probable alcoholic degree, pH of the juice, total acidity, total phenolics, colour, anthocyanins and tannins. The input variables, alone or in combination, were clustered (2 and 3 Clusters) by using the ISODATA algorithm, and an analysis of variance and a multiple rang test were performed. The results show that the zones derived from the NDVI maps are more effective to differentiate grape maturity and quality variables than the zones derived from the yield maps. The inclusion of other grapevine fertility and load variables did not improve the results.

From room for books to room for users: an old infantry barrack as an answer to the lack of space

At the beginning of the 21st century, some Catalan university libraries detected a need stemming from the lack of space and the reconversion of physical libraries within the new European educational panorama. With the same cooperative spirit that characterized previous CBUC (Consortium of Academic Libraries of Catalonia) programs and services, the Consortium set in motion a project to address this need. An initial study was commissioned in 2002, and in 2003 a suitable building (old infantry barracks) was found in Lleida. The official opening took place in 2008. GEPA (Guaranteed Space for the Preservation of Access) facility is a cooperative repository, whose objectives are to store and preserve low use documents, ensuring their future access when needed, to convert room for books into room for library users, and doing it saving both space and money. The paper presents a brief historical introduction about the physical management of collections in libraries, and a short overview about high density library repositories all over the world, as an answer to the pressing problem of lack of spaces. The main goals of the communication are to comment the architectural project and its librarian issues, and to show how the GEPA facility allowed to change the spaces in university libraries in Catalonia. On the one hand, the paper deals with the selection of an old building to be renovated, the determination of the librarian needs, the compact shelving system chosen to store the documents in the building, the relation between physical space and information management, and the logistics involved in the load of low use documents from the libraries into the facility. On the other hand, we will show some examples of physical changes in Catalan libraries after large loads of documents to GEPA.

Rectal enema is an alternative to full mechanical bowel preparation for primary rectal cancer surgery.

AIM: According to the French GRECCAR III randomized trial, full mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) for rectal surgery decreases the rate of postoperative morbidity, in particular postoperative infectious complications, but MBP is not well tolerated by the patient. The aim of the present study was to determine whether a preoperative rectal enema (RE) might be an alternative to MBP. METHODS: An analysis was performed of 96 matched cohort patients undergoing rectal resection with primary anastomosis and protective ileostomy at two different university teaching hospitals, whose rectal cancer management was comparable except for the choice of preoperative bowel preparation (MBP or RE). Prospective databases were retrospectively analysed. RESULTS: Patients were well matched for age, gender, body mass index and Charlson index. The surgical approach and cancer characteristics (level above anal verge, stage and use of neoadjuvant therapy) were comparable between the two groups. Anastomotic leakage occurred in 10% of patients having MBP and in 8% having RE (P = 1.00). Pelvic abscess formation (6% vs 2%, P = 0.63) and wound infection (8% vs 15%, P = 0.55) were also comparable. Extra-abdominal infection (13% vs 13%, P = 1.00) and non-infectious abdominal complications such as ileus and bleeding (27% and 31%, P = 0.83) were not significantly different. Overall morbidity was comparable in the two groups (50% vs 54%, P = 0.83). CONCLUSION: A simple RE before rectal surgery seems not to be associated with more postoperative infectious complications nor a higher overall morbidity than MBP.

Developing sustainable research data management services: an institutional collaboration

Presentation at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014

The use of relaxation therapy as an adjunct to traditional psoriasis therapy /

This research investigated the impact of stress management and relaxation techniques on psoriasis. It had a dual purpose to see if stress management and relaxation techniques, as an adjunct to traditional medical treatment, would improve the skin condition of psoriasis. In addition it attempted to provide psoriasis patients with a sense of control over their illness by educating them about the connection between mind and body through learning stress management and relaxation techniques. The former purpose was addressed quantitatively, while the latter was addressed qualitatively. Using an experimental design, the quantitative study tested the efficacy of stress management and relaxation techniques on 38 dermatological patients from St. John's, Newfoundland. The study which lasted ten weeks, suggested a weak relationship between psoriasis and stress. These relationships were not statistically significant. The qualitative data were gathered through unstructured interviews and descriptive/interpretative analysis was used to evaluate them. Patients in the experimental group believed in the mind body connection as it related to their illness and stress. The findings also showed that the patients believed that the stress reduction and relaxation techniques improved their quality of life, their level of psoriasis, and their ability to live with the condition. Based on the contradictory nature of the findings, further research is needed. It is posited that replication of this study would be vastly improved by increasing the sample size to increase the possibility of significant findings. As wel~ increasing the length of time for the experiment would control for the possibility of a lag effect. Finally, the study looked at linear relationships between stress and psoriasis. Further study should ascertain whether the relationship might be nonlinear

An approach to compatible new buildings in historic urban environments : case study in the Arabian Gulf region

Cette thèse contribue à l'état actuel des connaissances sur la compatibilité des nouveaux bâtiments avec les environnements urbains historiques. Elle suit un mode de présentation classique: Introduction, Revue de Littérature, Méthodologie, Résultats, Discussion et Conclusion. Le problème étudié est le manque d'orientation pour intégrer les processus de développement et de sauvegarde dans les contextes établis. La littérature récente révèle que les règles de préservation, aussi appelées normes et lignes directrices, ne peuvent pas garantir une relation compatible entre une intervention et son milieu. La pensée contemporaine dans le domaine de la conservation et de la gestion du patrimoine invite donc l’exploration d'autres moyens pour lier la nouvelle architecture à l'ancienne. Ainsi, le présent projet de recherche explore une approche alternative aux règles de préservation en vue d’atteindre le but de nouveaux bâtiments compatibles et d’améliorer la prise de décision fondée sur les valeurs. Pour produire des résultats spécifiques et convaincants, un cas a été sélectionné. Celui-ci est une ville dans la région du Golfe Arabe : la Ville de Koweït. Le résultat principal est le développement d’une approche, mise en œuvre en posant des questions approfondies sur le lieu, la conception et la construction des nouveaux bâtiments. Les questions suggérées dans la thèse mettent l’accent sur les valeurs patrimoniales et les choix de conception afin de permettre un changement réfléchi au sein des environnements urbains historiques. Elles aident aussi à évaluer les nouvelles propositions de projets au cas par cas. Pour démontrer comment cette approche pourrait être présentée et utilisée par les requérants et les évaluateurs, un modèle théorique est proposé. Ce modèle a ensuite été discuté avec des professionnels locaux et internationaux qui ont identifié ses forces et ses limites. En conclusion, l’ensemble des résultats montre que la mise à disposition de règles et / ou de questions approfondies n’est pas une solution satisfaisante puisqu’il y a d'autres enjeux importants qui devraient être abordés: comment appliquer l'orientation efficacement une fois qu’elle a été créée, comment développer la compétence liée à la prise de décision fondée sur les valeurs et comment insérer la conservation du patrimoine dans la mentalité du gouvernement local et des communautés. Lorsque ces enjeux seront traités, le patrimoine pourra devenir partie intégrante du processus de planification, ce qui est le but ultime. Enfin, cinq axes de recherche sont recommandés pour poursuivre l’exploration des idées introduites dans cette étude.

Development of an instrument to assess Human Resource Quality (HRQ) and measuring the impact of TQM efforts on HRQ using the instrument

This research is aimed at developing an instrument for measuring human resource quality in organizations. The researcher has developed the instrument for measuring HRQ based on extensive literature survey and expert opinion. Statistical validity of the Instrument has also been established. This instrument was used to measure the changes in Human Resource Quality in selected organizations wherein quality management practices are being implemented. Data collected was analyzed and presented in this thesis. It has been found that there are significant changes in all the indicators of Human Resource Quality. There is improvement in Cultural Change Index(CCI), Quality of Work Life Index(QWLI) and Employee Satisfaction Index(ESI). The Human Resource Quality index has also increased significantly in all the organizations. It has been observed from the study that implementation of TQM leads to significant changes in Human Resource Quality. This instrument is capable of measuring minor variations in each indicator of HRQ and can be used to identify areas of weakness and strength in the case of Human Resource Quality. The instrument can further be modified by future research. This research work provided excellent opportunities for the researcher for self-development and has made him confident to undertake such activities for the benefit of the learning community.

Behavioural Competency Management with special reference to Commercial Banks headquartered in Kerala

This study aims to analyze, compare and contrast the behavioral competency of officials in commercial banks headquartered in Kerala. This is done by analyzing the soft skills/behavioral skills possessed by an individual employee in both clerical and managerial levels and the means adopted to enhance their said skills in near future. The study was conducted with the objective of analyzing the behavioral competency of the managers and clerical staff in the commercial banks headquartered in Kerala. The researcher has gone through the available literature with respect to employee competency, job satisfaction and employee performance evaluation to formulate the problem and conceptualize the framework of the study. The study concluded that the competency of the employees differs from one bank to the other but strengthening the employees’ competency is the only possible solution by which the banks can determine their future growth prospects. Only through competency, banks can achieve high level of performance especially under the globalised situation.

Transaction costs of farmers’ participation in forest management: Policy implications of payments for environmental services schemes in Vietnam

Recent research on payments for environmental services (PES) has observed that high transaction costs (TCs) are incurred through the implementation of PES schemes and farmer participation. TCs incurred by households are considered to be an obstacle to the participation in and efficiency of PES policies. This study aims to understand transactions related to previous forest plantation programmes and to estimate the actual TCs incurred by farmers who participated in these programmes in a mountainous area of northwestern Vietnam. In addition, this study examines determinants of households’ TCs to test the hypothesis of whether the amount of TCs varies according to household characteristics. Results show that average TCs are not likely to be a constraint for participation since they are about 200,000 VND (USD 10) per household per contract, which is equivalent to one person’s average earnings for about two days of labour. However, TCs amount to more than one-third of the programmes’ benefits, which is relatively high compared to PES programmes in developed countries. This implies that rather than aiming to reduce TCs, an appropriate agenda for policy improvement is to balance the level of TCs with PES programme benefits to enhance the overall attractiveness of afforestation programmes for smallholder farmers. Regression analysis reveals that education, gender and perception towards PES programmes have significant effects on the magnitude of TCs. The analyses also points out the importance of local conditions on the level of TCs, with some unexpected results.

Visual strategies used during the performance of an obstacle course

Vision is the sense that provides precise information about one’s position in the environment in relation to objects. The visual system is essential to guide people safely when moving around in the environment. The perception that an individual gets from a particular scene of her/his surroundings is accomplished by eye movements. The current study aims to identify differences in visual strategies between 15 women and 15 men within the age range of 18-24 years, who have been given a task to walk through an obstacle course drawn on the laboratory´s floor. They should start and finish at a predefined location. Twelve pylons were used as obstacles to be avoided during the walking.The participants' eye movements were recorded using the Mobile Eye model 1.35. The Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney Test was used for the statistical analysis. Significant differences occurred between men and women, in the duration of fixations: the men spend more time observing the finishing area than women (z=-1.929, p=.054); and in the number of fixations: before starting the task, the men fixate more often the middle phase of the obstacle course (z=-2.085, p=.037). Once they commence, the women fixate more the points outside the obstacle course than the men (z=-2.093, p=.036).

Bioremediation of acid mine drainage: an introduction to the Wheal Jane wetlands project

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a widespread environmental problem associated with both working and abandoned mining operations. As part of an overall strategy to determine a long-term treatment option for AMD, a pilot passive treatment plant was constructed in 1994 at Wheat Jane Mine in Cornwall, UK. The plant consists of three separate systems; each containing aerobic reed beds, anaerobic cell and rock filters, and represents the largest European experimental facility of its kind. The systems only differ by the type of pre-treatment utilised to increase the pH of the influent minewater (pH<4): lime-dosed (LD), anoxic limestone drain (ALD) and lime free (LF), which receives no form of pre-treatment. The Wheal Jane pilot plant offered a unique facility and a major research project was established to evaluate the pilot plant and study in detail the biological mechanisms and the geochemical and physical processes that control passive treatment systems. The project has led to data, knowledge, models and design criteria for the future design, planning and sustainable management of passive treatment systems. A multidisciplinary team of scientists and managers from the U.K. universities, the Environment Agency and the Mining Industry has been put together to obtain the maximum advantage from the excellent facilities facility at Wheal Jane. (C) 2004 Elseaier B.V All rights reserved.